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In the middle of last decade, it seems that car manufacturers are keen on reverting to the new-fangled, EV-specific branding policies they were all running away from in an attempt at “the old” and now return to heritage nameplates in something of a hurry.
Mercedes-Benz is rowing back from the so-called ‘EQ’ sub-group of models it was initially determined to set up.
As a result, vehicles like this one – the second-generation GLB mid-size SUV – aren’t sold with two different badges depending on their propulsion. So the zero-emissions GLB is no longer known as the EQB but now goes under the simpler moniker of GLB Electric.
That meant it was going to be the ‘GLB with EQ Technology’ to retain some sort of familial connection to this short period in Mercedes-Benz history, but that’s strangely wordy so plain old ‘Electric’ it is.
While the new GLB Electric, which is available in Europe in two formats with one large battery, remains a relatively small car on the road, it’s one of the most affordable ways to enter – and even into – an electric vehicle that has been seven seats from prestigious auto brands.
Alternatively, we went over to the UK to try the new GLB Electric 250+ ahead of its Australian release.
How much does the Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric cost?
We’ve already asked the question of Mercedes-Benz Australia and were told that, with the new GLB being sold here in the final quarter of this year, local prices and spec levels have not yet been set.
Currently, the outgoing Mk1 GLB is priced at $72,900 before on-road costs with the electric EQB spin-off retailing for the far side of $90,000.
We’re expecting the new GLB, Electric or otherwise, to command higher price tags.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLB lines up against the competition, check out our
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What is the Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric like on the inside?
The cabin of the new Mercedes GLB is dominated by the dashboard.
The MBUX Superscreen is the vast, cliff-faced structure of this building and while the exact number of digital panels you get within it depends on ticking certain options boxes at ordering time, there’s no doubt that Mercedes-Benz would be an interesting move to go in so heavily on the technological front.
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And if you like many digital displays, then that slab-like band of them spread over the fascia in GLB Electric will certainly impress you. Most impressive Two 14-inch screens for the central infotainment system and a passenger-side display are on its most spectacular screen, while another 10 is at its highest. instrument cluster with an instrument Cluster of 25-inch unit.
They are all presented with super-sharp graphics and crisp response rates to be fair, although there is a lack of physical switchgear in the cabin; most functions must be operated through the middle display. Having to interact with the Superscreen interface is not a nightmare, as at least the menu layout is intuitive.
Aside from that, cabin material quality feels good – though not great – and we’re not sure about the mismatched transmission-tunnel trim in our test car with straight lines and curved lines on a white background.
This is deliberately mismatched panel surrounding the cupholders so that straight lines are towards the back of the car on the passenger side but aligned to the front for the driver, while this looks a bit like the trim was wrongly installed at the factory.
Nevertheless, the seats are good and with light-and-shade colourways available, it feels just about suitably upmarket in the GLB’s cabin to justify three star logos that have spread across all of us.
But in the second row, it’s brilliant as to passenger space The GLB Electric has a flat floor, lots of legroom and 402040-split/folding seats that can all slide forward (and back) at once. A. middle row of the cabin has also been given generous headroom, thanks to the boxy exterior shape of GLB with its high roof and a large-sized topography (Glb) structure in which it is known for being shaped like this by s as well as having ‘highly raised’ at one point on an upper floor?
That said, despite the fact that we admire Mercedes-Benz’s packaging work which has squeezed seven seats and a huge battery pack into. You will have to accept that the third-row seats are some of the smallest seat in their class, 7 metres long.
At a younger age, only children would be happy to sit back there for any long period of time; with the two rear-most pews in situ, boot space is reduced to 145 (or less) nominal volume.
However, Mercedes-Benz counters this by offering a relatively large front boot (and with the GLB Electric in five-seat format), owners will have 540L of luggage capacity at back.
Fold every seat down bar the front two, and the Mercedes-Benz EV’s cargo volume increases to a sizeable 1715L.
| Dimensions | Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric |
| — | — |
| Length | 4732mm |
| Width | 1861mm |
| Height | 1687mm |
| Wheelbase | 2889mm |
| Cargo capacity – five-seat variants | 540L (rear seats up) 1715L (rear seats folded) 127L (under-bonnet storage) |
| Cargo capacity – seven-seat variants | 145L (third row up) 480L (third row folded) 1605L (second row folded) 127L (under-bonnet storage) |
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What’s under the bonnet?
A key variant of the Mercedes GLB Electric is its single-motor, rear wheel drive 250+ we’re testing here and the more powerful all-wheel drive 350 4Matic which uses dual motors.
| Specifications | Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric 250+ |
| — | — |
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric |
| Battery | 85kWh NMC lithium-ion (usable) |
| Power | 200kW |
| Torque | 335Nm |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| Weight | TBC |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 7.4 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 15.8-18.3kWh/100km |
| Energy consumption (as tested) | 18.1kWh/100km |
| Claimed range – WLTP | 631km |
| Max AC charge rate | 22kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 320kW |
The GLB 250+ has a 7-nm, you’re looking at 200kW. 0-100km/h time, and a top speed of 220kilometres/H. 4-second claimed 4 seconds 0-200km (90 km/m)
In meanwhile, the GLB 350 4Matic pumps those numbers up to 260kW and 515Nm (bringing the 0-100km/h claim down to 5). Paraphrasing 5 seconds. ‘s top speed is the same.
As with some high-output EVs like the Porsche Taycan and its related Audi e-tron GT, intriguingly similar to that often used single-speed mechanism, the GLB Electric has two-time reduction–gear transmission rather than the far more common one- speed system.
This is a shift that you can (very occasionally) see when the Merc switches from its shorter, accelerative ‘gear’ to the longer one but only really happens after absolutely hammering it and the car is moving well beyond 110km/h. So far, the power delivery of the GLB Electric is as seamless and smooth as you expect an EV to.
The same 85 is used in both versions of the GLB Electric. Apparently (85kWh Mercedes-Benz) 5kWh NMC lithium-ion battery pack, almost all of which is usable. You pay a little bit of ‘the range penalty’ for the 350 4Matic’s added power, its 614km claim not quite matching the 250+ variant’ at their 631km peak.
Mercedes-Benz’s new EV is built on the most advanced 800-volt electrical architecture, so charge times are fast. Mercedes-Benz said it’ll do a 10-80 per cent charge in ’22 minutes’ at its fastest of 320kW, while just 10 minutes of hook-up will add 260km of range.
On a 7 hour charge, overnight charge times will be 12 hours. A 4kW AC wallbox is rated at 11kW, while it’s going to take nine hours to completely fill up the battery in the GLB. A bit of an option is to increase the AC charging to 22kW if it’s needed.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLB lines up against the competition, check out our
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How does the Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric drive?
The Mercedes GLB Electric is composed and capable – and it’s also a little bit clinical.
We kind of wonder if Mercedes-Benz was so keen on breaking its three-pointed star logos across the car (on the full-width light strips at both ends of the vehicle and in the dash trim unless you don’t go for the maximum Superscreen array) just to remind you that, yes, it is a Benz you’re driving.
In the end, it’s a nice enough thing to say and ride quality is pretty good across board. It’s the rolling refinement, so is that a GLB filters out wind and suspension noise effectively; road sound may be an elevated touch on poorer surfaces, but road roar can also be heightened.
The chassis has a switch depending on the size of wheels you use, too, for . Any 19-inch alloys or smaller will have conventional, passive springs and dampers if Australian-market cars follow European-spec GLBs.
A stepping up to 20s instead of the mid-size SUV adaptive shock absorbers, and with a very short comparative drive in ‘350 4Matic available at the end of day we can tell you that GLB is improved by the more advanced suspension tech.
But it is just more vertically controlled when waking up on bumps with the adaptive shock (the tiptoes of the whole SUV are not feeling like that, as you drive over larger lump and through deeper compressions at speed), which means in the 250+ when you pass over large lump.
The corners of the GLB Electric are hoots, but neither version is a hoon in either way (although it has been described as ‘the most accurate translation of this model and its predecessor)? And it’s a polished thing, not too lean and positively weighted steering being highlights of how it is handled. While it’s not a lot of feeling for the driver to drive through the wheel, there is no joy in getting rid off by trying to hustle 2 (or even be more happy) 7 tonnes of electric SUV through corners like it’s a hot hatch.
For a seven-seater, the GLB may be relatively small on the outside but it’s not light–on its-fetor or exciting thing to pilot on more difficult roads.
Of course, its calm and sexy ways of driving everyday are more than a boon and what should attract customers when we’re attracted to the 200kW GLB 250+ we focus on here is not just enough satisfying acceleration urgency for most reasonable needs. But we can’t imagine the 350 4Matic will be a strict requirement for most buyers except they need all-wheel drive.
Also, we achieved an energy consumption figure within the official range on a fairly untaxing test route in warmer weather; however, when we were near the top of quoted WLTP banding at 18-18 it was closer to the peak. 1kWh/100km) .
You’d like to think more like 470km per full charge of the GLB’s battery, rather than over 600km in excess of that sort of efficiency on a regular basis.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLB lines up against the competition, check out our
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What do you get?
While we’re still waiting for Australian specifications of the Mercedes GLB 250+, if it was to follow the European market’s AMG Line Executive grade then it should be relatively generously equipped.
2026 Mercedes GLB Electric 250+ standard equipment highlights:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- 10.25-inch instrument cluster
- 14-inch MBUX infotainment touchscreen
- Panoramic sunroof
- Heat pump
- Selfie and video camera with facial recognition
- Distronic adaptive cruise control
- Heated front seats
- Front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera
- Thermatic single-zone climate control
- LED High Performance headlights with adaptive high-beam assist
- Tinted, heat-insulating glass
- AMG Line Sports seats
- Multifunction Sports steering wheel in Nappa leather
- Wireless smartphone charging
- Keyless entry and go
- AMG body styling
- Ambient interior lighting
- Artico artificial leather upholstery
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLB lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric safe?
Curiously, the Mercedes GLB hasn’t been put through its paces yet by either Euro NCAP or ANCAP.
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That means it has a good list of high-tech driver assistance systems, and strong builder construction on the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) chassis.
We’re expecting that the family oriented GLB Electric to score similarly high when it’s assessed, so we’d expect new Mercedes-Benz models (including the related CLA), as well as the CLE and E-Class, all of which have been given full five stars ratings under strict safety testing.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLB lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
How much does the Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric cost to run?
The Mercedes-Benz Australia has provided a five-year, unlimited-distance warranty for all its new cars since 2020 and the GLB Electric’s nature should mean longer service and maintenance schedules than the hybrid models associated with them.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLB lines up against the competition, check out our
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childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Mercedes-Benz GLB Electric
We have a lot of praise for the new Mercedes GLB Electric 250+, an impressive packaging feat and one that’s very comfortable to drive.
It’s a calm, mostly subdued process to do it; its large battery and seven-seat status – even if the third-row is in the extreme both serve as ‘good enough for good realistic range’ (and also an identity that has been well defined in this wider electric SUV market).
But we just have to be sure that the driving experience it reflects, and unfunniably cultured, doesn’t mean you’re in a Mercedes-Benz. Blank off all the three-pointed star emblems here, and if you’re on the move, you could be in virtually any other high-riding EV.
If you consider a starting price of about $100,000 in Australia, will the new Mercedes-Benz GLB be able to justify its premium position in the market amid’mid-size electric SUV rivals, premium and otherwise?
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