Mercedes EQE review

Designing the Mercedes EQE must have felt a bit like ripping out your kitchen and starting again, rather than merely replacing the fixtures and fittings.

You see, the EQE has been built on a bespoke electric car platform – unlike some Mercedes electric cars, which share underpinnings with existing, petrol-powered models. That allowed the engineers to really, er, throw the kitchen sink at it, creating a new model without compromise, and maximising performance, range and practicality.

Where does the EQE fit into the Mercedes car range? Well, the EQ in its name means it's all-electric while the last E refers to its size. In other words, the EQE is a Mercedes E-Class sized electric car – or, if you prefer, a smaller, less-expensive alternative to the (S-Class sized) Mercedes EQS.

That puts it in direct competition with the Audi e-tron GT and Audi A6 e-tron, the BMW i4 and BMW i5, and the Porsche Taycan. So can the Mercedes EQE match those models for pace, performance and – crucially in this class – electric range? Read on to find out...

Your entry point into the Mercedes EQE range is the EQE 350+. It has 288bhp and is capable of 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds. That's respectable but slower than an entry-level BMW i5 (6.0 seconds) or Tesla Model 3 (5.8 seconds).

The EQE 500 delivers a big bump in performance, upping power to 402bhp and reducing the 0-62mph time to 4.7 seconds.

An even bigger bump comes in the form of the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53. With 616bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 3.5 seconds – quicker than the range-topping i5 M50 (3.8 seconds) but not quite as rapid as the Porsche Taycan GTS (3.3 seconds) – it lives in full-blown performance car territory.

That said, even the EQE 350+ should feel more than sprightly enough to most people, having enough performance to overtake traffic or get up to motorway speeds at a brisk pace. In the EQE 500 and EQE 53, acceleration is so strong that anyone would be hard-pressed to complain.

As for electric range, the EQE 350+ has a 96kWh battery and an official range of 431 miles. That’s a little less than the Tesla Model 3 Long Range (436 miles) but still very impressive. Official ranges are not usually achievable in real life, but we'd expect the 350+ to manage well over 300 miles on a charge.

The EQE 500 and EQE 53 get 90.6kWh batteries, and the range drops to 342 and 290 miles respectively. For comparison, the BMW i5 M50 officially travels 315 miles before running out of juice.

Driving the EQE, it quickly becomes clear that it’s designed for comfort rather than the kind of sportier driving you might tackle in an Audi e-tron GT or Porsche Taycan. On twisting roads, the standard steel suspension struggles to contain the movements of the body, causing it to feel somewhat unsettled. Quick changes of direction generate a lot of body lean.

Versions of the EQE on air suspension (which you get with AMG Line Premium Plus and Exclusive Luxury trims) have a broader bandwidth. Sport mode does a reasonable job of resisting lean in the bends, while Comfort allows the car to breathe on the motorway. However, the EQE still trips up over lumps and bumps around town, which the more controlled BMW i5 doesn't.

The EQE is a big car (4.9m long) so it’s not particularly manoeuvrable in tight car parks. You can make life easier by opting for AMG Line Night Edition Premium Plus trim, which get rear-wheel steering as standard, reducing the turning circle and making the car easier to manoeuvre at low speeds.

“While I found the Mercedes EQE’s ride fundamentally comfortable, I still craved the more tied-down, controlled feel of the BMW i4 and i5.” – Oliver Young, Car Reviewer

The Mercedes EQE has a raised dashboard that places the steering wheel unusually high. To achieve true comfort, you have to raise your seat a lot to match the wheel's height. It doesn’t feel entirely natural, but the seats are at least comfortable and snug, almost hugging you in place.

Forward visibility isn’t brilliant compared with the main electric car rivals, including the BMW i5, and it's hard to judge where the steeply sloped bonnet ends. Meanwhile, rear visibility is heavily compromised by the wide rear pillars and tiny rear window. The standard front and rear parking sensors, rear-view camera and blind-spot monitoring do help though.

Every EQE has a 12.3in digital driver's display, which is fully configurable and can show multiple layouts for the dials, trip and media information, as well as navigation information. It’s good, but not as intuitive as the Virtual Cockpit in the Audi e-tron GT, which has user-friendly physical controls.

In the centre of the dashboard sits a 12.8in touchscreen running the latest MBUX infotainment system. It has a simple layout, crisp graphics and quick responses, but BMW’s iDrive system is much easier to use while you're driving because of its physical shortcut buttons and rotary controller.

If you like the latest tech, you'll be interested in the Hyperscreen, which is available as an expensive optional extra on high-end trims. It effectively turns the entire face of the dashboard into a screen, giving the driver and passenger control over their own separate areas.

Even without the Hyperscreen, there's a lot of visual glamour thanks to the big screens, wood detailing (available on higher trims) and ambient lighting. Still, some of the EQE's fixtures and fittings feel disappointingly cheap or flimsy, particularly around the infotainment system and centre console.

The Audi e-tron GT, the BMW i5 and the Porsche Taycan all feel better put together inside than the EQE.

More positively, interior storage is impressive, with plenty of places to put your everyday items, including two large storage cubbies in the centre console and some big door bins.

“The driving position in the Mercedes EQE felt a bit odd to me. I almost felt like I was sitting in an SUV instead of a saloon car.” – Oliver Young, Car Reviewer

While the Mercedes EQE is smaller than the Mercedes EQS, it's still pretty spacious up front. There's lots of head and leg room for a 6ft adult, and enough shoulder room that even a pair of broad rugby players won’t be rubbing shoulders.

It’s a different story in the back seats. While there’s plenty of leg room and a small central tunnel that gives the middle-seat occupant a little extra foot room, the rear bench itself is fixed quite low in relation to the floor.

As a result, rear passengers will find their knees bent at an awkward angle, while the short squab leaves their thighs with little support over long journeys. On top of that, the car’s swooping roofline restricts rear head room for taller passengers. The BMW i5 has more head room.

On the plus side, the EQE's 430-litre boot is a good square shape. The rear seat back splits and folds down into three sections (40/20/40) – as it does in the Audi e-tron GT, the BMW i4, the BMW i5 and the Porsche Taycan. We managed to fit six carry-on suitcases in the boot of the EQE.

For comparison, the Tesla Model 3 took nine carry-on cases, while the e-tron GT, the i5 and the Taycan took seven. If you want a bigger boot and more space inside, it's worth looking at the higher-riding Mercedes EQE SUV.

“Space-wise, I had no trouble fitting in the back. However, I doubt I’d be comfortable on long journeys with how upright the rear seats sit you.” – Oliver Young, Car Reviewer

Our favourite version of the Mercedes EQE is the least expensive one, the EQE 350+ Sport Edition. Mind you, it’s still a more expensive cash buy than an entry-level Audi A6 e-tron or BMW i5. 

Fortunately, the EQE comes with a decent amount of standard-fit luxuries, such as heated front seats with four-way lumbar support, wireless phone-changing and an EV heat pump. 

After Sport Edition, you can upgrade to AMG Line Edition for some sportier, AMG-branded exterior and interior touches. AMG Line Night Edition Premium (and that’s not even the biggest mouthful) adds some darker styling touches, as well as privacy glass for the rear windows.

Right at the top of the trim range is AMG Line Night Edition Premium Plus, which comes with 21in wheels, air suspension and rear-wheel steering. We think it's too expensive to recommend.

For the AMG 53 models, there are two trims: Night Edition and Night Edition Premium Plus. Along with the improved performance and rear-wheel steering, the 53 versions get some sportier styling details, including unique 21in alloys, an AMG-specific grille, a boot lid spoiler and sport seats.

The EQE does benefit from competitive PCP finance deals, although the rivals are predicted to hold their value against depreciation slightly better. You can find the latest prices by checking our New Car Deals pages.

As with all electric cars, the EQE will be much cheaper to run as a company car than a petrol or diesel, because of the very low BIK tax rate.

In terms of charging, all versions have a maximum charging speed of 170kWh, which is slower than the BMW i5 (205kW), and the Tesla Model 3 Long Range (250kW). A 10-80% charge should take 31 minutes if you can find a suitably powerful charging point, while a full charge using a 7kW home wall box charger will take a little over 14 hours.

When it was tested for safety by Euro NCAP, the EQE was awarded five stars out five, and scored highly for adult and child occupant protection. All versions have automatic emergency braking (AEB). The BMW i4 scored four stars the same year while the BMW i5 scored the full five stars.

The EQE didn't feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. Mercedes as a brand came in 22nd place out of 31 manufacturers, below BMW in eighth but above Audi in 24th.

You get a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and three years of breakdown cover, which is similar to BMW's offering. Audi's three-year warranty covers you up to 60,000 miles. Mercedes also gives you a 10-year/155,000-mile warranty on the battery. 

“I was glad to see that the Mercedes EQE gets plenty of equipment. Then again, at this price point, you would hope it would be well equipped.” – Oliver Young, Car Reviewer

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here