YesPress Product Profile
The Mercedes EQE
An electric E-Class that whispers where others shout. 376 miles of range, one-box aerodynamics, and a dashboard that moonlights as a cinema screen.
Photograph: Auto Express / Mercedes-Benz press fleet
An electric E-Class that whispers where others shout. 376 miles of range, one-box aerodynamics, and a dashboard that moonlights as a cinema screen.
Who is this for? The EQE is for the executive who has stopped pretending that horsepower impresses anyone. It is for the person who wants to glide into a hotel car park at midnight and have the valet mistake their arrival for a gust of wind. It is for company-car drivers doing the maths on Benefit-in-Kind tax and discovering that electricity is the new leverage. And it is for the E-Class loyalist who knows that the three-pointed star means something - but suspects it might mean something different now.
Mercedes-Benz invented the car, which is the kind of credential that sounds like bragging until you remember it is literally true. In 1886, Karl Benz patented the Motorwagen. Since then, the company has spent 138 years building vehicles that define their eras. The S-Class gave us crumple zones and airbags. The E-Class became the default choice for anyone who wanted to look serious without looking desperate.
Then came 2016, and Mercedes announced the EQ sub-brand. Not an electric version of existing cars, but a parallel universe. The EQE arrived in 2022 as the second act of this new theatre, following the flagship EQS limousine. It shares the same EVA2 platform, the same obsession with aerodynamics, and the same question: what does luxury mean when the engine noise disappears?
The answer, apparently, is silence. And screens. Lots of screens.
The EQE is not a car that wants to be driven fast. It wants to be driven far. The 90kWh battery pack sits under the floor like a secret, and the teardrop silhouette cheats the wind with a drag coefficient of 0.20. That is not just good - that is among the best of any production car in history. To put it in perspective, a Toyota Prius manages 0.24. The EQE is slipperier than a car that was literally designed to be slippery.
Three main powertrains exist. The EQE 300 offers 241bhp from a single rear motor, enough for a 7.6-second sprint to 62mph. The EQE 350 raises that to 288bhp. Both use the same 90kWh battery and deliver up to 376 miles of official range, though Auto Express noted that the real-world figure is closer to 280-340 miles depending on weather, wheels, and how heavily you lean on the accelerator.
Then there is the AMG EQE 53 4MATIC+, which is what happens when Mercedes lets its performance division near an electric motor. With the optional Dynamic Plus pack, it produces 687bhp and 738lb ft of torque. That is not an electric saloon. That is a physics experiment with leather seats.
Mercedes-Benz means business with the new little brother of the Mercedes EQS luxury saloon: a super-slippery travel soap of an executive EV, rather than a full-size bar.
Step inside and the first thing you notice is the elevation. Because the battery lives under the floor, you sit 65mm higher than you would in a traditional E-Class. Auto Express described the driving position as "SUV-like," which is either a selling point or a problem depending on whether you enjoy looking down on other motorists.
The standard dashboard is a curved 12.8-inch portrait screen running Mercedes' latest MBUX software. It is responsive, attractive, and occasionally baffling. But the headline act is the Hyperscreen - a GBP 6,500 option that replaces the entire dashboard with 43 inches of curved glass housing three separate displays. It looks like someone parked a cinema in front of the steering wheel. Whether it is useful or merely theatrical depends on your tolerance for fingerprints and menu diving.
Build quality divides reviewers. Autocar found some of the tactile quality "disappointing" for a car in this price bracket. DrivingElectric agreed, noting that "interior quality appears to be lacking for something costing over GBP 70k." The plastics in the door pockets and lower console do not always match the ambition of the upper surfaces. It is a reminder that even Mercedes is still learning how to build electric luxury at scale.
If there is one thing the EQE gets right, it is ride comfort. The light steering, the gentle suspension, the eerie absence of engine noise - these are classic Mercedes tropes translated into electric form. Auto Express praised the refinement, and Autocar noted that the car "realises the electric car's potential for isolation better than saloon rivals." At motorway speeds, the EQE is less a car and more a isolation chamber on wheels.
But there are compromises. The handling is floaty rather than engaging. Visibility is poor thanks to the high beltline and small rear window. And despite the saloon silhouette, the driving position and chunky stance make it feel more like an SUV. WhichCar described it as having "a chunkier stance" than the EQS thanks to wheels pulled further to the corners. It is not a sports saloon. It is a luxury device that happens to move.
The artificial soundscapes - called "sound experiences" - are piped through the speakers and rise and fall with speed and acceleration. In Eco mode, the car hums like a distant monastery. In Sport, it growls like a synthesizer having an argument. You can turn them off, but where is the fun in that?
Up to 10 degrees of rear-wheel steering on higher trims turns this long saloon into something surprisingly maneuverable in tight car parks.
Optional projector LEDs with 1.3 million micro-mirrors can project guidance symbols onto the road ahead. Over-engineered? Absolutely. Cool? Also absolutely.
DC fast charging at up to 170kW adds roughly 180 miles in 15 minutes. Not the fastest in class, but fast enough for most road-trip anxiety.
64 colors of ambient lighting with animated sequences tied to drive modes and climate. The EQE does not just drive - it performs.
Airmatic air suspension on higher trims adapts to road conditions, keeping the ride pillow-soft even on broken British B-roads.
Mercedes can update software remotely, adding features and improving efficiency after you have already bought the car. It is a Tesla trick, learned well.
The EQE does not exist in a vacuum, though its silence might suggest otherwise. It fights in a crowded arena of premium electric saloons, each with its own theology about what an executive EV should be.
The Tesla offers more range and a superior charging network but lacks the EQE's interior drama. The BMW i5 brings sharper handling but less visual distinction. The Porsche Taycan is the driver's choice but costs more and offers less range. The EQE sits somewhere in the middle: not the best at any one thing, but compellingly strange at everything.
In the UK, the EQE 300 starts from roughly GBP 74,000. The EQE 350 opens around GBP 77,000. The AMG EQE 53 begins at approximately GBP 113,855. In the US, expect around USD 76,050 for a base EQE 350+ Premium. This is not a cheap car. But then, silence never is.
Company car drivers benefit from the 2% Benefit-in-Kind tax bracket, which makes the monthly maths surprisingly palatable for something this expensive. That is the quiet secret of the EQE: it is a luxury car that pays for itself in tax efficiency.
Should you buy one? If you want the most engaging driver's car, no - buy a Taycan. If you want the longest range, no - buy a Tesla. But if you want a car that feels like the future as imagined by someone who respects the past, the EQE is a fascinating proposition. It is not perfect. It is occasionally frustrating. But it is never boring.
The Mercedes EQE is what happens when a 138-year-old car company decides to reinvent its most important product for a world without petrol. It is not perfect. The interior quality does not always match the price. The handling is floaty. The visibility is poor. But the range is genuine, the ride is sublime, and the technology is theatrical in the best possible way.
This is a car for people who want to arrive without announcing themselves. For executives who have outgrown the need to impress. For drivers who believe that the best luxury is the kind you forget you are experiencing.
The EQE whispers. In a market full of shouters, that might be the boldest move of all.
Profile compiled from publicly available reviews and manufacturer specifications. Facts verified against Autocar, Auto Express, DrivingElectric, Evo, and WhichCar. Pricing reflects UK and US markets as of 2024. Images credited to respective publishers. No affiliation with Mercedes-Benz AG.