New Mercedes VLE revealed with eight seats and electric power

On sale Late 2026 | Price from £80,000 (est)

Don’t call it a van. No, really. You see, officials would rather you think of the new Mercedes VLE as being a fully fledged car, and one with more space than you might find elsewhere in the MPV market.

Despite what they might like, however, the VLE is, partly, a van. It sits on new underpinnings which will eventually underpin the next generation of Mercedes’ commercial vehicles, including the Mercedes Sprinter. And as well as allowing the VLE to be both smarter and more agile than the old Mercedes V-Class, those underpinnings also grant the ability to use electric power.

The VLE’s 115kWh (usable capacity) battery grants an official range of up to 434 miles on a charge. That’s comfortably more than rival electric MPVs such as the Citroën e-Spacetourer or Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric can manage, and is almost double the distance that the current Mercedes EQV can travel. When you need to plug in, the VLE’s 800-volt architecture allows it to accept charge at speeds of up to 320kW, meaning a 10-80% top-up can take as little as 25 minutes if you can find a suitably powerful charging point.

The first VLE to arrive will be the 300 electric, which features a single 200kW motor driving the front wheels. If you want four-wheel drive, you’ll need to wait for the 400 4Matic electric, which gets a second motor and boosts power to 305kW. This version can complete the 0-62mph sprint in a nippy 6.5 seconds.

Other upgrades include air suspension, aimed at eliminating the body lean which might typically accompany a large, box-like car through faster corners, and rear-wheel steering. The latter feature is said to reduce the VLE’s turning circle to about the same length as the latest Mercedes CLA. So while it might have the dimensions of a van, the new VLE should be every bit as manouverable as a car. And that’s likely to be useful when weaving down city streets or parking in tight spaces. If you’re worried about parking, every VLE comes with 10 cameras which should help to avoid any embarrassing scrapes.

Inside, the VLE has seating for up to eight occupants. Each of its two rear rows of seating can be configured in different ways, either to prioritise boot space, leg room for the second row, or to be removed entirely. Indeed, the seats feature small wheels on their bases to make unloading them for storage easier or moving them about the interior easier. 

Or you can use the infotainment system or Mercedes app to do the reconfiguring electrically.

If you like, you can specify your VLE with six seats or even four, and choose from different seats for the second row which, in their most expensive form, massage you and wirelessly charge your phone. Speaking of charging, in any VLE there are 10 USB-C charging points, meaning nobody should run out of juice on their devices.

With all three rows of seats in place, the VLE offers up to 795 litres of boot space, which means your family’s holiday luggage shouldn’t pose a problem. Remove the seats, and that space grows to a distinctly van-like 4078 litres. If that’s still not enough and you need to tow a trailer behind you, then the VLE is rated to tow up to 2.5 tonnes.

Anyone who has sat in a modern Mercedes will be familiar with the brand’s Hyperscreen concept, which features up to three screens positioned along the dashboard. There’s a 10.25in digital driver’s display, a 14in central infotainment screen, and a second 14in screen for the front passenger to use, which is optional. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a head-up display, and a retractable 31.3in screen hidden in the roof lining, which rear passengers can use to watch films, play games, or even join virtual meetings with an integrated webcam.

We’ve already sat inside the new VLE, and we were impressed with the overall fit and finish of the interior. There are a few hard, scratchy plastics to be found lower down, but in all of the places that you’re likely to touch regularly, the VLE feels premium. 

There’s also a good amount of space, even for taller adults relegated to the third row, and thanks to electrically operated side doors on both sides, getting in doesn’t require gymnast levels of flexibility.

Mercedes officials have already confirmed that a long-wheelbase version of the VLE will join the line-up before long, as well as models with a smaller 80kWh battery, and even versions equipped with combustion engines, most likely petrols. A super-luxury version dubbed the VLS is also in development, aiming to bring the opulence of the Mercedes S-Class limousine to the MPV market.

For now, though, the VLE will launch with electric power, meaning a starting price that’s expected to begin at around the same level as today’s EQV. 

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more: Best and worst MPVs >>