Citroen Berlingo, half car and half van - does the compromise make sense?
How does the latest electric Berlingo, with a range of about 280 km, perform in everyday use? Does a passenger version built on a van have more pluses or minuses? Has the vehicle been successfully adapted for several people to travel in comfort?
Design, interior and boot
The Citroen e-Berlingo is based on the third-generation Berlingo. A big advantage of the car is its spacious, easily accessible interior, achieved despite a relatively small body. The vertical sides and sliding doors may not add to the car's charm, but they make it extremely practical. Thanks to them, getting in and out in city car parks is very easy. The front of the car features two light strips that echo the French brand's passenger models - one houses narrow LED headlights, while the other, placed lower, holds large lamp lenses.
Apart from wide black side mouldings, the car I tested also had black alloy wheels and a black roof spoiler. Blue accents signal that it is zero-emission. These touches bring the car visually closer to the styling of passenger cars. In some versions a third row of seats can be fitted, allowing two more people to travel. It is worth noting that the test car had fold-down tables for rear passengers and pull-out sun blinds. These are great conveniences, especially when travelling with children. The journey should not be tiring, because another undeniable benefit of the electric motor is the quiet on the move.
The zero-emission Berlingo has a compact body (4,403 mm long), but thanks to its considerable width (1,848 mm) and height (1,844 mm) it is a roomy car. The seats are mounted high, which improves visibility, already good thanks to the large windows. Nevertheless, the rather wide pillars can be something of a problem.
The Berlingo's boot complements its spacious cabin and should be seen as another strong point. Without removing the parcel shelf, you have almost 600 litres of very practical, regularly shaped space, which will take even large cardboard boxes. Folding rear seats let you load long items.
50 kWh battery, charging and handling
Citroen has fitted a 50 kWh battery, enough for just under 300 km. Is that a lot or a little? We still remember the first generations of zero-emission cars, which struggled to manage half that distance. The ever denser network of charging stations - GreenWay alone had 323 charging stations at the end of 2021 - means there is less and less fear of being left on the road with no way to top up the car. When charging via the CCS connector, the car drew DC power of more than 50 kW, which sped up the whole process considerably. We have mentioned the car's range, which is acceptable. It would certainly be higher were it not for the "boxy" body and the air resistance that comes with it.
The suspension is tuned to be springy and effectively irons out all bumps. Corners taken at speed can be a problem, as the car starts to lean. Still, it behaves predictably and keeps its steering precision. The electric Berlingo is lively - like almost every electric car - and three driving modes, Eco, Normal and Power, make it easy to adapt it to your own preferences. In the first mode, the performance of the drivetrain and air conditioning is reduced. To optimise energy management further, there is a "brake" function ("B" on the drive mode selector) to increase the level of regeneration. The display can be customised to suit the driver, in a way typical of the French brand. You can choose a minimalist layout with limited information or one that shows more. While charging, the car shows the range, the battery charge level, the time needed to fully charge it and - a useful feature - the number of kilometres "gained" for each additional hour of charging.
Test summary
Despite its shortcomings, the Citroen e-Berlingo is an interesting proposition for a certain group of buyers. The car combines a spacious cabin with a quiet and lively electric drive, which lets you enjoy the privileges reserved for "zero-emission" cars, such as driving in bus lanes or free parking in town. Soon a car like this will also be able to enter the low-emission zones now being created without restriction. You can use it as a service and delivery vehicle during the week, and at the weekend it will "turn into" a family car.
