It’s still thin pickings when it comes to larger EVs, but the choice is growing
There’s little to differentiate between the Vauxhall Combo Life Electric, Peugeot e-Rifter and Citroen e-Berlingo (the latter of which we recently ran as a long termer), all of which come from within the Stellantis camp, sit on the same EMP2 platform, are available as five- or seven-seaters, and claim around 170 miles of range from their 50kWh battery. indoor ride on train
We reckon the e-Rifter is the pick of the bunch however, because it gets Peugeot’s iCockpit interior with compact steering wheel and high-mounted instrument cluster. It’s not for everyone (taller folk especially may struggle to find the driving position comfortable), meaning it’s well worth test driving before buying, but it’s a strong USP.
Need something slightly bigger? Say, with enough room for the kids and the grandparents? Again, the Stellantis megacorp has a trio of options for you to choose from, namely the Citroen e-SpaceTourer, Peugeot e-Traveller and Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric, all of which are available with up to nine seats but only manage 140-ish miles from their 50kWh battery.
Choosing between the three is slightly trickier this time, with no clear differentiating factor. But feeding that many mouths can’t come cheap, which means it ultimately comes down to arguably the most important factor of them all: price. It’s on that basis alone that the Citroen (£37,045) just triumphs, ahead of the Vauxhall (£37,200) and the Peugeot (£41,685).
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What if you don’t want a van with windows to fit your above average-sized family? Well, for now, the choice is fairly limited, but the Merc EQB is one such exception.
Because from the outside, it’s just another electric SUV. But as the saying goes, you should never judge a book by its cover, because the EQB is a proper seven-seater: two up top, three in the middle, two out back. Merc reckons anyone 5ft 4in should fit in the rear, though regular stops on longer journeys to allow them to stretch their legs is probably advisable.
Currently there are two versions. Both offer a claimed range of around 250 miles and get a 66.5kWh battery and all-wheel drive courtesy of dual motor set-ups. The only difference is the EQB 300 outputs 225bhp and the EQB 350 288bhp. Prices start from £55,310.
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Say hello to the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, which follows on from Merc’s EQS electric saloon. Unlike the saloon, however, you can spec it as either a five-seat car or as a seven-seater, which gets two individual chairs in the back. Room for all the family!
It’s available in three iterations, with the standard 450 getting a single electric motor driving the rear wheels, and the 450 and 580 ‘4Matic’ getting a dual motor for all-wheel drive. Merc quotes between 333-410 miles of range for the RWD 450, and between 315-380 miles for the 450/580 4WD cars, with all three getting the same 107.8kWh battery.
It also gets Merc’s ginormous Hyperscreen, as you find in the EQS saloon. Said screen consists of three digital displays sitting behind a full glass panel that stretches from side of the dashboard to a dashboard. Should make a nice talking point with the in-laws.
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The Mercedes-Benz EQV is an electric version of the V-Class MPV, and comes in six, seven and eight-seat varieties, making it an ideal family wagon or airport taxi.
In six-seater spec every passenger gets their own throne. As a seven-seater you can have a row of two and then three seats in the back, or vice versa. Or you can just go the full hog and have two rows of three for eight seats. Because there ain’t no party like an EQV party.
Up to 213 miles of range courtesy of a 90kWh battery means multiple runs from Heathrow into central London should be feasible, while the 201bhp electric motor offers perky enough performance. Certainly compared to that old diesel you’re currently running, anyhow…
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The eVito Tourer is based on the eVito panel van, but where the latter is best at carrying lots of tools, the former is best at carrying people. Lots of them.
Available in either long or extra-long forms – the larger of the two measuring a massive 5.37 metres from front to rear bumper – the Tourer seats up to nine adults while it can be configured with either two rear bench seats or in a face-to-face style setup.
It gets the same 201bhp electric motor and 90kWh usable battery under the floor as the EQV, but claims a slightly increased range of up to 221 miles. Prices start around £60k OTR.
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The Tesla Model X was one of the earliest seven-seaters to market, with Elon’s luxury crossover SUV arriving way back in 2015. How time flies, eh?
The biggest talking point upon its arrival was arguably those Falcon doors, able to open in 11 inches of space, with built-in sensors to prevent dinging other cars down the local supermarket. Underneath it gets a 100kWh battery and either a dual- or tri-motor setup, for 348 miles and 333 miles of range respectively. Oh, and the latter can do 0-60mph in 2.5secs.
However, back in early 2021 Tesla stopped offering both the Model X and the Model S in the UK to focus on its two core models, though you can still place an order for a £100 deposit. Rumour has it production is set to ramp up again, but you’re likely facing a lengthy wait.
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Kia’s on a design roll of late, and its first ever three-row SUV, designed to offer “a fresh EV perspective in the family SUV sector”, the EV9, is no exception. Looks smart, no?
With space for up to seven people, we’re told the second row can swivel 180 degrees, to help avoid a sore neck when chatting to backseat passengers. The long-range model will offer up 336 miles on a single charge thanks to its whopping 99.8kWh battery and AWD powertrain, while the entry-level variant gets a 76.1kWh battery and will be rear driven only.
Meanwhile, 800-volt rapid charging capability will enable you to add 148 miles of juice in just 15 minutes. Expect to see it towards the end of this year.
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We’re big fans of VW's reborn Type 2, but up to now it’s been held back by what it can’t do, rather than what it can. Still, we always knew there was more to come, and a seven-seater is the first of several new versions set for launch over the coming years.
Back in January, VW engineering boss Kai Grünitz confirmed to TopGear.com that the longer version will have seven seats, they'd be removable to give more flexibility, and the front seats would swivel round to make a more versatile interior.
And we shouldn’t have too much longer to wait either, with the Buzz for bigger families due to arrive this summer. We’ve no detail on whether it’ll improve on the standard Buzz’s 258-mile range, but a bigger battery isn’t out of the question. Stay tuned…
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Volvo aims to make electric cars 50 per cent of all its sales by 2025, and leading the charge (sorry) is this, the flagship EX90. On looks alone, we approve.
The Swedish firm’s new seven-seat electric SUV will be available in two twin-motor iterations at launch: Standard and Performance. We’re told the former will get 364 miles of range, 402bhp and a 107kWh battery, while the latter will get 360 miles of range, 510bhp and the same-sized battery. And a 10-80 per cent battery top-up takes just 30mins on a fast charger.
But it doesn’t come cheap. Volvo says prices will start from £96,255 for the standard car and £100,555 for the Performance when it arrives early 2024, though the £75,000 entry-level model will be along shortly after launch. We’ll wait.
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