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By Jonathan Crouch

LEVC offers an almost unique petrol/electric proposition with this mid-sized VN5 van. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 51

The LEVC VN5 offers a more credible kind of EV van to businesses looking for a more flexible operating proposition than a full-electric LCV can offer. Think of it as a mid-sized battery van you can put fuel in, with Chinese investment, British build and a design tailored for city use.

Backgroundword count: 219

Wouldn't it be good if your business could run an electric one-tonne van that wasn't constricted by electric range? The Plug-in Hybrid tech required for this hasn't taken off in LCV circles, though you might be vaguely aware that a variant of Ford's Transit Custom offers it. What you probably won't know is that there is another petrol/electric plug-in van alternative on the market - and it's one you almost certainly won't have considered: this model, LEVC's VN5. LEVC, the 'London Electric Vehicle Company' (which confusingly is based in Coventry) is best known for building the TX taxi. A van version of which is basically what this VN5 is, hence the unusual taxi-like front end. That might lead you to imagine a Midlands cottage industry-type manufacturer, but in fact LEVC is owned by Chinese industry giant Geely (owner of Volvo, Polestar and smart to name just three brands in its portfolio). The conglomerate's spent £500 million on the newest vehicle manufacturing facility in the UK (at Ansty just outside Coventry) to build this VN5, the newest automotive factory in the UK. This model was launched in the pandemic era with a 31kWh battery, but updated in May 2023 with a bigger 34.3kWh unit. And it may just be the best all-round mid-sized LCV business solution you've never heard of.

Driving Experienceword count: 258

LEVC calls this an 'electric van', even though you put fuel in it and it has a 1.5-litre three cylinder engine. A Plug-in Hybrid designation is closer, but in this case the engine never actually drives the wheels; that's done by a 148bhp electric motor on the back axle powered by a 34.3kWh battery capable of taking the VN5 up to 73 miles before fossil fuel is required - at which point you can go another 255 miles. This type of drive format is better described by the term LEVC uses - that of a 'Range Extender'. The only other contender close to offering this kind of set-up is Ford's Transit Custom PHEV, but that uses a much smaller 11.8kWh battery, so has nothing like the EV range of a VN5. It certainly feels like an EV to drive. With key in pocket, you simply press the brake pedal and move the gear selector rocker switch clockwise to turn on, then click the selector into Drive. There are three drive settings: 'Pure EV' keeps things all-electric until charge runs out. 'Save' allows you to store battery energy until you need it (perhaps for urban driving at the end of a long motorway trip). And 'Smart' does it all for you, managing energy automatically. There are also three brake energy regeneration settings, comprising a coasting function and two levels of resistance, accessed by moving the gear selector right or left. The VN5 is sprightly off the line. And it's taxi origins are revealed by a super-tight 10.1-metre turning circle.

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