Mercedes-Benz EQA Review 2024

We'd only choose the Mercedes-Benz EQA if you have somewhere at home to charge it, where you'll get the benefit of cheap electricity and the convenience of having a full battery every time you leave the house. The Mercedes EQA has a posh interior and its electric power makes it an easy, quiet and comfortable car to drive. It's could be bigger in the back, and the boot isn't as large as rivals. 

If you're buying new, we'd choose the 190PS EQA 250+ model which comes with an official range of up to 346 miles and a 0-62mph time of 8.6 seconds. If you're looking to buy used, then the EQA 250 model which has plenty of performance for everyday use and a decent range of up to 263 miles. 

The Mercedes EQA AMG Line trim is worth paying a little bit extra for because it give your Mercedes EQA sharper looks than the EQA Sport model, which is a blank canvas in terms of styling. 

When the Mercedes EQA first arrived, it was one of the few smaller electric SUVs you could buy, but the market has expanded rapidly since its launch, with a wide choice of models to pick from. 

Rivals range from the mainstream Kia Niro EV, Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV, to bigger, premium alternatives like the BMW iX1, Audi Q4 e-tron and Volvo EX40 (the new name for the XC40 Recharge).

The Mercedes EQA feels posh inside with soft-touch plastics on all the higher parts of the interior, chrome finishes and Mercedes' trademark turbine-style air vents. Mercedes EQA AMG Line models are worth considering because they ramp up the poshness of the interior with leather-look padding for the dashboard and sporty red stitching. Metal pedals and a steering wheel trimmed in Nappa leather follow a similar theme. 

The latest Mercedes EQA comes with two large 10.25-inch infotainment displays as standard and they merge seamlessly together to create one huge screen that's crystal clear and colourful. Buyers of a used Mercedes EQA should be aware that some models were offered with a mixture of seven- or 10.25-inch displays, depending on the trim. 

The centrally-positioned display acts as your gateway to the core controls of the Mercedes EQA, which can either be navigated using the touchscreen control, the touch-sensitive pads on the updated steering wheel, or using the EQA's voice-activated personal assistant. While older models don't feature touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, the did enjoy a neat touchpad between the front seats to navigate the infotainment system, but as we've seen in other recent Mercedes updates, this has been dropped from the facelifted EQA.  

While there are minimal physical controls, the Mercedes MBUX voice activation system is a really polished system that actually works. You can use voice commands to quickly control everything from the sat-nav and radio to the ventilation system and media. 

If you'd rather stick with the more familiar menus of your smartphone then you're in luck because Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are fitted as standard so it is easy to use your phone's apps on the car's big screen. 

The Mercedes EQA is the kind of car that you could buy when your kids are young but will still be fit for purpose when they're cruising into adulthood.

We'll deal with the front seats of the Mercedes EQA first. Even if you're tall, you'll find you have loads of head, elbow and legroom and the multi-adjustable seats make it easy to find a comfortable driving position. Electrical lumbar adjustment is standard and the front seats are also heated.

It isn't quite so good when you clamber into the back. While adults can sit in the back, because the floorpan has had to be raised to accommodate the batteries, it won't be the most comfortable place to sit for long periods. Young families though might not find this to be an issue, with a couple of ISOFIX points available and easy access to the rear to fasten seat belts etc. 

Elsewhere and the Mercedes EQA's cabin is teeming with storage spaces that make it easy to keep the place spick and span – there are large pockets in all four doors, a big glovebox and a lidded centre console that's deep and has two USB-C ports complete with adapters for all your recharging needs.

Even the boot has a 12v power socket – handy for a portable vacuum or compressor. It opens electrically, has a flat floor and a good-sized opening so making full use of Mercedes EQA's 340-litre boot capacity is easy, but in luggage-hauling terms, it lags well behind the 520-litre capacity you get in the Audi Q4 e-tron. At least the rear seats split 40/20/40 and fold flat into the floor when you release the catches on their back rests. 

Further enhancing the Mercedes EQA clobber-shifting credentials is its ability to tow – the 250 model can haul up to 750kg while the 300 and 350 up that significantly to 1800kg thanks to being four-wheel drive. 

In terms of dimensions, the Mercedes EQA is 4463mm long, 1585mm wide and 1620mm tall. 

The range and battery is perhaps the biggest change when it comes to the facelifted Mercedes EQA. The  EQA 250+ replaces the EQA 250 and is fitted with a useable 70.5kWh battery and has allowed Mercedes to increase the range of this single-motor car up to 346 miles (up from 263 miles of the EQA 250). 

This is followed by the EQA 300 4Matic and EQA 350 4Matic. Both are dual motor cars that drive both the front and rear wheels, with  fitted with a 66.5kWh battery. 

Honestly, we don't see much point in upgrading from the basic EQA 250+. It's 190PS might sound modest on paper, but its 375Nm of instant torque gives the Mercedes EQA loads of get up and go at town speeds and leaves power in reserve for overtaking on motorways and A roads. It feels a lot quicker than its 99mph top speed (shared with the rest of the range) and 8.6-second 0-62mph time would have you believe.

If you did climb up the range, we'd skip the 228PS, 390Nm Mercedes EQA 300 – it gets from 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds – and head straight for the EQA 350, which has the hit-by-a-wave acceleration that electric cars are famous for. It has 292PS, 520Nm of torque and slingshots from 0-62mph in 6 seconds. 

The Mercedes-Benz EQA 250+ has the best official range of 346 miles, though this is on a car with 18-inch alloy wheels - pick the 20-inch alloys on the AMG Line Premium or AMG Line Premium Plus and you can expect around 314 miles. 

The more powerful EQA 300 4Matic and EQA 350 4Matic compromise range for the sake of performance, with both cars having an official maximum range of up to 266 miles.

Refinement is one of the Mercedes EQA's trump cards. You get a synthesised electric hum at low speeds which fades away as your pace builds and there's surprisingly little wind noise given its upright SUV body shape. What you will notice is road noise from the car's 20-inch wheels if you plump for either EQA AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus models.

The Mercedes EQA has a five-star rating for safety from Euro NCAP. It comes as standard with cruise control that can observe speed limits, lane assist which nudges you into the centre of the lane, automatic emergency brakes and a variety of airbags including one for your knees .

The Mercedes-Benz EQA is too new to make an accurate judgment on its reliability, however electric cars tend to be very reliable because they have fewer moving parts than petrols or diesels. The Mercedes EQA comes with a three-year/unlimited mileage warranty and an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty for the battery.

The Mercedes EQA ranges from insurance group 37 for the EQA 250 model to group 45 for the EQA 350 4Matic. That's pretty high when you consider the highest insurance group is 50, but the EQA is not alone. While electric cars can save you money in a lot of areas, insurance premiums are often a lot higher than petrol or diesel cars. The Jaguar I-Pace for example is in insurance groups 47 to 50, though the Audi Q4 e-tron starts a bit lower than the EQA, with the base model starting insurance group 26.  

Because it's an electric car, the Mercedes-Benz EQA is exempt from paying any road tax. That's the good news. Because the list price of a new EQA is more than £40,000, it will be hit with a £325/year premium car tax for five years (from the second time the car is taxed). After that, it's free.

The Mercedes-Benz EQA is available in four trim levels – Sport Executive, AMG Line Executive, AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus.

Mercedes EQA Sport Executive models are the most basic but they're not exactly lacking in standard kit. They get 18-inch wheels, tinted windows and LED headlights, while inside you'll find ambient lighting, heated seats and climate control. 

Mercedes EQA AMG Line models look a lot sportier. There are slightly larger 19-inch wheels that have an eye-catching ten-spoke design and their AMG body kits adds some much needed muscle to the EQA's relatively forgetful exterior. Man-made leather seats with red stitching, metal-trimmed pedals and a sports steering wheel ensure the go-faster theme of the exterior is carried through to the cabin.

Mercedes EQA AMG Line Premium models get even larger 20-inch wheels and are the biggest clue that you didn't skimp on the configurator. You get useful kit like keyless go, Parking Package (with a 360-degree camera), wireless charging and a top-notch stereo with a 225W output, ten speakers and a subwoofer. 

Finally there's the EQA in AMG Line Premium Plus trim. Building on the AMG Line Premium, you  get a panoramic sunroof that makes the interior feel light and airy, a Burmester Surround Sound System, a head-up display and a Night Package.