Key highlights
- Ford Transit City priced from $50,000 drive-away, available to private and ABN-holding buyers alike
- 56kWh LFP battery delivers up to 245km WLTP range (380km on the city cycle), with 87kW DC fast-charging
- Chinese-built van offers 6.4 cubic metres of cargo space and a 1085kg payload, arriving November 2026
Ford Australia has just made electric vans a lot more accessible for small businesses and delivery fleets. The new Ford Transit City has landed with a sharp $50,000 drive-away price tag, making it one of the cheapest one-tonne electric vans you can buy locally.
It slots in below the existing Ford E-Transit Custom as the new entry point to Ford’s Transit range, and it’s built for a very specific job: last-mile deliveries around town, not long hauls between cities. If your business does short urban runs, this one’s worth a look.
Read more: Ford’s new seven-year warranty headlines a big local shake-up
No ABN, no problem
Here’s the bit that’ll matter to a lot of buyers, Ford isn’t gatekeeping that $50,000 drive-away price behind an ABN. Plenty of commercial vehicle deals are pitched at businesses only, but the Transit City is priced the same whether you’re a tradie, a courier fleet, or just someone who wants an EV van for personal use.
That pricing puts it right in the mix with Australia’s other budget electric vans, going up against the LDV eDeliver 5 (currently $47,990 drive-away with a temporary $2000 discount) and the Farizon V7E ($49,990 drive-away). It’s also a full $27,890 cheaper than the entry-level E-Transit Custom, which starts at $77,890 before on-road costs.
Ford reckons more than half of all commercial vans sold in Australia go for under $55,000, so the Transit City is aiming squarely at the sweet spot of the market rather than chasing premium buyers.
What do you actually get for the money?
The Ford Transit City runs a 110kW front-mounted electric motor paired with a 56kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the same chemistry Tesla and BYD use in their cheaper models, prized for being tough and long-lasting rather than chasing outright range numbers. Combined WLTP range sits at 245km, stretching to as much as 380km on the WLTP city cycle, which is the more realistic figure for stop-start urban delivery work. For context, the bigger E-Transit Custom manages up to 346km combined.
Ford’s Pro manager Karen Larkin explained the thinking behind that range figure at the Melbourne launch, pointing to fleet data showing most Transit Custom owners travel under 76km a day on average, with peak days topping out around 200km. In other words, this van isn’t trying to be a long-distance hero, it’s built for exactly the kind of driving most delivery businesses actually do. Charging is reasonably quick when you need a top-up: 87kW DC fast-charging can add 68km of range in just 10 minutes, or take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 33 minutes. Plug into an 11kW AC charger overnight and a full charge takes about 5.5 hours.
Space and practicality for the job
Cargo volume comes in at 6.4 cubic metres, more than the short-wheelbase diesel Ford Transit Custom Trend (5.7 cubic metres) and just shy of the long-wheelbase Transit Custom and E-Transit Custom (6.5 cubic metres each). There’s room for three Euro pallets, eight tie-down points, and a handy 1085kg payload capacity.
Practical touches include a passenger-side sliding door and rear barn doors that swing open a full 180 degrees, which will make loading and unloading in tight city streets a lot less fiddly.
Inside, it’s a proper modern workspace with keyless entry, three seats including a heated driver’s seat, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Safety kit includes front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera with guidance lines, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, though it’s worth noting the Transit City hasn’t yet been crash-tested by ANCAP.
Backed by a solid warranty
Ford is covering the Transit City with its new seven-year, unlimited-kilometre Service Activated Warranty for both commercial and private buyers, provided servicing stays within the Ford dealer network. The battery and electric drivetrain get a separate eight-year/160,000km warranty, and service intervals match the regular Transit Custom at 12 months or 30,000km.
Where it’s built, and what’s next
The Ford Transit City is made in China by Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), Ford’s local joint-venture partner, working alongside Ford Europe on engineering. It’s essentially the same vehicle as the Chinese-market version, which just entered production.
It’s one of two upcoming JMC-built Ford models for Australia, the other being the Ford Bronco Basecamp, due here in the second half of 2027. First Australian deliveries of the Transit City are expected in November 2026.
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