French manufacturer Peugeot is at the cutting edge of electric commercial vans in Australia, having introduced its E-Partner small van (under 2.5-tonnes GVM) in 2023 before recently adding its new E-Expert in the popular mid-size segment (2.5 to 3.5-tonne GVM).
We recently spent a working week aboard the E-Expert to see if it has what it takes to provide a genuine zero-tailpipe-emissions alternative to Toyota’s dominant diesel-only HiAce.
Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 7/10?
Our test vehicle, to use its full name, is the E-Expert Pro Long Auto. It’s available only as a long wheelbase variant with single electric motor, 75kWh battery and single-speed automatic transmission for a list price of $79,990.
That’s $18K more than LDV’s eDeliver 7 LWB Low Roof electric rival and more than $29K dearer than both its diesel Expert equivalent and Toyota’s LWB Auto Barn-Door HiAce.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
Our example is also finished in 'Titanium Grey' metallic paint ($690 option) which pushes the list price over $80K.
Standard equipment on our test vehicle includes 16-inch steel wheels with black hubcaps, 215/65 Michelin tyres and a full-size spare.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
There’s also a solid bulkhead between cabin and cargo bay with load-through flap (see Practicality), front/rear parking sensors, daytime running lights, a 180-degree reversing camera, demister/wiper on each rear barn-door, a Mode 3/Type 2 charging cable in a Peugeot storage bag and more.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
Inside are two USB ports and two 12-volt sockets plus an electric parking brake, dual-zone climate control, heated steering wheel with multi-function controls, heated driver’s seat and a 10-inch digital driver’s display.
There’s also a 10-inch central touchscreen to control the four-speaker multimedia system which includes voice recognition, digital radio and wireless Apple/Android connectivity.
Is there anything interesting about its design? 8/10?
Externally the E-Expert adopts the new look of the Peugeot light commercial range, featuring an elaborate grille design with the brand’s equally new emblem proudly displayed at its centre.
The three-seater cabin design has also been upgraded, with Peugeot claiming extensive revision of the driving position for greater comfort (see Practicality).
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
2025 Peugeot E-Expert I Design
The E-Expert rides on a 3275mm wheelbase with 12.4-metre turning circle and combines MacPherson strut front suspension with semi-trailing arm/coil-spring rear suspension, rack and pinion steering with electric power-assistance and four-wheel disc brakes.
Its 1948mm height ensures it can easily access height-restricted areas like underground loading docks and multi-storey car parks.
How practical is its space and tech inside? 8/10?
A highlight of the E-Expert’s design is its conspicuously low published tare (unladen) weight of only 2052kg, which is considerably lighter than not only its LDV eDeliver 7 LWB Low Roof rival at 2365kg but also the segment-leading diesel HiAce (in LWB Auto Barn-Door spec) at 2245kg.
This figure is largely the result of weight-saving chassis technology, given that its diesel Expert equivalent’s tare weight is an athletic 1698kg. As a result, given the E-Expert’s 3053kg GVM, it has a substantial 1001kg payload rating, so it’s a genuine one-tonner.
It’s also rated to tow up to 1000kg of braked trailer, but given Peugeot does not publish a GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) we can't confirm how much payload it can carry while towing its maximum trailer weight.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
The cargo bay, which with the standard bulkhead/cargo barrier has a competitive 6.1 cubic metres of load volume, is accessed through sliding doors on each side with 935mm openings or from the rear through symmetrical barn-doors with 180-degree opening to enhance forklift and loading dock access.
The cargo bay offers 2780mm of floor length and 1628mm width, which combined with 1258mm between the rear wheel-housings means it can carry two standard Aussie pallets, or up to three Euro pallets, secured with a choice of eight load-anchorage points.
The cargo bay floor length partially extends to more than 4.0 metres by opening the load-through flap at the lower left-hand side of the bulkhead and raising the outer passenger seat-base into its vertical storage position.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
This allows long lengths of timber, copper/PVC pipe, carpet/lino rolls etc to slide through and be carried internally. There’s also an additional load-anchorage point in the passenger footwell. Overall, this is a practical design feature.
The bulkhead window is protected by a sturdy mesh guard, the cargo bay doors and walls are lined to mid-height and internal lighting is provided front and rear.
A tough liner to protect the load floor from scrapes and dents is not included as standard equipment, but is available as an accessory.
The cabin can seat up to three occupants with a combination of a driver’s bucket seat and two-passenger bench seat. All seats are trimmed in two-tone ‘Mica Grey' fabric and equipped with full lap-sash seatbelts.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
Although this cabin design offers wide door access and good comfort for the driver and outer passenger, the centre passenger is compromised by the large central-dash protrusion that houses the gear-selection and drive-mode controls.
The only option for those seated in the middle is to position both legs on the passenger side of this protrusion, which ensures their feet intrude into the outer passenger footwell. So, trips with two passengers should only be short ones.
Another criticism is the lack of hinge detents or struts to hold the rear barn-doors open in their 180-degree positions, given that a gust of wind when loading/unloading can slam them shut with potential injury for the operator (we reckon lock-open devices should be mandatory for all vans equipped with barn-doors).
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
The cabin includes two tiers of storage in each front door, comprising a slender shelf at mid-height for small items and a large-bottle holder and big storage bin at the base for larger items.
On top of the dash-pad are a small-bottle/cupholder on each side and a large clamshell-lidded compartment in the centre. There’s also a glove box with another open storage compartment below, while the centre console offers a smartphone cradle.
The centre seat’s base-cushion, which is hinged at the front, can be tilted forward to reveal a deep compartment below that’s lined with insulating polystyrene foam to keep small items of food and/or drink hot or cold.
The centre seat’s backrest can also fold forward and flat to reveal a mobile office space, with a small desk that can be rotated to provide a comfortable working angle. It also has a shallow tray for holding pens etc and an elastic strap to hold documents in place.
The E-Expert’s single electric motor, which drives the front wheels through a single-speed automatic transmission, produces 100kW of power and 260Nm of torque. It also offers three grades of regenerative braking/battery charge replenishment, using paddle-shifters on the steering wheel.
What is its driving range? What is its charging time? 8/10?
Peugeot claims an official WLTP driving range of up to 330km from its 75kWh lithium-ion battery, which is mounted in a cradle beneath the load floor to maintain the same cargo bay load volume as its diesel sibling.
Our test vehicle was fully charged on collection and we drove 214km on that single charge, of which 50km was hauling a near-maximum payload on our city/suburban test route. We also switched between the three drive modes, but most driving was done in 'Normal' mode.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
At the completion of our test, the dash readout was claiming average energy consumption of 25kWh/100km. So, based on these figures, a ‘real world’ driving range of up to 300km is credible, with potentially more using 'Eco' mode exclusively.
Peugeot claims the E-Expert can be charged from 0-100 per cent using a three-phase (11kW) wall-box in about 7.5 hours, or 0-80 per cent in 45 minutes using (100kW) DC quick-charge facilities.
What’s it like to drive? 8/10?
Thanks to adjustable lumbar support, a height/reach adjustable steering wheel with flat lower rim to allow extra torso/legroom and a decent-sized left footrest, it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position. The door mirrors, although smaller than some rivals, are adequate given their active blind-spot monitoring assistance.
The steering feel is responsive and nicely weighted, combined with sure-footed handling and supple unladen ride quality from its four-coil suspension.
It provides smooth and near-silent performance at speeds up to 80km/h, with tyre and wind noise becoming more intrusive at highway speeds. We drove most of the test in 'Normal' drive mode, which provides more than adequate city and suburban performance given the E-Expert’s relatively light kerb weight.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
The energy-saving Eco mode causes a noticeable drop in response, as you’d expect. The 'Power' setting has the opposite effect, using more energy but producing improved acceleration even with a heavy load on board.
Adjustment of regenerative braking ('Low'/'Mid'/'High') using the steering wheel paddles produces noticeable differences in retardation across the three modes. In High mode, the effect is strong enough to require minimal use of the brake pedal.
To test its GVM rating we forklifted 770kg into the cargo bay, which combined with our two-man crew equalled a payload of 950kg which was only 50kg under its one-tonne limit.
Even so, the coil-spring rear suspension only compressed 40mm under this load, leaving more than 30mm of static bump-stop clearance that ensured no sharp bottoming-out over bumps.
2025 Peugeot E-Expert (Image: Mark Oastler)
On our congested 50km city/suburban test route, where mid-sized electric vans would typically operate, it handled this load with considerable ease in Normal mode with no requirement to use the Power setting.
The extra weight had a minimal effect on handling and braking response, with the E-Expert proving to be a competent load-hauler within its driving range.
Our only criticism is the positioning of the centre seat’s large headrest, which even when fully lowered blocks a large portion of the central mirror’s view through the bulkhead window and rear doors. As a result, we removed it and stored it away when not carrying a centre passenger.
What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating? 7/10?
No ANCAP rating but it comes standard with front, side and curtain airbags for driver and passenger plus AEB, lane-keeping, forward collision warning, blind-spot detection (but no rear cross-traffic alert), tyre pressure monitoring, traffic sign detection and more.
It also features what Peugeot calls the 'Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System' (AVAS), which generates sound that can be heard outside the vehicle when travelling at low speed, to enhance pedestrian safety.
What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 8/10?
E-Expert comes with a five-year/200,000km Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) specific warranty, plus eight-year battery warranty, 12-year corrosion warranty and three-year paint warranty.
Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/25,000km whichever occurs first, with capped-price for the first five scheduled services totalling $1846, or an annual average of $369. Pre-paid service plans up to five years offer considerable savings.
The driving comfort and competent load-carrying ability of the E-Expert in a daily short-haul working role would be well suited to both tradies and fleets, if equipped with the convenience of back-to-base overnight charging at home or depot. However, its zero-tailpipe-emissions technology comes at a high price, requiring careful cost-benefit analysis by potential buyers.
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication. Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.
