Ford E-Transit vs Volkswagen Transporter

What's the difference?

Long before Tesla EVs, there were electric golf buggies.

From the first half of last century, they began quietly ferrying birdie and eagle enthusiasts around their favourite courses.

For many, these have been their first (and only) experience of electric vehicles (EVs) at work.

Now, the blue-collared Blue Oval mob has this – the all-new E-Transit Custom.

Designed to take on other electric mid-sized vans such as the LDV eDeliver7, Peugeot E-Expert and the Mercedes-Benz Vito Electric, it is the brand’s second – and more affordable – foray into van electrification.

Does the E-Transit Custom score above par? Let’s dive straight in!

The Volkswagen Transporter has a long bloodline which can be traced to 1950 when the first split-windscreen Type 2 (aka Kombi) van was launched sharing mechanical components with its equally iconic T1 ‘Beetle’ sedan sibling.

Since then, the Transporter has evolved through seven generations, with the latest being the result of a global alliance with Ford in which the automotive giants share vehicle underpinnings and other technologies. This is designed to streamline new model development and amortise costs, as demonstrated by VW’s current Amarok ute based on the Ford Ranger.

The latest Transporter shares a similar relationship with Ford’s mid-size Transit Custom range, including the full-electric e-Transporter variant based on the E-Transit Custom. We recently spent a working week aboard this electrified model to see how it measures up from a tradie’s perspective.