Peugeot EXPERT Review & Prices

The Peugeot Expert is the most striking-looking of the Stellantis group of medium-sized vans - a clan of mechanically identical load-luggers that consists of the Expert, the Citroen Dispatch, the Vauxhall Vivaro, the Fiat Scudo and the Toyota Proace, plus their electric siblings.

With its ‘three-claw’ grille and large Peugeot shield on the front, it stands out from the more basic-looking alternatives, but like its sister vehicles the Expert is still a competitor to medium-sized panel vans such as the Ford Transit Custom, Renault Trafic, Volkswagen Transporter and Mercedes Vito.

Choosing the Peugeot over its near-identical clones from Citroen, Vauxhall or Fiat is a bit like picking between a chocolate brownie, a chocolate fondant, a chocolate mousse or a chocolate souffle for dessert - in the end, you’re just going to go with whichever one you like the look of most.

That being said, there are a couple of differences between the Peugeot and its sister vehicles - the equipment, pricing, and warranty - even if the base vehicle misses out on the unique Peugeot touches that the smaller Partner has, such as the i-Cockpit driving layout.

The Expert, like the other Stellantis medium vans, has a slightly smaller load area than its alternatives, by virtue of being quite a narrow van. Load volume is therefore lower than you find in a Ford Transit Custom or Renault Trafic, but on the flipside, payloads are slightly higher.

There are two body lengths available, but no high-roof option to extend the load area like you get with alternatives. There is a crew van option, though, and if you want a passenger-carrying variant there’s the Peugeot E-Traveller minibus - though this is electric-only.

There are also three diesel engine options, manual or automatic gearboxes, and three trim levels including an attractive-looking Sport range-topper. We’ll review the fully-electric Peugeot E-Expert separately.

All versions do come well-equipped, too, so you don’t need to worry about a Spartan entry-level model. Even the basic Professional model has a 10.0-inch touchscreen, air-conditioning, automatic lights and wipers, and cruise control.

The Expert’s cab is plush and comfortable, though it’s a little cramped. The narrower bodywork means it’s not as suitable for three passengers as a Renault Trafic or Ford Transit Custom, and the high-set dashboard, narrow windows and small door mirrors limit your visibility somewhat.

It drives very well, though. Whichever engine you go for, it’s smooth and reasonably refined, and the automatic gearbox is excellent. The Expert is comfy over bumps and around town, but it feels a bit lumbering in the corners - a Ford Transit Custom is more satisfying to drive overall, and a Mercedes Vito feels more refined.

With a price tag almost identical to its Citroen, Fiat and Vauxhall siblings, there’s little reason not to go for the Peugeot Expert if you like the way it looks or if you already have a fleet of Peugeot vehicles. It’s an excellent choice of medium-sized van.

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The Expert range starts from £28,890, which is as near as makes no difference the same price as the Citroen Dispatch. That’s not particularly surprising - the two vehicles are functionally identical, share the same trim structure and usually you’ll buy from and service them at the same dealership.

That does make them very good value in the medium van world, being significantly cheaper than an entry-level Ford Transit Custom or Mercedes Vito. It’s worth noting, though, that the Toyota Proace - another mechanically-identical sibling - gets up to ten years of warranty cover vs the Peugeot’s three, for almost the same money.

At least all Experts are well-equipped. The basic model gets a 10.0-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you don’t miss not having built-in navigation or music streaming. There’s also manual air-conditioning, electric mirrors, auto lights and wipers and cruise control - though on the outside you do get basic steel wheels and black bumpers and door handles.

For a posher, more automotive look you can step up to Asphalt trim, which also brings built-in navigation, through-loading for longer items, a reversing camera with digital rear-view mirror, all-round parking sensors and LED headlights. The range-topping Sport model gets acid green Peugeot Sport graphics, leather seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, a heated steering wheel and driver’s seat, and a body kit.

Comfortable to drive around town but alternatives are more refined on a long trip

There are three engine options in the Peugeot Expert range - all diesel. The basic models get a 120hp 1.5-litre engine which comes equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox. This feels a little bit weedy when fully-laden, and it actually reduces the payload, so it’s better to spend around an extra £1,300 to get the 150hp 2.0-litre diesel instead. This feels like a much better match, and it doesn’t need working anywhere near as hard as the 1.5-litre.

A six-speed manual comes as standard with this engine, though you can specify a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic if you desire - though curiously, only on the entry-level trim. An automatic isn’t available on the mid-spec Asphalt variant.

The range-topping Sport comes with a 180hp version of the 2.0-litre diesel, with an automatic gearbox only. This feels notably swifter, but it’s not enough of a shift to specifically covet the Sport model.

Whichever model you go for, the Expert is quite softly-sprung, which makes short work of lumps and bumps around town. It’s easy to drive with light controls, and the excellent eight-speed automatic comes into its own in traffic.

Visibility isn’t the best as the window line is quite high, making for a narrower view out than you get in a Renault Trafic or Ford Transit Custom. The door mirrors are only single-pane, too, without the useful lower blind spot mirrors you get in some alternatives. The option of an electronic rear-view mirror is a very handy one, though.

Cruising on the motorway is generally pleasant thanks to standard cruise control, but a Transit Custom or Vito are both more refined. And on a country lane, the lightweight steering and soft suspension mean it doesn’t feel as tied down or as reassuring as it could do.

Smaller-than-average load area is compensated by generous payloads

The Expert has a trump card in that all models get twin sliding doors as standard - a really useful addition that makes loading up much easier. A full bulkhead is standard, though step up to the Asphalt trim and it comes with a useful load-through function for longer items.

The crew van has a similar load-through bulkhead as standard.

There are an array of tie-down hooks, with two extra in the XL models, as well as a 12-volt socket, but no useful option for three-point plug power like you get in some more modern alternatives. The load area is also narrower and shorter than the best alternatives, though payloads are generous to compensate.

Peugeot Expert internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions (M/XL)

Exterior length: 4,981mm/5,331mm
Exterior width with mirrors: 2,204mm
Exterior width without mirrors: 1,920mmmm
Exterior height: 4,981mm/5,331mm

Interior load length (M/XL)

Van
To bulkhead: 2,512mm/2,852mm
With passthrough: 3,674mm/4,024mm

Crew cab
To bulkhead: 2,017mm/2,365mm

Interior loading width

All versions
Max width: 1,636mm
Between wheel arches: 1,258mm

Interior loading height

Max height: 1,397mm

Rear door aperture height/width

All versions: 1,220mm/1,282mm

Side door aperture height/width

All versions: 1,241mm/935mm

Towing capacity

Every diesel version of the Expert can tow at least 2,000kg, rising to 2,500kg for the 2.0-litre variants. That’s as high as you can expect from a medium-sized van.

Payload

The best version of the Expert can handle up to 1,384kg of payload, identical to the Citroen Dispatch and up there with the largest medium van payloads in the sector.

It’s certainly way more than a Mercedes Vito or Renault Trafic can handle, though the Ford Transit Custom gives it a run for its money.

Generous standard equipment, but the cab is a little cosy and the plastic steering wheel is plain nasty

The Expert’s cab features a lot of switchgear and modules you might recognise from Peugeot’s passenger cars - though unlike the smaller Peugeot Partner it doesn’t inherit the same high-up dials and shrunken steering wheel that make up the i-Cockpit arrangement. Instead you have conventional dials.

The 10.0-inch touchscreen which comes as standard is a nice addition - it’s high-definition and responsive, and there are still separate climate controls so you don’t have to do everything through the touchscreen. The menu system can feel a bit labyrinthine, but since wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard you can bypass Peugeot’s system if you prefer. Note that you’ll still need to plug in to charge, though, except on the range-topping Sport model which gets a wireless charging pad.

Space for the driver is good but the double front passenger seat is cramped for two adults, and even on automatic models there’s a protruding pod for the gear selector which gets in the way of the middle passenger’s knee.

The high-up dashboard and narrow windowline makes the cabin feel a bit dark and snug compared with the open, airier feel you get in a Transit Custom. Material quality is a mixed bag, with some rougher edges - though it feels solid, there are a few areas where the plastics go past robust into just feeling nasty. The plastic steering wheel on all but the range-topping Sport is a particular bugbear.

Sport models get a rather posher cab - they even get a sports driver's seat, with heating and additional bolstering. This does have the twin effects of moving the driving position forward - so tall drivers may feel cramped - and losing the fold-down armrest you typically get.

Peugeot claims better fuel economy from the 1.5-litre diesel engine, of up to 45mpg versus around 39mpg in the 2.0-litre units. In the real world you’ll find them both quite closely matched at around 38mpg, cresting 40mpg on a long run - that’s because you do have to work the smaller engine that bit harder.

The automatic gearbox is less efficient around town, but its longer ratios mean that if you do the majority of your driving on the motorway you might actually see better efficiency. It’s only a couple of mpg either way, though.

If you really want to save some dough, the all-electric E-Expert is the way to go, even if it’s much more expensive to buy. It’ll do around 200 miles on a charge in town and about 160 on faster roads.

When Euro NCAP tested the Peugeot Expert’s active safety aids in 2025 it awarded it a Gold rating - up from the Bronze it achieved pre-facelift. This reflects a large amount of standard safety kit which mostly works as advertised - even the lane-keeping aids aren’t too frustrating. The speed camera alerts are rather piercing, though, and you might struggle to turn these off - they’re found in the setting for navigation, rather than the safety menu.

All Experts get autonomous emergency braking, speed assist, driver attention alert and front airbags for driver and passenger. In the crew van, you also get side and curtain airbags. Deadlocks are standard but only Asphalt models get a Thatcham Category 1-approved alarm.

The Expert and its sister vans are some of the most popular medium panel vans in the country, and they’re proving to be fairly reliable. While there are plenty of problems reported, that’s to be expected with anything that sells in such high numbers, and very few seem to be persistent.

With the vast combined Peugeot/Citroen/Vauxhall dealer network to call on, maintenance should be a breeze too. Peugeot only gives the Expert a basic warranty, though - just three years in duration. Step up to the Toyota Proace and, if serviced appropriately, you get up to a decade of cover - though both have the same 100,000-mile cap.

Service intervals are set at every two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.