Mercedes-Benz EQS

Mercedes-Benz EQS at a glance

The rest of the Mercedes range, electric and combustion, is collected on the Mercedes-Benz catalogue page.

From Vision EQS to Factory 56

The Vision EQS show car appeared at the 2019 IAA in Frankfurt and set the basic shape: a cab-forward body with one continuous arc from the bonnet to the tail. The production saloon followed on 15 April 2021 and went into series production in May at Factory 56, a new assembly hall in Sindelfingen. The AMG version came in September 2021.

The car was designed around its battery from the start, with the pack lying flat between the axles. A wheelbase of 3,210 mm on a body of about 5.2 metres leaves short overhangs and a long, flat cabin floor.

Design and aerodynamics: Cd 0.20

Mercedes claimed a drag coefficient of 0.20, which Wikipedia DE describes as a record for a series production car at the time of launch. Low drag pays off most at motorway speed, where air resistance grows with the square of velocity and every hundredth of Cd shows up in the range.

The chassis uses a four-link front axle, a multi-link rear axle and air suspension that lowers the body by 20 mm above 120 km/h in Sport mode. Rear-axle steering is standard with 4.5 degrees of angle; the optional 10-degree setting cuts the turning circle from 11.9 m to 10.9 m, which is close to a compact car.

Battery, range and charging

The first cars used a 107.8 kWh (net) pack with NCM 8:1:1 cells from CATL; the entry EQS 350 had a smaller 90.6 kWh pack. Mercedes gives a battery warranty of 10 years or 250,000 km. With the April 2024 update the capacity rose to 118 kWh, and the 2026 update brought 112 or 122 kWh packs on an 800-volt system.

Charging has been the EQS's weaker side next to newer 800-volt rivals. CAR Magazine measured the 2024 car's strength in practice: 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 31 minutes at up to 200 kW, and 22 kW on a three-phase wallbox. On its mixed test route the 450+ covered about 375 miles (603 km), against the official 511 miles, at 3.2 miles per kWh. That gap of roughly a quarter between the WLTP figure and mixed real driving is typical for large electric cars in cool weather.

Versions and performance

Every road version except the AMG is limited to 210 km/h. The rear-driven 450+ is the efficiency choice: it carries the big battery without the weight and losses of a second motor. In 4MATIC cars the 2024 update allows the front motor to disconnect when it is not needed, and a heat pump became standard. Power alone says little about how quickly a 2.5-tonne car accelerates; the power-to-weight calculator puts the figures in context.

Interior, Hyperscreen and Drive Pilot

The optional MBUX Hyperscreen covers almost the whole dashboard with one glass panel. Beneath it sit three displays: the driver's screen, a central touchscreen and a separate screen for the front passenger, both touchscreens with haptic feedback. Cars without it have a conventional portrait-format centre screen.

The EQS also offers Drive Pilot, a Level 3 system available since May 2022. In approved conditions on motorways it drives itself at up to 60 km/h, so the driver may look away from the road in traffic jams. In Germany the option cost at least €5,950 in 2022. The 2024 update added reclining rear seats of up to 36 degrees as standard and raised the braked towing limit of the saloon from 750 kg to 1,700 kg.

Updates in 2024 and 2026

The first update, released on 10 April 2024, was described by Mercedes as an upgrade rather than a full facelift. Its main content was the 118 kWh battery, which Autocar put at more than 11 per cent extra range: up to 511 miles for the 450+ and 496 miles for the 450 4MATIC. Some trims also gained a chrome slatted grille with a bonnet-mounted star, closer to the S-Class.

The second update was unveiled on 14 April 2026. Wikipedia EN, citing Motor1, Auto Express and Carscoops, lists an 800-volt architecture and packs of 112 or 122 kWh. Every version charges at up to 350 kW, and the EQS 450+ is rated at up to 926 km. The line-up lists the EQS 400, 450+, 500 4MATIC and 580 4MATIC, and from late 2026 a steer-by-wire option with a yoke-style wheel is available. A 926 km rating means an EQS can, on paper, cover Munich to Hamburg without charging; in winter the real figure will be markedly lower.

Safety and Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP tested the EQS 450+ in 2021 and awarded five stars. Occupant scores reached 96 per cent for adults and 91 per cent for children; pedestrians and cyclists scored 76 per cent, and the assistance systems 80 per cent. Pedestrian protection is the relative weak point, as with many large, heavy saloons.

Sales and prices

When the price list appeared in August 2021, electrive reported a German starting price of €106,374; ordering for the cheaper EQS 350 opened in November 2021 at €97,806. In Germany 554 EQS were registered in 2021 and 2,717 in 2022.

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