Mercedes-Benz EQE review

Mercedes has been trying to “out-Tesla Tesla for a while, and may finally have succeeded” with the latest addition to its EQ electric range, said The Sunday Times. The EQE is “stylish, spacious, pin-drop quiet and effortlessly quick”. It offers everything you get from the Tesla Model S in terms of the range and fast recharging, and a cabin that’s “better appointed”. It’s also “unashamedly priced” to undercut the Model S by a good margin.

This medium-sized electric saloon is the little brother of Mercedes’ top-of-the-range electric saloon, the EQS: the EQE is 90mm shorter, but sits on the same EVA2 chassis. Both the basic EQE 300 and the 350+ get a single motor, rear-wheel drive and 288bhp, with 0-62mph in 7.3 and 6.4 seconds respectively. Overall, it’s a “rounded” electric vehicle, but looks underwhelming – like a “squashed Prius”, said Top Gear.

In the real world, the EQE has a working range of about 250 miles (officially, it’s 395 miles), said The Daily Telegraph. It can fast charge at up to 170kW, so in 15 minutes it can take on a range of 155 miles, but a full home charge will take eight hours. Inside, the tech is over-complicated; the back headroom is limited, and boot space is an inadequate 430 litres. The EQE drives well and it’s beautifully built, but all-in-all it’s a little disappointing.