First Drive: Maxus T90EV Electric Pickup Review

The world is shifting to electric power, with laws in place to ban the sale of diesel-powered pickups and vans in 2035. While the forthcoming Tesla Cybertruck grabs the attention, it’s the Maxus T90EV that is the UK market’s first electric pickup truck.

Walking around the vehicle — the first production model in the country, with delivery mileage and remnants of window stickers still apparent — revealed no surprises. We’d seen an early model at last year’s CV Show, so we expected the enormous chrome grille and imposing front-end styling. It’s got more than a hint of SsangYong Musso about it, although there are some neat touches, such as the handy step in the rear bumper for easier access to the otherwise conventional load box.

The style shouldn’t come as a surprise, as it’s based on the existing T90 pickup available in China and other territories, sometimes under a different name. To overly simplify what’s been done, the manufacturer has simply unbolted all of the diesel-related components and replaced them with an electric motor and battery pack.

Maxus T90EV: Cabin

Maxus has made the T90EV durable and robust, so don’t expect lots of plush trim and soft-touch plastics. Still, others do the workhorse construction better — Isuzu with its D-Max, for example — leaving the Maxus feeling a little dated, despite the 10.25-inch touchscreen.

Surprisingly, the infotainment system doesn’t have a DAB radio, with Maxus assuming most users will plug a smartphone into one of the pair of USB sockets and use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay instead. Steering-wheel-mounted controls are present on one side, but there’s a blanking plate on the left side of the wheel that leads you to think you’re missing out on some extra equipment.

The screen also displays the image from the reversing camera, which is joined by parking sensors. Heater controls sit underneath the infotainment screen, controlling the manual air conditioning.

There’s no gear lever getting in the way, with the T90EV having a simple rotary dial offering drive, neutral and reverse settings. Alongside are buttons for selecting Eco or Power modes, with a hill descent button that activates the driver’s aid.

Driver comfort is essential in a working truck, and the Maxus ticks most boxes. The front seats are comfortable and reasonably spacious, with electric adjustment making it easy to find a suitable driving position. It’s made a little more challenging by the steering wheel only adjusting for rake and not reach, but most will find something that works for them.

The seats are trimmed in a faux-leather covering, which, while practical and easy to clean, felt rather cold on a British winter morning. Heated seats are available, but they’re an optional extra.

Maxus T90EV: On and off the road

Being powered by electricity, the Maxus T90EV provides a relaxing drive that’s a world away from the noisy diesel-powered options elsewhere in the pickup world. There’s a noticeable but not unpleasant electric whine which, once you’ve reached around 40mph, is masked by wind noise, particularly a rustle from around the wing mirrors.

Performance from a standstill is brisk — electric motors provide all of their torque immediately — with the pickup settling down into a more conventional sense of urgency as speeds increase.

Three driving modes aim to help manage energy use, with Eco limiting performance to extend the range as far as possible. Power, as the name suggests, unleashes all 201hp, giving a meaningful boost in performance, but at the expense of electric range — it dropped noticeably, so it will be best reserved for when it’s really needed. For most, ‘Normal’ will be just fine.

On-road behaviour will be familiar to pickup drivers, with some bounce from the rear when travelling unloaded. However, the heavy battery pack does help to settle the vehicle. Grip levels are mostly acceptable, although a pothole was able to shimmy the Maxus from the desired course. The T90EV is a strict rear-wheel-drive-only model; the lack of all-wheel drive is especially noticeable on damp, greasy roads. A four-wheel drive model will arrive at some point, although it’ll be interesting to see how that affects the payload capacity.

With just the back wheels being powered and ground clearance of just 187mm (50mm lower than a Ford Ranger), off-road ability is limited to some rough tracks and forest paths. The ‘power’ driving mode will help get up some steeper hills, though.

Approach angle	27°	Climbing angle limit	TBC
Departure angle	24°	Ground clearance	187 mm
Ramp angle limit	TBC	Wading depth	550 mm

Maxus T90EV: Economy and Running Costs

The 88.5kWh battery pack is mounted under the cab and promises a range of 205 miles, according to official WLTP testing results. The reality, especially when fully loaded, will be very different, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect more than 100 miles even when carrying cargo in the middle of winter. That might won’t be enough for those ploughing up and down the motorway, but it will comfortably cover a day’s work in the forest or on the farm.

Charging a battery of that size from empty to 100% will take up to 13 hours on a home charger. Plugging into a home charger overnight will have the truck ready for the next day’s work and is likely to be the cheapest (around £30 at today’s electricity rates) and most convenient option.

Rapid chargers will be able to feed in power at up to 80kW, meaning you’ll be able to go from 20% to 80% charge in around 45 minutes. While this is obviously a much quicker option, costs rise, with figures as high as 70p per kWh (or around £60 for a full charge) not being unusual.

Maxus T90EV: Payload and Towing

Maxus has worked wonders to ensure that the T90EV can carry a useful payload. With a heavy battery pack, the pickup weighs in at 2,300kg when unladen, which is only 100kg heavier than a Ford Ranger, although Maxus has sacrificed four-wheel-drive to get there. Still, it’ll carry a tonne — just — which means the VAT man will be disappointed.

Towing limits are disappointingly low, with a braked trailer of just 1,000kg being authorised. The total train weight of 4,050kg also means you can’t carry the maximum payload while pulling the maximum trailer weight, so something has to give.

Kerb weight	2,300 kg	Load bay length	1,485 mm
Gross vehicle weight (MAM)	4,050 kg	Load bay width	1,510 mm
Payload	1,000 kg	Load bay height	530 mm
Gross vehicle mass	3,300 kg	Liftover height	TBC
Towing capacity (unbraked)	750 kg	Towing capacity (braked)	1,000 kg

Maxus T90EV: Verdict

Maxus has won the battle to be first to market, beating off competition from Ford, SsangYong, Volkswagen and Toyota (and Tesla, of course) to get a viable electric pickup on sale.

Being first doesn’t mean being the best, though, and getting buyers to switch from traditional diesel-powered models and four-wheel drive to a pickup that’s more limited in ability will be tough.

That won’t be made any easier by the price tag, as adding a large battery pack doesn’t come cheap. The Maxus T90EV costs £49,950 plus VAT, which makes it around £15,000 more than a similarly powered Ford Ranger Limited, although several ownership cost savings should cover some of that difference.

That’s going to leave the T90EV as a niche product, but it’s one that might perfectly suit your business. That’s the problem with reviewing a new vehicle — especially one that’s got such specific appeal — for a general audience. Dealers have models in the UK now, so take a test drive and find out for yourself.

Model tested: Maxus T90EV Pickup

Basic price	£49,950	On the road inc VAT	£60,775
VAT	£9,990	Model range exc VAT	£49,950