Here’s the uncomfortable truth about electric vans: the battery that powers them weighs as much as a small car, and that mass comes straight out of your legal carrying capacity. If you’re a builder who regularly loads a tonne of materials, or a delivery driver stacking parcels to the roof, this isn’t just a technical detail. It’s the difference between making one trip or two.
The GVW Problem Explained
\p>Every van has a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), which is the maximum it can legally weigh when fully loaded. That includes the van itself, the driver, fuel or battery, and everything you chuck in the back. The payload is what’s left after you subtract the van’s kerb weight (its weight when empty) from the GVW.
Most small vans have a GVW of 3,500kg because that’s the limit for a standard UK driving licence. Diesel vans typically weigh 1,800kg to 2,100kg unladen, leaving you with 1,400kg to 1,700kg of payload. Electric vans? The battery alone weighs between 300kg and 600kg depending on capacity, which immediately eats into what you can carry.
Real World Comparisons
Take the Ford E-Transit Custom, one of the most popular electric vans on UK roads. The diesel Transit Custom offers around 1,130kg of payload in standard form. The electric version? You’re looking at roughly 850kg to 950kg depending on which battery size you choose. That’s a 200kg to 300kg difference, equivalent to losing the capacity for about four fully grown passengers or 40 bags of cement.
The Vauxhall Vivaro Electric manages slightly better, keeping payload around 1,000kg to 1,050kg, whilst its diesel equivalent carries about 1,200kg. The Renault Kangoo E-Tech, being smaller, offers around 600kg payload compared to 800kg for the diesel version.
The Maxus eDeliver 3, which doesn’t have a direct diesel equivalent to compare against, actually does rather well at around 1,000kg payload despite being electric from the ground up. When you design for electric from the start rather than converting a diesel platform, you can claw back some of that battery weight through clever engineering.
Which Vans Lose the Least?
The Mercedes eSprinter stands out here, offering up to 1,045kg payload in some configurations. Mercedes achieved this partly by offering smaller battery options (you can get 56kWh or 81kWh) and partly through weight optimisation across the vehicle. If you don’t need 200 miles of range, the smaller battery gives you more carrying capacity.
The Peugeot e-Partner and Citroën e-Berlingo (they’re mechanical twins) manage to keep around 750kg to 800kg payload, which isn’t terrible for a compact van, though still 100kg to 150kg down on diesel.
At the other end, some early electric van conversions were frankly terrible, losing 400kg or more of payload. If you’re buying used, check the exact payload figure on the V5C document, not just the manufacturer’s claims.
Does It Actually Matter for Your Trade?
This is where it gets practical. A plumber typically carries 200kg to 400kg of tools, pipes, and fittings. Even with the payload penalty, any electric van handles that comfortably. Same for electricians, mobile mechanics, or service engineers. You’re nowhere near the limit.
Delivery drivers are more borderline. A van full of parcels might weigh 600kg to 800kg depending on what you’re carrying. Dense items like books or bottled drinks add up quickly. You’ll need to be more conscious of weight, but most electric vans still cope.
Builders, landscapers, and anyone regularly carrying bulk materials? This is where it hurts. A tonne of plasterboard, paving slabs, or topsoil simply won’t fit in the payload envelope of many electric vans. You’ll either need to make multiple trips (which rather defeats the point of the van’s efficiency), run slightly over weight (which is illegal and invalidates your insurance), or stick with diesel for now.
The Weighbridge Reality
Here’s something most van reviews ignore: actual payload varies by specific vehicle, not just model. Two identical electric vans can have payloads that differ by 50kg depending on optional equipment fitted. Bigger wheels, bulkhead partitions, roof racks, and ply lining all reduce what you can legally carry.
If payload is critical for your business, insist on seeing the exact weight figure for the specific van you’re buying, not the brochure maximum. Some dealers have weighbridges, or you can visit a public one for about £15.
What’s Actually Practical?
If your typical load is under 600kg, the payload penalty barely matters. You’ll adapt within a week and wonder what the fuss was about. Between 600kg and 900kg, you need to pay attention but most modern electric vans will cope. Above 900kg regularly? You’re either looking at a large electric van like the eSprinter or Maxus eDeliver 9, or honestly, you might need to wait a few more years for battery technology to improve.
The other option is the emerging category of 4,250kg GVW electric vans, which require a different licence but offer significantly more payload. That’s a whole different calculation involving licence restrictions, insurance costs, and whether you can justify the extra expense.
For most trades though, the real question isn’t whether an electric van can technically carry your gear. It’s whether the charging infrastructure and range work for your routes. The payload usually sorts itself out.