Toyota ProAce Panel Van (2016 - ) review

There are three seats up front, making it perfect for carting the kids around at the weekend as well as weekday work trips around town, though the middle seat has restricted leg space. The rest of the interior will be familiar to anyone who’s driven a recent Citroën, Peugeot or Vauxhall van as Toyota joined forces with these brands to build the Proace. There’s good storage up front, with a deep tray on top of the dash, ample space in the doors and above the sun visors.

We loved the silence (apart from the lawn mowers banging around in the back - our fault for not properly securing one of them) and that low slung weight of the battery underneath the floor lends the van a buttery-smooth ride. There is great visibility, a short overhang at the front and light steering to make the Proace Electric a joy to manoeuvre round town. The suspension is perfectly recalibrated for this electric version, and you feel relaxed after a day at the wheel.

You can choose between a 50kWh and 75kWh Proace Electric. Don’t assume that bigger is better - not only is it more expensive, but it will take longer to charge. On the other hand, if you do long distances every day, the more expensive version is good for about 200 miles between charges, versus a maximum range of 168 miles for the 50kWh one. We tested this one and the 136 horsepower gave it plenty of oomph with three people on board and a couple of lawn mowers in the back. It also only takes four and a half hours to charge on a home wallbox.

This is where any electric van excels over its fossil-fuelled rivals. Yes, the Proace Electric may have a stiffer price tag, but you won’t pay urban congestion charges or low-emission zone tariffs. There are also good tax incentives for company drivers and, as long as you charge it overnight on off-peak tariffs, you could save hundreds of pounds in fuel over the first year of ownership. Furthermore, other than tyres and brakes, there are very few moving parts to service or repair. At the time of writing the Proace Electric qualifies for the Government plug-in van grant, but note this won’t last forever.

Toyota has a very strong reliability record. Add in its partnership with the PSA brands (Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall) and there is plenty of pure-electric engineering expertise under the skin to give you peace of mind. All Toyota Professional models come with a five-year warranty and five years’ roadside assistance. The battery is covered for eight years, which is standard for the industry across both electric cars and vans.

Speed-limit recognition isn’t included, which is a shame, but, other than that, there’s a comprehensive level of kit on board including hill-start assist, cruise control, brake assist, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors. You also get six airbags.

The Proace Electric only comes in Icon trim. You get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the surprisingly plush and up to date infotainment touch-screen, plus DAB radio, a USB port and a good audio system. There’s also a display of electric data to help you manage the available range.

The Proace Electric pretty much ticks every box for van drivers who need medium amounts of load space and a vehicle that isn’t too unwieldy to drive and park around town. It’s the perfect buy for those looking to reduce their company’s carbon emissions and, if you can stomach the higher initial price of an electric van, you’ll savour the lower everyday running costs.

The Proace Electric’s motor is under the bonnet and the battery pack sits beneath the cargo floor so, brilliantly, load space is not impacted by a bulky battery. In other electric vans that’s not necessarily the case. There’s one mid-length body on offer and one roof height, which equates to 3.8 cubic metres of load space. Note that the one-tonne payload weight of the equivalent diesel Proace is reduced to 800kg here, because the van itself is heavier thanks to the extra weight of the battery. In terms of access you get 180-degree wing doors at the rear and twin sliding side doors as standard, which is generous.