Sister brands Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroën are dropping the combustion-engined versions of their van-based people-carriers with immediate effect, making them only available as electric vehicles (EVs).
The three brands are removing petrol and diesel-engined versions of the Vauxhall Combo Life and Vivaro Life, Peugeot Rifter and Traveller, and Citroën Berlingo and SpaceTourer from UK sale – all of which are near-identical vehicles built as joint projects across the the three brands and based on their delivery van equivalents.
Existing orders will be fulfilled and there will presumably be some vehicles in stock to clear, but customers will no longer be able to order non-electric versions from now on.
Vauxhall and Citroën have also announced price cuts to the electric models to ensure that all Combo-e Life and ë-Berlingo versions qualify for the government’s plug-in grant – this was reduced to £1,500 in December and the upper price limit for qualifying vehicles also cut from £35,000 to £32,000.
Vauxhall Combo-e Life Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life Peugeot e-Rifter Peugeot e-Traveller Citroën ë-Berlingo Citroën ë-SpaceTourer
The price reductions range up to £3,000 with the cheapest of the line-up now being the Citroën ë-Berlingo, which starts at £29,495, and the Vauxhall Combo-e Life starting at £29,610. Both prices include the revised government plug-in car grant.
Similar price cuts also ensure that certain versions of the Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life and Citroën ë-SpaceTourer will also qualify for the grant.
Light-commercial versions of the vehicles – the Vauxhall Combo and Vivaro, Peugeot Partner and Expert and Citroën Berlingo and Dispatch, will continue to be available with internal-combustion engines alongside the electric versions.