First off, let’s face facts – very few people will be looking to buy or run an electric Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life through choice. This electric-powered van conversion is very much a choice of necessity bought with the head rather than the heart either.
However, for those businesses requiring more space and seats than the average people-carrier or for those families with more children than most, this all-electric Vivaro-e Life with its 50kW battery brings an interesting eco-friendly twist that most rivals (beyond its Citroen and Peugeot equivalents) can’t match. But how do the Vivaro-e Life’s battery-powered credentials dovetail with those more practical elements.
VAUXHALL VIVARO-E LIFE – DESIGN
The Vivaro-e Life is essentially a van with windows, so it’s not unlikely to be adorning the bedroom walls of many schoolboys any time soon. That said, the large glass area means there’s good visibility all round with the charging point accessible on the near-side front wing. The fuel filler cap for the traditionally-engined version of the Vivaro is still in place on the rear wing, but fixed in place.
VAUXHALL VIVARO-E LIFE – POWER AND RANGE
Despite the fact that the van version of the Vivaro-e is offered with a choice of 50kW or 75kW batteries, this Vivaro-e Life is only offered in the smaller 50kW form. That means an officially claimed range of 143 miles with an average economy of 2.2-2.7mls/kWh, a 0 to 60mph time of 13.1 seconds and a 81mph top speed.
We saw between 121 and 131 miles during our test drive and, if you’re on faster roads, driving inefficiently or use any power hungry items such as the air conditioning, that can drop closer to 100 miles. That’s not an entirely impractical range, but you often are left feeling that the extra 40 miles of range offered by the 75kW model in the van would be a big help (especially as it’s available in mainland Europe). That said, with only a little effort, we averaged 2.8mls/kW over more than 350 miles of driving.
The Vivaro-e Life can be charged either with a Type 2 cable or at a CCS rapid charger, while a lead for a three-pin socket is available as an option. As standard, the Vivaro-e life comes with a 7.4kW charger with a charging time at a 7kW domestic wallbox of 7h 30min. an optional 11kW on-board charger can reduce that on a three-phase supply to 4h 45min at a 100kW rapid charger, an 80 per cent charge will take just 30 minutes, rising to 45 minutes at a 50kW charger.
VAUXHALL VIVARO-E LIFE – ON THE ROAD
We’ve already established that the Vivaro-e Life is a vehicle that’s going to be bought for its practicality rather than its performance. Given that leisurely 0-60mph time, then maybe that’s just as well too.
You’re never less than aware that you’re driving something that’s based on a van, but while it’s larger than even most big SUVs or people-carriers, it rarely feels unwieldy even on narrow country lanes. It cruises well at 50-60mph although there’s a noticeable drop in your average economy if you raise that to 70mph. The extra effort taken to push what is not a small vehicle through the air becomes immediately obvious.
There are three driving modes – Sport, Normal and Eco – with the third reducing your power and other elements in order to maximise your range. The reality is that most drivers are likely to spend the majority of their time in Normal or Eco as this isn’t a car that’s really built for enthusiastic driving.
The van heritage of the Vivaro-e is clear with its ride quality too. When empty, the ride of the Vauxhall is quite crashy over potholes and road imperfections, but there’s a noticeable improvement when there’s some weight in the car – either people or luggage.
Overall though, as long as you manage your expectations that the Vivaro is not a vehicle that will handle like a normal car or even a people carrier, then it performs well.
VAUXHALL VIVARO-E LIFE – INTERIOR
The interior of the Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life shows its biggest strength. And the reason is largely its van origins.
There’s space in here. Loads and loads of space. Our particular car was the Elite trim (which weighs in at a hefty £49,415) which meant there were two electric front seats with a massage function, a fair of captain’s chair in the middle row with a fold out table in the centre and a three row bench in the third row.
Both the second and third rows could also fold and slide or be removed completely. Even with those rear seats up, there’s still an enormous 3500-litre boot. The Vivaro-e Life has practicality written through it like a stick of seaside rock.
Those in the middle row also get fold-down tray tables in the front seat backs with handy elastic securing straps. The electric sliding side doors give superb access to the cabin and can be operated from the middle row and also from the front seats too. Those sliding side doors also get built-in window blinds too and a panoramic glass roof with sun shades.
There’s also loads of storage with deep door pockets, a handy net on the side of the driver’s seat, cup-holders on top of the dashboard and a hidden lidded glovebox – in addition to one ahead of the front seat passenger – on top of the dashboard. There are also an incredible five Isofix child seat mounting points in the second and third rows.
It’s not quite perfect though. While there’s Apple Carplay and sat nav, there’s only one USB point in the front and none for those in the rear seats – only 12-volt points in the third row.
And, while there’s independent rear ventilation, it’s only really for those in the middle row and doesn’t reach those in the very back. On a sunny day, with such a large glass area, it’s a big cabin to keep cool and using the air conditioning severely depletes your available range.
VAUXHALL VIVARO-E LIFE – SUMMARY
There are two schools of thought for the Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life, both of which are perfectly valid.
The first is that it’s an expensive van with windows and, while still well-equipped, doesn’t have some of the ultimate niceties and comfort levels of regular people-carriers. For us though, that’s to miss the point.
Realistically speaking, nobody buys the Vivaro-e Life instead of a regular people-carrier, they’re buying it because they really need that extra space and seating. And, as we said earlier, it’s these practical elements that the Vivaro-e does well, really well.
For us though, one of the Vivaro-e Life’s biggest weaknesses is the real-world range of that 50kW battery. Fit the larger 75kW battery from the van and at a glance that problem would be solved.
Plus, with no other all-electric vans out there at this level at the moment, the Vivaro-e Life enjoys a pretty unique place in the market. Yes, it’s a narrow niche, but if you need this kind of vehicle for your family and you want electric power, this is your only choice.
FACT BOX
Model: Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life
Price: from £34,645
Power: Electric – 50kW
Range: 143 miles
Average consumption: 2.2-2.7mls/kWh
Average charge time on a domestic wallbox: 7.5hrs
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
Rating: 8/10