Iveco eDaily Review 2024

Iveco was one of the first companies to fully electrify a large panel van and for that the Italian manufacturer deserves a lot of credit, even if the original plug-in version of the Iveco Daily was limited by a modest range and a sparse, workmanlike cabin.

Revisions made in late 2022 and again a year later have improved it considerably. But are they enough to propel it to the top of the class? Read our Iveco eDaily review to find out.

Unlike the majority of van makers selling vehicles in the UK, the 3.5t Iveco Daily is the smallest vehicle in the company’s range. It spans weight ranges of up to 7.2t and serves as much as the entry point to Iveco’s truck range as it does to buyers looking for a large panel van.

That means awareness among the general public is much lower than it is for models such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ford Transit, meaning the Iveco is often far better value used. This translates as much to the electric models as it does diesels, and as a result the Iveco eDaily is an appealing proposition for smaller businesses looking for a high-capacity electric van.

Unlike its key rivals, the Iveco eDaily is also offered in a number of different body styles, too. If you want a minibus, tipper or chassis cab, then it’s the go-to choice in the electric van market as no other manufacturer can match it – at least not until the expanded Renault Master e-Tech range arrives in late 2024.

The original Iveco eDaily, introduced in 2019, was a bit of a niche product with an 80-mile range meaning it was only really suited to urban multi-drop work, but that has changed with the latest model and Iveco has come up with a clever battery strategy to suit individual budgets.

It’s engineered in such a way that it can be configured with any number of batteries between one and four, each of which has a capacity of 37kWh.

Batteries can also be added or removed easily, should you wish to increase the range of an existing van. One battery gives around 75 miles of range, two give 150 miles, three deliver 225 miles and four just shy of 300 miles, which makes the Iveco eDaily highly competitive versus rivals, while there’s also an app to manage charging. It's clever stuff – but is it clever enough?

The Iveco eDaily is offered in multiple body styles, with panel van models offering between 7.3 and 19.6 cubic metres of usable load space and a payload of up to 3955kg. It’s a versatile space, but the load height is higher than most rivals and less practical as a result.

Chassis cabs are rated up to 4600kg and the Iveco eDaily has a towing capacity of up to 3.5 tonnes – though it can pull a lot more than that. Indeed, it’s made the Guinness Book of World Records for towing 153 tonnes – the heaviest weight ever towed by an electric van. Imagine the impact that might have on the range?

Speaking of which, the electric range of an Iveco eDaily isn’t only affected by how it is driven – but in a good way. All models have a Power Take-Off (PTO) option which is ideal for workers in remote locations or on construction sites, where the van’s battery can also be used as an external power supply. It’s clever stuff and is bound to appeal to private customers when vans are defleeted from utility companies.

Three PTO options are available - a 2.5kW socket that can be used to power a tail-lift or ramp, a 15kW socket ideal for refrigeration and a mechanical PTO, which can drive an accessory such as a pump, winch or drill. In addition, the Iveco app allows drivers to keep an eye on range and charging and will also alert them if the vehicle stops charging or isn’t plugged in when it should be.

Like its diesel sibling, the Iveco eDaily has always been an unconventional looking van and it certainly stands out – but its oddball looks remain entirely functional and aren’t unattractive.

Inside, it’s now much improved over the original, which had a very sparse and basic cabin aimed at keeping costs down.

It seems, though, that Iveco listened to both drivers and fleet managers, the latter of whom wanted to maximise the van’s appeal to second-life users – private buyers, small businesses and converters who needed it to compete with the higher-tech Mercedes-Benz Sprinter to make the grade.

It's still robust and simple inside – the cabin has loads of storage spaces and isn’t overburdened by buttons and switchgear. There is, however, an intuitive touchscreen and smartphone compatibility in the latest models, as well as a far-improved heating and ventilation system. Panel vans also get reversing cameras.

On the road, it’s a comfortable but leisurely van to drive, with a lazy throttle response and less power than most rivals – 121PS in standard form but with up to 134PS available in “Boost” mode on a single battery van, which can be selected in two-minute intervals.

This is useful when scaling ascents or joining slip roads, but it does gobble up battery power. On models with more than one battery, the Boost function gives a more marked power increase up to 181PS.

It’s a comfortable place to sit, with a commanding view of the road and some of the best door mirrors of any van on the market – simple, low-tech visibility solutions that some manufacturers are all-too-quick to forget in pursuit of technological prowess.

In short, then, it’s a van built to do a job and the latest raft of improvements have improved the Iveco eDaily beyond measure compared with its predecessor. It’s a tough and useful machine, built for work rather than refinement, but there are few vans that are as rugged or will work as hard.