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This is our Citroen E-Berlingo 鈥� an electric MPV which we鈥檝e been living with for the last few months to see if there鈥檚 still a place for van-based family cars in this modern world of designer SUVs.

It鈥檚 already proven itself as an insanely spacious and practical family car, and you can read more about the interior in the second report. For now though, we鈥檙e going to talk about the way this car drives.

And on the whole, we actually enjoy spending time behind the wheel of our E-Berlingo. The tall, van-like driving position gives you a lofty view of the road ahead, and the massive windows mean there鈥檚 great all-round visibility.

It鈥檚 also pretty comfy over bumps. This car lives primarily on the potholed streets of North West London, but it does a good job of ironing out most of the imperfections. Only really big bumps send a thud through the cabin.

We have noticed that the brake pedal is a bit like an on-off switch, so it jerks to a stop when you just brush the pedal which makes it tricky to drive smoothly. Beyond this though, it鈥檚 a pretty relaxing car to drive. It鈥檚 even surprisingly well-behaved on the motorway, with only a little bit of wind noise disturbing the peace.

However, there has been one problem with this electric MPV which makes it slightly less relaxing, and that鈥檚 the range. Citroen says it should do up to 220 miles on a charge, however ever our time with the car it鈥檚 averaged between 3.3 and 3.5 miles per kWh. That equates to a real world range of around 175 to 180 miles.

Day-to-day, this is usually plenty. However, sometimes we do need to use this car to go further afield. Driving at motorway speed saps the battery even more, and we have found ourselves running with the air conditioning off before to try and eke out the range.

This comes as no real surprise in a vehicle with the same aerodynamic properties as a brick, so before considering the E-Berlingo you may want to have a think about how you鈥檒l be using it.

As a daily car for commuting and ferrying the family around, the E-Berlingo is great. It鈥檚 comfy, easy to drive and offers cavernous practicality. It just isn鈥檛 ideal as a car for cross-country road trips, but if you do need to go further then you could also consider the petrol or diesel-powered Berlingo.

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Living with a Citroen E-Berlingo report 2: interior and practicality

This is our Citroen E-Berlingo, a big electric people carrier which we鈥檒l be living with for a few months. We鈥檙e about four weeks into our time with the car now, and it鈥檚 been really refreshing having something this practical on the fleet.

*Prices correct at the time of writing
You can check out the full spec of our E-Berlingo in the first report, but here we鈥檙e going to take a closer look at the interior.

1. It鈥檚 insanely spacious

You can forget SUVs like the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y, if all you want from your EV is maximum interior space then the E-Berlingo is really hard to beat. Its van-like proportions may not be that stylish from the outside, but you certainly feel the benefit inside.

The boot is a whopping 1,355 litres in capacity, and the low load lip makes it really easy to just load. Pushchairs, bicycles, the kitchen sink, just chuck 鈥榚m in the back and off you go. The rear seats are also nice and roomy, but there is one issue鈥�

2. Child seat woes

Fitting a child seat is made difficult by one really annoying design flaw. The ISOFIX anchors are much lower down than the actual opening in the seat, so finding the right angle is a faff. At least you don鈥檛 have to contend with a narrow door opening or a low roof to smack your head on while you figure it out.

3. Driver comfort

Being at the helm of this daily bus is actually quite pleasant. The seats are comfy, you get a nice, upright driving position and the flip-down armrest is a really nice touch. The excellent all-round visibility also makes it easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces despite being quite a large car.

4. Keeping things tidy

Because the Citroen E-Berlingo is based on a van, you get loads of cubby holes inside to keep your bits and bobs out of the way. There are loads of cupholders, two gloveboxes, a storage box above the steering wheel and massive door bins.

5. Simple is sometimes better

The Citroen E-Berlingo has physical climate controls 鈥� unlike our Peugeot 5008 which has them buried in a fiddly touchscreen menu. They鈥檙e easy to use on the move, however we have found that the way they鈥檙e positioned can mean some of the buttons are blocked by the steering wheel, leading you to have to crane around it to see what you鈥檙e jabbing at.

First report: an introduction to our new electric MPV

The Citroen E-Berlingo has physical climate controls 鈥� unlike our Peugeot 5008 which has them buried in a fiddly touchscreen menu. They鈥檙e easy to use on the move, however we have found that the way they鈥檙e positioned can mean some of the buttons are blocked by the steering wheel, leading you to have to crane around it to see what you鈥檙e jabbing at.

If you rewind to the mid-2000s, van-based MPVs were popular among family buyers for their vastly practical cabins. In recent years however they鈥檝e died off in favour of more stylish SUVs, but should they be consigned to the history books, or is there still a case for these hugely practical cars in 2025?

To find out, we鈥檝e been given the keys to the new Citroen E-Berlingo for six months to find out what it鈥檚 like to live with. We鈥檒l put it through its paces on the school run, on family holidays and for zipping around town.

So let鈥檚 take a closer look at our car. It鈥檚 the top-spec Max model, which means it gets a couple of cool styling upgrades. You get alloy wheels for starters, as opposed to the steel wheels which come on the basic car. There鈥檚 also some extra cladding and orange accents.

There鈥檚 more orange inside as well, specifically on the cloth seats. The Max also gets a heated leather steering wheel, a 10.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Citroen鈥檚 Advanced Comfort Seats, which we鈥檒l put to the test on long journeys.

The Citroen Berlingo is available with petrol, diesel and electric power, and we鈥檝e gone for the latter. It鈥檚 powered by a 136hp electric motor which drives the front wheels, and the 52kWh should deliver a claimed 220 miles of range. Time will tell how close we can get to this.

Options fitted to this car include Citroen Connect Navigation which gets you live traffic updates at a cost of 拢400 and the Sirkka Green metallic paint, a 拢575 colour. We鈥檝e also got the upgraded 11kW AC charger for an extra 拢300. You only get a 7.4kW charger as standard, which will take seven and a half hours to go from 0-100%. The 11kW charger cuts this down to around five and a half hours.

All-in this Citroen E-Berlingo will set you back 拢34,925 with options. There aren鈥檛 many cars which offer this much space for the money. The Skoda Enyaq starts from just under 拢37,000, and at the time of writing you can get a Vauxhall Grandland Electric for 拢33,600 through 莲花直播.

But is the Citroen E-Berlingo better suited to family life? Keep an eye on this page for updates on what it鈥檚 like to live with.

Car change? 莲花直播!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With 莲花直播 you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price 鈥� as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you鈥檙e looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, 莲花直播 is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Click to follow us on WhatsApp, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos.