Mercedes-Benz EQV Review 2025

A palatial luxury car that shares its bodywork with a panel van doesn’t sound like a great starting for an electric seven-seater briefed to lure large families out of gargantuan SUVs, yet this one succeeds on several fronts. Find out more about this plush people mover with our full Mercedes EQV review.

No matter how glitzy the Mercedes EQV’s detailing is, amplified further with a bold glossy grille panel as part of its 2024 facelift, its commercial vehicle origins are especially evident when viewed from the side.

Its bodywork is largely the same as that of the Mercedes Vito van as well as the EQV’s combustion-engined people carrier, the Mercedes V-Class. That most large MPVs are van-based nowadays ensures Mercedes’ take on the genre no longer sticks out like a sore thumb — but will car buyers consider it Mercedesy enough?

Starting at just north of £90,000 the Mercedes EQV has little genuine competition from other electric MPVs capable of carrying seven adults and their luggage. Yes, seven — since the EQV’s makeover the six-seater-with-table option’s been removed.

Now in long-wheelbase six- and seven-seater guise, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz comes close but doesn’t have the same high-end finish or as cavernous an interior, but its significantly less expensive.

Similar in size and price to the EQV is the Lexus LM although that’s a petrol-electric hybrid and not a full EV. Seven-seater versions are available but the LM’s primary draw is the priciest four-seater model complete with business class airline-style seats and a full-width widescreen monitor that rises behind the two front seats.

Otherwise you’re back to seven-seater electric SUVs such as the left-hand drive-only Tesla Model X, the even more expensive Volvo EX90 and the comparative bargain that is the Kia EV9.

Given that there’s only a certain amount of shape-enhancing styling you can apply to a wardrobe, it’s on-board that the Mercedes EQV comes into its own, particularly for those sat in the back where your view of the inelegant cliff face of a dashboard featuring faux timber and twin 12.3-inch screens is obscured.

Here five adults can sit comfortably on seats that recline a little and can be slid back and forth depending on legroom requirements. The two individual middle-row Captain’s chairs can also be unclipped and spun 180 degrees to face rearwards making it a more sociable space. They’re rather heavy, though, so you won’t want to rotate them too often.

Choosing the Mercedes EQV Extra-Long gives you a 230mm advantage over the shorter, erm, Long model, with the extra space all benefitting those in the back — or the amount of luggage space if you prefer.

Labelled Mercedes EQV 300 there’s just the one power choice for the electric motor, mounted under the short bonnet delivering 204PS to the front wheels. Its 12.1-second 0-62mph time doesn’t sound that impressive until you remember that it weighs close to three tonnes.

In lighter, lower electric cars a 90kWh battery would deliver an impressive driving range between recharges, but Mercedes only makes claims of 221-222 miles for the facelifted EQV. With a 110kW DC on-board charger hooking up to an ultra-rapid public charge point isn’t going to see you back on your travels that swiftly either.

Once you are you’ll soon appreciate the EQVs quietness and comfort — or at least your passengers will because for the driver most of the sensations feel anaesthetised, sensibly discouraging you from pressing on with unnecessary vigour.

If you need an electric car that can comfortably accommodate seven adults and their luggage the Mercedes EQV is arguably in a class of one — but accepting a few compromises does make the alternatives seem more tempting.

Mercedes EQV: Range

Once you get over the near-silent running, it’s the Mercedes EQV’s ride comfort which most impresses. 17-inch wheels equate to plenty of rubber in the tyre sidewalls to take the sting out of harsher ruts and bumps. Together with what Mercedes calls Comfort Suspension, they gang up with nicely squishy seats to offer largely smooth, rather regal progress.

The brakes are good and do a fine job of disguising the fact that they’re reining in something that weighs the best part of three tonnes. You can also use the steering wheel paddles to increase the amount of regenerative braking on offer but not, alas, to the point where the system brings the car to a standstill with one-pedal driving.

If you’re looking for something engaging to drive, an electric SUV is more likely suit you. Its effortless steering, so handy for urban manoeuvring, stays light at higher speeds, while the Mercedes EQV leans with Poseidon potential through bends. Aficionados of travel sickness will not thank the driver who tries too hard.

Wind and road noise are well-shackled and the EQV is as notably quiet barging down a motorway as it is pottering around town.

The only power option for the Mercedes EQV 300 — a 204PS electric motor driving the front wheels. Its 366Nm of torque delivers a 0-62mph dash time of 12.1 seconds, which is slow for an electric vehicle, but not bad for one weighing the best part of three tonnes.

Happily you off the line fairly smartish around town but acceleration does tail off a tad on the open road, so plan your overtakes accordingly. Maximum speed is 98mph, which is more than enough for something of this size.

The Mercedes EQV has not been specifically crash-tested by Euro NCAP but it shares the five-star safety rating of the combustion-engined V-Class, which was tested way back in October 2014.

That scored 93% in the Adult Protection category, 87% for Child Protection, 67% for Vulnerable Road Users and 85% for Safety Assist.

It’s not always the case than an electric version gets the same safety score as the regular petrol/diesel model but in this case Mercedes was able to show that the EQV would perform comparably to the V-Class in equivalent circumstances.

Unusually, the V-Class’s safety rating has not expired after seven years, which is generally the case for Euro NCAP safety ratings.

Standard safety equipment for the Mercedes EQV includes Active Brake Assist, Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC, Active Park Assist, Adaptive Brake Lights, Attention Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Hill-Start Assist, Lane-Keeping Assist, Parking Package with a 360-degree camera system, Pre-Safe system and Traffic Sign Assist.

Two body lengths for the Mercedes EQV are available — Long measures 5140mm bumper-to-bumper with a 3200mm wheelbase, while the Extra-Long, which was introduced as part of the 2024 facelift, stretches those numbers out to 5370mm and 3430mm, respectively. Every millimetre of the extra 230mm having gone into the distance between the front and rear wheels.

The EQV’s front seats are deliciously comfortable and despite a rather upright, van-like relationship with the wheel, the driving position is first class. Abetted by enormous amounts of glazing, visibility this high off the ground is excellent everywhere but centrally in the rear-view mirror, where the third row seating headrests hinder vision even when unoccupied.

Usefully the EQV’s 360-degree camera system — standard equipment on these giant Mercedes models — negates that issue.

Space in the rear compartment of the Mercedes EQV is little short of cavernous, if a tad inflexible in layout. Accessed by electric sliding doors, both body lengths give you two second row Captain’s chairs and a third row three seater bench. That’s it — no other optional layouts are available since the 2024 facelift. The second and third row seats are on rails, so you can dedicate extra space to either, or to the loadspace behind.

Luggage capacity ranges from 610 to an echoing 5010 litres. However, the third row bench seatbacks don’t fold down into the floor, so if you want to up the luggage ante you’ll have to remove the bench altogether — and then find somewhere to store it. Bring a friend and a hernia truss.

Moreover, the average parking space is unlikely to give you room to raise the EQV’s enormous tailgate, so it’s a good job the glass section opens independently for popping stuff aboard when hemmed-in.

Visually, there’s nothing much wrong with the quality of the Mercedes EQV’s interior, it’s more that it jars aesthetically.

Integral to the EQV’s 2024 makeover was that new dashboard and centre console, which is now a rather ugly cliff face of faux timber housing the twin 12.3-inch screens that make up the latest MBUX multimedia system, below which is a small curved plinth which houses its touchpad controller.

Happily the air-conditioning controls have been spared absorption into the screens and remain a simple physical row of buttons. Useful because the touchpad infotainment controller is tricky to use and the steering wheel-mounted controls are imprecise and prone to being activated by other parts of your hands while driving.

The rest of the black or beige leather-upholstered cabin is suitably opulent — with ambient lighting in up to 64 colours and, touch-sensitive controls aside, Mercedes’ focus on fine ergonomics still shines through.

Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment interface has been around for a while now and always attracts praise for its zero-layer concept which puts navigation, media controls and frequently used functions on the home screen permanently to avoid rummaging through a range of menus.

A powerful, new central processor and 5G data connectivity allows the latest-generation MBUX to offer a raft of new functions and services, with plenty of different ways to control them — touch, voice, mousepad-style controller and steering wheel-mounted haptics.

Naturally, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are on hand, as well as an integrated hard disc navigation system and wireless phone charging. Plus MBUX includes Entertainment, Interior Assistant (‘Ahem, excuse me sir…’) and Multimedia.

The touchpad remains no easier to use than when Lexus first trashed their own excellent infotainment set-up by introducing the idea many years ago.

The Mercedes EQV is expensive, with prices for the 300 Executive Long starting at £92,205 and for the 300 Executive Extra-Long £93,905.

Then again, both the left-hand drive-only Tesla Model X and the Lexus LM will set you back around £90,000, while the cheapest Volvo EX90 costs a daunting £96,255. All of which makes the £65,025 Kia EV9 seem somewhat tempting.

While acknowledging that even in long-wheelbase guise the Volkswagen ID.Buzz can’t match the EQV’s interior volume, it’s worth noting that the seven-seater versions range from

If you really must have a box, Lexus’ extraordinary LM — though available in seven-seat guise — is really at its best with just two business class rivalling reclining chairs serving up lashings of unalloyed luxury.

Meanwhile, the seven-seater, long-wheelbase Volkswagen ID.Buzz ranges from £59,545 to £67,945 — not such a tempting VIP chauffeuring business proposition, perhaps, but has a longer range and faster charging speeds to tempt the private buyer.

Its mammoth purchase price probably rules the Mercedes EQV out for most private buyers, except those who have managed to simultaneously acquire a large family, bank balance and taste for the finer things in life.

For corporate fleets, shuttle transfer companies and VIP travel operators, it’s easy to see one finding a home. And those running one as a company car will be heartened by a Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rate of only 2%.

Mercedes provides a three years, unlimited mileage warranty, and the battery is covered by an eight year or 100,000 mile warranty.

Mercedes EQV: driving range and charging

By today’s electric car standards the Mercedes EQV’s driving range on the WLTP Combined cycle of 222 miles for the 300 Long and 221 for the 300 Extra-Long aren’t particularly impressive.

Compare those with the seven-seater VW ID.Buzz’s figures of 280-291 miles depending on the model and the Benz is found wanting.

Nor do the EQV’s charging speeds make up for that disadvantage. Using an 11kW AC domestic wallbox Mercedes quotes 10 hours to replenish the 90kWh battery pack from 10-100%.

Using a public DC rapid charger, the EQV’s limited to a flow of 110kW, sufficient for a motorway services charge from 10-80% in about 45 minutes.

The ID.Buzz’s battery’s a tad smaller at 86kWh but being able to handle a 170kW DC charge will see you back on your travels far sooner.

With one electric motor choice and two body lengths, there’s just a solitary trim level for the Mercedes EQV — Executive.

Equipment highlights for the Mercedes EQV Executive include LED head lights with adaptive automatic main beam, electrically operated side doors, an opening tailgate window for convenient boot access, darkened rear privacy glass, automatic climate control with separate settings for the rear, heated front seats, the MBUX multimedia system with smartphone integration, wireless phone charging, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay phone connectivity and 64-colour ambient lighting.

The only difference in terms of equipment between the EQV Long and EQV Extra-Long is that the former has a five-spoke design for its 17-inch alloy wheels, the latter has 20 spokes.

Optional equipment is limited to metallic paint, a front seatback mount for a tablet computer, Bluetooth headphones and a safety case for an iPad Air2.