Renault Master E-Tech Review

Renault was early to the electric van market, initially with the Kangoo which made a lot of sense as an EV. It could handle local deliveries and happily pootle around town. When the company put the same powertrain in a Master though, the result became something of a laughing stock. The real-world range was less than 50 miles and it was so slow that the boulangerie’s bread would be stale by the time it arrived.

That all changes with this new version. It adds to the previous Master’s carrying capabilities with a powertrain which is bang up to date and gives an official range of up to 285 miles. It also drives brilliantly and has enough versatility to suit most businesses.

Design & rivals

There’s no mistaking this latest version of the Master for the old model, thanks to the bold new front end. The huge grille and distinctive headlamp design means it looks purposeful and modern, but it has also been designed with efficiency in mind. It is said to improve the aerodynamics by 20% and lead to efficiency of up to 27%. 

It’s available as a traditional panel van in long, medium, short, high and low variants, as a chassis cab for conversion, Luton box, tipper or crew cab. 

There are a few key rivals, including an increasing number of Chinese brands. But the key competitors are the Ford E-Transit, the Mercedes eSprinter and the Stellantis model shared between Vauxhall, Fiat, Citroen and Peugeot. 

Practicality

First, the business end. The smallest MWB/medium roof version of the Master offers 10.8m³ of load volume, and an interior height of 1,885mm. You can fit in 3 metre long bits of wood too.

Move to the LWB version and the figures are increased to 13m³ and a length of 3,857mm inside. Opt for the higher room and there is 2,138mm of head space and a whopping 14.8m³. The extra bodywork shrinks the payload though – this model has a relatively measly 1,016kg.

The loadspace can be accessed by the rear doors, or sliders on the side which open 1,312mm wide – that’s enough to squeeze a pallet in. 

Interior

Inside the cabin, the Master has been designed to make life easier, although it has so many cubbies and shelves that you might find yourself losing that pen or bit of paperwork. In total the Master has 135 litres of storage around the interior, including a handy hidden space underneath the passenger seats.

The driver’s seat has plenty of adjustment and there is impressive tech too, with Renault’s openR link multimedia system on a 10" screen. Besides replicating your phone, it supports more than 50 special apps and has Google built in.

The passenger fares well too, but the middle seat is best left for the smallest apprentice on shorter journeys – or left folded down to use as a desk. 

The only oddity in such a high-tec interior is the need to use an old fashioned key. Most rivals have gone keyless these days. 

Driving and handling

For a large van, the 140hp motor does seem a little underwhelming but driving the Renault Master E-Tech is much like driving any other large van. It’s quiet with a better ride than its diesel equivalent thanks to the weight of the batteries being spread across the length of the van beneath the chassis.

The initial responsive burst off the line is short-lived and the Master E-Tech seems slow compared to its most obvious rival the Ford E-Transit whose most powerful version has almost twice the power. Nevertheless, the Master E-Tech is still very capable of doing its job with a load space that is unchanged from the diesel van.

The large van’s handling has also been improved by the lower centre of gravity and although the suspension is quite firm and the van still fairly bouncy when lightly laden or empty you do get a lot of feedback through the steering making it fun to drive if you feel the need to push it.

There is a small amount of road noise and a fair amount of wind noise can be heard around the A-pillar area. 

There are no specific driving modes in the Master but there is an Eco button on the dash which limits the power and is designed to improve the overall range of the van. We’d advise against using it too regularly though as the Master’s performance is cut by 30% – keep it for when you’re running empty or are particularly concerned about your range.

There’s also only one level of regenerative braking which automatically kicks in whenever you lift your foot from the accelerator. It’s a good amount of standard braking and is enough to gradually slow the van when you lift off the accelerator in the same manner that engine braking would slow down a diesel van.

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Battery and powertrain

The Master E-Tech is powered by a 140hp, 300Nm motor and an 87kWh battery that provides a WLTP official range of up to 285 miles. 

A 130kW DC fast charge adds 142 miles of range in just 30 minutes, while a 22kW AC charger tops up the battery from 10% to 100% in just under four hours.

Price

The price of the Master will depend on the many, many options available to make the van suit your business. But choose the cheapest MWB/medium roof in white or Urban Grey (think Amazon delivery van) and it will £52,115 +VAT, but not including the full £5,000 Plug-in Van Grant. Posher paint is a £650 option. The biggest LWB high roof is £54,215. 

There is only one trim level, called Advance, but plenty of options such as wider opening rear doors (£240) and a blind spot warning at £300. 

That gives means it is competitive versus the mainstream opposition, but looks expensive next to Chinese rivals on list price. Check the lease terms though and the Renault fights back due to its superior residual values.  

Verdict

The Renault Master E-Tech is a truly convincing electric van, with enough space and range to suit a variety of businesses. The drivers will love the dynamics and refinement compared to a diesel and fleet managers will appreciate the low purchase price and running costs.