New Suzuki e Vitara revealed as brand’s first electric car
The Suzuki e Vitara is a new electric SUV that follows a similarly rugged theme to its combustion-powered counterpart...
On sale Summer 2025 | Price from £35,000 (est)
If you’re running behind schedule, it’s always better to show up late than never at all. And while the Suzuki e Vitara is arguably quite late to the electric car party, this does bring a useful benefit – Suzuki has had the chance to scope out the electric car market and the competition.
Mind you, there is a caveat to this, because the electric SUV market is now very crowded, with the e Vitara's rivals including the Hyundai Kona Electric, Jeep Avenger Electric and Smart #1, just to name a few.
So, what can Suzuki’s first electric car bring to the party? Well, for starters, it’s built on bespoke electric car underpinnings, which means it’s been designed for electric power from the get-go. This means the car can be better packaged to accommodate multiple battery options, for example.
Speaking of which, there are three versions available: a 49kWh (total) model with front-wheel drive or a 61kWh (total) model with front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Suzuki is yet to confirm the official ranges for all versions, but the 61kWh front-wheel drive model can travel up to 249 miles. That’s slightly less than the #1 Pro+, but similar to the Avenger. Meanwhile, we can expect the smaller battery to offer an official range of around 200 miles. All versions will be offered with a battery heat pump as standard.
Full charging details are also under wraps for now, but a 15-70% charge in the 61kWh version is expected to take around half an hour (with a maximum rate of 150kW). That’s slower than the #1 and Avenger Electric, which can do a 10-80% charge in a similar time.
In terms of motors and power outputs, the smaller battery is paired with a 142bhp motor and the larger battery a 172bhp motor. The four-wheel drive version gets two motors that combine to produce 181bhp, plus it gets an off-road ‘Trail’ mode that reduces power to spinning wheels when the car is driving in slippery conditions, such as in a muddy field. All models also get a one-pedal driving mode, which is activated via an ‘Easy Operation Pedal’ button on the centre console.
Unlike a lot of electric SUVs, which have smooth, aerodynamic designs, the e Vitara has a more utilitarian look to it, as noted by its boxy shape, heavily sculpted body, chunky plastic bumpers and hexagonal-shaped wheel arches.
The e Vitara’s interior follows a similarly rugged theme to the exterior, but with that, it marks a big departure from what you’ll find in Suzuki’s current models. Indeed, the e Vitara has a new 10.1in touchscreen infotainment system and a 10.25in digital driver’s display, which are combined to form one giant screen. You also get a bank of physical climate controls below the screen, as well as some neat design touches, such as a two-tone colour option, ambient interior lighting and squared-off air vents.
We’ve had the chance to sit inside the new e Vitara and we found interior quality to be much better than the hybrid-powered Suzuki Vitara. You get a sturdy, rubber-like material on the dashboard and doors, as well as some fabric inserts. That said, it’s still not as solid or plush as a #1, and it doesn’t take long to find some hard and scratchy plastics.
The driving position is comfortable, with plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. Head and leg room is generous in the front too, plus there are plenty of storage areas for your odds and ends, including a large tray under the centre console.
Space in the back is pretty good. There’s loads of leg, knee and foot space on offer, which is helped by a flat floor. Head room, on the other hand, is less generous for those more than six-feet tall, but this isn’t helped by the sunroof fitted to our test car.
In the boot, there’s 306 litres of space, which is less than the Avenger Electric but more than the #1. Usefully, you can slide the second row of seats forwards if you want to trade rear leg room for boot space, plus the seat backs are adjustable. If you want to carry longer items, you can fold the seats in a 40/20/40 configuration, which can’t be said for many of its rivals. And while there’s no front boot, there is a storage area under the boot floor for the charging cables.
Full specifications and prices for the e Vitara are yet to be confirmed, but we can expect it to start from around £35,000 when it goes on sale in the UK next summer. This means it could be slightly more expensive than the #1 and Kona Electric with their smaller battery options, but similar in price to the Avenger Electric.
Interestingly, Toyota’s upcoming small electric SUV, dubbed the bZ3X, will share its underpinnings with the e Vitara. This is possible under an agreement between the two brands, the result of which we’ve already seen with the Suzuki Swace and Suzuki Across, which are based on the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports and Toyota RAV4.
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