New Vauxhall Combo-e Life electric seven-seater: price, specs and on-sale date

This is the Combo-e Life: a five or seven-seat passenger-car version of Vauxhall's compact electric van, it starts from £29,610 after the government plug-in car grant (PiCG) has been applied.

Two wheelbase lengths are available, with the Medium having either five or seven seats and the XL coming in seven-seat configuration only. According to Vauxhall it can cover up to 174 miles on a single charge, with the Combo-e Life capable of recharging at up to 100kW, allowing for a top up from 10% to 80% capacity from a public rapid charger in around 30 minutes.

Topping up from a domestic wallbox will be possible at 7.4kW, while an optional 11kW on-board charger will allow for faster charging from three-phase setups, as found in some households and commercial premises.

A 134bhp electric motor – the same as used in other Stellantis Group electric models such as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e – provides enough power for an 11.2-second 0-60mph time. A two-mode regenerative braking system allows for the strength of the regen effect to be adjusted to the driver's preference. Both versions of the Combo-e Life can tow a braked trailer weighing up to 750kg.

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Inside, the five-seater Combo-e Life Medium offers 597 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place, expanding to 2,126 with the back seats dropped. The Combo-e Life XL has an 850-litre boot with all seven seats in place, expanding to 2,693 when they're folded. The front passenger seat can also be folded down to make carrying especially long items easier.

The second rows of both Medium and XL variants are available as either three individually folding seats or with a 60:40 split (a 35:30:35 split is also available as an option). In both cases, each individual seat has its own ISOFIX child-seat mounting point, allowing for the fitment of three child seats next to each other.

Both the Medium and XL are offered in just one trim level: SE. This includes 16-inch alloy wheels, sliding side-access doors on both sides, LED daytime running lights with high-beam assist, a panoramic rear-view camera and automatic wipers. Body-coloured bumpers and side protection mouldings, as well as power-adjustable and power-folding door mirrors, are also standard.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity are standard, with other on-board technology including the Vauxhall Multimedia Navi Pro eight-inch touchscreen, as well as safety and driver-assistance systems such as forward collision alert with pedestrian protection, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, driver drowsiness alert, traffic-sign recognition and hill-descent control.

The Combo-e shares underpinnings with the Peugeot e-Partner and Citroen e-Berlingo. Vauxhall also offers the larger Vivaro-e Life electric minibus, with seating for up to nine.