Mercedes-Benz EQA Review 2026

The Mercedes-Benz EQA is the smallest electric car in the firm's 'EQ' sub-brand, an alphabetised range which spans from EQA all the way up to EQV. It might be the cheapest and most compact EV Mercedes makes, but it still costs a pretty penny. In this Mercedes-Benz EQA review, we'll see if it can justify this premium price. 

Even if the Mercedes EQA is a car that's not previously been on your radar, there's every chance that it'll still feel oddly familiar. This is one of the vast number of models (we've counted nine or thereabouts, not including sporty AMG variants) based on the A-Class hatchback, each with a slightly different, size, shape and body style, to serve a slightly different purpose and appeal to a slightly different buyer.

The EQA's closest relation is the GLA, essentially the jacked-up SUV-esque small crossover offering in the portfolio. Indeed, if you were to consider the EQA to be merely an all-electric version of that car, then you'd be pretty much spot-on.

All of that does mean, however, that the EQA is one of those electric cars that is built on a reworked combustion-engine platform, rather than a made-to-measure, ground-up EV platform. In that regard, it's very similar to rivals such as the Volvo EX40 and the Lexus UX 300 e. That said, however, it also has to deal with rivals that do have EV-specific architecture, cars such as the Audi Q4 e-tron, Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Polestar 2 and Ford Mustang Mach-E. 

Despite its origins, however, the EQA still manages to offer decent range figures, particularly in later examples, which benefit from a raft of near-constant improvements to battery tech and powertrain efficiency made over the car's life.

Granted, the performance on offer is sufficient rather than stupefying: that's in contrast to many electric SUV rivals out there, which are in many cases, needlessly fast in our opinion. The overall driving experience is also rather so-so: refinement is excellent, but the handling is underwhelming, and while the ride is soft, it isn't as composed as you'd hope. 

Still, the EQA's best trait is how normal it feels: it's perfect if you want an electric car that doesn't feel totally alien compared to a petrol or diesel car. With the same classy, high-tech cabin as the GLA, plus a decent amount of space, it can slip into family life with ease. We just wish it was better to drive given how much it costs. 

Mercedes EQA: Range and charging times

The Mercedes EQA has seen near-constant evolution of its powertrains and battery tech over its time on sale. It started life in 2021 with a 66.5kWh battery, but this was boosted to 70kWh midway through 2023. Meanwhile, the powertrain offering started with just the EQA 200, which was later joined by the EQA 300 and EQA 350, and even later still, the EQA 200 morphed into the EQA 200+. Nowadays, the EQA 350 has been discontinued, leaving only the EQA 200+ and EQA 300. The range figures of the various powertrain and battery combinations can be found in the table immediately above.

If your EQA has the most recent 70kWh battery, expect your average 7.4kW home wallbox charger to deliver a full charge in just under 11 hours. If your car has the smaller battery, it'll be a little quicker.

The EQA has a maximum DC rapid charging speed of 100kW, which isn't great by the standards of most modern EVs, but a sufficiently powerful charger can still get you a 10%-80% top-up in around 35 minutes. We'd advise only using such chargers in emergencies, though, because they're extremely expensive, much moreso than charging at home.

The Mercedes GLA is known for offering a predictable handling and a comfortable ride, so the EQA should be pretty much identical, right? Not necessarily.

You see the EQA is around half a tonne heavier than the GLA due to that big battery. Again, all EVs have a considerable weight burden, but some are better than others at disguising it. The EQA is okay, but not the best.

It's great around town, with good all-round visibility, nippy performance even in entry-level form, and positive steering. The ride is generally pretty soft and quiet, too, but catch a big pothole or manhole cover, and it thumps and jolts more than you'd expect. There's also more whine from the electric motor than befits a Mercedes, while the brakes aren't all that progressive, making it difficult to come to a stop smoothly. 

Out on the motorway, the EQA fares pretty well despite its modest pace, with low levels of road- and wind noise, and a ride that smooths out nicely. You can adjust the regenerative braking manually through two stages via the steering-wheel-mounted paddles, or leave it in auto mode, where it judges how much is required given the prevailing traffic conditions. 

There are better electric cars for fun country road drives than the EQA, that's for sure. The steering isn't too light, but it's not hugely confidence-inspiring, while the body leans a fair bit in the bends and the car is unsettled by mid-corner bumps. It's just not as composed or as balanced as the rear-wheel drive Audi Q4 e-tron, and a fair way off the dynamic feel of a Kia EV6. 

The entry-level Mercedes EQA - the 250 or 250+ depending on the age of the car - gets a single electric motor driving the front wheels with an output of 190PS. It managed a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds in 250 form, cutting that to 8.6 seconds in 250+ form, with both variants having a top speed of just 99mph.

This is at the slower end of of the spectrum of premium electric cars, but unless you're already going at a high speed, the entry-level EQA feels nippier than those figures suggest, and will deliver enough performance to not feel gutless. Those after kick-in-the-back performance from their electric car would be better off with cars like the Volvo EX40, AWD Kia EV6, or Tesla Model Y, but for everyone else, the EQA will be absolutely fine.

The EQA 300 4Matic is the more powerful option, with a second motor added for four-wheel drive and a maximum output of 228PS. This trims the 0-62mph time down to 7.7 seconds, while the top speed is still pegged at 99mph. We haven't tried it yet, so we can't tell you whether it feels much faster, but the figures are still fairly modest in the scheme of things.

Once upon a time, another all-wheel-drive option was offered in the shape of the EQA 350. This had 292PS and a 0-62mph time of 6.0 seconds, but we never got to drive it before it was discontinued.

The Mercedes EQA is one of the safest cars in its class, managing a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating. More than that, an adult occupant protection score of 97% is extremely impressive, with a nearly-as-strong 90% child occupant rating, too. As that test was conducted in 2019 to less strict protocols, it's now considered expired.

All versions of the Mercedes EQA come with automatic emergency braking, a driver drowsiness detection system, blind spot monitoring and active speed limit assist. You'll need to pay extra for tech such as rear-cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control, though, which is a shame.

Early two-wheel-drive EQAs were pretty poor tow cars, being rate to pull just 750kg worth of braked trailer. Later two-wheel-drive examples had a higher towing limit of 15000kg. The 4MATIC all-wheel-drive EQA is a bit more useful, with a 1800kg braked towing capacity.

There will be no complaints from those up front in the EQA, with a nicely raised driving position, plenty of adjustment in the seats and steering column, and leg- and (particularly) headroom to spare. Storage is pretty good, including a deep compartment under the centre armrest and a cupholder/phone storage compartment with a sliding lid. 

First impressions of the rear aren't bad, either, as legroom and head space both feel fairly plentiful for six-footers. It's only when you climb inside that you realise there's quite a compromise to make: the height of the floor. 

Sticking the big battery pack under the floorpan has raised the internal floor, forcing Mercedes to lower the rear bench down to maintain headroom. This means that you sit with your knees a lot higher than in the GLA, leaving taller adults in a less-than-comfortable squatting position. Many EVs suffer from this, but the EQA seems to be afflicted more than most 

The boot, too, isn't all that competitive. At 340 litres, its 100 litres smaller than the GLA on which the EQA is based, and a full 180-litres less than a Q4 e-tron, with no proper cable storage area and no front boot to boost capacity. At least the rear seats split 40/20/40 and fold nice and flat. 

The Mercedes EQA borrows its interior largely wholesale from the GLA, even sharing the same 'engine' start/stop button and steering column-mounted drive selector. 

That means you get a cabin that excels visually, with a really upmarket look and (for the most part) a decent quality feel, with impressive backlit air-vents and mostly nice materials. It's not all perfect, though, as we do have some gripes. 

Some areas of the cabin feel cheaper than you'd expect at this price point. The column stalks feel brittle and hollow, for example, while the dashboard of our test car was surprisingly creaky over bumps. It feels like the cool design has taken priority over a feeling of solidity.

We've few complaints with the infotainment in the Mercedes EQA, which pairs a 10.0-inch digital dial display with a 10.0-inch infotainment screen in a neatly integrated bezel. It's one of the smartest systems around, with lots of features and crisp, responsive displays. 

You can also control it in different ways, via the central touchscreen, via a touchpad surrounded by shortcut buttons on the centre console, or via Mercedes' advanced voice control system (the latter of which is clever but not faultless). It's a bit of a shame the BMW iDrive-style rotary dial is no more, as that's a doddle to use on the move, but the touchpad is fairly slick. 

We also like that Mercedes has kept a few physical buttons around, with rocker switches for the cabin temperature and proper volume rollers on the steering wheel. 

The Mercedes EQA range starts at around £50,000 at the bottom of the range for the EQA 200+ in Sport Executive trim, with the other powertrain-specific standalone trims costing around two- or three grand more.

In higher-end AMG Line Premium trim, the EQA 200+ costs around £55,000 and the EQA 300 around £56,000, while that £1,000 price difference between the two powertrains remains at AMG Line Premium Plus level, with the EQA 200+ kicking those models off at around £57,500.

This is certainly not a cheap car, then, but then again, you wouldn't exactly expect an all-electric car from Mercedes-Benz to be a bargain-basement proposition. What's more, prices aren't crazy compared with those of premium rivals.

As usual - especially where electric cars are concerned due to their notoriously shaky residual values - the used car market is a means of bagging yourself an EQA for much, much less. Around £18,000 will allow you to procure your choice of EQA 200, 200+, and even 300 and 350 examples from 2021 or 2022, wearing a variety of mileages between 30,000- and 75,000 miles.

If your EQA has the later 70kWh battery pack, then fully charging it at home will cost you around £20, assuming that is, that you pay for your domestic electricity at the UK's national average rate. If you have an earlier car with the 65.5kWh battery, expect to pay a little less - around £18 - for a full replenishment.

Doing one very simple thing will cut your fuelling costs down a lot further, though. Simply shift your home onto a variable power tariff that charges less - a lot less in most cases - for off-peak electricity. Then charge your car overnight (which you'll most likely do anyway), and you'll probably pay no more than a third of the sums we've already quoted. Even for the most hardened of EV-doubters, that's a very hard proposition to ignore.

In stark contrast, you can probably multiply those sums by three any time you use a DC public rapid charger: the speed and convenience of these make them much more expensive. What's more, your EQA only has a very average maximum DC rapid charging speed of 100kW, so topping up won't even be that quick.

Since April 2025, electric vehicles have been liable for the same VED road tax costs (after the first year) as all other kinds of cars, but that's made worse by the fact that the price of all versions stands at more than £40,000 when brand new, and always has. That means all EQAs will be subject to the 'luxury car supplement' for VED, meaning that between years two and six of the car's life, you'll be slapped with a road tax bill of £620 per year, dropping down to the £195-per-year flat rate thereafter.

Insurance costs won't be cheap, either. All cars are placed in a category between 1 and 50 for insurance, group 1 cars being the cheapest to insure and group 50 being the most expensive. Groupings for the EQA range between 37 and 45.

When it first went on sale, the trim structure comprised Sport, AMG Line and AMG Line Premium models. The range kicked off with the entry-level Mercedes EQA Sport, which featured:

• 18-inch alloys
• LED headlights with automatic high beam
• dual-zone climate control
• heated front seats
• reversing camera
• 10-inch dual-screen navigation and instrument system

Stepping up to the Mercedes EQA AMG Line focused on upgrading the styling, with:

• sportier exterior bodykit
• different alloy wheel design
• upgraded sports seats with leather
• aluminium pedals
• flat-bottom sports steering wheel

The range-topping Mercedes EQA AMG Line Premium has more upgrades besides, such as:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• keyless entry
• panoramic sunroof
• wireless phone charging
• uprated sound system

Like the powertrains and battery tech, however, the trim levels on offer have chopped and changed a bit during the car's time on sale, particularly during a facelift in late 2023/early 2024.

Nowadays, you can have the EQA 200+ in standalone Sport Executive and Urban Edition trims, and the EQA 300 in a standalone AMG Line Executive trim, while the top-of-the-range AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus trims can be had with either powertrain.

The entry-level Mercedes EQA 200+ Sport Executive comes with:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• comfort suspension
• LED headlamps with adaptive high beam
• Mirror package
• 64-colour ambient lighting
• climate control
• powered tailgate
• leather multifunction sports steering wheel
• heated front seats
• Artico man-made leather upholstery
• parking sensors
• reversing camera
• full infotainment with navigation

The standalone Mercedes EQA 300 AMG Line Executive comes with:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• AMG Line body styling
• body-coloured wheelarch liners
• sports seats
• red-stitched Artico upholstery
• brushed aluminium pedals

It's cheaper than the Mercedes EQA 300 AMG Line Executive version by virtue of having the weaker powertrain, but the Mercedes EQA 200+ Urban Edition builds on AMG Line Executive trim with:

• 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels
• darkened exterior styling elements

Towards the top end of the range, the Mercedes EQA AMG Line Premium comes with:

• 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels
• keyless go
• heated steering wheel
• heated windscreen washers
• upgraded 10-speaker audio
• augmented-reality navigation
• 360-degree cameras
• wireless phone charging

At the very pinnacle of the range, the Mercedes EQA AMG Line Premium Plus comes with:

• electric panoramic sunroof
• extended exterior lighting
• black exterior design elements
• power adjusting front seats with memory
• head-up display
• Burmester surround-sound audio