Intro

The market for medium electric vans is a competitive one and with the launch of the latest E-Transit Custom, Ford is taking on the likes of the Stellantis group, which has at its disposal the Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, Citroen e-Dispatch, Fiat E-Scudo and Peugeot e-Expert - all of which are pretty identical in terms of specifications, battery and range. Elsewhere in the market is the Renault Traffic E-Tech, Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo and Mercedes eVito. Coming soon-ish will also be the electric Volkswagen Transporter, itself being based on this latest Ford E-Transit Custom.

However, Ford has the benefit of having the most popular van in the UK, and by the looks of things, the E-Transit Custom offers a lot of familiarity and simplicity with its latest electric van offering.

Ford also has the benefit of having done this before, with the full-size E-Transit, launched back in 2022. So lessons should have been learnt from the first time around.

Design

This latest Transit Custom looks great. The design isn't going to alienate Ford's existing target market, as it looks like a natural evolution of the previous generation van. The proportions are all pretty much the same, and on the EV version, the grille has been blanked off rather than removed all-together. At the back, things like the rear lights have been modernised and you can choose between barn doors or a tailgate.

Ford also offers quite a few versions and customisation options, with lots of trim levels and a plethora of optional extras. For the moment, the E-Transit Custom is only available in one height, but two lengths. Later on, Ford will be offering this van with different height options.

Driving

Driving is very good in the E-Transit Custom. The switch to pure electric has worked wonders on the driving experience, mainly due to the noisy diesel engine being eliminated. It must be said though that you shouldn't expect the ride to be whisper quiet, just because it is electric, it is still a van at the end of the day. When we drove our test vehicle, it was completely empty and there was a constant deep, bass like vibration booming around the cabin. This is very likely due to it being empty, so with some boxes and cargo loaded up, that shouldn't be an issue.

Ford has done a great job too with power delivery. In our test van, which was fitted with the less powerful of the two motors - it felt eager to accelerate and get moving. Ford has also fitted a proper one pedal driving mode, which is activated from the L button on the gear shifter column. One-pedal driving was supriising to see in an electric van, but it is good that Ford has added it, as it has made the driving experience much easier around town.

Range and Charging

So, vans are designed to carry things right? Well bearing this in mind, when creating an electric van - this can have some tradeoffs in either direction. You either prioritise range and have a decently sized battery, or you prioritise payload. Ford has decided to do the latter with the E-Transit Custom and has fitted it with a 64kWh battery pack.

The charging socket is in a fantastic location. When looking at the car head on, the socket is on the left hand side corner, meaning when you come to use Tesla V3 chargers, you aren't going to block any spaces and annoy those Tesla drivers. Charging speed is decent too, rated at 125kW DC meaning 10-80% can be achieved in 39 minutes. However, in our testing in early December, we only saw around 59kW maximum, but this might get better with warmer weather. However, while the charging socket location makes sense when using Tesla chargers, it must be said that it might be slightly vulnerable in case of accidents or bumps. If you have a crash, even a small one - it might do damage to the socket, which will need to be repaired.

Interior and Infotainment

The interior has been improved a lot since the last version of the Transit Custom. We now have a much larger 13-inch touchscreen as standard, with support for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto - big tick there. Our test van had three seats, like any typical Transit and the two passenger seats are combined into a standard bench. The steering wheel can be had with a folding option, turning it into a laptop or lunch table, if required. The driver's display was pretty good too, just lacking a little in resolution, but it had all the various features you could ask for.

The passenger seats can also be flipped up to reveal storage space, perfect for storing charging cables. The middle seat also can be folded down with space for two cup holders and clipboard storage.

The main issue with the interior is the climate controls. Vans need to be practical and while the fan and temperature controls are always displayed on the screen, it is all digital and I'm not sure how this is going to sit with van drivers.

Conclusion

Overall, the Ford E-Transit Custom is pretty good, it is the most popular van in the UK for a reason. However, trying to balance between payload and range has unfortunately come at the cost of range, which might make it unappealing to some van drivers. However, for a lot of drivers, the real world range in the winter of 160 miles is going to be more than enough - especially for city use, when that range will no doubt increase closer to the WLTP figure.

However, the main benefit of going electric is the running costs. Charging the E-Transit Custom overnight on a 7p/kWh tariff will only set you back £4.48.

Verdict

Good

• Good payload and good towing capacity
• Very customisable with body styles and accessories
• Should be very reliable, as very little moving parts
• One-pedal driving mode works really well
• Loads of technology included, such as wireless Apple CarPlay

Bad

• Less than impressive range, but this is the tradeoff you have when balancing payload and range
• No physical climate controls

Star Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4/5