Mercedes-Benz EQC review

With just one powertrain available the buying process should be fairly simple – just pick your spec, your colour and away you go. Merc has even done away with the optional extras list, so make sure you know what comes as standard on your chosen trim.

Even the £74,330 base AMG Line model has multibeam LED headlamps, 20-inch wheels, leather seats and the twin-screen infotainment system with navigation including live parking, traffic and charge-point info.

Sounds great, but there’s a catch. To get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, you’ll need to upgrade to AMG Line Premium trim at a cost of around £5,000. That also includes a sunroof, specific moods for the ambient lighting (yeah, that is a thing) and some nice multi-spoke 21-inch wheels, but really everyone will just be upgrading for the phone mirroring. Come on Merc, that should be standard on a £70k+ electric SUV.

Top spec is the inventively-named AMG Line Premium Plus, which adds a further £2,250 onto the price of the Premium. For that you get the same 21-inch wheels but painted black, which puzzles us greatly given that they’re a great looking wheel – why would you pay more to hide the design?

Anyway, there’s also the head-up display included in that price which these days looks small but is super clear. And you get a parking package with a 360-degree camera, a memory function for the electronically-adjustable seats and wheel etc, and an ‘Interior Assistant’ which detects your hand and arm movements and brings up shortcuts on the screen for what it thinks you might want to adapt.

Oh, and there are actually some strong paint colours available on all trims too. Polar White is standard for no extra cash, but think about splashing out for Hyacinth Red (£925) or Spectral Blue (£715). At least you’ll be able to find it at the chargers.

In terms of monthly deals, with a deposit of over £11k you'll still be paying more than £700 a month for an EQC on a PCP deal over four years. Sounds steep, but you should be able to offset some of the cost by the saving in energy compared with diesel – possible if you charge at home, where electricity is cheapest. The more you drive annually, the more you'll save in this regard.

Mercedes provides owners with an app that allows roaming – the use of lots of different charge networks, consolidated into a single monthly bill. If your destination is beyond the battery range, the inbuilt nav system calculates a route that takes in vacant chargers. Handy.