Peugeot e-Rifter seven-seat electric car: prices, specs and details

The Peugeot e-Rifter is the passenger-carrying version of the Peugeot e-Partner electric van and a sister model to the Vauxhall Combo-e Life and Citroen e-Berlingo MPVs. It's available to order in both five and seven-seater forms, with prices starting from £30,450 after the plug-in car grant has been deducted.

Both versions of the e-Rifter are available in Allure Premium trim, which gets you 16-inch alloy wheels, front parking sensors and reversing camera, an eight-inch central touchscreen and 10-inch digital driver's display. However, upgrading to the seven-seat e-Rifter adds over £4,000 to the base price of the family EV, because it’s not eligible for the £1,500 government grant.

The five-seat model is also available in GT trim, which gets you 17-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start and GT styling elements. Prices for this version of the e-Rifter are priced at £34,910; it's also too expensive to qualify for the grant.

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Regardless of which trim level you pick, the e-Rifter is powered by a 134bhp electric motor, fed from a 50kWh battery. Range is up to 172 miles on a single charge, top speed is 83mph and 0-62mph takes 11.2 seconds.

Three driving modes and two regenerative braking modes are offered, giving drivers greater control over how the battery's energy is used and allowing them to maximise range when needed. Eco mode limits power to 80bhp for the most range, Normal mode caps output at 107bhp for everyday driving and Power mode frees up the maximum 134bhp for dealing with heavy loads or other demanding driving conditions.

Rapid charging at up to 100kW from public points is possible, which is sufficient for 0-80% top-up in 30 minutes. A 7.4kW on-board charger is fitted as standard for topping up overnight from a home wallbox charger in about seven and a half hours. For those with access to a three-phase electricity supply, the on-board charger can be upgraded to 11kW as an optional extra, reducing the wallbox charging time to around five hours.

In common with other van-based MPVs, the e-Rifter majors on practicality. Aside from the seven-seater configuration option, the e-Rifter is rated for towing a braked trailer weighing up to 750kg. The five-seat version is 4.4 metres long and the longer model measures 4.75 metres.

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Both versions are 1.9 metres high and have a relatively tight 10.8-metre turning circle. Luggage space ranges from 775 litres in the five-seat Standard-length car with all seats in place, to 4,000 litres in the seven-seat Long variant with all seats removed. The row of seats behind the driver and front-seat passenger incorporate 'Magic Flat' functionality, allowing them to be slid up or down the cabin, folded or fully removed as necessary.

Up front, Peugeot's 'i-Cockpit' digital interface features, with both driver and central-dashboard screens. That includes a 10-inch digital driver’s display and eight-inch infotainment touchscreen where navigation maps, electric drive information and your mirrored smartphone screen can be viewed. Charging can be programmed either from this screen or using a dedicated smartphone app.

Safety technology, either fitted as standard or available as an option, includes 'Grip Control' traction control for dealing with rough surfaces, hill-start assistance, a parking camera, lane-departure warning, collision alerts, automatic emergency braking, driver attention alerts, auto-dipping headlights, road-sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring and trailer stability control.