Peugeot Expert Panel Van (2024 - ) review

Two length options (Standard and Long) and one height option keep the vehicle’s size relatively uniform, with the two lengths offering 5.3 cubic metres or 6.1 cubic metres of load volume, there is no height option available. Maximum payloads are strong with the highest being nearly 1400kg depending on which model you choose - beaten only by the latest Ford Transit Custom - check the specs of the Expert you’re considering acquiring to be sure. You’ll get six or eight lashing points depending on the length chosen, which will make securing a load in place very easy. Load space accessibility is high with two side sliders perfectly complementing the twin rear doors that open to 180 degrees. You get the two-seat bench (alongside the driver’s seat) in the standard Professional trim, but you only get the load-through and underseat storage in the top-level Asphalt trim. Be aware that the middle seat’s legroom is reduced by the gear stick’s console in the manual versions. It’s a practical vehicle, but so are the other Stellantis platform sharers. There are bigger medium vans available, but the Expert should work for most medium van businesses.

Read the Auto Trader reviews of the other Stellantis platform sharers and you’ll find the cabin environments are largely the same between brands. The loan model was a top-trim Asphalt, although some of the top tier features were missing. That aside, the Peugeot Expert packs a nice surprise in the shape of its iCockpit layout that adds a smaller sporty steering wheel and very clear digital driver information display behind it. The Asphalt model I was loaned was meant to come with an electric parking brake, but didn’t. The plastics and fabrics are hard wearing and easy to keep clean, but thankfully the control-covered steering wheel plastic is not slippery like those I encountered in the Fiat vans. There’s a useful overhead console with a ceiling lamp above your head, you get a manual aircon system and big door storage pockets. The glovebox is fine for your manual and other papers, but it’s the underseat storage and fold-out desk in the middle seat that are my favourite additions. The cup holders are dashboard-mounted and square… which threw me. Other than that, the big infotainment is excellent featuring vehicle functions, the new Peugeot i-Connect infotainment software with TomTom navigation if you go for the top trim, a huge 10-inch HD screen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, screen mirroring, USB socket and very good speakers. Everything is at once familiar, improved and yet slightly different in the Peugeot cabins, and that’s not a bad thing. I just wish the steering wheel and pedals weren’t slightly offset from each other - it made my back ache, but that’s just me and probably won’t affect the majority of people.

The 2.0-litre diesel manual version I was loaned is officially capable of a combined fuel consumption figure (WLTP) of 34-38mpg. On my 30-mile test loop of motorway, town and country roads with a dummy load of 250kg in the back I achieved a journey average of 35.8mpg, which is pretty much bang in the middle of that official figure. Driving style, speed and ratio selection will obviously impact that figure. It’s pretty much what you’d expect for a van of this size. Also, the RRPs are decent with the top trims sitting around the £30,000 mark when new - a good finance or lease deal will help break that cost down.

The Peugeot Expert (like all of the company’s light commercial vehicles, such as the Peugeot Partner small panel van) benefits from a three-year warranty, with unlimited mileage in the first two years and capped at 100,000 miles in the last year - a standard warranty length, but generous mileage limit. There were some issues with the earlier iterations of this current generation, but the latest version has been heavily updated and most of those problems have likely been rectified. I will always highlight the big fleets like Royal Mail consistently choosing Peugeot vans as a sign of their reliability - big fleets don’t tend to choose vans that require constant mechanical attention. Take from that what you will.

As a weight-carrying medium panel van, the Peugeot Expert performs exactly as expected with a couple of things that make it better. The top Asphalt trim offers two side sliding doors and a load-through bulkhead improving accessibility and enabling longer load carrying, respectively. The single height option and two load lengths offer enough height and volume to carry most items you’d expect a medium panel van to carry. And I could go on, but I’d be waxing lyrical and restating the same thing: Stellantis vans perform exactly as their respective size classes should. Enough said.

The Peugeot Expert is a capable weight carrier and seems happier and smoother to drive when under load. The 2.0-litre diesel engine outputs 145PS and provides power responsively with minimal juddering. The manual gearbox is a touch notchy at the lower end, but it’s not a deal breaker. The suspension system stiffens up well under a load, but when empty the vehicle feels slightly wobbly and the clutch is spring loaded and heavy. You’ll hear the same thing said about other medium panel vans, so don’t take it as criticism, just something to be aware of. About the only thing I can criticise is that the pedals and steering wheel appear to be slightly off centre from each other resulting in a back ache after a very long drive… I imagine this will present no problem to people short-hopping between delivery stops and might just be a ‘me’ thing, although I noticed the same thing in the Vivaro.

Thanks to improved safety systems, the current Peugeot Expert was rated gold by NCAP in 2024, having previously been rated bronze in 2023. The entry-level Professional trim is well-equipped as standard, but the top Asphalt trim offers the full package of safety systems. For security it includes a remote control ultrasonic security alarm system, remote control central deadlocking with immobiliser, selective door locking, a full complement of airbags, a dashboard mounted central locking push button, and auto locking above 7mph. For safety systems, you’re looking at a decent list that includes a fuel cutting system in case of a crash, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, High Beam Assist, Intelligent Speed Assistance, Lane Keeping Assist and Advance Emergency Braking System. The excellent Dynamic Surround View system includes a digital rear view mirror fed by a camera mounted on the back of the van, and on the infotainment system screen you get lateral side view, front and rear park assist, and the useful Visiopark 180-degree system which is very useful for reverse parking. Extra systems include Flankguard detection of fixed obstacles, blind spot detection, Electronic Power Steering (EPS), and Driver Attention Alert. Full credit to Stellantis for the gold safety rating - you can see from this extensive security and safety list why it’s earned that medal.

You’ve already seen the amount of systems and specification this vehicle offers within the other sections of this review. Simply put, this is a well-equipped and safe vehicle to drive. About the only items I haven’t mentioned are the Exterior Look Pack (an aesthetic option pack that adds body-coloured panels and trim all over the van), the 17-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, LED Headlamps with integrated automatic on/off headlight control, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers and the laminated acoustically dampened windshield. Oh, and you also get a tyre inflation kit instead of a spare wheel.

Why buy? Because it’s arguably the best of the Stellantis medium panel vans. It’s got a genuinely different cabin environment… well, a different steering wheel and a clear digital driver information display behind it. It’s practical, it’s a weight carrier (not half), it’s great looking and, aside from the slightly skewed driving position, very smooth and easy to drive. There’s also (usually) lots of stock in the UK, which means good prices and deals are (usually) up for grabs.