Currently, the automotive market suffers from what I like to call "the fast production syndrome", which led to some manufacturers have a lower quality control and some cars may feel "cheaper" when it comes to the materials and the assembly, without the price going down, either. Meaning that you have more expensive cars now, but with a quality that feels worse than their counterparts from 15 years ago.

Mercedes EQB briefly:

  • The Mercedes EQB is basically an electrified version of the GLB, but it's not as luxurious as the Mercedes EQE
  • It sports a more squared-off design, rather than a coupe-style SUV
  • The fuel consumption during my testing was around 16.1 kWh
  • 73% battery remaining was estimated to last for another 351 kilometers
  • AC charging is done at 11 kW, while a DC plug will power the car from 20-80% in 30 minutes at 1 00kW
  • The accelerator has a haptic input, which means that it will respond to how firmly and quickly you press it to deliver smooth or more powerful accelerations
  • The test version was the one with 190 horsepower and front-wheel drive
  • There are more powerful 4Matic options, as well, but they drain the battery quicker
  • The EQB's boot has 495 liters of capacity in standard, but reaches up to 1710 liters with the backseat folded
  • You can equip this car with up to 7 seats for more numerous families
  • The tactile buttons on the steering wheel might work against you and finding the right setting from there will distract you
  • Mercedes EQB is 62.000 euros in the version I tested, which came with an additional winter package, as well as some additional technologies

Mercedes EQB has a sustainable and high-quality build

The same can't be said about the Mercedes EQB, luckily. This car feels very well made if we're talking about the materials found on the inside, whether it's about the doors, the seats or the dashboard, for example. The materials are sustainable, as well, according to the manufacturer.

For example, Mercedes uses sound amplifiers in its cars to amplify sounds coming from inside, as well as outside the car, as well as to equalize the Burmester sound system and these sound amplifiers are made from recycled materials on the EQB, as well. The car also comes with sustainable materials, such as recycled plastic and leather alternatives, things I noticed in the EQE, as well, but I think it's best to discover everything sustainability-related for Mercedes cars yourself from the company's dedicated page.

Although it's basically an electrified GLB, so somewhat lower in Mercedes' line-up, this car doesn't have much hard plastic on the inside and where the material has been implemented, it is of the glossy and good quality kind. It's not as premium as the EQE that we've tested earlier this year, but it still doesn't skimp on the build.

Comfort in the Mercedes-Benz EQB

What I truly appreciated with the EQB is how comfortable and practical this type of squared chassis really is. Compared to the EQA, which Vlad tested a couple of years back and that is somewhat similar to this car, the EQB is designed to look almost like a cube, which is not necessarily sexy in 2025, when most carmakers come with couple-like SUVs. But I am definitely glad that Mercedes chose to do things differently with this model, because it offers a very spacious boot, as well as quite a bit more space for passengers in the back.

To get an idea, the boot of the EQA measures 340 liters, while the EQB's is 495 liters in standard. With the backseats folded, they grow to 1320 liters for the EQA, while for the EQB it reaches an impressive 1710 liters, so if you're looking for the more practical ride, forget about what your neighbors and relatives will say and just buy the EQB. And since the ride is so much more spacious in the back, offering more headroom, Mercedes thought to offer the EQB as a 7-seater option, not just 5. So, behind the backseat you can have 2 more seats and turn this car into an MPV, but let me convince you against this.

If you choose to add the extra 2 seats in the back, you will lose nearly all that beautiful space in the boot and the passengers sitting all the way back may not feel the most comfortable. It's not that spacious of a ride after all. If you truly need more than 5 seats in a car, you're better off buying the EQV or something similar. By the way, we tested the EQV last year and I can tell you that is truly a very good car for large families or if you need to carry more stuff besides a large number of people.

Back to the comfort of the EQB, I appreciated that you have easy access in this car, since the door frames are large, and so is the hatch for the boot, so you won't have much trouble getting in and out of it or arranging the luggage.

The front seats are very comfortable, if not as much as those found on the EQE, but you'll likely feel rested in them even after a longer trip. They have 3-level heating, but lack ventilation and they come with manual adjusting, at least on my variant. I suspect there are electric front seats on higher-end trims, but if you're the only driver, I don't think there'll be much hassle adjusting the seat once for your comfort and then forgetting about it.

On my testing car the leather on the seat was dark gray and somehow it didn't heat up much when it stayed in the sun and the climate system works wonderfully and cools down the interior in just a few minutes, even on the lowest ventilation setting. I appreciate that Mercedes put textile materials on the seating and back areas of the seats, which helps when temperatures are soaring. The backseat is built in a similar way, as well, with the comfort being good there, too, and there's plenty of headroom, even if you're a bit taller, while legroom is surprisingly good, definitely better than I initially expected.

Other things to mention comfort wise are the two USB-C ports found inside the armrest, which is cooled from what I can tell, since I found my wallet cool to the touch after a 1-hour drive. There are two more USB-C ports in the back, under the ventilation passage and the middle seat on the backseat can be turned into an armrest with two cupholders.

How is it to drive the EQB 250+

Let me tell you a bit about how it is to drive this beauty and what you can expect from the driving experience. I only drove two other Mercedes models in the past and let me tell you that the driving experience is largely the same, including the way the accelerator feels. Mercedes continues to use a haptic pedal, which means that you press it and depending on how much and fast you do it, the car will respond accordingly to offer faster accelerations or a smoother ride.

It takes me about a day to accommodate with it and you might not have the most economical driving style initially.

Engine options on the EQB

I had the version with 190 HP and FWD, coupled with a 73.9 kWh battery, which promises around 500 kilometers of range and dare I say it's nearly the same as the EQE 300 as far as range is concerned. At speeds in excess of 130 km/h, the EQB becomes noisier and loses on the efficiency side a bit more, due to its boxy shape, but it is a family-focused SUV after all.

You can choose from two other electric motor options on the EQB, both 4Matic, 228 HP and 292 HP respectively, but they come with a smaller, 69.7 kWh battery and the range drops by around 100 kilometers. The two 4Matics are clearly faster and more capable in off road situations, but are they worth the range trade-off? That's something you need to answer yourself, personally I'd pick the base version for the better comfort in long journeys and because it's plenty fast.

If you turn on sport mode, it feels very much alive and it's plenty quick even in comfort mode for the occasional overtaking, but I noticed that it suffers from that torque-steering phenomenon when you go pedal to the metal, meaning that it pulls slightly left-right. This is something common for cars with a FWD system and transversally-mounted engines and here it's more noticeable since more power reaches the wheels.

Energy consumption Mercedes EQB

The final energy consumption after around 130 kilometers of driving was 16.1 kWh and I was left with 73% in the battery, estimated to last for another 351 kilometers, good numbers given that I played with it quite a bit and it's not necessarily the most efficient by shape and weight. In the city, the soundproofing is very good and still holds up even at nation al road speeds, especially if you're playing music at even lower volume.

I drove it across concrete pavers, as well, where the comfort was good, and tram tracks alongside road indentations were dealt with very nicely, but it's also fairly stable around corners, too, without being a sporty car necessarily. So, I think this is a good choice for a family that looks for an electric SUV that's practical and comfortable, suitable for longer journeys and with plenty of engine options to choose from.

AC charging happens at 11 kW, while DC charging goes up to 100 kW, reaching 80% from 20% in just 30 minutes, as per Mercedes.

Integrated technologies and "buy later" options on the Mercedes EQB

When it comes to integrated technologies, the EQB isn't much different from the EQE or EQV that we've previously tested. In fact, they all use the same MBUX system that you might have seen in previous years, but which I think shouldn't be changed necessarily. Maybe I got used to it, but ergonomically speaking, Mercedes engineers did a great job making most things accessible. You can turn off speeding alters with a single touch and most of the safety ADAS systems can be turned on or off by touching a button that resembles the shape of a car. Quick CarPlay access is done by touching a designated button that's always in the top-left corner of the main screen.

I continue to appreciate the navigation from Mercedes, even if it looks like a Windows 7 app, because it's detailed and shows in real time local charging stations, their power output and how many charging points are available at the time. Why don't more carmakers do this?

CarPlay works well, something that I've noticed on other Mercedes models and the microphones are well-suited for phone calls. The music sounds very good on the Burmester speaker system found on this car, packing 10 speakers and 225W of power, more than enough for you to listen whatever you feel like loud and clear. I appreciate the quality and clarity of the sound output from Mercedes' factory eq settings.

Now let's turn to things that I didn't appreciate very much, one of them being the steering wheel. There's nothing wrong with it in general, it's comfortable and grippy, it has heating, so everything you might need. But as I said when testing the EQE, I don't want to see touch buttons on a steering wheel anymore. These buttons make operating basic functions difficult and sometimes, you might accidentally touch the back button and wonder "What happened to my maps?" Touch it again and it'll reappear. Let alone the volume slider, which is very inconsistent and which "jumps" the volume too much up or down. At least there' a physical wheel on the center console for that, but I want one on the steering wheel, as well.

Another thing, why do we need to have safety features locked behind a paywall? I am talking about the adaptive cruise control. The car can maintain the speed that you set, a useful feature on the highway, but it couldn't keep the distance from the car in the front in my case, because the feature needed to be purchased separately. Yes, this is exactly what the car tells you when you try to adjust the distance it keeps from the vehicle ahead of you. The radars required for this system are already available and it's clear they work, why would I need to pay extra for this feature on a car that's over 62.000 euros? On the BYD Dolphin Surf or the Dacia Bigster I don't need to pay more to activate it.

Conclusions Mercedes-Benz EQB

To conclude, is the EQB worth 62.000 euros? If you absolutely desire an electric family-oriented SUV from Mercedes, then I believe this is the optimal variant. It's spacious, comfortable, powerful even in its base configuration, the range is good to very good and the charging speed is well-suited, too. Realistically speaking, it's a solid car that doesn't have many drawbacks other than the higher price tag and a very fierce competitor. You know which one? It's gasoline or diesel-powered brother.

The Mercedes EQB is in fact the electrified version of the GLB, which you can find brand new at around 50.000 euros and that offers basically the same experience and furthermore, better range and the comfort of a quicker fill-up time. I still believe that the EQB is a strong competitor in the compact electric SUV segment, built solidly and with the benefits that make a Mercedes special, but you have to weigh carefully whether you want to make the step towards such an EV.

Strengths:

  • good range on the base version
  • space and comfort for the family
  • quality materials and technologies
  • can be configured with 5 or 7 seats

Weaknesses:

  • some features require later payments

  • higher-end engine options have substantially worse range

  • the petrol or diesel-powered GLB offers largely the same experience and is cheaper