One of the best electric Mercedes-Benz SUV’s at the moment, in our eyes, is the amazing 7-seater (yes 7 seats) Mercedes-Benz EQB, effectively a re-worked Mercedes GLB which we also love. Although many class this as a large SUV, we’d push towards the medium size, but don’t be fooled, this car is ultra-practical and kind to those businesses who operate company cars.
Why we love it...
The Mercedes-Benz EQB has appealed to quite a few of our customers who need the 7-seats for their family but want to remain ahead of the game in terms of electric car motoring. Company car drivers love it thanks to the lower than usual Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax but many love it for its compact looks, premium interiors and enjoyable driving experience.
In the Cocoon Vehicles office we loved the Mercedes-Benz GLB, but this is something else, so long as you are comfortable with charging the car and the range. With that being said the EQB will give you at least 200 miles in most circumstances and when using CCS we saw a good top-up in around 40 minutes.
Inside
Internally, the EQB is very much like the GLB, smart and comfortable, premium feel that Mercedes is known for and seats that you can relax in to burn through the miles.
You get reach and height adjustment for the steering wheel and the seats also have plenty of adjustment to get it just right, for tall drivers there is plenty of space to sit comfortably.
Depending on the model, you get two large screens, one of which is touchscreen. This gives you the fantastic MBUX system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility (depending on version). The built-in Sat Nav is pretty good with compatibility with What3Words and of course you get a DAB Digital Radio for listening to Chris Evans in the morning.
All passengers on the 2nd row get ample space for legs and head, the seats are comfortable, sitting slightly higher than a usual car.
The third-row seats are really meant for children and smaller adults, they can be difficult to access but are perfect for short-runs.
Driving
We drove the EQB 300 and as with most electric cars, you get the nippiness from the minute you place your foot on the pedal.
Motoway driving is an absolute pleasure and as with most recent Merc’s, you can select the driving mode; Eco, Comfort or Sport. We used it in Comfort (The Default), most of the time but the Eco mode helped us save quite a bit of the battery’s range.
In our test car we achieve in excess of 200 miles on a charge, Mercedes official figure is 257 miles WLTP. There are other vehicles is better range in the market place, but do they have 7-seats?
Boot Space
If the 7-seats isn’t required, the standard boot space with the 5-seats in place is 500 litres, the squared off entry allows easy loading of suitcases, boxes, pushchairs or golf clubs. It is super practical.
Using the 7-seats reduces this and it is difficult to get many things in apart from a few bags of shopping or a YoYo Pushchair.
The seats are split, so you could have it as a 6-seater, leaving space for anything you need to carry.
Conclusion
The Mercedes-Benz EQB is by far our favourite so far, we loved the GLB so this was bound to be a firm favourite with us. It is great for those who need occasional 7-seats and an electric car, it is great for company car drivers with the BIK benefit.
Our only criticism of this car is the glossy shiny grille. We want to see electric cars looking more like traditional ICE cars. But this wouldn’t put is off choosing this car.
Mercedes EQB Subscription Offers
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