Toyota's most sensible family EV is this one, the Proace City Verso Electric in its 7-seat Long form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

The Proace City Verso EV is the smaller MPV sibling to the Proace Verso EV. And Toyota's version of the Stellantis Group compact electric van-based people carrier design already offered by Peugeot, Vauxhall, and Citroen. Let's take a closer look at the 7-seater Long version.

Background

Toyota has whole range of compact family EVs these days - Urban Cruiser, C-HR+ and two versions of the bZ4X. Which has meant that its other compact EV contender, the Proace City Verso Electric, has got rather forgotten. Yet that car's a very practical choice for those unafflicted by the need for a fashionable look. And it's particularly versatile in the long wheelbase seven-seat form we look at here. As you might guess at a glance, this car isn't a Toyota design, borrowed instead from Stellantis, who also badge this same design as either a Citroen e-Berlingo, a Vauxhall Combo e-Life or a Peugeot E-Rifter. Buying it Toyota's way though, gets you much longer warranty.

Driving Experience

If you know anything about the engineering of this product, you won't be expecting it to be any different to drive than its E-Rifter, E-Berlingo or Combo Electric Stellantis Group EV cousins - and of course, it isn't. Start up and there's the usual beep as you get the sign that all is ready to pull away; which you do in the default 'Normal' drive mode. The other selectable drive settings are 'Eco' and 'Power'. You'll need the 'Power' mode to unleash the electric motor's full 134bhp output, though if you drive like that, you will of course get nowhere near the 50kWh battery's WLTP-rated best driving range figure, rated at up to 205 miles. Better to stick to the 'Normal' mode, which restricts output to 108bhp; or possibly around town to 'Eco' mode, though that gives you just 81bhp and restricts the climate system. 'Normal' mode should be fine for realistic maximisation of range, particularly if you select the 'B' transmission setting that increases brake regeneration. As usual with EVs, if you do need performance, it's only a right foot jab away; 62mph from rest occupies 11.2s, but the instant response you get to 30mph makes this MPV feel quicker than that. Overtakes are easy too; 50-75 mph takes 8.9s.

Design and Build

In this Long form, this Proace City Verso Electric doesn't pretend to be anything other than a converted van. Its 4.76m length is usefully longer than the 4.41m 5-seat version. Inside, Stellantis hasn't allowed Toyota to add the regen brake paddles behind the steering wheel that you get with the Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall versions of this design, but this Proace City Verso EV does get the same updated screen tech as you'd find in those cars - a configurable digital instrument cluster and a 10-inch centre screen, upon which navigation is standardised, plus there's smartphone integration with 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'. In the second row, because the battery pack is neatly mounted beneath this MPV model's floor, cabin space is not compromised. And you might be surprised to find that the sliding doors incorporate electric windows and decently-sized door pockets, plus you get overhead reading lights. But compared to the other versions of this design, there's quite a lot missing here that Stellantis has decided Toyota can't have; like individual rear seats, front seat back tables and the option of roof storage with glass panels. We're surprised that seat back pockets, cup holders and USB ports are missing in an MPV like this. The seat headrests dig uncomfortably into your back until they're raised. And it can be difficult to slide the door shut once you're inside. The removeable third row seats are a lot more usable than they normally are on a seven-seat model of this size - and there's excellent headroom too. Out back there's a useful opening rear tailgate glass panel, which is a real boon when you simply want to throw a light bag inside the back. That's mainly because the tailgate itself is a pain to lift, heavy and vast, with no powered operation option and needful of a large area behind when you need to pull it up. Still, once it's raised, you'll be able to shelter under the thing in the rain while the kids are getting their school bags out of the back. This long wheelbase version has a capacity of up to 850-litres. The second row seat splits 60:40, freeing up as much as 2,693-litres in this Long version with the rear rows folded.

Market and Model

The Proace City Verso Electric in Long form cost £33,245 at the time of this test, £1,250 more than the 5-seat 'Short' version. Unlike that 5-seater, you can't have a plusher 'Design' trim level with this Long version, so you'll have to be satisfied with base 'Icon'-spec. As you'd expect, prices are very similar to what you'd pay for the identically-engineered Citroen e-Berlingo, Peugeot E-Rifter and Vauxhall Combo Life Electric versions of this design. Still, that gives you everything you really need. Specifically, a 10-inch multimedia display, a navigation system, smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, removable third row of seats, automatic headlights and an electronic parking brake. Safety kit fitted includes an 'Active City Brake' autonomous braking system, 'Driver's Attention Warning' and 'Road Signs Recognition'. Plus all the usual systems for traction, stability and braking, along with a suite of airbags connected to an eCall system that'll alert the rescue services with your GPS location if any of them goes off.

Cost of Ownership

We mentioned the improved WLTP-rated range in our Driving Experience section - 205 miles. A range of provided BEV features delivers key information at a glance: Battery charging and thermal pre-heating programmes, a charging station locator, an autonomy range check and a battery usage display. As you'd want, the Proace City Verso EV supports up to 100kW rapid (DC) charging, with an 80% re-charge taking less than 30 minutes, while a full charge from a 7.4kW single-phase wallbox takes 7.5 hours thanks to the 7.4kW on-board charger. Customers with access to three-phase power can specify an optional 11kW on-board charger that will charge this Toyota in 4 hours 45 minutes, when using a wallbox that also supports this faster home-charging solution. As usual with a compact zero emissions EV model, there's a Benefit-in-Kind first year tax rate of just 2%. That's until 2025, as is exemption from London congestion and ultra-low emissions charges. Maintenance intervals are much as they would be for a combustion model, but there'll be less for the workshop to do, so costs should be lower. There are plenty of Toyota outlets to choose from, so you should never be too far from one. For peace of mind, the lithium-ion battery pack in this model comes with an eight year/100,000 mile warranty, for up to 70% of the initial battery capacity. A key ownership attribute over this model's Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen design stablemates is the fact that Toyota offers a 10 year warranty, provided you keep the vehicle serviced at a franchised dealer.

Summary

This won't be the kind of family car you promised yourself. But there's just a chance it could be the one you actually need. The only other affordable full-electric seven seat MPVs on the market are long wheelbase versions of this Toyota's Peugeot e-Rifter, Vauxhall Combo e-Life and Citroen e-Berlingo clones. But they don't come with anything like as long a warranty. We love to have seen what Toyota would have done here if they'd developed this model themselves. But as it is, this long wheelbase Proace Verso Electric is an eminently sensible choice for families.