We featured the original Master Z.E. Electric van on our June 2018 front cover, when a 50 mile electric range for a large van was as good as it got. Fast forward to 2024 & the revamped Master electric, now with the moniker of Master E-Tech arrived. Importantly it now comes with an 87kWh battery which is good for a range of up to 285 miles. As luck would have it we had a 350 mile trip for flat clear out the week the MAste landed an opportunity we thought to see if the range claimed is actually doable.
Range
First things first. The biggest reason for commercial operators non-adoption of electric vehicles is range.The Master E-Tech can put your mind at ease as it comes with a claimed ange of up to 285 miles based on 87kWh E-Tech 100% electric L2H2 4T
Cost
The Renault Master E-Tech is priced from just £42,500 which when you include the £5,000 plug-in van grant means the vehicle is available for under £40,000. The entry level Master L2H2 costs from £33,500 + vat so the price gap between an ICE & large electric panel van is smaller than you’d expect.
Model choice
Renault is only offering the Master E-Tech in the one trim Advance.
Battery & charging
Again only one is battery being offered an 87kWh unit which is paired to a 140hp motor. Master E-Tech comes with 22kW AC & 130kW DC charging as standard. We recommend Rolec as your home or work based charging solution as we use their EVO charger
Practicality
With a load length of up to 3,855 mm, load volumes of up to 14.8m3 (panel van only ) a side siding door with a 1313mm opening, a payload of up to 1645kg & a towing capacity of up to 2,500kg the Master E-Tech is also a practical electric van.
Conversions
The Master E-Tech is available as a crew van, a tipper, a chassis cab & a platform cab. The crew cabs feature four rear seats meaning with three front seats, that you can carry seven people.
Body sizes & dimensions
Three, with two lengths & two heights. These are MM, LM & LH.
Dimensions MM LM LH
Length 5,680mm 6,315mm 6,315mm
Width 2,466mm 2,466mm 2,466mm
Width mirrors folded 2,222mm 2,222mm 2,222mm
Height 2,502mm 2,502mm 2,780mm
Wheelbase 3,585mm 4,213mm 4,213mm
Front overhang 965mm 965mm 965mm
Rear overhang 1,024mm 1,131mm 1,131mm
Ground clearance 188mm 188mm 188mm
Exterior
The Renault Master has a new look with a more curved front end, massive front grille, narrow horizontal front headlights & slim vertical rear tail lights & an overall exterior that’s been designed to be as aerodynamic as possible.
Interior
Quality is excellent with decent plastics & hard wearing seat fabric a standout. Practical touches include twin USB C inputs, physical controls for the climate & media volume, this a good van to spend time in.
Equipment & infotainment
Advance spec includes ;10.1- inch multimedia system with connected Apps for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, manual air conditioning, automatic lights & wipers & rear parking sensors. A digital rear-view mirror would have been nice but is an extra.
Praise for the Google based infotainment which is very easy to use & offers drivers just three-touches to select Renault Perso, allowing you to select or de-selesct some of the more intrusive built-in safety features.
Safety & Security
The latest Master is the first LCV in the Renault range to come with 20 safety features. These include; Lane departure warning, Active emergency braking system, Intelligent speed assist with traffic sign recognition and overspeed prevention, Driver drowsiness and attention warning, Driver, passenger and side airbags, an Emergency call system & security includes a perimetric and volumetric alarm as standard.
Interior cabin practicality
You get 2 cup holders on the centre console, an armrest, power front windows, manual height adjustable & lumbar adjustment for the drivers seat, large twin door pockets, smallish glovebox, a height adjustable steering wheel, a full width above your head parcel shelf & a two passenger bench seat, both of which lift up with storage space beneath to hide your charging cable.
Exterior
Master sits on 16″ steel wheels, & features LED daytime running lights. Twin 270 degree opening rear doors are unglazed & you get a sheet metal left side sliding door.
Cargo area
Master comes with a full panelled bulkhead, a resinated wood floor, half height side ply panels, 10 anchorage points & LED cargo area lighting.
Safety
The E-TECH scores highly here with ESP, a front passenger air bag with driver side airbags. ADAS is also fitted & this includes Lane Departure Warning, Rear Parking Assistance, Reversing Camera, Side Wind Assist & Active Emergency Braking System. There’s also an ECO option fitted allowing a top speed of 57 mph only.
Warranty
Vehicle. 3 years: unlimited the 2 first years, then limited to 100,000 miles, whichever comes first
Drive train. 4 years: unlimited the 2 first years, then limited to 100,000 miles, whichever comes first
Battery (Buy). The battery is covered for 5 years / 62,000 miles T&Cs include a guaranteed level of performance (70%)
Anti Corrosion Warranty. 12 years
Paintwork. 3 years
Driving
Taking an empty Renault Master E-Tech from Altrincham to Newcastle Upon Tyne today for a flat clear out was going to give me a reply good idea of how the E-Tech performed over a 350 mile round trip almost all of it on the motorway. I left home with a 90% charge which showed 178 miles of range. First stop with 71 miles of range remaining was Scotch Corner which is 112 miles from home I decided to drive at 60mph to conserve the battery, but in reality could have made it all the way to Jesmond which is 164 miles from where I live, without stopping. The Grid Serve chargers did their job in around 30 minutes increasing my range from 71 miles to 170 miles, at a cost of £42.10.
I still had another 42 miles to go arriving at my destination with 132 miles remaining, so pretty much a 1:1 ratio of miles driven to miles travelled.
I drove back the next day with 66% of range or 132 miles, this time with some furniture & the dog adding around 70kg to my load. I expected this to reduce the vans driving range. Sticking to 60mph I made it to Wetherby Services which was 82 miles & had 68 miles or 33% of the range left . A 30 minute top-up to 80% at Wetherby again courtesy of Grid Serve, this time at cost of £36.91, gave me a 180 mile range. Altrincham is 84 miles & this time driving a little quicker at 62mph on occasion, I arrived back with 41% of my range left or 98 miles. So I had managed to beat the 1 mile driven to 1 mile of range.
Impressions ? I fully expected to have to stop twice each way, I didn’t & my range anxiety was minimal. True the journeys were both an hour longer each way than if I’d been in a car , a combination of two 30 minute stops & sticking to 60 mph, but I’m massively impressed. Kudos to for the excellent on board tech as I used Apple CarPlay & Apple Maps to plan my journey, with a cursory look at Zap Map the night before.
In town
Driving locally from home to gym & back daily, the Master is a large van but it’s incredibly easy to drive & manoeuvre. I liked the firm but comfortable seats & with Renault Perso you can turn off annoying safety beeps with just three touchscreen touches, also a blessing.
Complaints ? The cup holders are quite small & there’s not as much room in the footwell for your left foot as I’d like & the old-fashioned handbrake & key ignition start are a little at odds with how modern the rest of the van feels.
Pros
A real world driving range of 220 miles in warmer weather, is infinitely doable. The E-Tech is light & easy to drive, comes very well equipped & offers plenty of safety features. Comfortable in the cabin. Excellent payload.
Cons
An old fashioned hand brake & ignition key to start. Cup holders are a touch small for larger water bottles. Not much room for your left foot in the footwell.
Conclusion
For years we have been saying that an electric van like the Master E-Tech will only appeal to those driving short distances, most probably in urban areas, within an industrial area, or public sector location, such as a large NHS Trust. However after our real world trip of 350 miles almost all on the motorway with a smallish load, we’ll hold our hands up & say that a large electric van will also work driving between cities especially if you stick to 60mph. And don’t forget the cost savings over a diesel van, namely fuel, servicing & parts which are all substantially higher.
A Tour de France 4.25/5
