While more familiar companies announce EV delivery vans, LDV has already quietly been selling the eDeliver3 in New Zealand.

That our time with LDV’s eDeliver3 wasn’t quite as planned was no fault of the vehicle, but rather crossed wires or – given the unfortunate implications of that phrase for an electrical vehicle – an oversight which meant the fast-charge cable was not in its storage space when I collected it. It is possible to plug into a household socket, which delivers a great commuting-distance top-up. However, the 52.5kWh battery option we drove (the 35kWh is no longer available) provides a claimed 400km from a single full charge.

Would it be enough? Buyers need not worry. Those not sticking to an urban route will find New Zealand’s charging network is growing fast.

You can currently recharge the full length of the country’s main highway, with most public chargers placed near stores, cafes or fuel stations. You can load an 80% charge while you use the loo and order a cuppa, so no time need be wasted.

Compact vans like this stick mostly to urban environs, where a nightly charge – even an overnight top-up on the standard socket – is all that’s required. Urban running also puts this eDeliver smack in its strong zone.

Electric motors deliver their best at low speeds, and this one, therefore, delivers great performance from zero to 50. Indeed, until you get used to it, you’ll be careful how you prod the throttle from rest – it’ll try to spin the wheels from a standing start.

eDeliver 3’s compact dimensions do limit what you can carry but are a boon around town where its drivetrain shines, and it’s easy to manoeuvre or park. But head out onto the open road, and acceleration is as pedestrian as most vans, while range suffers if you spend much time near the open-road limit.

As review headquarters were some way out of town, we didn’t get near a 400km range. No problem, we simply looked up fast-charger locations online – there were plenty – headed for a handy one and reached for the cable. Uh oh… Fortunately we had enough charge to complete the review despite a rural-urban commute and plenty of around-town running – where we discovered this van’s panel sides and rear took some getting used to at awkwardly-angled junctions or while reversing. That’s no different to any panel van – luckily, the reversing camera is excellent and standard.

Equally appreciated, the digital ‘range remaining’ and ‘percentage of battery remaining’ seems reliably accurate, as we discovered after selecting eco-mode while doing our necessary review distance and related environments. We didn’t run out of juice, either, though we were getting low on the 3’s return, not something an owner would worry about, as you’d own the charging cable!

Climb aboard, and you’ll find the cabin very basic, not too surprising at this price. The plastics are plasticky, and there are no frills, just what a single user will need. A digital instrument display gives you odo, trip, outside temp and a series of useful info bites such as tyre pressures, state of charge and range (which can fluctuate as the type of driving you do varies; slowing or hill descents charge the battery, for example).

Cabin appointments include simple climate buttons and dial; another dial for R(everse), N(eutral) and D(rive); a seven-inch touch screen for music, infotainment and hands-free phone; a USB and charge socket above a phone-sized slot; two sunvisors without mirrors and a shelf for documents on the passenger side. Everything you need, and nothing you don’t – provided you are alone. Our test vehicle didn’t get a passenger airbag – the one you buy will have one.

This tester prefers window vans for manoeuvring, especially in tight spaces, around corners or on slopes. The eDeliver3 we tested retailed at $54,990: future arrivals will have a glass partition window, alloy wheels and a 50.23kWh battery at $67,990 inc GST and ORC.

Naturally the slightly different battery will make small changes to range and performance. The specification details currently on LDV’s Kiwi site show an eDeliver3 with a smaller battery option, this is no longer available.

As we went to print, LDV was out of 3 stock, thanks to shipping delays, but more than 120 have sold, and dealers are eagerly awaiting new arrivals in transit. Their customers vary from small regional and urban businesses to large corporations, serviced by 25 agents across New Zealand from as far afield as Whangarei and Gore.

Our time with this handsome-looking van confirmed there’s plenty to recommend. The eDeliver3 proved a great drive round town – electric motors deliver most torque at low revs, so shove-off-the-line and around-town speeds are excellent. Performance is ordinary at open-road speeds, but that’s not unexpected for a box van, even one of this city-friendly size.

LDV Group started out as Leyland DAF Vans in Birmingham, England. Since then, it’s passed through several hands, ending up as part of China’s SAIC Motor in 2010. Those concerned the company may not have built up sufficient history here to ensure reliability will be reassured by the three-year/100,000km warranty with 24-hour roadside assist and an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty.

The exterior looks sharp and modern, though the interior’s pretty basic, and the lack of a passenger airbag was a letdown and would have been a dealbreaker for us: the incoming stock will all feature dual frontal airbags.

Yes, it will retail at a higher price – but with the price of petrol rising almost daily, businesses with busy round-town requirements will be busy calculating what they’ll save by plugging into a socket, not at a pump.