New Nissan Townstar electric van is cheaper than a Citroen e-Berlingo

The all-new electric Nissan Townstar is now on sale in the UK, with prices starting from £28,400 (ex. VAT), including the £2,500 Government Plug-in Van Grant. 

A replacement for the outgoing Nissan e-NV200, the new Townstar electric van shares its parts with the Renault Kangoo E-Tech, as well as the Mercedes eCitan and will be sold alongside its pre-existing petrol-powered counterpart.

Taking design cues from the new Nissan Ariya electric family SUV, the new Nissan Townstar adopts a distinctive set of LED headlights and a smoothed-off front end – no doubt in an effort to improve aerodynamic efficiency. 

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All electric Nissan Townstar models are powered by a 44kWh battery that’s mated to a 121bhp front-mounted electric motor. Nissan claims the Townstar will return up to 183 miles of range on the combined WLTP test cycle, and potentially up to 269 miles when driving exclusively around town. 

As standard, the Townstar only gets access to 11kW AC charging. However, Acenta grade models and above get faster 22kW AC charging, as well as 80kW DC rapid charging. When plugged into a compatible public rapid charger, it’s possible to top-up the Townstar from 10-80% in around 45 minutes.

The Townstar is available in a choice of four trims, and they match those used on most of Nissan’s passenger cars. Visia kicks off the range and is predominantly aimed at fleet buyers, then there’s Acenta, Tekna and Tekna+.

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All cars get an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, while Tekna and Tekna+ vans offer an increased level of driver assistance technology; Nissan says over 20 tech features can be fitted, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and self-parking capability.

The short-wheelbase electric Townstar model starts from £28,400, which undercuts several main rivals such as the Citroen e-Berlingo and Peugeot e-Partner. Top-spec Tekna+ vans start at £33,245 (including the PiVG). Unfortunately, while the Townstar manages to beat some of its competitors on price, it still costs considerably more than its petrol equivalent, which is priced from £19,475 to £24,425.

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Long wheelbase models offer up to 4.3 cubic metres of cargo volume and can accommodate up to two Euro pallets, with a maximum payload of 800kg. Short wheelbase models offer slightly less space at 3.3 cubic metres and have a payload capacity of 600kg. Unlike many electric cars, the plug-in Nissan Townstar can tow braked trailers weighing up to 1,500kg.

In tandem with the release of the Townstar, Nissan has also rebranded the other vans in its line-up, with the NV300 becoming the Primastar and the NV400 becoming the Interstar. However, it's not yet known whether either or both of those larger models will also get electric drivetrains in due course.