Mercedes EQA is a mid-range electric SUV, unveiled in 2021 and launched on the market in a few weeks. It is based on gas-powered SUV Mercedes GLA, same chassis, same sizes and almost the same exterior & interior design. German carmaker only took the internal combustion engine out and replaced it with electric motors and battery system.

EQA has both AWD and FWD options. Dual motor EQA 4MATIC can produce 292 HP and 520 Nm torque. It takes 6.0 seconds to get from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) with the fastest version. All versions provide 60 kWh battery capacity. EQA can travel up to 432 kilometers when fully charged. Compact electric SUV works with 100 kW DC plugs, charging from 10% to 80% is around 30 minutes.

Mercedes-Benz has been producing the EQA both in Germany and China. It is the cheapest electric Mercedes on market. Pricing starts at €47,541 for the front-wheel-drive EQA 250, €53,538 for the EQA 300 4MATIC, and €56,215 for the EQA 350 4MATIC.

Performance

Mercedes EQA offered in three forms: the base model front-wheel-drive EQA 250, and AWD dual motor version EQA 300 4MATIC and EQA 350 4MATIC. The base version EQA has 190 HP, 375 Nm torque, 0-100 km/h performance around nine seconds.

All-wheel-drive EQA 300 4MATIC can produce 228 horsepower and 390 Nm torque, whereas the most advanced variant of range EQA 350 4MATIC has 292 horsepower, 520 Nm torque. Acceleration figures from 0 to 100 km/h are 7.7 seconds and 6.0 seconds respectively.

Design and Features

Mercedes basically used everything they can from the GLA when making the EQA, interior and exterior designs are very similar. There are only a couple of distinctive differences, such as EQC-style headlights, full length taillights shaped like a lightbar, and the aero-efficient front grille along with the new wheels that helps reduce drag and increase range.

German car manufacturer put the battery pack on top of the existing chassis of the GLA and that raises the floor quite a bit. This can cause passengers to feel uncomfortable, but at least the cabin height is decent enough to give occupants more room up high. Volvo XC40 Recharge did a better job at preserving the comfort of the back seat while transforming an existing vehicle to electric.

There are tons of EQ badges all around the interior, Mercedes constantly reminds you that EQA is an electric SUV. Design and materials all look and feel premium, as they should. Two 10.25-inch displays create a digital cockpit around the driver. Mercedes’s MBUX user interface still lags on some occasions, but you can always use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for more functionality.

There is no trunk capacity on the front as you would expect. Because of the electric motor sitting on the rear axle, regular truck capacity is not very good either. Compact SUV provides great comfort to its driver and passenger, but back seats are not that comfortable and cargo space is very limited. EQA is the direct rival of the Tesla Model Y. Unfortunately, it not only lacks the range and speed, but also has less space and offers less practicality than the Tesla SUV.

Range and Charging

Both FWD and AWD EQAs all have the same 66.5 kWh battery pack. EQA 250 and EQA 300 4MATIC offer 426 kilometers of range. EQA 350 has slightly better range estimates around 432 km.

Mercedes EQA supports 100 kW DC charging; it can get from 10 percent charge to 80 percent in 30 minutes. It takes less than 6 hours to fully charge the vehicle when plugged into the wallbox or an AC charger.