Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
The Mercedes EQS is significantly more expensive than the conventionally powered Mercedes S-Class so you’ll have to cover an awful lot of miles for it to pay off financially as a private buy.
On the other hand, company car drivers can massively reduce their benefit-in-kind (BIK) company car tax rate by going electric. Plus, the EQS is exempt from the London Congestion Charge, and will still be able to chauffeur people into city centres long after petrol rivals have been banned.
Standard driver aids include adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, in addition to the blind-spot monitoring system and rear-view camera. What’s more, the EQS is one of the safest cars yet tested by Euro NCAP, not only receiving its maximum five-star rating, but also scoring more than 90% for adult and child occupant protection.
On the other hand, Mercedes didn’t perform particularly well in our 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing 22nd out of 30 brands. The EQS was too new to be included in the survey.
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