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By Jonathan Crouch

The E-Expert is Peugeot's take on a mid-sized electric LCV. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the latest version.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 59

Peugeot's take on mid-sized EV van motoring is represented by the E-Expert, here usefully revised. All the advantages of its shared Stellantis Group design are in evidence here - and a few of the drawbacks too. But it's a competitive package that's well worth a look if you get offered the right deal and there's a Peugeot franchise nearby.

Backgroundword count: 161

Peugeot has a history of electric vehicles going right back to 1941 and these days, every van model it makes can come in full-EV form too. Here's a revised version of the company's mid-sized LCV electric offering, the E-Expert. It doesn't have the unique dashboard display of the smaller E-Partner, but it is at least built completely by Peugeot, unlike the bigger E-Boxer model. As you'll probably know, this is a shared design, the same basic product also available as a Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, a Citroen e-Dispatch, a Fiat E-Scudo and a Toyota Proace Electric. That's a good thing as it meant a lot of engineering resource was poured into this product for its original 2021 launch. But more recently introduced mid-sized EV van contenders are catching up, hence the package of updates we look at here, introduced in Spring 2024. Is the E-Expert still worth a serious look from business customers looking to make the battery switch? Let's find out.

Driving Experienceword count: 316

Not too much has changed with the engineering of this revised E-Expert, but you can now only have it with the bigger of the two batteries previous offered - that with 75kWh. Peugeot has tweaked this so that it now takes this van 6 miles further than before - to a WLTP-rated total of 217 miles. That battery drivetrain is the same as with this model's Citroen, Fiat, Vauxhall and Toyota counterparts. There's not too much to adjust to when driving this full-electric mid-sized van. Turn the key in the ignition, then wait for the starting beep, then flick the gear toggle into Drive. There's a drive-mode selector that allows you to switch between 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes. The 'Normal' setting restricts you to 109hp and will feel a bit like driving a lower capacity diesel. 'Eco' mode restricts you further to 81.5hp and reduces the power consumption of the air conditioning and other accessories. If you want the full 136hp of the electric motor, selecting 'Sport' mode unlocks it. There's also a gearshift selector 'B' option that ploughs extra regenerated energy back into the battery, offering more resistance while you're slowing down. This isn't one of those EV vans that impresses you with its startling acceleration. The rest to 62mph sprint takes 14.3s and top speed is just 84mph. A key factor behind the success of the combustion Expert has always been in the way it remains compact and wieldy in the manner of smaller, more car-like vans from the class below. This current generation model feels really wieldy around town and resists body roll well for an LCV of this size thanks to carefully chosen damper settings and a stiff EMP2 platform. Special wishbone filtering dampens the impacts of our country's terrible tarmac and the variable stiffness springs and shock absorbers deliver surprising levels of comfort whether the vehicle is loaded or unloaded.

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