Mercedes-Benz EQB Review (2022-present)
Mercedes-Benz EQB cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
High quality interior
Seven seats in an electric vehicle
Quiet and comfortable
Cons
Other SUVs are more fun to drive
Third-row seats are cramped
More expensive than petrol or diesel models
The CarGurus verdict
The Mercedes EQB is not for you if you want a sports electric SUV – there are plenty of others that are more fun to drive. But, the EQB is confident and smooth, and it offers a fantastically compelling blend of practicality, a premium finish and low running costs. If you don’t strictly need the seven seats, then there are more spacious and better value electric vehicles that can also deliver a longer driving range in between charges. But if you do need all seven seats and you also want an electric car, the Mercedes EQB is more than up to the job, because it's generally lovely to drive and to live with.
The Mercedes EQB is the all-electric version of the Mercedes GLB – a boxy-looking, seven-seat family SUV that some might describes as compact, because it is usefully smaller than full-size seven-seat SUVs such as the Audi Q7. It has an official WLTP driving range of 257 miles in the all-wheel drive variants courtesy of a 66.5kWh battery, while a version with a single electric motor and a longer driving range will join the range later in 2022.
The EQB is similar in size to the Land Rover Discovery Sport or the Tesla Model Y but, until the larger version of the Tesla Model Y arrives with two extra seats, there are no pure electric, premium mid-sized SUVs to rival the Mercedes.
There are plenty of five-seat alternatives, including the Audi Q4 e-tron, the Volkswagen ID.4, the BMW iX3 and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. But, if you want seven seats or more in an electric car, your options are currently limited to the Citroen e-Spacetourer, which is much cheaper and seats up to nine people; it's also unmistakably a van, and has a much shorter driving range. There’s also the Mercedes EQV – also unmistakably a van – but posh and super-expensive, while the Tesla Model X is, at least, not a van but it is similarly huge and very pricey.
The electric EQB sacrifices a little of the internal combustion-engined GLB's practicality. The floor has been raised to accommodate the batteries underneath, so there’s a bit less foot space beneath the seats for passengers sat in the middle- or third rows, but you’ll still comfortably get two tall adults in the middle row, which also slides and reclines in a 60/40 split.
Kids or young teenagers will be happy enough in the slim, rearmost seats that you pull up from the boot floor – even if they’ll have their knees bent up due to the high floor. Access to the third row is tight behind the middle seat, which tilts and slides forwards at the pull of a lever, but the back two seats are best reserved for the lithe and dextrous, anyway. Basically, stick the kids in the back seats and the grandparents in the middle row – which has an ideal hip-height for those with limited mobility. There are Isofix fittings in the third row, as well as in the outer seats of the middle row.
There’s enough space for a few soft bags behind the raised third row, but with the seats toppled flat you’ll get a double-buggy or a couple of sets of golf clubs in fairly easily. It's annoying that there's nowhere to store the charging cable, though, and the Mercedes EQB is not as spacious or as practical as five-seat alternatives such as the Tesla Model Y, the Volkswagen ID.4, the Skoda Enyaq iV and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
From the front, the cabin looks and feels lovely, with dense, classy materials and ambient lighting all over the place, while the driver's seat gets electric adjustment, including adjustable lumbar support for a comfortable and supportive position. It’s certainly a better driving position, and a classier and more conventionally laid-out interior than you'll find in the Tesla Model Y.
The Tesla Model Y and the Ford Mustang Mach-E offer better performance than the Mercedes, but the 288bhp EQB 350 4Matic that we drove is more than sprightly enough. It will hit 62mph in six seconds, which is hot hatchback pace, and the power is delivered predictably, with plenty of gusto. Even the 225bhp Mercedes EQB 300 4Matic will do 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds, and the four-wheel drive models tackle corners in a neutral and confident way, even if they're not as fun as the Tesla or the Ford.
There’s a fair amount of body lean in corners, but the EQB soaks up the worst of the road’s bumps and creases. It’s a bit fidgety over town roads, but opting for smaller wheels will help to reduce this, and there’s no doubt that it’s a lot more comfortable than the Tesla Model Y.
The brake regeneration system has an adaptive mode as standard, meaning the car will brake more heavily if it senses a car, corner or junction up ahead or free-wheel on an open stretch of road. There are also various non-adaptive levels of brake regeneration that you can select with the steering wheel paddles.
The infotainment focuses on the broad slab of twin screens that perch on the dash, with the central 10-inch touchscreen and 10-inch digital driver’s readout housed in the same one-piece display. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, sat-nav and more are included on every EQB, as are a touchpad and voice control, although the sheer variety of control methods can be confusing. Generally, this is a great system to use, with fantastic graphics, a quick screen response and (mostly) logical menu layouts.
Standard equipment is good, with a reversing camera, parking sensors, 18-inch alloys, part leatherette upholstery and heated seats included even on the cheaper AMG Line model. Many will choose AMG Line Premium, which adds keyless entry, wireless phone charging and a panoramic sunroof. It's frustrating that you have to add the £1,495 Driving Assistance pack to any EQB if you want adaptive cruise control, though.
The electric Mercedes EQB will be cheaper to run than any petrol or diesel alternatives. It is, however, more expensive to buy than seven-seat petrol or diesel SUVs, such as the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the Kia Sorento and the Hyundai Santa Fe – and it’s worth noting that the Kia and the Hyundai are more spacious (albeit also bigger) and available as plug-in hybrids with seven seats.
With a starting price of £52,145, it’s not cheap, but it’s comparable with plenty of EVs, such as the longer range but less practical Audi Q4 e-tron, the Tesla Model Y and even the smaller Mercedes EQA.
A full charge will cost around £12 from a standard home charger, assuming you’re paying 18p per kWh for your electricity at home. That can be cut by up to half if you use off-peak tariffs and charge overnight, which is easy to do as you can set charging times via the Mercedes phone app, or via the car’s screen. Even if you don’t get cheap off-peak electricity, you’ll still likely cut your petrol or diesel fuel bill by at least 50% if you go electric.
Insurance and maintenance on the Mercedes EQB is comparable with its rivals, and you can opt for fixed price servicing for up to four years, from £30 per month.
The EQB is too new to have been rated for reliability, but Mercedes-Benz as a brand has a mixed record for reliability. It was ranked 22nd out of 30 marques in the 2021 What Car? used car reliability survey, which covers reliability for cars of three years old or more. Meanwhile, Mercedes came 13th out of 29 brands in the 2021 Driver Power survey, which ranks overall owner satisfaction of new cars.
The EQB has a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, which can be extended for an additional cost. The battery pack is covered by a separate eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
- Charging in the Mercedes EQB is via a CCS and Type 2 socket. These are the standard European socket types, compatible with all home wallboxes and the vast majority of public chargers. All the cables you need to charge at home or at public charge points are provided as standard, although you’ll have to pay extra if you want a cable for charging at a standard, three-pin domestic plug socket.
- The Mercedes EQB rapid charges at up to 100kW, which will get you a 100-mile top-up in around 20 minutes if you plug into a DC rapid charger offering 100kW (or greater) power output, or a 20-80% battery in 35 minutes. Many of the chargers in the UK’s service stations are only 50kW, which will get you the same 100-mile top-up in around 40 minutes. Plug in at a standard 7kW home wall box and it will fully charge in around 11 hours.
- All electric cars are more efficient in warm weather and at slower speeds; it’s a fact of modern lithium-ion battery technology and means that real-world range can vary in any EV depending on the conditions and where you’re driving. As a worst-case scenario, the Mercedes EQB will likely manage around 160 miles to a charge on the motorway and in cold weather. Warmer temperatures and slower speeds could see it cover 240 miles and more before you need to it plug in.
- If you want the best value: Go for the Mercedes EQB 300 4Matic AMG Line. It’s the cheapest model until the front-wheel-drive car becomes available, and it's a reasonable price for a seven-seat SUV with four-wheel drive and a generous amount of equipment.
- If you want the longest range: Wait for the long-range option or consider that the Tesla Model Y has the eminent advantage of much faster charging and access to the Tesla Supercharger network, while other five-seat alternatives such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E offer a bigger battery and longer range. If you’re set on the Mercedes EQB, both of the 4Matic models offer the same range despite the power difference, so take your pick. Stick to the AMG Line for its smaller 18-inch wheels, which help it reach the full 257-mile range; AMG Line Premium models with 19-inch wheels limit it to 250 miles. Add the Driving Assistance pack for adaptive cruise control, as well as blind spot assist and semi-autonomous drive mode.
- If you want the best family car: All Mercedes EQBs have seven seats, but if you want to make the kids happy, step up to AMG Line Premium for a panoramic glass sunroof – it does make the back seats brighter and more pleasant. Safety standards are very good, as the EQB has autonomous emergency braking and a full suite of airbags as standard, but add the Driving Assistance pack if you want maximum possible driver aids.
- If you want the sportiest: Go for the EQB 350 4Matic in AMG Line Premium trim, with its gloss black, 19-inch wheels and hot hatch pace. Otherwise, there’s not much visual difference between the two trims and models.
