Peugeot e-Partner 2023 review

Offered in a single Pro LWB spec, the e-Partner is priced at $59,990, before on-road costs and right now, direct competitors number… zero. That said, a sub-$60K ask is significant because Renault’s pure-electric Kangoo E-Tech is scheduled for local introduction in the third quarter of this year, with the same-sized French competitor likely pitched at a similar price point. 

Fun fact: The second-gen Kangoo E.V. was Australia's first mainstream electric commercial vehicle; in market from late 2020 to early 2022.

Current EV vans are a size up in terms of scale and several sizes up on price, the Mercedes-Benz eVito starting at $89,353, Ford's E-Transit at $104,990 and LDV’s eDeliver9 van kicking off at $116,537. 

Offered in a single Pro LWB spec, the e-Partner is priced at $59,990, before on-road costs.

Although, it appears likely Merc’s Citan small commercial van (including the electric eCitan) will come to Australia sooner rather than later, with homologation data showing the name has already been registered here.  

For the time being, though, the most realistic competitor in the same under 2.5-tonne van category is VW’s turbo-diesel Caddy Cargo Crewvan, the flagship LWB TDI 320 variant sitting at $50,090, before on-road costs.

Head further down the internal-combustion path in the search for competitors and you’re again stepping up in size to the LDV G10+ auto ($39,537) and Toyota HiAce LWB 5D auto ($47,520).

The e-Partner’s standard features includes an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen.

So, yeah, the e-Partner is out on its own. But Peugeot Australia is at pains to point out it has thought long and hard about that price and the standard specification that underpins it.

Aside from the safety and technical specs we’ll get to shortly, the e-Partner’s standard features list includes an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, one-touch electric windows, auto headlights, a 180-degree reversing camera, rear parking sensors, cruise control, air-conditioning, four-speaker audio with digital radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, voice recognition and a Type 2 charging cable. 

Worth noting the e-Partner misses out on the alloy wheels fitted to Premium grade petrol-powered Partner models. Also missing in action are the heated and power-folding door mirrors and dual-zone air conditioning featured on the Premium. All likely trimmed out in the name of hitting that sub-$60K price.

Let’s start at the back, because that’s where this load carrier’s primary functionality resides. And the e-Partner boasts big sliding doors on both sides and 180-degree opening barn doors at the rear, which gets a big tick for flexibility and access.

A sturdy glazed bulkhead separates the load space from the passenger compartment and the vital statistics are a maximum load length of 2167mm, a height of 1243mm, load width of 1527mm and volume of 3.9m3.

These are exactly the same measurements as the e-Partner’s petrol LWB Pro counterpart thanks to the battery pack being mounted evenly under the rear floor.

The e-Partner's cabin accommodates two, with plenty of storage provided.

The critical distance between the wheel arches is 1229mm, which means a standard Aussie pallet (1165mm x 1165mm) will fit comfortably.

With a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 2385kg the e-Partner has a 753kg payload, which is around 20 per cent down on the LWB petrol version.

There are six tie-down anchors around the load space, it can tow a 750kg trailer (braked or unbraked) and the spare is full-size. All of which adds up to pretty handy capacity, but what about the driver and passenger?

The e-Partner boasts big sliding doors on both sides and 180-degree opening barn doors at the rear.

Well, the cabin accommodates two, with plenty of storage provided, but the e-Partner misses out on the centre seat ‘Multiflex Mobile Office’ (flip-down rotating work table and underseat storage) fitted to all petrol grades bar the entry-level SWB manual. Pity.

For power and connectivity there’s a 12-volt outlet and a single USB, while there are two cupholders in the upper dash and an overhead storage unit in the roof capable of holding a lot of ‘stuff’.

There are also generous bins in the doors with room for bottles, half a dozen oddments trays in and around the dash as well as more storage space where the front passenger airbag would normally be (enough room for a laptop), thanks to ‘bag-in-roof’ airbag design. The comfy seats are trimmed in a sturdy grey fabric.

There are six tie-down anchors around the e-Partner's load space.

The e-Partner is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor sending 100kW/260Nm to the front wheels via a single-speed reduction-gear auto transmission.

Peugeot quotes a 0-100km/h time of 11.2 seconds and a top-speed of 135km/h.

The e-Partner is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor.

The e-Partner carries a 400V 50kWh lithium-ion battery with Peugeot claiming a (WLTP) range of 258km, and official combined cycle energy consumption of 21.8kWh/100km.

Recharge times are quoted as 30 minutes for a 0-80 per cent charge on a 100kW DC unit, seven hours, 26 minutes for 0-100 percent using a single-phase (7.4kW) Wallbox, and 23 hours, 54 minutes for 0-100 per cent when connected to a (2.3kW) domestic plug.

The e-Partner carries a 400V 50kWh lithium-ion battery.

The ports behind the not-fuel flap are a Type 2 for AC and CCS Combo2 for higher-powered DC charging. A Mode 3 Type 2 charging cable comes with the car.

Given the launch test loop was relatively short, and the vehicle was carrying a 200kg load, we’ll wait until we can assess energy consumption over a longer period, laden and unladen, before quoting an ‘as tested’ number.

Although the e-Partner hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP, internal-combustion variants were awarded four from a maximum five stars by the independent body in 2018.

A relatively low, 58 per cent result in the ‘Vulnerable Road User Protection’ section (relating to likely head injuries suffered in a pedestrian impact) was enough to knock a star off the overall result. 

That said, the e-Partner features AEB (operational from 5.0-85km/h) with forward collision warning and pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning and emergency lane-keep.

The e-Partner has not received an ANCAP safety rating yet.

Tyre pressure monitoring and a 180-degree reversing camera are also standard, but weirdly, ‘Driver Attention Alert’, fitted to Premium combustion models, doesn’t feature.

If a crash is unavoidable there are six airbags fitted - front, front side and side curtain.

Worth noting the Partner doesn’t have rear seats or child restraint anchorages and is therefore not suitable for children under 36kg.