All-new Suzuki e Vitara heralds electric era for Japanese brand

• All-new small electric SUV
• Range of up to 248 miles
• On sale in summer 2025

With the electric car movement in full swing, Suzuki has finally decided it’s time to join the party with this – the new Suzuki e Vitara. It’s been designed from the ground up as the Japanese brand’s first EV, featuring small SUV proportions and optional four-wheel drive. It’ll go on sale in summer next year with an estimated starting price of around £30,000.

What are the important details about the Suzuki e Vitara?

Despite the name, the new Suzuki e Vitara has little in common with the petrol-powered Vitara that’s already on sale. This is an all-new model, utilising Suzuki’s new “Heartect-e” architecture designed exclusively for EVs. The e Vitara is longer, wider and heavier than the petrol Vitara, measuring 4,275mm long – about the same as a Peugeot E-2008 or a Smart #1.

There will be three battery and motor configurations to pick from. Base models get a 49kWh battery and front-mounted motor, putting out 142bhp. A 61kWh battery will also be offered with a front-mounted motor, with power stepping up to 172bhp. Above this sits the 181bhp dual-motor four-wheel drive model, also using the 61kWh battery.

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Suzuki calls the four-wheel drive system “Allgrip-e”, and claims that it “provides powerful performance but also allows for precise control with excellent responsiveness”. There’s even some off-road functionality with the ‘Trail’ mode. This can distribute power between the left and right wheels by applying the brakes, making it easier to escape from slippery terrain.

So far, Suzuki has only confirmed the range of the larger battery pack, which stands at just 248 miles. That’s some way off the class leaders – the new Kia EV3 will manage up to 372 miles, while the Hyundai Kona tops out at 319 miles. The e Vitara can handle charging speeds of up to 150kW, but the quoted 15 to 70% recharge time of 30 minutes suggests that it charges a bit slower than this in practice.

We’re still waiting for official performance figures for the e Vitara, as well as a range figure for the smaller battery pack. We’d expect the latter to deliver around 200 miles of range.

What does the Suzuki e Vitara look like?

Suzuki hinted at the design of the e Vitara back in 2023 with the eVX concept, and the production model has largely stayed true to the source material. It sports the same small SUV profile, with squared-off wheelarches and plenty of black cladding around the bumpers and sills. The is mirrored by a black-painted contrasting roof, which gently slopes towards the rear.

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Inside represents a significant leap forward compared to the petrol Vitara. A pair of digital displays sit above a simple dashboard, which features a set of metallic air vents and a bank of toggle switches. The floating centre console houses the rotary gear selector, which appears to have been pinched from the Toyota bZ4X, while there’s a large storage area underneath with several charging ports.

How much will the Suzuki e Vitara cost and when can I buy one?

Official pricing is still to be confirmed for the Suzuki e Vitara, but a starting price of around £30,000 would be in line with rivals. Production begins in India in early 2025, with European deliveries scheduled for summer 2025.

The Suzuki e Vitara will have plenty of rivals, including the new Renault 4 EV…