New Mercedes VLE previewed: electric MPV to offer eight seats
New Mercedes VLE MPV should offer more than 220 miles of range, and can turn in the tightest of spaces...
On sale Late 2026 | Price from £80,000 (est)
If you’ve ever struggled to weave a large car along a narrow urban street, then you’ll be familiar with how difficult it can be. And fortunately, it’s a problem that the new Mercedes VLE attempts to solve.
This replacement for the current Mercedes EQV – as well as its combustion-engined sibling, the V-Class – features rear-wheel steering, which can turn the back wheels at angles of up to seven degrees. That reduces the car’s turning circle to something similar to that of the far smaller Mercedes CLA, making it easier to park. We’ve already tried the system in a disguised prototype, and can confirm that it helps to make the VLE surprisingly easy to haul around tight spaces.
If you need help parking, then the VLE also comes with a system which can park in a designated space for you, as well as move you out of it to set off again. It can also remember the last 150 metres of your journey – turnings and all – which could be useful if you head into an alleyway and need to reverse your way out of it.
Most technical specifications about the new VLE are still under wraps for now, but we do know that it will be offered with a 115kWh battery. That’s significantly larger than the 75kWh packs of rivals including the Citroen e-Spacetourer and Vauxhall Vivaro Electric Life, which offer ranges of around 220 miles according to official figures. It’s also larger than the 96kWh battery fitted to the current EQV, with that car officially able to manage 213 miles. While the VLE’s official range has yet to be revealed, officials have confirmed that the car drove from Stuttgart to Rome – a distance of 683 miles – with two rapid charging stops along the way.
The VLE should be spacious inside, with seating for up to eight people on board. Today’s EQV is offered in a range of seating configurations to maximise either comfort or space for your luggage, and the same is likely to be true of the VLE.
And while prices have yet to be revealed, it’s expected that the VLE will be priced broadly in line with the EQV, meaning a starting price of around £80,000. At that price, the VLE will be substantially more expensive than other electric seven-seaters, but cheaper than the hybrid-only Lexus LM, which offers seven seats.
Mercedes is known to be working on an even more opulent version of the VLE, dubbed the VLS, which aims to offer the opulence and luxury of the S-Class limousine in a MPV-style body.
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