Citroen e-Berlingo - King of the EV space race?

This is not a Porsche Taycan. Nor is it a Jaguar I-Pace. It isn't as desirable as those cars, of course, but is it better? The MPV is making a welcome return with EV power in this third generation of Citroen's charming Berlingo. But is it too late to save the breed from the continued onslaught of the SUV/Crossover? In our closing review of 2021, Bryan puts the latest offering from Citroen through the AutoEV road test to find out if we are missing out on one of the best family cars on the market.

AutoEV - All electric, all independent.

0:00 - Introduction
01:22 - Titles
01:30 - Meet the car
03:00 - Styling
06:13 - Practicality
13:26 - Interior
20:46 - Usability
21:41 - Performance & Handling
26:29 - Pricing
27:30 - Competition
28:23 - Pros & Cons
29:06 - Summary

[carloduroni]

Had a 1st gen Renault Kangoo for 12 years. We absolutely loved it. Having experenced all its pro's and con's I can say this:
1) Under-roof storage boxes are pretty useless aside for stuffing things that you're going to forget there. And in the Kangoo they were side-mounted. In this Berlingo I see it's taking the whole width, thus it will impede tall loads. The only (very) useful roof storage is the open shelf over the windscreen 'cause it very readily reacheable and very handy for mixed items like rags, maps, etc.
2) The open-up single tailgate is indeed handy when raining but it's very cumbersome when the car is parked closed to a rear wall or even just another car. The window-only opening is a very minor solution – you cannot reach something on the bottom of the boot through it. The REAL useful alternative are the trad "van-like", side opening two-doors. They're light, they don't take too much extra space behind the car and, above all, you can just slightly open one while checking that your cargo is not bowling out – something I experienced more than once. This is expecially true if you have a dog (which I have): when you open the door, the beast tends to jump out and if you have an up-opening tailgate, he's out on the road before you even had the time to fully open the door.
Unfortunately, MPV's in versions intended to be used as "family cars" (like the Berlingo in this review) tend to be sold without a two-rear-doors oprion, maybe 'cause it's deemed "too van-like" and not pretty. Who cares? Nowadays, fashion conscious people wouldn't buy an MPV anyway, preferring a deeply unpractical and frankly stupid SUV.
Having said that, over the Berlingo I'd prefer a Renault Kangoo (which has the rear two-doors option beside the genius "foldable" roof rails) or a VW Caddy (with rear two-doors option too). I know, they're not EV's. Yet.

[stevellewellyn]

What a great review. I bought one of the last of the diesel XTR Berlingo's in 2021 as I'm not ready to go over to an electric car quite yet (next time!) All the practicalities of an mpv, with sliding doors, massive range, great mpg and reasonable price (I paid about £22k ish for a new 130hp diesel xtr). Love it. So practical and makes me feel relaxed when driving it. Mine looks just like this E version except for the front grill. Price and range of the new E version put me off so I've remained old school for now.

[davidhansell]

I've have a Berlingo xtr, and I love it. Practically of the scale great for my work, camping trips ect.Saving my pennies for this beauty.👍

[derekdee]

Had one of the old versions of Berlingo always regretted it's going was such useful vehicle. This electric looks good but price is a downside !

[wilkoone]

My first electric vehicle was a 2004 registered Citroen Berlingo Electrique which had lead acid batteries with a range of about 50 miles. It had a small fuel tank for running the heater. I loved it as it was a good introduction to driving electric, which I have been doing ever since.

[Muushondje]

Superb review. The good thing is that you take all the time to explain things and go through all the features. I realy love this car. At the moment I am driving a C5 Aircross and I want to change it for a ë-Berlingo so many thanks for this review.

[gswan]

I Currently have the berlingo 1.6 HDi XTR Multispace (14 plate) and love it, but it has been used as a camper to carry large loads for garden projects, house projects. The current version allows you to remove the rear seat which makes it really useful, but current version does not give a fully flat load space...interesting to see the eberlingo as at some point we are going to be forced into adopting these....As I normally purchase cars about 3 years old, I am concerned about battery life and possible replacement battery costs, which to be honest when you buy a petrol / diesel car you never think of an expensive engine change when is that unknown with EV cars.

[kannenkarialpetersteephen]

Detailed review, Explained well, all in all Superb video and Best practical MPV.

[Joseph-jylz]

My brother-in-law hired one of these during a holiday and it is exactly as you say very practical, comfortable and charming. substance over style. Highly recommend

[rhysstatham]

I currently own a 2019 Citroen Berlingo 1.2 petrol which has all the xtras one of the best cars I’ve owned,
Electric maybe the future but the range on the e version needs to be longer range so will keep my petrol version for the foreseeable future.

[sevesellors]

Great review so well presented as always, making you one of my favourite presenters. The Berlingo really is a fantastic car so practical and quirky perfect for family, dog owners and outside sports of if you can’t afford a Range Rover.

[chilternsroamer]

Been driving diesel Berlingo Multispaces for 16 years. I love the practicality. I have a "modutop", and I would be very reluctant to go back to not having one. My only concerns are range and price. I think I will wait for the next model.

[BorisMitendorfer]

For me, Berlingo wins in every categorie: space, practicality, comfort, what matter for 2 kids family most. Build quality is not so good, but I take this in account. Sliding doors are the best in tight spaces, big trunk is awesome! We have Berlingo models for 15 years now (diesel models, 90HP and 100HP, also the latest model 2018), and I don't think, we will go to another model soon.

[GaryJohnWalker]

Had a diesel Berlingo just shy of 10 yrs bought because I actually "desired" that utilitarian practicality - yet also incredible comfort. I wonder iff the Vauxhall version has its suspension 'tuned' to brand expectations and loses the Citroen plushness. Only mention as otherwise this vehicle would be about which was the nearest dealer. With 75kwh instead of 50, and keeping a similar price (or just a little more expensive), this'd be all but irresistable.

[peterlilley]

Hi room in the boot was what we need I’m disabled we have decided to get one I can’t drive my husband is disabled too we need to put a wheel chair in boot plus luggage hubby test drives and it ticked our boxes, especially after trying many other vehicles thanks for you test drive, Peter teresa

[kiae-nirodiariesencore]

Your channel deserves more viewers, another excellent and detailed review. Where I live in rural France it seems that half the people have these kind of cars, the Renault Kangoo is also very popular. I have driven my neighbours 10 year old diesel Berlingo when we took her dog to the vet, the space in them is amazing and although we don’t get many camels around here I have seen the chasse (hunt) use them for moving a pack of dogs around. The real problem of course is price, and Mr. Tavares laid out his stall earlier this week moaning that they (Stellantis) don’t want the EV transition to happen too fast as it would kill their profits and result in poorer quality...Mmm, me thinks the CEO doth protest too much. The fact is that they run their EV products down the same production lines as their ICE cars, unlike VW Group for example who have decided to convert entire plants to EV manufacture only, which is how you learn how to make EVs profitably. One wonders what a future Citroen Berlingo designed as an EV from the ground up would look like. Even more spacious and practical I would imagine. But with the diesel and 1.2 Petrol cars in the same trim coming in £5, 000 to £8, 000 cheaper I doubt we will see many on the road. People who buy these cars have a practical mindset, and that includes the price.

[tonyfisk]

I very much agree with the point about car manufacturers and "trend-following". After decades of motoring, I have settled on my ideal household 2-car combination - a large but fast estate car for practicality, and a four-seat soft-top for leisure use - so when I come to change cars at some point in the future, I would like to have a choice of EV that would let me stay with that arrangement. Unfortunately, the manufacturers have decided that nobody wants these.
I didn't realise how left-field my choices were until EVs came along.
And don't mention EVs to the missus, who is wondering what will be around to substitute for her MX5.

[marrous]

Have a 10y old Berlingo. Love it. Put bikes + family + pets into the car. Would not swap it for any other car. Except a more modern one ...

[twasb]

A very fair review. The brakes do take some getting used to and even so can catch you out with an odd unplanned sudden stop. The space is fantastic as is the driving experience. I have the diesel version and have considered moving on to an EV version however the limited range is a deal breaker for ma. As the main car for long 500 mile + journeys the current electric offering simply isnt enough. I cant see why they dont make a bigger battery version or even a hybrid option.

[ThatUnfunGuy]

An absolute unit of a car. A shame they didn't make a bigger battery option, They could take some boot space and gave the choice to the consumer. 50 kWh in a car with a shape that isn't aerodynamic is not going to give a lot of range.