2023 Mercedes-Benz eVito pricing and specs: New electric van rival to Ford E-Transit Custom arrives

Two new electric vans join the Australian market thanks to Mercedes-Benz, one a commercial vehicle and one for passengers, both under the eVito nameplate.

Both electric vans feature different drivetrains, charging capacity, and expected range, with the commercial Mercedes-Benz eVito Panel Van only getting a relatively small range aimed at “inner urban delivery loops,” where the longer-ranged Tourer is expected to be “highly sought-after by a variety of businesses, including airport transfer companies and local municipal councils”.

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The commercial Panel Van starts at the lower entry cost, $89,353 before on-road costs, reflecting its more utilitarian capacity. An 85kW/360Nm electric motor drives the front wheels, but on paper its estimated 262km range might not sound immediately impressive. Especially as Ford’s just-announced E-Transit Custom van has a claimed 380km range.

Mercedes expects the eVito to be used for primarily short-radius inner-city courier work, and its ability to charge from 10 per cent to around 80 per cent battery in approximately 35 minutes (with an 80kW DC charger) means the Panel Van is ready for more work after a lunch break.

The eVito also features a pair of wheel-mounted paddles to adjust the energy recovery intensity during deceleration. Five modes, from D- to D++ and ‘DAuto’ gradually increase the intensity while the latter “uses a radar sensor to automatically adjust the recuperation level to the traffic situation”.

For commercial practicality, the eVito Panel van has an 882kg payload, a GVM of 3200kg, and 6.0 cubic metres of cargo volume in a 2398mm long, 1709mm, and 1392mm tall loading space.

For the Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer, that space is finished in carpet flooring and material roof lining, and features eight leatherette-trimmed seats for passengers.

While the brand already has another electric passenger van planned, the Mercedes-Benz EQV, the eVito Tourer won’t have the same luxury focus and design of the seven-seat EQV. 

For a start, it shares the commercial van’s underpinnings rather than being designed ground-up as a passenger van, leaning more into the realm of taxi vans or transfer vans. All the seats are able to be folded down to create more space for cargo or luggage.

It does however have a more powerful 150kW/365Nm electric motor, and a longer 421km range useful for things like city-to-airport transfers. Mercedes claims the Tourer can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in about 45 minutes with a 110kW DC charger.

As it’s more powerful and fitted with more comforts, the Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer starts at a $116,115.

Both variants of the eVito come with the same suite of safety tech, including blind-spot, lane-keep, and brake assistance, with front and rear parking sensors, and a rear camera. For driving safety (especially in a front-wheel drive electric van), things like rollover mitigation, load adaptive control, understeer control, and acceleration skid control are quite useful.

Each version of the eVito also gets the same 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay integration.

Both are available to order now, but Mercedes says quantities are limited.

2023 Mercedes-Benz eVito pricing