What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS? What does it compare to?
The EQS is Mercedes-Benz’s top electric luxury car. Compare it to the EQS SUV, plus the BMW i7 and Tesla Model S.
Is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS a good car?
It is an appealing enough choice overall, but one that doesn’t have the bank-vault solidty and myriad fine touches you’ll find in the gas-fueled S-Class. The EQS scores well for its range and its features, but it misses out on personality and style. It’s a 7.8 on the TCC score. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS?
The EQS lineup gains an upgraded battery pack for 2025, which Mercedes-Benz says should improve the car’s electric range. It also sees minor styling tweaks, revisions to its regenerative braking, and a standard airbag in between the front seats.
Mercedes slaps the EQS badge on two vehicles that are related but serve different markets. Here, we’re looking at the EQS sedan, an S-Class-size vehicle with its own distinct (if not all that distinctive) exterior styling and a screen-heavy cabin. The EQS SUV is covered separately.
This year, the EQS has horizontal slats in its fake grille up front that make it look a little more like a conventional Benz, though it’s still not as pretty as the S-Class.
Mercedes builds a few EQS variants, which serve up between 355 and 649 hp. No model is a slouch, but it takes stepping up to the EQS 450 4Matic—the second model up the ladder—to unlock truly quick acceleration from just about any speed. EQS models we’ve driven have been nearly silent cruisers, with a terrific ride and good steering heft. They’re plump, sedate cars that don’t beg for spirited driving, but that’s just fine with us. At nearly 6,000 pounds, we wouldn’t expect an EQS to slice through corners. That said, these cars are fairly nimble thanks in part to standard rear-wheel steering.
This year’s new battery pack unlocks range estimates as high as 371 miles on a full charge, a 21-mile bump over last year. These cars have a 400-volt electrical architecture that allows for quick top-offs, too.
While not quite as spacious as the big S-Class sedan inside, the EQS has a decidedly flagship feel thanks to its nice materials and comfortable front seats. Sure, the screen-heavy dash lends it a workspace look, but, hey, that’s the future. Out back, the 22.0 cubic-foot cargo area impresses. It’s very spacious.
The big EQS comes quite well-equipped with crash-avoidance and driver-assistance tech, including a system that allows for stints of hands-off driving. It can execute lane changes and park itself at the tap of a button or a control stalk, too.
How much does the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS cost?
The EQS should start somewhere north of $106,000 when it goes on sale. This big electric car is pricey, but nicely outfitted with features like leather seats that are heated and cooled up front, a heated steering wheel, a navigation system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a head-up display, a wireless device charging pad, Burmester audio, a large sunroof, and 20-inch aero wheels.
Where is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS made?
In Germany.
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2025 Mercedes-Benz EQSStyling
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS wears styling for the future.
Is the Mercedes-Benz EQS a good-looking car?
It is, even if it’s not what we’ve come to expect from Mercedes-Benz. The EQS is a sleek, aerodynamic car with anodyne exterior styling over a slick cabin. It’s a 7 here, with both points above average allocated to what’s inside, not outside.
The EQS is big, stretching 205.4 inches between its bumpers. But its long wheelbase, short overhangs, and low roofline give it a somewhat more compact look. It’s rounded and futuristic, if decidedly light on drama and personality. The big, racoon-like black plate up front comes festooned with a big three-pointed star, and its shape continues into the headlights. New chrome-like slats in the black plate give gas-fueled grille style, at least to a point. The look still isn’t quite right. Peel off the star and slats and it could have come from any brand.
From the side, a profile that’s almost symmetrical is topped by a tall greenhouse with a chrome outline. It’s unique, but driven by wind-cheating and not gorgeous design.
The cabin is bold with its so-called Hyperscreen stretching across the entire dash. It’s a marked contrast to gas-fueled Mercedes models with more conventional touchscreen and instrument cluster layouts. Here, it’s essential that you choose your upholstery and trim hues carefully. All-black gives the cabin little personality. Light hues are more interesting.
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2025 Mercedes-Benz EQSPerformance
The Mercedes EQS is a stately electric car.
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS delivers brisk acceleration paired with an upscale ride, netting it a 7 for performance.
Is the Mercedes-Benz EQS 4WD?
The base EQS 450+ is rear-wheel drive, but other models have an additional front-mounted motor that gives them both better acceleration and all-wheel drive. Mercedes badges them as 4Matic models.
How fast is the Mercedes-Benz EQS?
It is quick, especially since most models check in at nearly 6,000 pounds. These are heavy vehicles. The base EQS 450+ puts out 355 hp and 419 lb-ft of torque, which is good for a run to 60 mph in just under six seconds. Much stronger is the EQS 450 4Matic, which ups the ante to 590 hp and slices about half a second from the 60-mph run. It boasts far better mid-range passing power, too.
The EQS 580 has a hefty 536 hp and 633 lb-ft of torque, which nets it a four-second run to 60 mph. It’s not as brutally quick as, say, the fastest Tesla Model S, but it no reasonable person would ever consider it wanting for power. Those who even veer in that direction will find the AMG version’s 649 hp and 751 lb-ft (once Race Start, or launch control, mode is selected). These run to 60 mph in a mere 3.4 seconds.
Precious little road or wind noise enters the EQS, only a hint of artificial electric motor noise.
These cars have a S-Class-grade ride thanks to an air suspension and adaptive dampers. There’s no version of Mercedes’ E-Active Body Control system that predicts bumps ahead, though.
Standard rear-wheel steering helps the EQS feel more nimble at lower speeds and planted at high speed on the highway or in cornering. Even the AMG version doesn’t really feel all that sporty, though it’s a bit firmer and better controlled—but also harsher, so consider carefully if you live where roads are rough.
Don’t look for a one-pedal braking mode. We’ve yet to test the latest EQS models, so we can’t comment on whether Mercedes has figured out brake regeneration yet. Early EQS models had strong brakes with a quirky pedal feel.
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2025 Mercedes-Benz EQSComfort & Quality
The Mercedes-Benz EQS has a dazzling cabin.
As Mercedes-Benz’s top electric car—alongside the EQS SUV—-the EQS has big shoes to fill. It mostly does, with a spacious and upscale interior that has improved since its debut a few years ago.
It’s now an 8 out of 10 thanks to its good front and rear seats and materials that are in line with pricing. It’s not as special inside as the gas-fueled S-Class, though.
Standard leather seats are heated, cooled, and massaging up front, and they have memory. They’re comfy enough, while even more adjustment is on the options list. Rear-seat riders have decent space, though it’s a bit narrow back there for three adults. Top-end versions can have heated and cooled rear seats with power adjustments, though there’s no stretch-out option here. Behind the rear seats, the EQS has a hefty 22.0 cubic feet of cargo space thanks in part to its hatchback configuration. It’s much roomier for cargo than the S-Class.
It’s not quite as dressy, though the standard leather and good materials elevate the mood. Those big screens that sprawl across the dash can only look so elegant.
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQSSafety
The 2025 EQS hardly lacks for safety tech, though it’s not likely to be crash-tested any time soon.
How safe is the Mercedes-Benz EQS?
Big, pricey vehicles like the EQS tend not to be tested by either the NHTSA or the IIHS, so we lack the data necessary to assign this model a safety score.
It is quite well-equipped with crash-avoidance tech, including automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection, intersection assist, active lane control, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitors with steering assist, rear cross-traffic alerts, rear automatic braking, adaptive headlights with automatic high beams, automatic parking and lane changes, an infrared, driver-attention monitor, and a surround-view camera system.
The big rear roof pillars hurt over-the-shoulder vision, though.
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2025 Mercedes-Benz EQSFeatures
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS is outfitted like the flagship EV it is.
The EQS comes very well equipped, as it should for a vehicle likely to start at $106,000 or more when the automaker finally releases pricing for this model.
The base EQS 450+ has 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated, cooled and massaging front seats with and memory, a heated steering wheel, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a head-up display, a wireless smartphone charging pad, Burmester speakers, and a panoramic sunroof.
All-wheel drive runs $3,000 more.
We rate the lineup at 8 out of 10 thanks to their big screens, plentiful features, and myriad optional extras. The 4-year/50,000-mile warranty is luxury-typical, though the 10-year/155,000-mile battery warranty inspires confidence.
The EQS includes a trio of screens that take up much of the dash. The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 17.7-inch infotainment touchscreen, and 12.3-inch passenger touchscreen are housed under a single pane of glass. They overwhelm with tech and take some time to sort through, but the system is highly refined and offers over-the-air updates that should help these cars feel up-to-date for years to come.
Which Mercedes-Benz EQS should I buy?
The 4Matic’s extra power isn’t that much costlier, and to it we’d add the Exclusive trim with its additional seat adjustments and quad-zone automatic climate control. The top Pinnacle trim tosses in heated and cooled rear seats with their own device charging pad, which is a nice addition if you regularly transport other passengers.
How much is a fully loaded Mercedes-Benz EQS?
The AMG version runs $150,000 and up for its additional power, firmer suspension, and zestier-looking trim. Add fancy paint, more leather, rear-seat infotainment, laminated glass, carbon-ceramic brakes, and a few more bits, and you can nudge that price tag to nearly $180,000.
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2025 Mercedes-Benz EQSFuel Economy
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS benefits from an improved battery pack this year.
Is the Mercedes-Benz EQS efficient?
It’s better this year. For 2025, the EQS gains a new 118-kwh battery pack with updated cells that offers a range boost. The base EQS 450 Plus is estimated at 323 miles (315 miles with all-wheel drive), the eQS 450 4Matic at 367 miles, and the EQS 580 checks in at 371 miles. The 450 Plus boasts the best MPGe rating at 98. Others range between 78 and 93 MPGe.
These are quick-charging EVs, capable of juicing up from 10-80% in about 30 minutes thanks to their 400-volt architecture.
Overall, the range rates a 9 on the TCC scale.
