Electric Mercedes EQA REVEALED as Mercedes turn the GLA in to an EV

The Mercedes EQA is revealed as an electric take on the Mercedes GLA, first as the EQA 250 with 185bhp, 66.5kWh battery and 265-mile range.

It’s more than three years since the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA was revealed as an electric take on Mercedes’ small A-Class range, so you might have expected that the intervening years would have seen Mercedes develop a new platform for its compact EVs. But it hasn’t.

In fact, to all intents and purposes, this Mercedes EQA is a Mercedes GLA with a few titivations and a battery pack and motor bolted in place of the ICE gubbins to deliver an ‘affordable’ compact Mercedes EV.

There are cosmetic changes to differentiate the EQA from the GLA, including the blacked-out grille and different lights front and back and aero-optimised wheels.

At launch, the only option will be the EQA 250, which comes with 185bhp and 277lb/ft of torque from the electric motor at the front, good for a leisurely, by EV standards, o-62mph in 8.9 seconds and a range of 265 miles from its 66.5kWh battery. There will be other EQA variants to follow offering more power and more range, including a four-wheel drive version with 268bhp.

Inside is very familiar if you’ve ever been in a GLA, with a pair of screens – 7″ or 10.25″ depending on how much you spend – here also offering ‘Electric Intelligence’ for calculating stuff like range and efficiency, with charging at 11kW AC at home and up to 100kW when you’re on the move.

Trim options at launch for the EQA are Progressive, AMG Line and Edition 1, with prices expected to start at around £40k.