2023 (23) Citroën Berlingo 100kW Flair XTR M 50kWh 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

The electrified version of Citroen's Berlingo small MPV has remarkably few compromises if you're looking for a family EV. So if you can afford the price premium and cope with the 174 mile driving range of the 2021-2023-era models we look at here, it might be a tempting option if you're looking for a full-electric compact family car and don't want a compact SUV. Here, there's the option of a 7-seat cabin too, which is rare to find in an EV.

History

Throughout this century, brands from what's now known as the Stellantis Group have doggedly continued to sell small MPVs, even as sales in this sector have declined. From 2021 onwards, the marques involved switched to EV power for these models and it's one of those we look at here, the original 2020-2023-era version of Citroen's e-Berlingo. It sold alongside two identically-engineered rivals, the Peugeot Rifter and the Vauxhall Combo Life. Like those two in-house rivals, it got the 50kWh battery that back in this period Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall seemed to fit to every EV they made, even the biggest MPVs. Here of course, a battery of that size is far more appropriate and with the e-Berlingo, it was built into the car in a way that didn't compromise cabin space. The e-Berlingo was significantly facelifted and given a longer driving range in early 2024, but it's the earlier 2021-2023-era models we look at here.

What You Get

There's very little outward differentiation to identify this particular Berlingo's all-electric status. Unless you notice the lack of tailpipes and the addition of a charging flap, blue badging and trim accents are the only giveaways. This third generation Berlingo did a better job than its Peugeot Rifter and Vauxhall Combo class counterparts in visually differentiating itself as an MPV rather than a van with windows. You get a choice of wheelbases - 'M' (for 'Medium'); or 'XL', the latter enabling the fitment of a third row of seats. At the wheel, at first glance anyway, it's much as in the old combustion-powered conventional Berlingo (or indeed a Citroen Berlingo van). Once you've got used to that, if you look a little closer around, you'll start to see some of this EV variant's model-specific differences. This little EV drive toggle switch, for instance, that takes the place of the usual gear selector. And of course there are EV-specific features on both of the provided displays. Starting with the 10-inch instrument screen, which in its standard layout has a speed readout on the left and a 'Power/Eco/Charge' drive meter on the right. Using the little rotary controller on the left hand steering wheel spoke, you can alter what is displayed on the small rectangular screen between those dials; choose between a digital speed readout, a compass, an assist graphic, an energy flow monitor, road signs, trip computer or a miles per kWh reading. The resolution is sharply defined and easy to read. Which can't really also be said for the central 8-inch infotainment display. Still, at least it has a physical volume dial and, more importantly, it's not burdened with the climate controls (which are separated out further down the centre stack). We've saved arguably the best bit though, until last: cabin practicality. If you were to add up the capacity of all the 28 different nooks and crannies available within the interior of this e-Berllingo, you'd arrive at a figure of 167-litres - about as much as you'd get in the entire boot of some city cars. Enough on what the front of the cabin's like: what about the second row? Both short and long wheelbase e-Berlingo models offer access to this part of the car via sliding side doors. The sliding doors are rather heavy to close from the inside and this format means you can't have door pockets either. Still, on the plus side, the second row offers enough space to suit a wide variety of passenger shapes and sizes. Because the battery pack is mounted beneath this MPV model's floor, cabin space is not compromised. So there are vast standards of headroom and because the centre transmission tunnel is virtually non-existent, it's straightforward to accommodate three fully-sized adults if need be. Three individual rear seats back here are standard with the top trim levels. All e-Berlingos get aircraft-style seatback tables with cup holder points, but you don't get the useful under-floor storage compartments that used to feature on the old combustion models; blame the bulky EV powertrain below you for that. You get a separate climate control if you've a model with the dual-zone system fitted. Were we to be buying this Citroen though, we'd be tempted to choose the 'XL' body style, with its two extra boot-mounted chairs. The fact that these sit within a spacious 4.75m body shape means that they can, at a pitch, be quite comfortably used by adults on short-to-medium-length journeys. It's just another example of this Citroen's flexibility. There's no storage space beneath the boot floor, but you don't really need it because there's plenty of room in the cargo area - in the standard five-seat version anyway - and in the 'XL' lengthier variant too if you fold or take out the third row chairs, in which case up to 1,050-litres of space can be freed up. The five-seat short wheelbase 'Standard' length variant can swallow 775-litres in its boot. Fold down the 60:40-split rear bench and up to 3,000-litres can be freed up in the standard model; with the 'XL' version, it's up to 4,000-litres with both the back seating rows folded. In addition, with either body style, if you're taking really long items, the front passenger seat can be folded flat, allowing items like surfboards of up to 3,050mm long to be taken inside 'XL'-spec models.

What to Look For

As with other small MPVs, check for child damage inside and alloy wheel scuffs outside. And of course you'll want a fully stamped up service record. What else? Well examine for flaking of paint on the bumpers and check that the air conditioning works and that the pixels on the centre display are all good. Also check for rear bumper scrapes. Finally check that the Bluetooth pairs reliably with your phone handset. Electrical glitches are relatively common, so make sure everything electrical in the car works and double-check that there are no unexplained warning lights on the dashboard. Citroen's infotainment touchscreen software can sometimes cause the monitor to freeze or fail completely. A software reset may solve the problem, but some owners have had to replace the entire unit, which is not a cheap operation. The drive battery in used e-Berlingo models should have quite a bit of life in it, unless you happen to be looking at one of the very earliest '21-plate versions. When the battery is on its way out, you'll obviously find that it won't go as far on each charge - and when it starts to run low on charge, you'll find that the car will particularly start to struggle going uphill. When it gets old, the lithium-ion battery used here can suffer from the ionised liquid in the battery freezing certain cells; those cells are then unable to receive charge. Before going to all that trouble though, make sure the issue really is the battery. If the car won't charge, it could be a problem with your home electrics (or those at the public charge point you're using). Check the charge light to make sure that electricity really is going through the charge port. And make sure there really is charge in the socket you're using to power from - plug something else into it to see - say, your 'phone. If that charges OK, it could be that your charging cable is demanding too much power, so try another power source. Another problem could be that the circuit may have tripped due to a circuit overload. Or perhaps there could be a problem with the charge cable: this needs to be cared for properly. Repeatedly driving over it (as previous owners may conceivably have done) will damage it eventually. Make sure you do a charge-up before signing for the car you're looking at. When you do this, make sure that when you plug in to start the charge cycle you hear the charge port and the cable locking and engaging as they should; that's all part of the charger basically confirming with the car's onboard computer that everything's good to go before releasing power. But if the charging cable fails to lock as it should, then that won't happen. If there is a failure to lock, the issue could be actuator failure, caused by a blown fuse.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2021 e-Berlingo excl. VAT - autopartspro.co.uk) A pair of front brake pads are between £18-£11 depending on brand. A pair of rear brake pads are between £23-£58. A pair of front brake discs start in the £30-£38 bracket; rears are between £23-£34. Pollen filters cost around £9-£50 and wiper blades cost around £6-£9.

On the Road

As usual with Citroen EVs, the e-Berlingo offers three driving modes - 'ECO', 'Normal' and 'Power'. You won't want to spend too long in 'ECO', unless you really are eeking out battery capacity because it reduces the powertrain's normal 134bhp output to just 80bhp and also restricts the climate system to conserve power. You will want to know about driving range, which in the 2021-2023-era versions we focus on here was claimed at 174 miles, around 30 miles less than the full-electric Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208 superminis of that era that also used this battery. Like all electric vehicles, this one has a bit of a weight problem - that drivetrain adds over 300kgs of bulk, but that arguably helps the e-Berlingo when it comes to ride quality; you'll feel things like speed humps keenly, but at speed on the open road, it handles tarmac tears a little better than its combustion cousins. This e-Berlingo feels really at home in an urban environment - surprisingly really because it's quite a large car, especially in 'Long' wheelbase form. But you'll feel really confident in it on the school run because all-round visibility is great, the steering is light and as we've said, the suspension deals with poorer surfaces quite well. Parking's easy because rear sensors and a reversing camera are standard-fit across the range.

Overall

There must be plenty of people out there who want a previously owned family-shaped compact electric vehicle - maybe as a second car - but don't want an SUV. It would have to be realistically priced, have an acceptable driving range and not look too van-like. This 2021-2023-era e-Berlingo, to our eyes anyway, ticks all these boxes. For whatever reason, there's a bit less of a whiff of LCV here than there is with this model's two Stellantis Group cousins, the Vauxhall Combo-e Life and the Peugeot e-Rifter. And the option of having 7 seats gives this Citroen a big advantage over a comparably sized (and probably pricier) all-electric compact SUV. Plus this Berlingo can be a van if you need it to be. Jack of all trades then; and master of one - the art of by-passing fuel stations.