Citroen eBerlingo Car Review

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…the Citroen e-Berlingo is the French firm’s small van that’s also a car and it’s recently had a mid-life makeover. Going back a bit, the car version added the name Multispace, nowadays both the van and car share the same name. And the ‘e’ on the front denotes it’s all-electric. The version tested here is the five seat car, which means it’s on the shorter of the two wheelbases on offer. The long wheelbase version is available with seven seats for added people carrying ability.

Two trim levels are available.

Plus
Max

Standard equipment on the Plus includes powered heated door mirrors, auto headlights, 10-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, aircon, parking sensors, powered front windows.

The Max trim adds 10-inch digital driver’s display, height adjustable driver’s seat, foldable front passenger seat, rear seat tray tables and top glovebox, safety pack.

Is The Citroen e-Berlingo Suitable For My Fleet

Starting life as a van means the car version of the e-Berlingo is super-practical. Not only is the boot massive, at 641 litres behind the rear seats and below the parcel shelf, but wide sliding rear doors make getting in and out easy – even in tight spaces. The high roofline means you can also walk through the cabin – even for the front seats – if you park very close to something.

The rear also offers three proper seats, with Isofix, which few cars in any class do. The rear seats fold flat, and if you go for the higher specification version, so does the front passenger seat, which means you can load very long (over 2m) items if you need to.

The fact you can have it as an EV is a near-must for fleets. The range isn’t huge – we saw a real-world figure of just over 200 miles – but it is efficient. Our average for a week’s mixed diving was 4.1 miles per kWh. Max charging speed is a respectable, but not class-leading, 100kW should you need to charge on longer journeys.

Leasing A Citroen e-Berlingo

Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the Citroen e-Berlingo for £515 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year. Forecast maintenance costs are £25 a month according to Gensen Reports and the Class 1A NIC comes in at £9 a month.

Driving A Citroen e-Berlingo

Like the easy and practical interior, the e-Berlingo is just as simple to drive. The electric motor really suits the vehicle, because there’s only a single gear and, obviously, no clutch. So progress is smooth with plenty of shove at lower speeds.

The steering is light and the driving position is relatively high giving a good view out (with the exception of a wide A-pillar), the combination making manoeuvering easy.

Ride comfort is superb. The suspension is on the softer side, which is just what you want in a vehicle that’s all about practicality and comfort, rather than having to make any effort to be sporty.

Yet, even with the softer suspension, there’s enough body control for the e-Berlingo to feel stable on the motorway or when full of people and luggage.

The infotainment system is decent too. Citroen, and the wider Stellantis group of cars have just about perfected the simplification of being able to turn off the speed warnings and lane-keeping tech. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard but we found connectivity through CarPlay was a bit hit and miss.

However, this tiny point was the only negative and doesn’t impact the fact that Citroen has nailed the brief with the e-Berlingo.

FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Citroen e-Berlingo

One of the most fit-for-purpose vehicles you can buy. Brilliant.