The Opel Zafira Electric is a minibus

Let’s be honest, the Zafira name once evoked memories of compact MPVs buzzing around suburbs, driven by multitasking parents. But that was another era. The 2024 Zafira Electric drops any pretense of compactness: this is a true minibus, sculpted more for practicality than prettiness.

At nearly 5.33 meters long in XL trim, with sliding doors and a sharply vertical rear end, the Zafira now evokes the kind of presence you’d associate with airport shuttles or hotel transfers. It doesn’t pretend to be anything else. There’s no coupe-roof illusion or fake SUV flourishes. Opel has leaned fully into the “people mover” identity, and it works.

The tall stance and vast glasshouse offer excellent visibility, making narrow forest roads in the Vorberge surprisingly manageable. Unlike many EVs that wrap their usability in a maze of over-styled dashboards or touch-sensitive nonsense, the Zafira Electric felt wonderfully direct in function. You get in, press start, shift to D, and glide.

The interior of the Zafira has space for nine seats

Inside, this thing is a space miracle.

Our test car was fitted with the full nine-seat configuration, three rows of three seats, all generously padded and upright. It felt like sitting inside a Tetris layout of comfort and storage, with nearly every inch used efficiently. My kids immediately fought over who’d get the “business-class” third row by the large windows, the visibility there is incredible, and it’s like riding in your own glass box above the countryside.

Despite the flat floor, headroom is immense. There’s no hump in the middle, and the center aisle makes it easy to move between rows. On a lunch stop near the hilltop of Hainberg, I even folded the second row down and rolled out a picnic mat inside the Zafira itself. With the seats removed, there’s up to 4,900 liters of cargo space,that’s basically a small moving van.

You don’t just sit in this vehicle, you inhabit it.

Optional luxury touches, like independent leather captain chairs, and even a panoramic roof, lift the experience into “VIP shuttle” territory. I could see this doubling as a mobile office or weekend adventure bus for outdoor enthusiasts.

Opel Zafira Electric: Electric motor with 136 hp

Underneath the practical shell beats a familiar heart: the same 100 kW (136 hp) electric motor seen in other Stellantis siblings like the Corsa Electric or Citroën ë-Spacetourer.

Now, 136 horsepower doesn’t sound like a lot to move nearly 2.4 tons of German steel and passengers. But the Zafira isn’t about fast starts, it’s about confident gliding. With the bigger 75 kWh battery on board, I took the Zafira through steep switchbacks near Winzenburg without the drivetrain ever feeling overwhelmed. There’s a smoothness to how it pulls from a standstill, no jerks, no gasping for torque.

Acceleration? It gets from 0–100 km/h in just over 13 seconds, and that’s perfectly fine. The top speed is limited to 130 km/h, which I never reached anyway on the forest roads or the rural B-roads of the region.

The real surprise was how balanced the van felt on narrow curves. Thanks to the battery pack mounted in the floor, it has a low center of gravity. Even when cornering at speed or braking downhill, the Zafira stayed composed, never wallowing or nose-diving like older diesel vans.

The Zafira Electric costs from 47,550 euros

And then there’s the elephant in the charging bay: price.

The Edition trim with the smaller 50 kWh battery starts at €47,550. That gets you a lot of space, versatility, and an electric drivetrain, but not much range. I’d skip that version altogether.

The sweet spot is the GS trim with the 75 kWh battery, which starts around €62,100. It’s not cheap, but if you need an electric vehicle that can replace a diesel shuttle or carry your crew and cargo on a daily basis, the price feels more justifiable.

Factor in optional features like the electric sliding doors, VIP seat layout, and assistance systems like front collision warning and pedestrian detection, and the Zafira starts to feel less like a utility tool and more like a smart, eco-conscious lifestyle choice.

Conclusion

Driving the Opel Zafira Electric through the serene hills of the Vorberge was less about thrill and more about purpose.

It’s a minibus that delivers uncompromising space, a smooth electric drivetrain, and an honest approach to transporting people and gear in comfort. It doesn’t try to be a luxury SUV, nor does it hide behind design gimmicks. What you see is exactly what you get, a capable, efficient, and surprisingly refined electric people mover.

If you’re a family with more than two kids, a business owner running airport transfers, or even a weekend explorer with bikes, tents, and hiking boots, this is the kind of van that lets you do it all, quietly and cleanly.

The future of vans isn’t flashy. It’s electric. And it looks like the Zafira.