Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV Review & Prices

The EQE SUV is - as the name might suggest - the SUV version of the EQE electric car. You see, Mercedes couldn’t use its usual ‘GL’ prefix to denote an SUV - otherwise this car would be confusingly called the GLEQE. It’s a big, posh electric car, acting as Mercedes’ alternative to the BMW iX and Audi Q6 e-tron.

Unfortunately, it’s also a bit like a dessert in a pretentious restaurant - it’s expensive and glam, but doesn’t necessarily have as much substance as you’d like.

The EQE SUV sits one layer below the hyper-luxe EQS SUV, itself based on the EQS, and can be considered something of a replacement for the older EQC. In terms of styling, it looks a bit like someone’s come along with an air pump and inflated an EQE with a hose up its rear - and not particularly in a good way. The side profile has gone from sleek to a bit bulbous, and the short nose looks droopy.

That’s what you get when you design a tall car with aerodynamics in mind. Elsewhere, the EQE SUV gets a large faux grille with the three-pointed star motif in place of actual air holes, and round the rear there’s a full-width light bar connecting the brake lights.

Mercedes EQE SUV: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 341 - 377 miles
Efficiency: 3.7 - 3.9 miles per kWh
Battery size: 91 - 96kWh
Max charge speed: 170kW
Charge time AC: 32 mins 10-80%, 170kW
Charge time DC: 13 hrs 40 mins, 0-100%, 7kW
Charge port location: Rear right
Power outputs: 320 - 449hp

Inside there’s rather more to like. The driving position is lofty, visibility is good and it’s easy to get comfortable. In lower models, there’s a 12.3-inch driver’s display and a portrait-oriented touchscreen in the centre, but the higher-end models get a triple-screen setup under a single sheet of glass called Hyperscreen.

Both setups work reasonably well, though the Hyperscreen is more there to show off than it is to improve usability. What’s disappointing given the price of the EQE SUV is that you don’t need to go far to find cheap, nasty-feeling materials or areas where the trim creaks alarmingly.

It’s spacious, though, comparing well in practicality terms to the BMW iX and Q6 e-tron. The boot is large and square, with an underfloor storage compartment for charging cables, and rear passengers get plenty of space too. And unlike the lower EQE saloon, they won’t sit with their knees around their ears, either.

It’s spacious, though, comparing well in practicality terms to the BMW iX and Q6 e-tron. The boot is large and square, with an underfloor storage compartment for charging cables, and rear passengers get plenty of space too. And unlike the lower EQE saloon, they won’t sit with their knees around their ears, either.

There are three models to choose from, as well as the standalone AMG EQE 53 SUV. The 350 has a 91kWh battery and a range of up to 341 miles on a charge. The 350+ gets a larger 96kWh battery and can do up to 377 miles on a charge, but is slower than the 350. The range-topping 500 gets more power and up to 365 miles of range.

Whichever one you choose, performance is strong enough and comfort on the motorway is excellent thanks to standard air suspension. You do feel the lumps and bumps around town, though, and if you try and take it on a twisty road you’ll soon find that this is a big, very heavy car that doesn’t really encourage you to drive it quickly.

The EQE SUV might satisfy you if you just want a big, practical EV with a three-pointed star on the bonnet - but the alternatives from other German brands make for better buys.

Check out our best Mercedes EQE SUV deals on Carwow here, our best Mercedes EQE lease deals here, or find another great Mercedes deal. You can search for a used Mercedes EQE SUV, or find other used Mercedes models for sale. And remember that Carwow can even help you to sell your old car when the time comes.

The range kicks off with the EQE 350+ in AMG Line trim, which comes in at a reasonably beefy £75,505. That’s just £100 separated from the BMW iX, though the Audi Q6 e-tron is a good chunk less than either car.

There’s just three miles of range separating the iX and EQE SUV, too - almost like the two were benchmarked against each other. Crazy thought, right?

AMG Line trim does feel rather Spartan in the EQE, though, and stepping up isn’t cheap. The next rung is Premium Night Edition at more than £82,000, followed by Premium Plus Night Edition for a further £5,000. The range-topping 500 in this trim costs over £100,000.

Very comfortable on a long journey, but the EQE SUV isn’t very comfortable around town and it feels too heavy on a twisty road

In town

As a driver, you get a good view out of the EQE SUV thanks to a high-set driving position and large windows all round - though the sharply sloping nose is pretty much invisible from the driver’s’ seat. At least all-round parking sensors are standard. Some models get four-wheel steering, too, for greater manoeuvrability.

The air suspension has a habit of thudding over sharper imperfections in town, spoiling the serene effect you get from the silent and powerful electric motors. The throttle and brake are extremely well-calibrated, though, which isn’t always a given in an electric car - it means you’re able to drive the EQE SUV very smoothly with ease.

Mercedes has numerous small touches that make town driving easier too - such as the option of an augmented-reality navigation system which projects directions onto a camera image of the road. Those same cameras zoom into traffic lights when you’re at the head of a queue, eliminating the awkward neck-craning you sometimes have to do.

On the motorway

The EQE SUV is a superb motorway cruiser. The soundproofing is fantastic, so even at the national limit you hardly hear any wind or road noise - and the electric motors are silent in the first place.

The basic models aren’t particularly powerful as premium EVs go, with ‘just’ 320hp - but in the real world this is plenty to get up to speed with and you won’t ever feel outclassed in fast traffic.

The cruise control and assisted driving features all operate smoothly and the air suspension comes into its own, cushioning you from the worst that the UK motorway network has to offer. Only the occasional sharper edge, like an expansion joint or catseye, makes itself known.

On a twisty road

A winding B-road isn’t the EQE SUV’s natural habitat, not in the same way it is for a BMW iX. Even in the sportiest driving mode, you always feel the car’s ample weight, and it leans more in the bends than you’d like it to.

The steering doesn’t help matters - it’s very light and feels totally remote, with no indication of what the front wheels are doing.

The AMG model is better to drive, but in reality any version of the BMW iX knocks the EQE SUV into a cocked hat in this environment.

A decent boot and good rear space, but no front boot and cabin storage is lacking

Up front, driver and passenger in the EQE SUV get lots of room and plenty of adjustment to their seating position. The dashboard is quite high, so you might find you need to set your seat higher up to begin with to see out, but tall drivers won’t mind and will enjoy the adjustable seat bases to give extra thigh support.

Mercedes also has a system that’ll set the seat for you automatically if you key in your height, but it doesn’t seem to work for people with long legs - our comfortable driving position indicated that we were 6’7”.

Storage for smaller items could be better. The door bins will fit a medium-sized bottle of water, but the under-armrest space is quite shallow. The cupholders and wireless phone charging pad share a spot just under the infotainment screen, which is a good incentive not to spill your drink.

Space in the back seats

Rear-seat passengers will find the EQE SUV much more comfortable than the regular EQE, if only due to the extra height allowing them to sit more naturally without their knees around their ears. Leg and headroom are both pretty good, and though there isn’t quite as much knee room as in a BMW iX there’s more space to put your feet under the seats in front.

The floor is completely flat and the centre seat is relatively wide, if a bit lumpy. Adults would be fine here for short journeys. There’s also plenty of room for child seats, with ISOFIX points under easy-to-locate plastic covers.

Boot space

The EQE SUV’s 520-litre boot compares well with alternatives, being nicely in between the 500-litre BMW iX and the 526-litre Audi Q6 e-tron. The Tesla Model Y shames it with a mammoth 854 litres, though.

The EQE SUV’s is a wide, flat space, with room under the floor to store charging cables. There’s no front boot, though - in fact, you can’t even open the bonnet at all.

Wow-factor screens and some nice materials, but build quality isn’t good enough for a car this expensive

In the cabin, you’ll find wood trim and black leather upholstery as standard. Other models have piano-black plastic, which is far more susceptible to scratches and fingerprints - not good.

You get a pair of screens on base models. There’s a 12.3-inch driver display and a 12.8-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen - a familiar setup from other Mercedes models, and one that works quite well. While there are no physical climate controls, they remain in a permanent spot at the bottom of the screen and are large enough to press easily while on the move.

The optional Hyperscreen switches these two displays out for a supposed 56.0-inch screen that spans the full width of the dash. It’s actually three separate displays under one sheet of glass, but the effect is relatively seamless and looks cool. The wider central screen is great for things like the sat-nav, but it can be blocked by the steering wheel and the very edges aren’t really utilised.

The passenger screen, meanwhile, is a nice extra but largely pointless - most passengers we’ve had would prefer to scroll on their phone than to reach forward and interact with another infotainment display. The Hyperscreen adds bragging rights rather than additional usability.

Whichever setup you get, there are the same infuriating touch-sensitive steering wheel controls which are needlessly difficult to use.

Another negative is build quality. You don’t need to go too low on the dash to find plastics which aren’t really up to snuff, and even where the materials are nice they creak under pressure or don’t line up as well as they should. The BMW iX is the best alternative in this regard - its interior is gorgeous and beautifully built.

The EQE SUV has a big battery and so gets a decent range - but it’s not an efficient electric car. Our model had a 96kWh battery and returned about 3.0 miles per kWh - equating to a real-world range of about 290 miles. That’s a bit of a drop on the official figure of 377 miles.

To the EQE’s credit, the range gauge is very accurate and unlike many EVs, high-speed driving doesn’t negatively affect the consumption very much. But compared to something more efficient, the EQE will still be quite pricey to charge.

As far as charging goes, you can top up at a maximum rate of 170kW - good for a 10-80% charge in 32 minutes. That’s decent, but cheaper EVs can do better, such as the Kia EV6 which can charge from 10-80% in just 18 minutes thanks to its 258kW max charge rate.

The BMW iX charges at 200kW and the Q6 e-tron up to 270kW, so the EQE SUV is a bit slow in this company too. If you’re topping up at home, that huge battery will take over 13 hours for a full charge.

As an electric car, the EQE SUV sits in the lowest band for Benefit-in-Kind tax, and road tax is reasonable too. However, the high price means that, like its alternatives, the EQE SUV is liable for the Expensive Car supplement in years two-six of ownership.

The EQE was tested by Euro NCAP in 2023 and scored the full five-star rating. It had a particularly impressive 90% score for child occupant protection. Mercedes has a strong reputation for crash test safety - its last rating lower than five stars was in 2013 for the van-based Citan.

There’s plenty of driving assistance kit as standard, but you can add extra for semi-assisted driving on motorways. Mercedes also gives you a nice shortcut to turn off the more annoying speed limit alerts - just hold down the ‘mute’ button.

Mercedes’ standard warranty is a fairly ordinary three years, though you do get unlimited mileage cover during that time - great for high-mileage drivers. The battery warranty is also longer than other manufacturers, at ten years and 155,000 miles.

Mercedes reliability has improved a lot in recent years, to the point where it was named the second-best brand to own in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey.