Tim drives a Citroën e-Berlingo Flair XTR 50kWh 2021
This is Tim’s first electric car, he’s owned the Citroën e-Berlingo less than a year and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 10,000-15,000 miles and he achieves 120 miles from a full charge.
Why did you choose this Citroën e-Berlingo?
We need a practical vehicle with plenty of cargo space. This one is the most spacious EV we can find in the market that matches our budget.
Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this electric car
- Very easy to handle
- good visibility in the driving position
- a very practical car with plenty of storage space.
Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this electric car
- The app is not as powerful as the BMW plug-in hybrid I previously owned
- the range is limited
- no heated seats and steering wheel.
Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?
The auto wiper sometimes works too fast but this doesn’t happen all the time.
What are the standout technological features of the car?
This car is quite basic in terms of technological features, so don’t expect anything fancy. It’s main selling point is practicality of which you won’t be disappointed. So far, this car is reliable and up to our expectations.
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Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car
The angle and intensity of the head-up display can be adjusted (unfortunately, we heard Citroën decided to make HUD an optional feature from 2022 models onwards). The way the back row seat is folded to enlarge cargo space is cleverly designed. It’s easy to use and makes the extended cargo space almost flat. The possibility to open the rear window separately makes access to cargo space easy on narrow parking spaces.
What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?
The VW ID. Buzz could be our next EV but after seeing how clumsy it is to remove the rack to create a totally flat rear cargo space, we still have question marks about this car. It’s also priced much higher than our e-Berlingo and the gain in mileage doesn’t seem justified.
Home charging unit – outline both positive & negative elements
We use a Pod Point 7.4kW smart home charger. It’s simple to use and the app features are quite basic (especially compared to the Ohme charger we used in our previous home). So far, so good, in terms of reliability. But one thing we dislike is it relies solely on our wi-fi network to communicate with the app. It would be good if they made a 4G version.
Electricity supplier & tariff – outline both positive & negative elements
We live in the Isle of Man and we only have 1 supplier to choose: Manx Utilities. We enjoy a special tariff for overnight charging of a beloved car.
What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?
We mainly use Pod Point as this is the largest operator on the island. It’s relatively easy to use and quite reliable. But sometimes some chargers don’t work. Also, in some remote locations, some so-called chargers are actually outlets for charging caravans/motorhomes. Not only do you need a special cable to charge in those outlets (which the app didn’t say) but you also get very slow charging.
Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements
Admiral – so far nothing negative.
Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running an electric car
We save ₤33 on road tax and ₤140 on fuel per month. Since the cars we owned previously were all quite new, we don’t have enough data to compare maintenance costs. But we think this would be another area of difference as the car gets older.
