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New Car Road Test | Fiat E-Scudo

LATIN LOAD-BEARER

The improved Fiat E-Scudo has a unique selling point. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

Fiat's E-Scudo calls itself a van for true professionals, this the Italian brand's interpretation of the mid-sized full-electric design shared by other Stellantis Group models. Here though, it's backed by an IVECO service network far better suited to demanding commercial needs. If the current state of commercial vehicle EV technology makes sense for you in this sector, it's quite a convincing proposition.

Background

The design of vans may increasingly these days be very much the same but the dealer network and servicing support you get from different brands still differs widely. So you need to think beyond the test drive and spec sheet figures. Do that if you're in search of a 1.0-tonne mid-sized electric van and there's just a chance your enquiries could lead you to this one, the Fiat E-Scudo, here usefully improved.

The Scudo nameplate is unlikely to be that familiar. It was reintroduced to the Fiat Professional van range in 2022 after a gap of six years, during which the company's mid-sized models were badged 'Talento'. The Scudo model line's return came as its maker reverted to the shared EMP2 Stellantis Group platform, which means there could also be an all-electric version, this E-Scudo.

But it also meant this full-battery LCV had to compete against three near-identical Stellantis Group models with different badges - the Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, the Citroen e-Dispatch and the Peugeot E-Expert, plus another near-identical model, the Toyota Proace Electric. From that list, the E-Scudo, even in this improved form that arrived in Spring 2024, might not initially be your first pick if prices were similar. But unlike its rivals, it comes with the advantage of backing from a dealer network designed for commercials, rather than cars; many of the franchises are also in sister brand IVECO's network of service centres. That could be significant.

Driving Experience

The E-Scudo van now comes with just one battery choice - a 75kWh unit now able to take this LCV up to 217 miles on a charge. If you're wondering what driving a full-electric mid-sized van might be like, well, there's not too much to get your head around. You turn the key in the ignition, wait for the starting beep, then flick the gear toggle into Drive. There's a drive-mode selector that allows drivers to switch between 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes.

The 'Normal' setting restricts you to 109hp and will feel a bit like driving a lower capacity diesel. 'Eco' mode restricts you further to 81.5hp and reduces the power consumption of the air conditioning and other accessories. If you want the full 136hp of the electric motor, selecting 'Sport' mode unlocks it. There's also a gearshift selector 'B' option that ploughs extra regenerated energy back into the battery, offering more resistance while you're slowing down. Top speed is just 84mph.

Design and Build

This E-Scudo is now British-built at Ellesmere Port, the UK's first electric-only volume manufacturing plant, alongside it's Stellantis Group electric LCV stablemates. This revised version gets updated front styling and top models gain redesigned LED headlights, plus there's a fresh colour option - 'Colosseo Grey II'. As before, apart from the badge work, there's little to set this full-electric Scudo apart from its diesel-engined stablemates. As with the combustion models, there's a choice of short wheelbase 'L1' or long wheelbase 'L2' variants, but Fiat doesn't offer a high roof option with either powertrain. Visually, it looks pretty similar to its design stablemates the Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, the Citroen Dispatch and the Toyota Proace, but to differentiate the Scudo, there's a Fiat-specific front grille, which is flanked by the swept-back headlamps.

Inside, it's all pretty identical to the Scudo diesel, which in this revised model means a refurbished dashboard with a digital instrument display and a now-larger 10-inch central infotainment touchscreen. As for E-Scudo changes over the diesel, well the gear lever gets replaced by a drive selector and, next to it, a rocker switch for clicking between the various driving modes. In the instrument binnacle, in place of the usual righthand rev counter you get a Power Meter with 'Eco', 'Charge' and 'Power' sections.

As in any ordinary Scudo, there's quite a low seating position (for a van), with plenty of seat and wheel adjustment. As usual in this class, a three-person bench seat is fitted and on plusher variants there's a Moduwork bulkhead flap so that longer items can be pushed through from the cargo area. That Moduwork feature also allows the passenger seat to fold forward so the backrest can lay flat to create a handy work surface.

Market and Model

As with other Stellantis Group mid-sized EV vans, E-Scudo LCV pricing starts at around £37,000 (exc VAT and OTR charges) after deduction of the £5,000 Government Plug-in Van Grant and this LCV is available as a van or a crew cab or as a short wheelbase chassis cab. You'll be choosing between 'Standard' or 'Primo' levels of spec. There's only now a single 75kWh battery option.

All E-Scudo van models are decently equipped, the standard spec including manual air conditioning, daytime running lights and rear parking sensors. Media connectivity includes 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring. Fiat hasn't forgotten a proper full-sized steel spare wheel, 12V sockets in both cabin and load area and an alarm either. For the cab, there's a driver's seat with height, rake, reach and lumbar adjustment, plus a full steel bulkhead. Other key features on entry level 'Scudo' trim include selective door locking, an advance emergency braking system and driver attention alert level 3.

The main reason you'd want to stretch to plusher 'Primo' spec is to get the useful 'Moduwork' package which gives you a fold-up middle seat, a fold-down writing table in the centre seat back and storage under the passenger bench. Plus a useful load-through flap under the outer passenger seat into the cargo area. 'Primo' spec also upgrades you with front fog lamps, a panoramic view camera, power-folding mirrors. Plus there's Dynamic Surround View, with a digital rear view mirror and lateral side view, along with front and rear park assist, flankguard detection of fixed obstacles, a Visiopark 190 reversing camera, blind spot detection and foldable mirrors.

Practicalities & Costs

The EV drivetrain doesn't affect the cargo area. Carriage capacity is unchanged over an ordinary diesel Scudo, at 5.3 m3 for the standard length L1 version and 6.1 m3 for the lwb L2 variant. The only practical area where you really suffer with the electric model is in terms of maximum payload, which will be around 200kg down on what you'd get from the 2.0-litre diesel. The payload is 1,226kg in the standard length L1 model and 1,000kg in the L2 version. Predictably, you won't be able to tow as much with an electric Scudo as with a diesel one, but (unlike some rivals) at least it can tow - up to 1,000kgs.

We gave you the driving range figure in our 'Driving' section - 217 miles from the 75kWh battery. The cost savings versus diesel model won't of course be as great as they used to be but they should still be substantial. At this vehicle's original launch before the electricity crisis, Fiat reckoned that an operator would save around £100 a month compared to a 2.0-litre diesel Scudo, based on covering 40 miles a day. Servicing costs will be lower as well, there's no road tax, Benefit-in-Kind tax is levied at 60% of the normal van rate and the Scudo Electric is exempt from the London Congestion Charge.

Charging via a 7.4kW wall box (11kW for faster charging is an option) will take over 11 hours. If you find a 100kW DC rapid charger when you're out and about, you'll be able to get the battery from near empty to 80% full around 45 minutes. A 13amp Type2 cable in a domestic socket will give you six miles of range per hour - and will need around 36 hours for a full charge.

Summary

There's quite a lot to like here. As we've seen with Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall and Toyota versions of this same all-electric design, the E-Scudo is as class-competitive as you can currently get in the important areas of driving range, practicality and running costs for a mid-sized EV van of this kind.

As we said earlier, what we think sets it apart is the Fiat Professional service centre back-up, especially where it's shared with an IVECO network based around the much more demanding logistical needs of mission-critical large HGVs. The chances are your business is simply going to be looked after better than by a dealership that only specialises in cars. If Fiat Professional could complete the proposition by offering here the same opportunity for up to 10 years of warranty coverage that you can get with a comparable Toyota Proace Electric, we'd have no hesitation in making the E-Scudo our top pick in this class. As it is, it gets very close to that.

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