Mercedes EQC Review

The EQC finished production in 2023 and, when they were new, most versions cost more than £70,000. That was a hefty sum for early adopters to swallow and, as a result, the EQC failed to make much of an impact on the market. Cars like the Tesla Model Y and Audi Q4 e-tron could go much further on a charge, while offering more practicality for even less money.

Take a quick glance at used Mercedes EQCs, however, because you'll find plenty of three-year-old examples – just like our test car – hovering around £30,000. That's an astonishing saving of roughly £40,000 over to the EQC's list price. A discount that size is hard to ignore, and makes used EQCs more affordable than lots of similarly aged luxury SUVs, including the Mercedes GLC – the EQC's fuel-powered counterpart.

The EQC never had the range or charging speeds to justify its purchase price, but it feels every ounce as expensive inside. Its cabin is stylishly designed and sumptuously trimmed, and kitted out with Mercedes' flashy dual-screen infotainment setup. The brand also resisted the Porsche-like temptation to put most of the equipment on the options list, with all models including either faux or real leather upholstery, climate control, heated front seats, cruise control and a powered boot lid, plus sat nav and optional Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity.

At comfortably more than 4.7 metres long, the EQC is a big, imposing car, even with its oddly rounded aerodynamic styling. You'd hope having big bones would mean lots of cabin space, but the EQC falls short of most rivals here. Rear legroom is decidedly average for the class, while the car's subtly sloping roofline means rear headroom is even worse. This also impacts the boot, with the roof eating into the cargo space's height, and the battery pack robbing most of your underfloor storage.

Just one drivetrain setup was offered in the UK market – an 80kWh battery pack with a motor on each axle, combining for 408hp and four-wheel drive. That stout power output makes light work of the EQC's substantial 2.5-tonne kerb weight, and means you always have masses of grunt in reserve for leaping into spots in traffic. It's not the abundant power that leaves a lasting impression, however, but the EQC's incredible refinement – you barely hear a whisper when cruising around normally, with just the faintest hum if you lean on the throttle.

Ultimately, this is an extremely likeable car – but only if you can live with the compromises it demands. The EQC's last-generation EV setup means you'll need a home charger to avoid spending lots of time and money at public chargers. Nor is it an especially practical SUV considering the space it takes up on the road. However, if you can fit an EQC into your life, you'll be getting an awful lot of car for the money, with properly luxurious features and an imperious driving experience.

Considering the EQC shares chassis parts with the fuel-powered GLC, the two cars' cabins are quite different. Unique to the EQC is a jutting upper dashboard with a section hollowed out for the dual-screen infotainment pod. Ambient lighting with 64 colours to choose from frames this section, along with the centre console and door panels. There are neat details include the bronze accents on the air-vent slats, door trims and upholstery. We also like the metal grilles that run from the edge of the doors, around the back of the dashboard to the opposite side, helping you feel like you're piloting a yacht.

Entry-level Sport cars feature either black or beige faux-leather upholstery, while you'll find black leather on all AMG Line versions. As standard, you get heated front seats with electric adjustment for height, angle and lumbar support, but you'll have to manually adjust the seat's fore-aft position and your under-thigh support. If that sounds like too much effort, upgrade to range-topping AMG Line Premium Plus models for full 12-way electric adjustment and seat memory functions.

All EQC models get broadly the same infotainment setup – a pair of 10.25-inch screens in a single dash-top pod. The screen behind the steering wheel shows speed and trip information for the driver, while the other serves as the main infotainment touchscreen. It's a slick system, both in terms of its sharp graphics and its quick responses to inputs. Learning your way around the menus is simple enough, but we can't help but feel Mercedes has thrown a few too many colourful and glossy details at the system that make it harder to spot the info or feature you're actually looking for.

This is especially obvious in the driver's cluster. It feels overloaded with information randomly scattered about the screen, with a few too many different fonts and icons competing for your attention. Swapping to any of the other configurable 'themes' did little to fix this problem. On the plus side, however, you'll find a laptop-style trackpad in the centre console, which makes it easier to operate the infotainment system while driving – a detail that's been removed from newer Mercedes models. We also appreciate that the EQC retains physical climate controls, rather than the fiddly screen-based setups some rivals have swapped to.

Compare the EQC's practicality to a dedicated ground-up EV like the Tesla Model Y, and the Mercedes falls very short of the mark. What's worse is the EQC doesn't even compare especially well against other more conventional cars. Models like the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and even Mercedes' own fuel-powered GLC all pip the EQC for passenger and cargo space.

You can adjust the front seats back really far, so it's safe to assume even a very tall adults will be able to get comfortable. Do so, however, and you'll find you've robbed all the rear legroom from the seat behind you – something that would be less of an issue in cars like the Model Y, Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5. Assuming your family isn't right at the far edge of the bell curve for height though, you'll be able to fit four average-sized adults in the EQC in decent comfort. The rear seats are supportive and don't leave passengers sat bolt upright, but lofty rear passengers might find their heads brush the ceiling as the EQC's gracefully sloping roofline eats into the space.

That roofline keeps flowing downwards as it gets to the boot, which has a tangible impact on the overall height of the cargo area. Compared to other conventional SUVs like the GLC, you won't be able to carry as tall objects in the EQC – limiting your options in the local garden centre. The overall width and depth is pretty good, leading to the boot's respectable 500-litre capacity, but the floor itself sits high to allow the battery pack and rear electric motor to be slung underneath, eating into total space. There is a little underfloor storage for charging cables and a puncture kit, but the space's inconsistent moulded shape mean it isn't useful for cargo. Like other EQ models, there's no frunk, either, which is disappointing.

Cabin storage is about average for the class, with respectable door bins, a flip-top spot in the centre console for cupholders and your phone, and a reasonable centre cubby between the front seats. The glovebox on most models is also usefully big, but our AMG Line Premium car included Mercedes' Air-Balance fragrance system, which takes up a portion of the glovebox to hold the scent jar.

All AMG Line cars and above include standard-fit aluminium running boards. These look good and, in theory, make it easier to step up into the cabin but, in practice, we didn't think they were that useful. They're mounted quite low to the ground – the EQC itself doesn't ride particularly high for an SUV of this size – which meant we found ourselves instinctively stepping over the boards and into the car, rather than onto the boards and then into the car.

There's just one battery and motor setup available in the UK – the higher-end EQC 400. This means an 80kWh battery pack powering a dual-motor setup, giving the car four-wheel drive. Mercedes' advertised range figures are around 250 miles for a full charge, giving or taking a few miles either way depending on what size wheels you have equipped.

In the real world, you're likely to only reach these numbers by travelling mostly at lower speeds. Expect closer to 190 miles on a full charge if you're travelling at motorway speeds, and possibly less than that if temperatures are especially low. That means the EQC probably has enough range for most buyers for most journeys, but can't match the long-legged performances achieved by almost all newer rivals.

As ever, it'll be much easier to fit the EQC into your life if you have the ability to charge an EV at home. The EQC will accept AC power at up to 11kW but most houses only have single-phase electricity, so you're limited to a 7kW wall box – at this speed, you can recover a 10-100% charge in around 11 hours. If you're using public DC fast chargers on a longer journey, the EQC can accept up to 110kW, which should return a 10-80% charge in 40 minutes.

The '400' in the car's name roughly approximates its 408hp output – courtesy of its two electric motors. That's a big number, even accounting for the EQC's hefty weight. Floor it, and here's a very brief ramp up before the car reaches max power, resulting in the satisfying feeling of getting pushed firmly into your seat, rather than the Tesla-like neck snap we've come to expect from powerful EVs. There's prodigious shove all the way up to motorway speeds, so the EQC never encounters a situation where it feels underpowered. And – apologies to Hans Zimmer and his work with BMW – but we prefer the muted whir the EQC makes on full throttle to the odd soundscapes you'll find in a BMW i5, for example.

Considering the avalanche of power the electric motors imbue the EQC with, it's remarkable how little they make themselves heard in the cabin. In fact, the EQC is easily one of the quietest cars we've ever driven. There's barely a whisper of wind noise at speed, no drone from the tyres, no roar from traffic around you, with just the faintest thumps heard from the suspension if you listen very hard. All this is extra impressive when you consider the EQC doesn't have an engine under the bonnet masking all these intrusions.

It's not just impressive – it totally defines the way you feel about the EQC when you drive it. Few cars this side of a Rolls-Royce can replicate the kind of serenity it can achieve, with no sense or audible evidence of strain as you cruise around. All this encourages you to drive the EQC calmly, which is where the car is at its best, with light controls, quick reactions and nothing but the tranquillity of the cabin to soothe you on your way.

You'll notice that none of this sounds especially exciting, and that's where the EQC begins to fall short. If you're looking for something that puts more 'sports' into a sports utility vehicle, this isn't it. Throw the EQC at a corner with any kind of gusto and you may be surprised how quickly the tyres start to complain about handling the car's massive heft. You'll also find the relatively soft suspension leads to progressively more body roll as your inputs get more violent.

Hit a big bump or an undulation at speed and you might also sense the suspension fighting to control the car's massive weight. It's generally comfortable and manages to blunt most of the hard edges when you hit potholes or cracks in the road, but there's only so much it can do to hide 2.5 tonnes getting thumped over craggy British roads. Our AMG Line Premium car came with stunning multi-spoke 21-inch wheels, giving it great stance when parked up, but we reckon the 19s on entry-level Sport models will ride a little better, so might be the smarter choice.