Pricing

Trying to work out what a Kangoo ZE will actually end up costing you is probably something which is best left to an accountant as it will make your head hurt. Firstly, there are a bewildering array of model types and options to tailor it to your business. In the most basic terms, the larger Maxi adds around £1,500 to the price and the crew cab is around £2,400 more. 

Once you’ve chosen the van, you’ll need to apply the grants – the government gives 20% off the list price, but there are others available if you use the van in London. Then there is VAT to add, and so on.

Once you’ve pressed all the keys to put the numbers in, the Kangoo will work out as one of the cheapest electric vehicles on the road. Its main problem is that some rivals look a little better value, especially the Nissan e-NV200 which is better equipped, has a better payload, bigger battery, more safety kit and is far nicer to drive – yet it costs only around £1,000 more.

Running costs

Compared to a diesel van, the Kangoo ZE offers some pretty remarkable savings. Even charging at the average domestic rates will mean your fuel bills will shrink to somewhere between and half and a quarter. It will be free of congestion charges and emission zone taxes too, and many cities offer cheaper parking for electric vehicles.

The Kangoo is actually really efficient as an electric vehicle too, going further on less electricity compared to the rivals from Nissan and Peugeot. The difference in cost according to the official figures would be about a penny a mile – that’s £120 a year over 12,000 miles. 

Servicing should (in theory) be cheaper than a diesel too as there is less to maintain on an electric powertrain, but unfortunately Renault insists a dealer see the Kangoo EV once a year or every 12,500 miles, compared to every two years or 18,000 miles for the diesel.  

Another issue is the Benefit In Kind taxation for any employees who get to take their Kangoo EV home. Unlike electric cars, which have zero BIK liability, the Kangoo is van and therefore does attract a flat rate of tax even though it’s electric. Expect them to sulk.