Mercedes EQE long-term test
The Mercedes EQE offers the longest real-world range of any car we've ever tested, theoretically making it the ideal choice for high-mileage drivers...
The car Mercedes EQE 300 Sport Edition Run by Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor
Why it’s here To see if Mercedes’ premium electric executive car can excel as a long-distance tourer and justify its price premium over cheaper rivals
Needs to Combine outstanding comfort and refinement with a class-leading real-world range
Miles covered 6122 List price £68,810 Target Price £64,810 Price as tested £69,505 Official range 380 miles Test range 280 miles Dealer price now £46,141 Private price now £41,015 Running costs (excl. Depreciation) Electricity £790
5 June 2024 – Ask me anything
As a motoring journalist, I often find myself being asked the same questions by friends, family and acquaintances: “What’s the best/worst/fastest/most expensive [insert your chosen adjective here] car you’ve ever driven?” However, in recent years, a more serious question has emerged, and that is: “Should I buy an electric car?”
It sounds simple enough to answer, but is actually surprisingly hard – especially in informal settings (like trying to eat copious amounts of cake at someone’s wedding). Everyone’s situation is different, with factors like financing, the ability to charge at home and how many miles you typically cover all coming into play. But for me personally, I’ve long believed that running an electric vehicle (EV) as my only car would be a struggle, due to my epic commute and the fact that my family is scattered across the country.
I ultimately made the leap reluctantly; the company car tax savings were just too big to ignore. However, without really noticing, I’ve covered more than 6000 miles in my Mercedes EQE over the past few months. And honestly, it has been a breeze, largely thanks to its impressive 300-mile real-world range.
I’ve read numerous opinion pieces on EVs claiming that fast charging is more important than a big range. But while I can see the logic (we’d all love to be able to top up a battery as quickly as we can a petrol tank), the patchy nature of the current charging network means the theory doesn’t survive contact with reality. There are just too few fast chargers, and those available are often unreliable. This makes the EQE’s range feel like a real luxury, allowing me to visit family in Yorkshire and Wales without needing to stop for a top-up.
Having a long range is only part of the story, though. Given the high cost of electricity, efficiency also matters. And during a recent interview that I did with Christoph Starzynski, vice-president of vehicle engineering and overall vehicle functions at Mercedes, I lost track of the number of innovations his team is working on to try to improve this. They’re experimenting with multi-source heat pumps, air-cooled batteries, solar panels, 850-volt electrical systems, active aerodynamics and cheaper, more energy-dense batteries.
As an engineering buff, this excites me massively. Yet, according to our sister magazine Autocar, slow sales of both the EQE and its bigger, more luxurious sibling, the EQS, have forced Mercedes to cancel the development of new underpinnings that would have been used on its future electric models and helped to speed up the arrival of some of this new technology in showrooms.
Adding to the woes, Mercedes has postponed its goal of EVs achieving a 50% share of its overall sales from 2025 to 2030 and has rolled back plans to sell EVs only by 2030 “in markets where the conditions allow”.
Still, it’s not all bad news. The new 300+ version of the EQE (which has just gone on sale as a replacement for my 300 model) has a huge official range of up to 431 miles – something that should make it an even better long-distance companion. So, if I had my time with the EQE again, it would be the version I'd opt for.
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