An electric fridge van makes a lot of sense for some rounds and very little for others. Here’s what to weigh up before you buy one, from a business that converts and sells them.
What’s available
Most of the big van makers now build an electric version of their vans, including the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter and eVito and the Ford E-Transit and E-Transit Custom. Any of them can be converted to a chiller or a freezer like a diesel van: an insulated lining (50mm for a chiller, 75mm for a freezer) and a refrigeration unit.
We have the new Mercedes eSprinter MWB in stock as a chiller (£62,995 +VAT) and as a freezer (£65,495 +VAT) in October 2026, and we can source and convert other electric vans to order.
How the fridge is powered on an electric van
A diesel fridge van usually drives its fridge from the engine. An electric van has no engine, so the fridge needs electric power from somewhere else. There are four ways of doing it.
1. From the van’s main battery
The fridge runs off the same high-voltage battery that drives the wheels. It’s the simplest set-up and adds little weight. The catch is range: every bit of power the fridge uses comes out of your driving range. Coolkit, a UK converter, recommends it only for rounds that are predictable and sit well inside the van’s range.
2. From a separate battery
The fridge has a battery of its own, so it doesn’t eat into your driving range. That battery adds weight, takes up a little space and has to be charged as well as the van, so plan where and when you’ll plug in. Thermo King, for example, makes its own lithium-ion battery pack for its E-200 electric unit.
3. Cold plates frozen overnight
Eutectic (cold) plates are filled with a liquid that freezes at a set temperature. You plug the van in at night, a unit freezes the plates, and they soak up heat from the load during the day. Carrier’s Vatna range is built this way, mainly for frozen food and ice cream. The plates are heavy and they only hold cold for so long, so they suit fixed rounds that return to base each night. Carrier’s overnight units run on a three-phase 400V supply, so check you have the right power where the van is kept overnight before you choose them.
4. Solar on the roof
Some converters fit a solar panel to the roof to take part of the fridge’s load off the battery. Coolkit has done this on a Maxus eDeliver 3 fridge van. It helps, but treat it as a top-up rather than a way to run the fridge on its own.
Whichever way the fridge is powered, ask about electric standby too, so it can run from the mains while the van is parked. More on that below.
Range, with a fridge
The lining and the fridge unit add weight, and the fridge needs power to hold temperature, so a working fridge van won’t match the range quoted for the bare van. Work out your longest day: the miles, the number of drops, how long the doors are open and the hottest weather you work in. If that fits comfortably inside the range with a margin to spare, electric can work for you.
Real-world range with the fridge running
There’s very little independent testing of electric fridge vans, and the figures converters quote vary a lot from van to van, so treat any single number as a guide, not a promise.
We haven’t found an independent test of an electric van with a fridge running. The nearest is research by Arval at Millbrook Proving Ground in 2021. It tested electric vans without fridges in cold weather and advised fleets to plan on about 60% to 70% of the official range.
So a sensible starting point is the official range, cut back for winter and then cut back again for the fridge. Hot days and lots of door openings make the fridge work harder. We’ll go through the numbers for your round before you buy.
Charging
Electric fridge vans suit businesses that come back to the same base each night and can charge there. If the van also sits loaded overnight, ask about electric standby when you order, so the fridge can run from the mains: it has to be specified before the conversion and can’t be added afterwards. See do you need electric standby?
Payload
Electric vans carry heavy batteries, and the conversion adds weight on top. If you carry heavy loads, we check the payload left after conversion against what you carry before you buy.
Heavier electric vans on a car licence
A standard car licence covers a van up to 3,500kg. For a zero-emission van, electric or hydrogen, the limit is 4,250kg. The extra allowance is there to make up for the weight of the batteries.
- It applies to fully electric and hydrogen vans only. A diesel or hybrid fridge van stays at 3,500kg on a car licence.
- Since 10 June 2025 you no longer need the extra five hours of training that used to be required to drive these heavier vans.
- Check the maximum authorised mass on the van’s plate, not the kerb weight.
See GOV.UK’s guidance on driving a van (checked October 2026) and our guide to fridge van driving licences.
The money
- Up front: an electric van costs more. On our stock, an eSprinter chiller is £62,995 +VAT against £49,995 +VAT for a new diesel Sprinter L2H2 chiller.
- The plug-in van grant: the government’s grant takes up to £2,500 off some small electric vans and up to £5,000 off some large ones. You don’t apply for it; the seller includes it as a discount (GOV.UK, checked October 2026).
- Clean air charges: fully electric vans meet the London ULEZ standard, so there’s no £12.50 daily charge. See are you ULEZ compliant?
- Finance: available to business customers on electric vans like any other, from a £500 +VAT deposit, subject to status. We’re a credit broker, not a lender. See finance.
Is electric right for you?
It’s a good fit for town and city rounds, multi-drop work close to base, and anywhere clean air charges bite. It’s a harder fit for long motorway runs, rounds with no time to charge, and vans that are parked loaded away from a power supply.
Still deciding? Read five reasons to switch to an electric refrigerated van and EV fire risk, see our electric fridge vans, or call us on 01444 245555 and tell us about your round. We’ll tell you honestly if a diesel van suits you better.
