Mercedes EQA review - Range, charging and running costs
The EQA has a reasonable range and decent charging capability, but will be expensive to insure
Mercedes claims the EQA has a maximum range of 264 miles from a single charge, although this figure drops to around 250-255 miles for versions equipped with the Premium Plus trim level. Real-world range for all-electric cars can depend on a number of different factors, including weather variations, driving style, vehicle load and even the starting charge of the battery and what optional equipment the car is fitted with.
We managed over 200 miles in our EQA test car during pretty chilly weather and found the trip computer to be reassuringly accurate - staying true to the amount of ground we’d actually covered. This will be of particular benefit to anyone with high levels of range anxiety when driving a battery-powered car.
The EQA offers similar range to the Volvo XC40 P8, although it trails the Volkswagen ID.4 which is able to cover in excess of 300 miles in Pro Performance guise before needing its battery topping up.
Charging capability of up to 100kW is decent enough, but the EQA again trails the Volvo XC40 P8 and Ford Mustang Mach-E which offer up 150kW charging power. It should take around 30 minutes to replenish the EQA’s battery from 10-80% using a public rapid charger, and just over 7 hours from empty to full with 11kW three-phase charging.
Insurance
Compared to the combustion-engined GLA model, the EQA will be quite expensive to insure. The EQA 250 cars sit in group 42-44, depending on which trim level you choose, while the GLA range starts from group 27 and only climbs above group 40 for the performance-orientated AMG versions.
The 225bhp EQA 300 4MATIC is in group 46, with the 288bhp 350 4MATIC variants rated in groups 47-48.
Depreciation
The EQA doesn't have the rock-solid residuals you might expect from an all-electric Mercedes model. The EQA250 versions perform the best in the range, holding onto an average of 52 per cent over three years and 36,000 miles, while the top-of-the-range E350 cars lag behind on 49 per cent over the same period.
