At the moment most of the EV focus in Australia is on passenger vehicles. But we need a hell of The post 2025 Ford E-Transit Custom Trend Review: This electric delivery van has a lot going for it, so why don’t we rate it higher? appeared first on EV Central.
At the moment most of the EV focus in Australia is on passenger vehicles. But we need a hell of a lot of electric vans sold to really make an impact on CO2 levels.
The more rotten old diesels replaced by clean, green EV vans the better.
And that means vehicles like the new Ford E-Transit Custom mid-size van need to really catch on.
Trouble is, as good as the E-Transit Custom is, it’s got a couple of issues that really undermine its ability to gain sales traction.
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2025 Ford E-Transit Custom Trend price and equipment
The biggest issue is price.
Delivery vans are a business purchase – not a flight of fancy – and the E-Transit Custom is going to ding the bottom line.
Whether you pick the long wheelbase Trend or short wheelbase Sport flagship, pricing is heading well over $80,000 by the time on-road costs are added.
The Toyota HiAce is by far the biggest selling van in Australia and it starts at just over $50,000. And yep, it’s a diesel.
So can your business absorb the upfront cost and reap the running cost payback in the long term?
Obviously, there’s no ongoing diesel costs for a start. Secondly, the E-Transit servicing schedule is 12 months/30,000km and around $240 per dealer visit. That’s indicative, not final pricing.
A Transit Custom diesel is about double that per visit. At least.
The thing is the E-Transit’s not even the most expensive electric van on the market. There aren’t many TBH. The cheapest of them is the LDV eDeliver 7 and it’s definitely not cheap.
2025 Ford E-Transit Custom Trend: What we think
What’s the other big EV van issue the E-Transit exposes? Range between recharging. With just over 300 kilometres of WLTP range, the E-Transit isn’t gonna get you far before it’s back on the charger for a refill.
That really means the E-Transit is an urban hop-about. That’s perfectly okay if you are only hopping, but if you need something for longer jumps then traditional diesel is the mainstream option on offer.
But Ford’s tried to deal with that issue. It’s also rolling out the Transit Custom plug-in hybrid. It’s only got a small battery and 50km range on a good day, but overall range will be much higher than the EV.
And that helps explain why Ford’s seeing more interest in the PHEV as these two new powertrains go on-sale.
Anyway, back to the E-Transit. Having taken those issues into account, the good news is it really is a good drive.
Ford’s been really smart with the design of the new-generation platform. It copes with diesel front- and all-wheel drive, PHEV front-wheel drive and our rear-wheel drive EV.
There’s also a passenger bus called Tourneo on the same platform.
The E-Transit’s single e-motor provides plenty of shove, especially in that classic e-motor tip-in throttle way. Perfect for nipping round town. On the flip side, one-pedal drive is well modulated.
Official consumption is a substantial 24.8kWh/100km, but unladen on our combination of city, suburban and freeway, that was beaten comfortably with a 19kWh/100km average.
Recharging turnaround time is another consideration and here Ford claims 11kW AC and 125kW DC. It’s not the fastest DC rate kicking around.
The new platform has traded a beam axle and leaf springs for coils and independent multi-link, pushed the front struts to the corners and is stronger and lighter as well.
As a result of all that it steers nimbly, something aided by the forward seating position, big windows and compact turning circle – for a 5450mm van – of 12.1 metres.
It feels secure in the way it handles, riding well over the bumps in a way you don’t normally associate with vans.
And what about carrying stuff? Well, in space terms it fits as much as any other Transit Custom because the cargo box is identical. It will fit an Aussie pallet between the wheel arches.
But it does dip on payload compared to both diesel and PHEV models because it has more kerb weight to cope with. It can still carry up to 1187kg, which is decent. But it’s also a potential loss of earning.
Access is via barn doors and a single sliding door, but a tailgate and dual doors can be optioned. A metal bulkhead separates the box from the passenger compartment.
Ford’s tried to compensate for the sheer cost of the E-Transit Custom with some little luxuries inside like a digital rear view camera and a vapour injected heat pump. But mostly it reflects the kit of the $10,000 cheaper PHEV.
Still, the Transit Custom interior is far above a basic standard van level of trim and presentation. This thing’s got screens, tech, safety assistants and substantial storage including hidden under the seats.
It’s also got hard plastics, cloth seats and a glovebox that clangs open in a very non-$80K way.
Sadly though, no spare tyre. Surprisingly, no vehicle to load (V2L) charging either.
2025 Ford E-Transit Custom Trend: Verdict
There is so much to like about the Ford E-Transit Custom. And yet there are also critical barriers to take-up that will hinder its popularity.
It’s emblematic of where EV vans are at.
But just as the price and range barriers are now being broken down for EV passenger vehicles, so it will surely happen with vans.
Next year we can expect the arrival of the Kia PV5 and BYD’s dropping strong hints its going to get involved locally with vans as well.
With two of the globe’s most dynamic EV brands headed our way there is every chance electric vans will become much more relevant and popular.
As it stands, the Ford E-Transit Custom is a worthy if expensive preview of what’s to come.
SCORE: 3/5
2025 Ford E-Transit Custom Trend specifications
Price: $77,590 (plus on-road costs)
Basics: EV, 3 seats, 4 doors, mid-size van
Range: 301km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 64kWh NMC
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Energy consumption: 24.8kWh/100km (ADR)
Motors: 1 rear, 160kW/415Nm
AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 125kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: Unstated
The post 2025 Ford E-Transit Custom Trend Review: This electric delivery van has a lot going for it, so why don’t we rate it higher? appeared first on EV Central.
