BMW iX3 vs Mercedes-Benz EQB

On the standard cars they are almost identical, about $97,585 drive-away for the iX3 40 and $97,344 for the EQB 250+, on the same NSW drive-away basis. The EQB has the cheaper way in: its 250+ City Edition starts at $85,400 before on-road costs and keeps the seven-seat third row. Both list under the luxury-car-tax threshold, so both can qualify for the electric-vehicle FBT exemption on a novated lease. Warranty is five years each, with eight-year battery cover. The iX3 adds longer roadside, eight years to the EQB's five.

The iX3 leads decisively. Its 800-volt architecture peaks at 300kW on the 40 and 400kW on the 50 xDrive and fills 10 to 80 per cent in about 21 minutes, against the EQB's 100kW and roughly 35. Home AC charging is 22kW to the Mercedes' 7kW. On range the rear-drive iX3 40 claims 635km WLTP and the 50 xDrive 805km, both ahead of the EQB's 535km. If you drive long distances between chargers, the BMW is the far better tool; the EQB is happier as a town and suburb car.

Yes. The current EQB 250+ carries a third row as standard, a five-plus-two in a compact footprint and one of very few electric SUVs under six figures able to seat six or seven. It is best understood as a 5+2 rather than a full seven-seater: the rearmost pair folds out of the boot floor and suits children or shorter adults on shorter trips. The iX3 has no answer here, as it seats five only. If you need the occasional extra seats, the EQB has them, but note its newer replacement, the electric GLB, now offers the same seven-seat layout for about $15,000 less, so cross-shop that too.

The iX3 has the clearer safety story because its rating is current. It holds five stars under ANCAP's tougher 2026 to 2028 protocol, the first car assessed to the new criteria. The EQB is currently unrated: the five-star result it once carried over from the petrol GLB lapsed at the end of 2025. It still ships autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring. Both are well equipped, but if a current independent star rating matters, only the BMW has one.

The iX3 is quicker. The rear-drive 40 makes 235kW and reaches 100km/h in 5.9 seconds; the all-wheel-drive 50 xDrive makes 345kW and does it in 4.9. The EQB comes one way, a 140kW front-driver that takes 8.9 seconds. The entry 40 also pulls 500Nm to the EQB's 385Nm and runs to 200km/h against 160. AU launch reviews praise the iX3's keen steering for a heavy electric car, though they note a firm ride and no adaptive damping, and describe the EQB as tuned for calm and comfort over pace. If driving enjoyment matters, the BMW is the one.

The iX3 is a generation ahead, and the EQB has just been superseded. The iX3 is the first BMW on the new Neue Klasse platform, with an 800-volt system that drives its charging and range lead. The EQB is based on the petrol GLB, a 400-volt design from 2022, and Mercedes retired it in September 2026, replacing it with the second-generation electric GLB. So the iX3 is a current, new-generation car, while the EQB is now run-out stock whose successor, the GLB 250+ electric, is already on sale for less. On modern engineering the BMW clearly leads the EQB, and the newer GLB is the fairer Mercedes to pit against it.

The iX3 has the larger boot both ways, 520 litres behind the second row to the EQB's 495, and 1,750 litres folded to 1,710. The iX3's longer body helps, 4,782mm on a 2,897mm wheelbase to the EQB's 4,684mm and 2,829mm. The EQB's trump is not cargo volume but seats: it can fold up a third row the iX3 does not offer, so it carries more people even if it carries slightly less luggage. For maximum five-seat cargo the BMW leads; for occasional extra seats the Mercedes does.

There is one worth knowing, and it is narrow. A November 2025 recall covered about six EQA and EQB vehicles built in 2023 and 2024 over a battery fault that could short if charged above 80 per cent. It does not affect current production, and the fix is a software update. There is nothing comparable on the new iX3. Both cars carry an eight-year battery warranty, the usual EV backstop on the cells. As with any brand-new model the iX3's long-term record is still being written, so early-build caution is reasonable, but nothing current flags against it.

For most buyers the BMW iX3 is the stronger electric SUV. It charges about three times faster, goes further, is three seconds quicker to 100km/h and holds a current five-star rating, all for about the same drive-away price. The EQB earns its place for one clear reason and a couple of soft ones: it is a five-plus-two seven-seater in a compact body nothing else here offers, it adds the three-pointed star and a cabin with twin MBUX screens, and its City Edition and sub-threshold list price suit novated-lease buyers. Need the occasional third row or want the badge, and the EQB makes sense. Everyone else is better off in the iX3.