Mercedes EQC long-term test: report 6

The car Mercedes EQC 400 4Matic AMG Line Premium Plus Run by Jim Holder, editorial director

Why it’s here We want to discover if Mercedes' first mainstream EV is a match for the opposition, worthy of its near-£80,000 price tag and fits into everyday life

Needs to Deliver a wow factor befitting its price, without any limitations resulting from its mode of propulsion that compromise its everyday usability

Miles covered 2120 Price £74,610 Target Price £74,610 Price as tested £77,200 Official range 232 miles Test range 199 miles

13 January 2021 – Stretching expectations in lockdown

Lockdown being lockdown, I have got very much into the habit of living with 50 miles of charge in the Mercedes EQC and running it down to less than ten miles before plugging in. At current levels of socially conscious travelling for essentials only, that’s almost two weeks of mileage.

It’s a great example of how living with an EV transforms your perceptions. In a combustion engined car the fuel light comes on at 50 miles of fuel to go and I sweat increasingly profusely until I fill up. With an EV you can take comfort from being so much more precise, as you learn an understanding of what you need and what you think you need.

Sure, I’d be irritated if I got an unexpected call to travel 100 miles at an hour’s notice (which has yet to happen in my 46 years), but even then there’s a fast charger ten minutes away I could just plug in to.

It takes a bit of time, but a lot of the barriers you think would be an issue with an EV turn out to simply relax away in time.

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