Mercedes EQA review

The Mercedes EQA is an alternative to the likes of the BMW iX3 and VW ID.4. It’ll also cost less than the Mercedes EQC SUV, despite having a greater range.

Moving from the GLA to the EQA is like coming across an android version of yourself. It looks really familiar, but it just goes about things in a quiet and efficient way. You can’t image the EQA having a laugh or telling rude jokes; it’s like a really swotty version of yourself.

The new Mercedes EQA is based on the GLA, but Mercedes has made plenty of changes to make sure you can tell them apart – the most obvious being a new front-end.

There’s no grille – electric cars don’t need big grilles, because they don’t have a hot engine that needs cooling. Instead, you get a big piece of shiny plastic, with a small air intake underneath – just like on the bigger EQC.

The full-width daytime running light between the headlights has also been inspired by the EQC (though you can also get one on a Volkswagen Golf).

It’s a bit trickier to tell the Mercedes EQA from the GLA when you look at it from the side, but the EQA does get some chrome strips, side skirts and a set of new alloy wheels. These kick-off at 18-inches and can be had up to 20-inches, and they’ve all been designed to cut through the air better than the alloys on a GLA.

The designers have been busy at the back, too. You get some new brake lights and another full-width light bar. And, because this takes up a lot of space on the bootlid Mercedes had to move the number plate down onto the bumper instead.

The Mercedes EQA feels classy enough, but kit such as adaptive cruise should be standard for this price.

The new EQA’s interior is basically the same as the GLA’s. It has the same simple layout and an almost identical dual-screen infotainment system as standard. This means you get two small seven-inch screens as standard.

Thankfully, most versions get a pair of larger 10-inch displays that look much nicer. There’s also the ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice command feature, which tries its best to understand commands spoken in plain English. Although, this system isn’t as good as BMW’s personal assistant.

Sat-nav comes as standard, and it’ll let you program routes according to where the fastest charging points are located, and how much charge you want to have in reserve when you arrive.

If you want 64-colour ambient lighting in a basic GLA it’ll cost you £3,000 as part of the Premium Pack, but this comes as standard in the EQA, along with a new mood-lit dashboard.

Depending on which version of the EQA you go for, you can also get rose gold trim on the air vents. And you can get seats with matching trim made from recycled plastic bottles. Like most electric cars, the EQA is a five-seater. So, if you’re after a small 7-seat EV, you’ll just have to wait for the Tesla Model Y…

There’s only one choice of motor and battery at the moment. This model is called the EQA 250 and it comes with a single electric motor with 190hp and 375Nm of torque. This lives under the bonnet and drives the front wheels. It’ll accelerate from 0-60mph in 8.9 seconds, which is about the same as a regular GLA 200 with a 163hp petrol engine.

Weight is the reason the new, more powerful car isn’t any quicker – the EQA weighs just over two tonnes, which is 370kg heavier than a GLA 200.

The standard Mercedes EQA gets regular coil springs and dampers. But you can pay extra for adaptive suspension. This lets you choose from soft, comfortable settings, or you can firm everything up to make the EQA feel sportier to drive. It works really well, dealing with road scars and speed bumps easily.

Mercedes EQC Range and Charging

The new Mercedes EQA can do a pretty impressive 265 miles on a charge according to the latest WLTP tests. This means the EQA can actually manage a few more miles than the bigger (and more expensive) EQC. However, our test suggested that a real-world range of nearer 190 miles is perhaps more likely.

The 66.5kW battery will take just under 6 hours to charge from 10% to 100% using an 11kW wall box. You can also plug it into a 100kW public fast charger, which will recharge it from 10% to 80% in half an hour.

There’s a long-range version on the way that will do more than 310 miles on a single charge. That’s about the same as a Tesla Model Y Long Range, which can manage 314 miles before needing more juice.

Mercedes is going to make a sportier version of the EQA with two electric motors. This will keep the first electric motor under the bonnet, but it’ll add another one under the boot floor to drive the rear wheels to make it four-wheel drive.

This version will have around 270hp, so it should be a whole lot quicker than the standard EQA, but it’ll probably still be slower than the 306hp AMG GLA 35. That’ll cover the 0-60mph sprint in 5.2 seconds.

You can rest easy knowing the Mercedes EQA comes with loads of clever safety tech. You get all the basic stuff, such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping alert, as standard but there’s also a system that’ll spot pedestrians in the road. And, it can warn you if it spots someone on the pavement who looks like they’re about to step onto a zebra crossing. It’ll also alert you if you’re about to open your car door into pedestrians or cyclists.

On top of that, you can also get Mercedes’ latest adaptive cruise control, so the EQA can accelerate, brake and steer for you on motorways. The bad news is that you have to pay extra to have this installed, no matter which trim level you choose.