Autocar talks about the family- and business-friendly en-NV200, Nissan’s van version of the Leaf

Nissan has unveiled a seven-seat version of the battery-powered e-NV200 MPV. It goes on sale in July, priced from £19,895 to £22,255 – including the £5000 government grant – if leasing the battery.

It’s powered by the same electric powertrain used by the Nissan Leaf and has an electric range of 106 miles on a full charge.

Range-topping Evalia trim is now offered with the e-NV200 and includes a reversing camera, cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, steering wheel-mounted controls and privacy glass.

In seven seat form this trim costs £27,260 if buying the battery outright, or £22,255 if leasing the battery.

With the extra two seats in the third row the e-NV200 has an 870-litre boot capacity, increasing to 2940 litres with all seats folded away.

Jean Pierre Diernaz, head of EV for Nissan Europe, told Autocar that the MPV is primarily aimed at business customers.

“There are between 150 and 200 Ultra Low Emissions Zones now, and this is something that is going to dramatically explode in the coming years,” Diernaz said.

“This will be a massive problem for companies that need to deliver into the city,” he added. “It’s a game-changer for some big companies.”

Diernaz believes the e-NV200 will change how businesses operate in big cities.

“Because it’s an electric car, you can drive indoors,” he said. “Suddenly you can enter the warehouse, load the car and go outside.

“Today you stop at the entrance of the warehouse then you need an additional system to take the goods and then load them back to the car.”