LDV eDeliver 7 2024 Review

The 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 starts at $63,147 plus on-road costs in Australia, or $59,990 (plus ORCs) for ABN holders.

That price is for the entry eDeliver 7 SWB Low Roof 77kWh that we’re focusing on here, while the four-tiered range then moves through varying grades comprising a long-wheelbase version, LWB with a bigger battery and a LWB high-roof model with the bigger power pack.

The LWB Low Roof 77kWh is second in the line-up at $65,253 plus ORCs (from $61,990 for ABN holders), followed by the bigger-battery LWB Low Roof 88kWh at $68,411 plus ORCs (from $64,990 ABN) and, at the top end, the LWB High Roof 88kWh at $70,516 plus ORCs (from $66,990 ABN).

Those prices compare favourably with the eDeliver 7’s main diesel-engined rivals, including the top-selling Toyota HiAce (from $48,886) and the Ford Transit Custom (from $50,390), while on the EV front the Mercedes-Benz eVito starts much higher at $91,051 plus ORCs.

The larger Ford Transit 420L BEV Electric is also available (from $104,990), and the all-electric version of the smaller Ford Transit Custom – a direct rival for the eDeliver 7 – is also heading Down Under this year.

As it stands now, the eDeliver 7 is also about half the price of the bigger eDeliver 9 van, which opens at $116,537 plus ORCs.

A diesel-powered version of the LDV Deliver 7 is due for release in Australia later this year.

Equipment levels on the 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 are quite generous given the pricing and the premium that comes with the all-electric powertrain.

Across all models there are 16-inch steel wheels (with a full-size spare), keyless entry/start, a heated steering wheel, heated driver’s seat, air-conditioning, a reversing camera and parking sensors.

Cloth seats combine with a rubber faux checker plate floor surface.

The rubber-floored cargo area is accessed via a sliding door on the left-hand side, with dual barn doors at the rear featuring a locking mechanism and 90- and 180-degree openings. LDV doesn’t yet offer a single-piece tailgate.

Three drive modes are included standard and there is also three-stage regenerative braking, albeit clumsily located in the depths of the infotainment screen.

LDV Australia has avoided optional packages and accessories, leaving buyers to add in additional items including cabin bulkheads and load space fitouts via aftermarket companies.

All eDeliver 7 variants are covered by a five-year/160,000km factory warranty and an eight-year/250,000km battery warranty, along with roadside assistance for five-years/unlimited kilometres.

Servicing intervals are spaced every two years/30,000km – a boon for prospective buyers covering decent kays. LDV says capped-price servicing will set owners back $1165 in total across the first six years/90,000km of ownership.

The LDV eDeliver 7 comes in three colours: Blanc White, Mica Blue and Metal Black.

Headline safety gear on the 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 includes six airbags, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), front collision warning, emergency lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

There is also speed sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring and driver attention warning, the latter integrated into a camera system located in the driver’s front pillar.

LDV officials claim that 13 engineers travelled out from China during development of the eDeliver 7 to ensure its safety systems were compatible with Aussie roads and our unique signage.

Like many new vehicles, we still found some of the driver assist systems distracting and overzealous in their application on test.

There is no ANCAP rating or a related safety assessment for the LDV eDeliver 7 at this stage.

The 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 charters new territory for the brand’s commercial offerings where infotainment is concerned, offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for the first time (albeit via a wired connection).

Both features are conveyed via a new 12.3-inch infotainment screen bringing LDV’s latest software. The operating system itself is a huge improvement on earlier LDV efforts, with simpler navigation and a more intuitive interface – especially while you’re on the move.

A bank of hardwired switchgear underneath the screen allows quick access to climate control functions. There is one USB port located in the cabin, and no vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality.

Elsewhere, there is a small 4.2-inch screen within the instrument cluster separating two analogue gauges.

But the devil is in the detail: the screen is quite limited in its readouts, with no link to infotainment and no digital speedo of any kind.

What’s more, you cannot access the instrument cluster screen menu if any doors are open or if any occupant isn’t wearing a seat belt.

These are small gripes in the scheme of things, but could become quite infuriating for those spending lots of hours on the road.

Both the 77kWh and 88kWh lithium-ion batteries in the 2024 eDeliver 7 provide juice for a 150kW/330Nm electric motor on the front axle.

DC fast-charging capabilities for the batteries are rated at 78kW for the 77kWh and 90kW for the 88kWh power pack, with claimed 20-80 per cent charge times of 43 minutes across the board.

AC charge times range from eight hours to 9.3h, depending on the outlet used.

The 77kWh variants of the 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 have a claimed range of up to 318km, while the 88kWh models offer up to 362km.

Our first drive was limited to only 20km each for the two battery types, so we’ll need a longer drive across a mix of conditions to assess their real-world driving range.

All models come included with a charging cable as well as the standard CCS2-type fitting.

The 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 offers evolutionary progress for an electric van when it comes to the driving experience, reinforcing the pace of LDV’s development.

The electric drivetrain makes light work of city driving, the kind most couriers and prospective buyers will encounter on a daily basis.

There is ample go-forward from the electric motor, both in taking off and getting up to speed, and when more urgency is required, it makes no hesitation in channelling drive to the ground cleanly and effectively.

Light low-speed steering, a relatively nippy turning circle and faithful (all-wheel disc) brakes combine to make the eDeliver 7 pleasant and civilised on test.

The lack of a cabin bulkhead tends to compound the bare cargo area with respect to road noise, particularly on coarse-chip surfaces. But all in all, noise is quite well suppressed in all environments.

Equally, the van – which is underpinned by a conventional MacPherson strut front/rear leaf spring suspension – feels largely composed and controlled during a short highway stint on our first foray.

The telling factor will be on a longer loan with a load in the back.

With all that said, there is still some finetuning that could improve the eDeliver 7’s on-road skillset. The steering and accelerator pedal feel quite approximate in their modulation, and the weight of the battery packs underneath isn’t infallible, inflicting some noticeable thudding and crashing over the van’s leaf-sprung rear-end.

There is also a bulky front A-pillar to contend with from the driver’s seat, no doubt enlarged by the Big Brother-style camera integrated as part of the van’s safety systems.

What’s more, the three-stage regenerative brakes could do with some tweaking. Firstly, adjusting them requires the driver to dig through needless sub-menus (steering-mounted paddles would be much more streamlined), and across all three settings the eDeliver 7 feels heavily bound by regeneration.

A setting that switches the function effectively off would allow the van to cover long descents and open-road passage much more gracefully.

All told, the eDeliver 7 is quiet and especially civilised for a commercial van and offers new context on how this technology might be useful to commercial, private and fleet buyers.

The 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 SWB Low Roof van offers a load volume of 5.9 cubic metres and a payload of 1350kg compared to the LWB Low Roof’s 6.7 cubic metres and 1289kg payload.

Payload drops to 1205kg when fitted with the bigger battery pack.

The range-topping LWB High Roof will swallow 8.7 cubic metres and has the lowest payload of the range at 1175kg.

Those figures compare quite favourably with the eDeliver’s key rivals. However, the installation of the exposed battery underneath the vehicle means the floor height is quite high.

Braked towing capacity is rated at 1500kg across the range, while all models have 1390mm of width between the wheel-arches – enough to fit an Australian pallet (1165x1165mm).

There are six tie-down points dotted around the otherwise sparse cargo area, plus a solitary rear interior light.

LDV doesn’t offer the option of a second sliding door.

The 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 offers more progress where interior treatments are concerned for the Chinese brand, with more meaningful presentation and more thought into comfort and convenience.

The cockpit offers ample hidey holes across the dashboard, with cup holders and storage spaces aplenty in the doors (though none overhead).

Space is quite generous across the three-seater cabin, with softer materials at the primary contact points and relatively comfortable seats.

There is no mistaking the van’s workhorse origins, however, with no vanity mirrors and plain hardy plastics elsewhere.

The base of the outboard passenger seat flips up to offer more storage space, including a handy space to store the charging cable. However, a sparse flip-down centre arm rest misses out on requisite clipboard holders offered in rival models, instead offering two cup holders and a flimsy piece of elastic.

Moreover, the use of an electric park brake has freed up room between the driver and passenger seats, however there is no option to remove the middle seat. Doing so would allow ample walk-through space.

Elsewhere, an exposed steering knuckle between the driving pedals appears like an afterthought, making for a seemingly easy fix.

We had no trouble navigating the eDeliver 7’s steering wheel controls, but reckon an additional USB port up front would come in handy.

The 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 is a well-rounded commercial offering that will appeal to some private, fleet and commercial buyers alike – and not just because it’s seemingly ‘green’.

As ever, the bigger test is still to come with an actual load in tow.

But on first impression, the eDeliver 7 reveals strong progress for this fast-moving Chinese brand, and brings welcome choice to a diesel-centric commercial van market.

2024 LDV eDeliver 7 Low Roof 77kWh at a glance:
Price: $63,417 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 150kW/330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 77kWh lithium-ion
Range: 318km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: To be confirmed
Safety rating: Not tested