Maxus eDeliver 3 Review 2024

Unusually and somewhat quirkily styled, the Maxus eDeliver 3 is the smallest van currently on offer from Maxus and is a seemingly credible rival to the small van offerings from Stellantis, but is it good enough to make an impact? Read our Maxus eDeliver 3 full review to find out.

Introduced in late 2022, the Maxus eDeliver 3 is one of a range of Chinese-manufactured vans built by Maxus (formerly LDV) and is offered in electric-only configuration, and was configured from the ground-up to suit an electric motor - there is no diesel, petrol or plug-in hybrid version planned.

It uses lightweight construction to maximise range including extensive use of alloys and composites. Coupled to a 50kWh battery that delivers a range of 199 miles on the WLTP cycle. That’s slightly less than the 205 miles offered by the likes of the Vauxhall Combo Electric and Citroen e-Berlingo, but they have a larger battery. The Maxus’s lower kerbweight keeps it in close contention.

It's a good value van, too, served by a network of largely independent, local dealerships and targeted squarely at SME’s and sole traders rather than big fleets. If you’re thinking of switching to electric, the personal touch and dedicated local support might swing things in the Maxus eDeliver 3’s favour.

It’s lively enough with a 122PS electric motor, and the 400kg weight saving over its key rivals means it feels pretty nippy.

It’s not without its foibles, though. Other vans are sharper and more comfortable to drive and the cabin is less refined with some particularly harsh features. Overall, though, and especially for the money, it’s one that’s certainly worthy of consideration.

The latest generation electric vans are generally extremely refined, and compared to rivals from Stellantis, the eDeliver 3 feels a little coarse. Not enough for you to discount it, but from the outset you’re greeted by hums and whirrs from the electric motors that are better dampened on other vans in the sector. It’s actually quite fun to listen to in its own way, but could get tiring in regular use.

There’s also a fair bit of road noise and echo from the load bay – the lightweight construction principles mean there’s less in the way of sound deadening compared with other vans in the class.

You start it with a conventional, traditional key and wait for the green light to come on to engage drive. The only other two options are reverse or neutral – there’s no ‘park’ on he gearbox, so you have to always remember to engage the parking brake. It’s a simple CVT system – forwards, backwards or out of gear.

It pulls away smoothly and with surprising vigour, while there are three selectable modes of regenerative braking to help return some power back to the battery. The top speed is 75mph, which will be fine for most applications in which the van is used but will take its toll on range.

As well as the standard driving more there is also an Eco setting. This limits it to 58mph flat out to reduce electricity consumption – ideal for urban users.

The steering is light and precise with good forward visibility, while a rear-view camera helps with parking. That said the screen is a bit flickery and isn’t the sharpest resolution. Overall, though, it’s an easy and pleasant van to drive at low speeds.

Go faster, though, and it shows its limits. There’s a pronounced amount of body roll and the worst bit, by far, is the ride quality when unladen – the back end crashes and bounces over bumps and feels very firm, especially on broken road surfaces and bumpy lanes.

If you don’t mind that, then it’s a good value package that is essentially an awful lot of van for the money.

Starting with the cabin, the eDeliver 3 is functionally fine and has all of the modern features you’d expect – smartphone integration, climate control, cruise control and simple, ergonomically decent controls.

But there are other areas where it feels a bit cheap and unfinished – the plastics on the door trims and dash surround are quite harsh and brittle, the rubber flooring feels (and smells) cheap and the shift knob is fiddly and counter-intuitive at first. But then, this is a cheaper van than most of its similar-sized electric rivals and it’s smart and well-equipped enough to get away with it. It’s functional – and for many van users that’s all that’s required.

It's a two-seater with no clever concealed storage or advanced features such as wireless charging, but again it’s fit for purpose. As a working vehicle, it does the job. The driving position is lofty but comfortable and the seat materials feel pretty hard-wearing. The cup holders are awkwardly placed, too, but on the flipside the digital instruments are clear and concise.

Behind the bulkhead, there’s a nice, square load area with good access from the passenger side load door and twin barn-style doors at the rear. It could benefit from a few more lashing points, but the 4.8 cubic metres of load space is functional – a word that describes pretty much everything about the eDeliver 3. It has a payload of 900kg, better than most small electric vans and almost at the one-tonne level offered by medium van rivals, thanks to its lightweight construction.

Charging it takes eight hours via conventional home charger, while an 85% charge is attainable with a rapid DC charger in 45 minutes – again, class-competitive without being in any way exceptional.

Overall, then, a practical, usable electric van that doesn’t do anything spectacular, but nor does it really do anything wrong.