The What Van? Road Test: Peugeot e-Partner (2021)

Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Detail Load Bay

Load bay

The e-Partner’s 3.8m³ cargo bay proved more than capable of accommodating a small garden shed acquired as a kit plus several bags of decorative gravel.

Loading the former through the asymmetric twin rear doors – the narrower of the two is on the offside – was a doddle. The ultra-slim rear wheel boxes helped because they did not get in the way.

The doors can be pushed through 90°, and through a full 180° if you free the easy-to-release stays.

The decorative gravel was heaved aboard through the sliding side doors found on each side of the body.

We did not make use of the six tie-down points; perhaps we ought to have done. As a consequence we were grateful for the presence of a full-height steel bulkhead, which divides the cab from the cargo area.

It looks heftily constructed; reassuring if you are starting to worry about an unrestrained shed clobbering you between the shoulder blades if you need to brake heavily.

The bulkhead boasted a load-thru facility as part of Peugeot’s optional Multi-Flex pack. Fold back a hatch behind the passenger seat closest to the nearside door and then fold the seat back flat, and you get to enjoy an extra 1,273mm of load length; handy if you happen to be carrying planks or pipes.

You can secure the ends of these over-length items in a removable fabric sock which we suspect no-one can be bothered to use. It is also worth noting that the seat can be folded upwards to provide extra carrying capacity for bulky packages inside the cab.

All good news so far, but we were concerned about the lack of any protection for the cargo bed against scratches and scrapes. Bits and pieces of plastic trim afforded the sides and doors some defence, but we felt the entire load bay needed timbering out.

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