Mercedes-Benz EQA Starts From €47,540 Pre-Incentives, 426km WLTP & 30 Minute Charging

January 20th, 2021 by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Mercedes-Benz has just shown off its incoming EQA full battery electric vehicle, due to start European deliveries in March 2021. The range and charging specifications of the first edition “EQA 250” are decent, a rough match for the larger Audi e-tron (which has proven very popular in Europe), and at a competitive price point for a premium brand.

Let’s take a look at the basic specs of the launch model, the EQA 250:

Other key specs (beyond those in the above image):

WLTP rated range of 426 km (265 miles), later variants will offer >500 km
0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds, later variants faster & AWD
160 km/h top speed
Regenerative braking up to the e-motor’s full power of 140 kW
Heat pump with powertrain heat scavenging for cold weather efficiency
DC charging up to 100 kW peak, 30 minutes 10% to 80% SoC
AC charging up to 11 kW
Length / width / height – 4463 / 1834 / 1620 mm
Kerb weight 2040 kg
8 year / 160,000 km battery warranty

The vehicle length is the same size as its platform-sharing GLA combustion siblings, as well as being in the same class as the BMW X1. This makes it slightly larger than the Kia Niro BEV (4355 mm), slightly smaller than the Volkswagen ID.4 BEV (4585 mm).

Technical Capability

The Audi e-tron is a larger size class (4901 mm), though the WLTP rated range is similar (the e-tron gives 2% more range at 436 km, 272 miles), and both offer the same 30 minute DC fast charging.

Given the size difference, why mention the Audi e-tron in the same breath as the EQA? Because the e-tron’s all-important range and charging abilities, despite not matching Tesla’s long-range vehicles, have already proven sufficient to gain strong sales in the European market. The Audi e-tron is the currently Europe’s #5 best selling BEV, despite the premium price point of €70,550+ (pre-incentives price in Germany) for the “e-tron 55” variant.

The EQA arrives in the initial “EQA 250” variant providing the same range and charging ratings as the Audi, and so logic suggests its capabilities will also prove sufficient for a large portion of potential European owners. And of course the EQA starts at a more accessible price point…

Price Point

The €47,540 price of this initial variant will translate to €39,950 after incentives (German market), which will place it only €3000 above the entry price of its combustion GLA siblings. That sticker price differential will be paid back in around 2 years by substantial running cost savings, and accumulating savings every year thereafter.

Mercedes are suggesting that EQA will live up to the premium experience of the brand, with focus on sound insulation, and powertrain damping for vibration mitigation. If Mercedes’ EQC electric vehicle is anything to go by, the EQA should offer a very comfortable passenger compartment. Here’s the EQA 250’s cabin layout, notice the large screen for most functions, and also the useful independent physical controls for HVAC, and physical media and driving controls on the steering-wheel:

Obviously the EQA is more expensive than the Volkswagen ID.4 (starting price in Germany of €43,329 pre-incentives for the 520 km WLTP variant), since Mercedes is positioning the EQA as offering a premium experience and sufficient technical capabilities.

We’ll have to wait for some independent hands-on reviews to get a sense of whether that experience really stands out, but from the promotional videos, it certainly looks premium:

The European order book for the EQA will open in early February 2021, and first deliveries are currently planned for March. The vehicles will be made in both Germany and China.

With the balance of specs, the brand’s premium experience, and the price point, I can see the EQA being in high demand. Let’s see if Mercedes are ready to step up to meet all of that demand. I’ve reached out to Mercedes about planned production volumes and will update if we get more information.

Article media courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

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Tags: audi e-tron, China, Europe, European electric vehicle sales, Germany, Mercedes-Benz EQA, Mercedes-Benz EQC, Tesla

About the Author

Dr. Maximilian Holland Max is an anthropologist, social theorist and international political economist, trying to ask questions and encourage critical thinking about social and environmental justice, sustainability and the human condition. He has lived and worked in Europe and Asia, and is currently based in Barcelona. Find Max's book on social theory, follow Max on twitter @Dr_Maximilian and at MaximilianHolland.com, or contact him via LinkedIn.

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Published on January 20th, 2021 | by Dr. Maximilian Holland