Toyota Proace City EV Panel Van (2024 - ) review

The Proace City EV is available in Icon and Sport trim levels, and long and short body lengths. It is only available in long and short at the entry-level Icon trim. The short version gives you room for up to 3.8 cubic metres of load space, while the longer version ups that to 4.4 cubic metres. Payloads range from 651 to 759 kg depending on the model chosen, and if you want more payload choose a short Proace City EV. The Smart Cargo system, essentially a load-through bulkhead, is a useful addition increasing the load floor length for longer items (up to 3m on the short version, and up to 3.5m in the long version). Lashing points line both sides of the load floor and you can specify the vehicle with ply-lining. If you’ve driven any of the Stellantis small electric vans, which this is a rebadged version of, then you’ll be familiar with the practicalities. They’re some of the best load spaces at the small end of the market, let down only slightly by no height options on the roof. The 60/40 rear doors and two side sliding doors are really just the icing on the cake allowing excellent accessibility.

The cabin is a pleasant environment to spend time in, with a comfortable driver’s seat and (in the model we drove) a decent bench seat for two extra passengers; the entry level just has two seats. The major differences between the electric and diesel models is the electric’s e-toggle drive selector and driving mode switch, both of which are very easy to use. There’s plenty of storage including a pop-top cubby above the steering wheel, a glove box, door storage, cup holders on both ends of the dash and a mobile phone shelf under the climate controls. The outer passenger seat can flip up to provide a bit more cabin storage, and the middle seat can fold down to reveal a slide-out clipboard; very nice additions. The cabin is comfortable, with Toyota having chosen hard-wearing fabrics on the seats, durable plastics on the surfaces, and the steering wheel is covered in controls and easy to grip. Without wishing to sound like a broken record, if you’ve been in a Stellantis small electric van, this interior is most akin to the Citroen e-Berlingo’s cabin.

The van is available for around £30K at the entry level up to over £31K for the top Sport trim, those prices both exclude VAT and any additional packs or options you might want to add. The 100 kW electric motor (136 brake horsepower) and 50 kWh battery work together to give you 213 miles of range (WLTP), and you can charge from 0 to 80% in as little as 32 minutes on a rapid charger. Charging costs will be dependent on how and where you charge, at home or at public chargers where costs diverge significantly. Driving modes, Eco, Normal and Power, can be played with to suit your driving style and energy consumption. Also, this is slightly more expensive than the Proace City diesel models, so it’s worth checking out the costs to pick it up on finance or a good lease deal.

The vehicle is covered by Toyota’s 10-year warranty (only valid if you have it serviced by a Toyota service centre) and the batteries are covered by a separate eight-year/100,000-mile warranty. It’s considered to be a reliable vehicle, and the faith a manufacturer shows with long warranty terms cannot be overestimated.

The van performs well in most conditions thanks to its tried and tested platform. It’s a good drive and has a comfortable cabin with plenty of storage. The cargo space is practical, more so when ply-lined, and is very easy to access from both sides and the big rear doors. It’s unlikely that anyone driving this van would find much to quibble with in terms of performance. It’ll do the job when required, that’s all you can ask.

This is a smooth electric van to drive, with enough power to get away from junctions and traffic lights in Normal mode. Eco mode trims back the motor’s oomph and the climate control’s power thirst, which is probably fine for slower and smaller roads. Power mode gives you everything but drains your charge and range quickly. We found Normal to be perfect for most circumstances, with enough regenerative braking and all normal features enabled. When loaded up with around 400 kg of cargo it felt planted to the road, but our range dipped by about 30 miles. It’s always a balancing act with an electric van, eh?

Safety systems available from entry level include Automatic Emergency Braking with forward collision warning, Lane Keep Assist, Road Sign Assist, automatic high beams, driver attention monitoring and alerts, and rear parking sensors. More can be added if specified at the point of purchase.

Equipment highlights at the Icon trim level include 16-inch steel wheels with wheel caps, Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, the 10-inch infotainment screen with DAB and smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), a 10-inch screen multi-information display behind the steering wheel, Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), the load through bulkhead and two sliding side doors. Stepping up to Sport trim nets you some upgrades including 16-inch alloy wheels, Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Control, and front parking sensors.

You’ll buy the Toyota Proace City EV because you either found a better deal on it than you could on a Stellantis small electric van, or because the new front end and equipment levels hooked you in. Either way, we don’t blame you. This is a great small electric van built on a reliable and sturdy platform that offers strong practicality.