Citroen e-Berlingo Multispace EV Charging Cable

Two Berlingos, two different connectors

This is the most important thing on the page. The Berlingo Electric sold from 2013 to 2019, as a van in L1 and L2 and as the e-Berlingo Multispace in the UK from July 2017 to January 2019, is a Type 1 car with a 22.5 kWh battery. The ë-Berlingo launched in 2021 is a different vehicle with a Type 2 and CCS inlet. These cables fit the earlier one.

Before you order anything, count the pins on the socket in the car. Five means Type 1, which is what these cables fit. Seven means Type 2 and a different cable entirely, and it is the mistake that gets made most often on older electric cars.

Where the confusion comes from, and it is not your fault

Citroen's own press material for the old van says a "16 A, Type 2 charging cable" was supplied as standard, which reads as though the vehicle has a Type 2 inlet. It does not. That sentence describes the charge point end of a Type 2 to Type 1 lead, which is the plug you put into the wall box rather than into the van. A German electric vehicle database lists the same cable as the pairing it really is: a Type 1 plug at the vehicle, a Type 2 socket at the charge point.

So a listing that says "Type 2" about a 2015 Berlingo Electric is describing the other end of the lead. The reliable test is the one above: count the pins in the van.

What it actually draws

The onboard charger is a single phase unit of about 3.7 kW. Citroen quoted a full charge in eight hours on the supplied 16 amp cable and ten hours from a three pin domestic lead, and those figures back-calculate to something closer to 2.6 kilowatts sustained across the charge. We would call it a 3.7 kW van with a genuinely slow real-world rate rather than claim a precise draw.

We will not repeat the 7.4 kW figure that circulates on some retail listings. No manufacturer or independent source supports it, and Citroen's eight hour charge time rules it out: 20.5 kilowatt hours in eight hours cannot be a 7.4 kW charge. A 16A cable is the correct purchase.

Two flaps, front and back

The Type 1 AC socket is on the offside front wing and the CHAdeMO rapid socket is at the nearside rear of the van, so the two are diagonally opposite each other. For a home charge point you want the front offside, which on a 4.38 metre van parked nose in is conveniently close to a wall.

This generation also carries a separate CHAdeMO flap for rapid charging, on the other flank from the AC inlet. CHAdeMO is being retired from the UK network, so the rapid option is getting less reliable each year and home charging is where the car increasingly lives.

How long a full charge takes

The arithmetic is simple: kWh over kW, 13 per cent on top for losses, rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Miles per hour is worked at a conservative 3.5 miles per kWh. The pack is 22.5 kWh gross and around 20.5 usable. Our top row is the nominal rate; Citroen's own eight hour figure suggests the real charge is slower than the arithmetic implies.

Range is 66 miles WLTP for the Multispace. Citroen quoted 106 miles on the older NEDC test, which is the figure you will see in period brochures and which no owner ever achieved.

Which length for a Berlingo Electric

A front offside socket on a 4.38 metre van is a helpful combination. Five metres reaches on most driveways where the vehicle noses in and the charge point is on the right. Ten metres covers the nearside wall box, the longer L2 body, and the van that has to park facing out. Measure from the charge point to the inlet as the car actually parks, then add two metres of slack.

How these cables are built

The lead is an IEC 62196-2 design, CE marked, IP55 sealed against a British winter and rated from -30C to +50C.

On the three pin side the standard is IEC 62752, with CE marking, IP67 sealing and a -30C to +60C range. Two year manufacturer's warranty. Delivery is free and next working day, and returns are open for 30 days.

Also from Citroen: Citroen C-Zero EV Charging Cable. The full range of Citroen charging cables is on one page.

Citroen Berlingo Electric charging cable questions

Is my Berlingo Type 1 or Type 2?

A 2013 to 2019 Berlingo Electric or e-Berlingo Multispace is Type 1. The 2021-on ë-Berlingo is Type 2 with CCS and takes a different cable. Count the pins: five is Type 1, seven is Type 2.

Why do some listings say the old Berlingo is Type 2?

Because Citroen described the supplied cable as a "Type 2 charging cable", meaning the plug that goes into the charge point. The van end of that same cable is Type 1.

How long does a Berlingo Electric take to charge?

Citroen quoted eight hours from the supplied 16 amp cable and ten hours from a three pin socket. The charger is nominally 3.7 kW but the real sustained rate is lower.

Should I buy a 32A cable for it?

No. Nothing supports the 7.4 kW figure some listings claim, and Citroen's own eight hour charge time contradicts it. A 16A lead covers the van.

Where is the charge socket on the van?

The Type 1 AC socket is on the offside front wing. The separate CHAdeMO rapid socket is at the nearside rear, so the two are diagonally opposite.