Ford confirms Transit City price and details for New Zealand

Ford New Zealand’s electric Transit City van will be priced at $58,990 plus on-road costs, with first customer deliveries expected in January 2027.

The single-spec van was revealed at Ford’s Uncovered media and dealer event in Melbourne, alongside the Bronco Basecamp range-extender SUV, which is also confirmed for New Zealand in the second half of 2027. Ford New Zealand told us in March that the van was under consideration for this market.

The Transit City is built by JMC, Ford’s Chinese joint venture partner, which has been building Transits in China for more than 30 years. Along with the Bronco Basecamp it is the first China-sourced Ford to be sold here.

A 110kW electric motor drives the front wheels, fed by a 56kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. Ford quotes a WLTP combined range of up to 254km and up to 380km on the WLTP city cycle. DC charging peaks at 87kW, taking the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in about 33 minutes, while a 10-minute top-up adds up to 68km. A full charge from an 11kW AC wallbox takes around 5.5 hours. The Transit City is not rated to tow.

Ford says the battery size was set using telematics data from more than 2300 Transit Custom vans operating in Australia. That data showed typical urban daily runs average 76km, and 90 per cent of daily routes cover 200km or less. Ford pitched the van on stage in Melbourne as a battery electric van at an internal combustion price.

Payload is up to 1085kg and the load area holds 6.4 cubic metres, enough for three Euro pallets. A full-surface load liner, half-height protective side trim and tie-down lashing points are standard.

Standard equipment includes keyless entry with push-button start, a heated driver’s seat, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Driver assistance covers autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and lane departure warning. A one-pedal driving mode is fitted, with the regenerative braking calibration tuned for stop-start city work.

The Transit City is not connected to FordPass, which the E-Transit Custom has. Ford Pro’s Jono Steele told us a plug-in third-party telematics device is being developed for it, while Ford’s own data services platform will arrive first on Ranger and Everest.

Service intervals are 12 months or 30,000km, and the high-voltage battery is covered by an eight-year, 160,000km warranty. Ford says scheduled maintenance costs will be lower than for an equivalent diesel van. The van has been through Ford’s global commercial durability testing, including more than 200,000 door-slam cycles in climate chambers.

“Transit City represents a new way of thinking about commercial vehicles for Australian and Kiwi businesses. We know urban operators need a van that’s affordable, capable, and ready to work from day one, and that’s exactly what Transit City delivers,” Ford New Zealand managing director Annaliese Atina says.

We had a close look at the van in Melbourne. Access through the sliding doors and rear barn doors is easy, and the load bay is well served by tie-down points. Seat comfort and cabin materials are good for a van at this price. We could only find one cupholder, but there is plenty of other cabin storage despite the absence of a glovebox.

At $58,990 the Transit City sits well below the E-Transit Custom, listed from around $85,990. Kia’s PV5 Cargo is priced from $64,990, the Farizon V7E from $55,990, and Peugeot offers the e-Partner from $74,990 and the e-Expert on runout from $62,990. LDV’s eDeliver range also competes, though the brand’s future in New Zealand is uncertain.

In Australia the Transit City is priced at $50,000 drive-away, with deliveries from November.