Volt upright
£53,610
FOR A proper seven-seat EV that isn’t a van
AGAINST Not exactly cheap, 200 miles real-world range
The Mercedes Benz EQB is something for now at least fairly unique It’s an all electric seven seater that isn’t a Stellantis van and yet still starts at a vaguely palatable price Yep we’re looking at you Tesla Model X and the circa k we’d have to drop to buy you Though in the world of premium EVs these things are all relative¡ until cheaper front wheel drive versions of the EQB land your entry point is still well over for the twin motor all wheel drive
That spec pairs a kWh battery with a motor on each axle for a total of bhp and a claimed range of around miles on a single charge Expect something south of miles in the real world of ferrying children around with the heating on though Currently your only other option is the more powerful bhp
but that gets no more usable battery capacity and who really needs a seven seat crossover that’ll do mph in seconds anyway? Both are limited to kW charging too not the quickest these days
The EQB’s platform can be traced all the way back to the internal combustion powered A Class it’s an all electric version of the GLB which itself is a mix of GLA crossover and the highly unfashionable B Class people carrier both of which are based on the A Class and yet even with much added weight and a lack of engine noise the big electric seven seater is refined and comfortable enough in everyday use Just avoid the larger inch wheels to keep the ride in check From the driver’s seat there isn’t too much to distinguish the EQB from the GLB either You get some EV specific graphics on the screens in front of you of course but the actual hardware is the same as you’d find in any small Merc and yes we know the EQB isn’t actually that small Mercedes reckons anyone under ft in should fit in the rearmost two seats and boot space is a decent litres even with all seven seats in place
The EQB doesn’t steer or stop with too much verve but the GLB is hardly a hot hatch in its dynamics either The biggest difference between the two is the presence of the EQB’s impressive ‘auto’ regenerative braking mode There are steering wheel mounted paddles to manually adjust the regen but leave the car to its own devices and it’ll give you strong regen when you come off the throttle in town and less when you’re getting a shift on down a country road or on the motorway Sounds disconcerting but it works remarkably well once you learn to trust it