Another entry in the small electric van sphere gets a faacelift. But does the 2024 Toyota Proace City do anything to stand out from the crowd?

2024 Toyota Proace City EV review

December 18, 2024 Matt Allan

Another entry in the small electric van sphere gets a facelift. But does the 2024 Toyota Proace City EV do anything to stand out from the crowd?

If the Toyota Proace City EV looks a bit familiar, that’s only to be expected.

Like all the Japanese firm’s vans, the smallest member of its eLCV family is a rebadged Stellantis vehicle, virtually identical to the Vauxhall Combo, Peugeot Partner, Citroen Berlingo and Fiat Doblo.

Such platform sharing makes sense financially but it does mean Toyota has some instant and incredibly similar competition. And if that wasn’t enough, the platform-sharing trio of Renault Kangoo, Nissan Townstar and Mercedes eCitan are also fighting for buyers in the compact electric van segment.

So what can Toyota do to make the Proace City stand out?

Design, interior and technology

As part of the refresh, Toyota has given the 2024 Proace City EV a facelift but there’s only so much you can do with a van. The updated Toyota ‘face’ is distinct enough from the Stellantis ones to be identifiable and the alloy wheels and body colour elements of the Sport spec bring a little extra ‘something’ but, at the end of the day, it shares its basic structure with four other vans.

The interior has also been freshened up but only slightly. There are new digital instruments, a new steering wheel and a larger touchscreen as standard.

All versions of the Toyota Proace City EV come with a two-seat passenger bench as standard but the cab feels pretty tight on space. That’s exacerbated by the way the dashboard juts out into the cabin. This is a carry over from the ICE models, where the gearstick sits on a protruding chunk of dashboard that blocks much of the legroom for the middle seat. In the electric model it houses the drive selector, handbrake switch and a couple of USB ports. These could possibly have been relocated and the console removed to create more space but, presumably, that wasn’t deemed economically sensible.

As well as new digital dials and a 10-inch touchscreen, electric versions of the Proace City come with Smart Active Vision as standard. This camera-fed digital mirror is a fairly high-tech addition but well worth it in a vehicle with no rearward view. It offers a crisp image not only of the road behind but also an angled view of your passenger-side blind spot – a real boon in keeping track of cyclists during our tour of the Dutch urban jungle.

Toyota Proace City EV battery, motor and performance

Under the skin, the Proace City EV packs a 136bhp/199lb ft motor and 50kWh battery. That’s the same vital stats as before but the engineers have been busy improving things.

Thanks to better battery management, the introduction of regenerative braking and a more efficient motor, the Proace City now covers an extra 31 miles, offering up to 213 miles on a charge. As before, DC charging up to 100kW allows a 10-80% charge in 30 minutes, while 11kW AC will take around 4.5 hours.

Our urban driving route showed it in its natural environment where the fairly light steering and instant torque proved a good match for nipping around the city. Three drive modes adjust power and torque, from 79bhp and 133lb ft up to the motor’s full capability.

We tested it with a representative 150kg load in the back and it pulled well and rode and handled calmly and predictably. It was also pleasingly refined. Panel vans historically have been quite boomy on the move but the Proace City EV matches a quiet motor with decent noise insulation.

Toyota Proace City EV load and practicality

The 2024 Proace City EV is available in two body configurations – short and long.

The short has a cargo capacity of 3.9m3, while the longer wheelbase version offers class-leading space of 4.4m3. Both electric variants have a maximum payload of 759kg – just a couple of kilos shy of the best in class.

Customers can also specify the ‘Smart Cargo’ system, which creates a clever and easy-to-use load-through bulkhead. A simple pull of the loop on the seat back folds the outer passenger seat flat. Another twist of a catch in the load area and a panel in the bulkhead opens up to reveal a wide gap that allows loads of up to 2.2m to be carried.

Unlike some alternatives, all versions come with twin sliding side doors as well as the wide-opening rears.

Price and specification

The 2024 Toyota Proace City EV comes in a choice of Icon or Sport trim. Icon is available in short or long body, while Sport is only offered in short body length. All variants can be specified with a heat pump for an extra £917.

Exclusive of VAT but including the plug-in van grant, Icon is priced from £31,238 OTR for the short body and £31,863 for the long. Sport costs £31,925.

The extra money gets you alloy wheels instead of steel, body-coloured bumpers and trim, but no additional equipment. Both versions come with a much-expanded suite of driver assistance including blind spot warning, lane assist and cruise control. They also get all-around parking sensors, a reversing camera, the clever digital mirror and as well as a 10-inch touchscreen with Android and Apple mirroring and built-in navigation.

The pricing makes the Toyota a shade more expensive than its Stellantis relations but, as with all of Toyota’s vans, the brand plans to differentiate it from those models with its support network. That kicks off with the promise of up to 10 years’ warranty and five years’ roadside assistance. Toyota is also trialling ‘express servicing’ which aims to turn around simple maintenance jobs in as little as an hour to reduce vehicle downtime.

Verdict

There are a lot of compact electric vans on the market right now but many of them share the same underpinnings, which means small things matter.

Like all the related vans, the Toyota Proace City EV offers a good balance of practicality, performance, comfort and equipment. While it costs slightly more, there are some equipment bonuses, and the enhanced warranty and more comprehensive support network make a strong case for this being the pick of the bunch.