Vauxhall Combo Electric Review 2024

With a notably improved range, keen pricing and lively performance, the Vauxhall Combo Electric is an appealing choice in the small van market. But is the latest variant good enough for you to make the switch to electric power? Read our full Vauxhall Combo Electric review to find out.

Sharing its bodywork, electric motor and battery technology with the Peugeot e-Partner, another French contender, the Citroen e-Berlingo, and Italy’s Fiat e-Doblo, the latest Vauxhall Combo Electric offers improvements to the battery and motor.

These boost the overall range of the plug-in model from 171 miles to 205 miles (WLTP mixed cycle), a 20% improvement over the previous Vauxhall Combo Electric. 

Some of that increase is due to a new regenerative braking system, which can be activated based on three different levels using steering wheel-mounted buttons, while the 50kWh battery pack offers further capacity than the old model did.

The latest Vauxhall Combo Electric is also compatible with CCS rapid charging with a maximum speed of 100kW – double that of its predecessor and allowing a 0-80% charge in around 30 minutes on a 100kW charger.

The on-board charger, meanwhile, is a 7kW unit compatible with most home sockets, while a three-phase compatible 11kW charger is offered as an option.

Another clever feature is the Vauxhall Combo Electric’s EPTO, or Electric Power Take Off, which allows the drive battery to be used to power tools or equipment from a socket in the van.

There are two body lengths on offer for the UK market – L1 and L2, the latter of which is offered as a crew cab variant with flat-folding seats and a fold-up bulkhead to maximise loading capability when they’re not in use.

Two trim levels are available. The entry-level Vauxhall Combo Electric Prime gets a smartphone station as standard, featuring DAB radio, Bluetooth and a smartphone interface with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Vauxhall Connect data services.

Prime models also get advanced emergency braking, driver attention alert, intelligent speed assistance and lane keep assist for added safety.

Other equipment includes rear parking sensors, automatic lighting control with high beam assist and cruise control.

The Vauxhall Combo Electric Pro adds Vauxhall’s Multimedia Pro Navi infotainment system, which gets a 10-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation and voice recognition.

The instrument cluster is upgraded to a 10-inch digital display, while visibility is enhanced by the Dynamic Surround View system. This uses two cameras, one above the rear doors and another under the passenger-side door mirror, which display their views on to a digital rear-view mirror.

The Pro model also gets adaptive, glare-free Intellilux Matrix LED headlights which automatically cut out oncoming road users from their beam, ensuring drivers have a clear view ahead without dazzling others.

Plus, there are body-colour bumpers, wheel trims and power-folding door mirrors.

All Vauxhall Combo Electrics have a three-year, 100,000-mile warranty with an eight-year battery warranty.

There are three separate driving modes in the Vauxhall Combo Electric: Eco, Normal and Power.

Each delivers its own power output and the 205-mile range only applies in 81PS Eco mode.

Expect closer to 145 miles in Normal mode, where the power output is 109PS, and you’ll only get the full 136PS in Power mode, which saps battery power but is useful for swift getaways and merging with fast traffic via slip roads.

The Vauxhall Combo Electric is a very comfortable van to drive with good all-round visibility, aided by the new Dynamic Surround View system, which projects a view of the rear of the van to a digital rear view mirror.

It’s helpful for changing lanes and driving in traffic, but unlike a traditional mirror the camera system makes it difficult to judge the distance of following vehicles.

As such, reverse parking manoeuvres are best conducted using the mirrors and parking sensors to accurately judge distance.

Like all electric vehicles, the initial power delivery is quite sharp, so around town the Eco mode is more than sufficient for most duties. The ride is comfortable and soaks up crashy surfaces well, and the steering is both light and precise.

As an urban delivery van, the Vauxhall Combo Electric ticks a lot of boxes and now, with its longer range, it also more practical for those who need to venture beyond the city limits.

Drive is selected via a tiny shift toggle where the gear lever would be on a manual van and in the latest model the amount of regenerative braking can be controlled via steering wheel paddles.

In its third and strongest setting, it can slow the van to walking pace. In urban use this will help maximise the overall range, but on the open road it slows the van a bit too much for comfort, and takes a fair bit of getting used to.

The two body options on the Vauxhall Combo Electric are named L1 and L2 and are 4.4 or 4.75 metres long, the latter of which is offered in a crew van formation with a fold-down rear bench seat and pop-up bulkhead.

The L1 shorter body has a single sliding side-loading door and barn-style double doors at the back. In L2 layout, you get a second sliding door.

The L2 will swallow two Euro pallets in panel van configuration, while the maximum loading width is 1630mm, with space between the wheelarches of 1229mm.

The payload is 803kg for the L1 model and 751kg for the L2 – less than the diesel Vauxhall Combo but still impressive for a small electric van.  

The cabin is well laid out, comfortable and smart, with new digital instruments and a flat-bottomed steering wheel for easier access and egress.

Most of the major controls are operated via the 10-inch touchscreen or (in the case of the heater and ventilation controls) through fiddly buttons mounted beneath it.

These could be more intuitive, but it’s a very minor criticism.