Range

The bigger battery fitted to the latest version of the Kangoo ZE gives it a surprisingly long range of 143 miles according to the official WLTP tests. But this isn’t realistic and even Renault suggests that the real figure will be between 75 and 125 miles, depending on the load and road.

Drive with a light cargo in towns where the traffic is slow and the regenerative braking has a chance to put power back into the battery and the range will be nearer the top of that estimate. Speed up the motorway with 600kg in the back and it will shrink rapidly. 

Weather also plays a big part – batteries don’t like the cold and using the heater saps energy too.

Battery

In terms of capacity, the 33kWh battery fitted to the latest Kangoo ZE is to the smaller end of average for a modern electric car – in fact it’s a cast off from the last model of the Zoe hatchback. 

The big news is that Renault has dropped its battery lease plans for the Kangoo ZE. In the past, owners could buy the van at a reduced cost, but had to sign up to a monthly lease payment scheme for the battery. This had some advantages in terms of guarantee, but owners and used van traders generally hated it as the paperwork was confusing and off-putting. Now, every new Kangoo ZE has the battery sold outright with the van. 

The only downside of this is the warranty – the Kangoo’s power pack has cover of only five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. This is stingy by the standards of other EVs and Renault’s electric car range.

Charging

Renault has kept the charging options simple on the Kangoo ZE – there is one socket under the badge at the front of the car, into which you can plug an AC supply of up to 7kW. That’s the feed you’ll get from most dedicated car chargers at home, work or roadside posts in towns. It takes just over six hours to get from totally empty to 100%, and topping up during a lunch hour should add another 20ish miles to the range. 

Unfortunately, there is no rapid charge option with the Kangoo ZE - not even if you pay extra, as with the Zoe hatchback. So, if you need to do a longer journey you’ll have to find a public AC charger and take a good book.