Top 10 seven-seat electric cars

Fancy an electric car but need more than the regulation five seats? Then join us as we run through some of the best EVs with seven (or more) seats.

It’s fair to say that in the early days of EVs the selection of seven-seat electric cars was pretty thin.

Initially, Tesla was the only brand bothering, with the £100,000 Model X. Elsewhere, even those brands who for years had sold MPVs and SUVs with seven seats took much longer to catch up.

The selection still isn’t massive but it has definitely improved in recent years, so here’s our list of the best seven-seat EVs on sale or coming soon.

Kia EV9

Kia has already proven itself in the EV world with the EV6, Niro and Soul. And it’s got form in the seven-seat sphere with the consistently brilliant Sorento. So it’s no great surprise that it now builds possibly the best seven-seat EV on sale. The interior is hugely spacious and comfortable, and even the rear row is impressively roomy. There are all the practical touches and tech you’d expect, and under the striking skin there’s a 99.8kWh battery offering up to 349 miles of range in the single-motor version and 313 miles in the 378bhp twin-motor option.

Ford E-Tourneo Custom

Like Tourneo models before it, the latest all-electric version is based on the Transit Custom van platform, meaning it’s massively practical and spacious. It also means it can offer seating for up to nine people thanks to the front bench seat and six individual rear seats which can be moved around on floor runners or removed entirely. Passenger space is exemplary and there are touches such as USB ports and air conditioning to keep those on board happy, although a 202-mile range may frustrate some drivers.

Mercedes-Benz EQB

Following Mercedes’ naming pattern, where A is the smallest model and V is the biggest, it seems odd that the EQB is the brand’s first seven-seater. But it is, with Merc’s engineers squeezing a third row into this 4.68-metre-long SUV. Legroom isn’t as generous as some cars on this list but there’s decent headroom thanks to its boxy design, and the usual Mercedes premium feel. There’s also up to 321 miles of range in the most efficient versions or 251 miles from the 288bhp all-wheel-drive version.

Citroen E-Spacetourer

If seven seats in your EV isn’t enough, then Citroen has you covered with the E-Spacetourer. Like the Tourneo, this is based on a regular panel van but fitted out to carry passengers. Two rows of seats in the rear plus a front bench mean there’s space for a driver and eight passengers, and there’s a long-wheelbase option that creates more luggage space too. An update in May added the option of a 75kWh battery which brings a range of up to 215 miles – a massive improvement on the 136 miles offered by the 50kWh, which is still offered as a lower-cost option.

Volkswagen ID.Buzz LWB

Volkswagen drew some criticism when it launched the ID.Buzz with only a five-seat option. However, a seven-seat variant was always in the plan and the first examples are due to arrive in the UK this summer. For the seven-seater, Volkswagen has extended the wheelbase by 25cm, allowing it to fit two more sliding and reclining seats in the back. The LWB Buzz can be specced in six or seven-seat configurations and comes with six Isofix points and a boot that goes from 300 litres to 2,500 litres depending on the seating arrangement. A new battery/motor combination is also an option offering an 82kWh battery and 285bhp, with a 295-mile range.

Peugeot E-Rifter

The E-Rifter is a brilliant example of function over form. There’s not much disguising its light van origins but that doesn’t matter. The upright, boxy shape means enormous amounts of space onboard, seven individual seats, flexibility that SUVs can’t match and family friendly features such as sliding rear doors. The car has been updated for 2024, bringing a refreshed and sharper exterior look and new-look dashboard. More importantly, technical upgrades mean the 50kWh battery now offers up to 199 miles of range – 26 miles more than previously. And, at £33,000, it’s the cheapest electric seven-seat out there.

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV

Well all know S is the pinnacle of any Mercedes line-up and the EQS and EQS SUV represent the flagships in the German brand’s electric range. As befits a luxury flagship, the EQS SUV gets the absolutely latest in technology, from next-level driver assistance to the three-screen Hyperscreen which covers the whole dashboard. It also gets a whopping 108kWh battery to power its two motors which churn out between 355bhp and 537bhp depending on the spec, with range pegged between 378 and 401 miles. Like most seven-seat SUVs, the rearmost seats are best reserved for smaller passengers but everyone on board will travel in the lap of luxury.

Volvo EX90

Like Kia, Volvo has a strong track-record when it comes to seven-seaters, with the XC90 still doing a sterling job in the ICE world. But Volvo is going all-electric quickly, so the EX90 is effectively the battery-powered alternative. With more than a dozen radar, lidar and ultrasonic sensors, Volvo says the high-tech EX90 is the safest car it’s ever built. Starting from £96,500 it’s also the most expensive. All versions use two motors, offering 402bhp or 520bhp, with a 107kWh battery offering up to 363 miles of range.

Peugeot E-5008

The last generation of Peugeot 5008 was loved by families for offering seven proper MPV-style individual seats in an SUV body. The new E-5008 has sacrificed that with a 60/40 split bench but still offers space for up to seven people in a body that’s midway between the EQB and the EV9. The first examples to arrive in the UK will use a 207bhp motor and 73kWh battery for 347 miles of range. A more powerful two-motor version will join the range later, as will a long-range version offering up to 410 miles from a massive 98kWh battery.

Mercedes-Benz EQV

Mercedes is really leaning into the seven-seat market, with three vehicles on this list. Unlike the EQS and EQB, the EQV is a full-on van rather than an SUV, meaning it gains massively in practicality but loses out in the style stakes. Like the Tourneo and E-Spacetourer, the EQV is intended as a zero-emissions taxi for shifting large numbers of people and luggage, so there’s plenty of space on board. Unlike those models it only offers up to seven seats but does have a better range – 222 miles – and some of the traditional Mercedes sheen.