Mercedes-Benz EQA EQA 250+ vs Volvo EX40 Twin Motor

The Mercedes-Benz EQA 250+ is rated at 560 km on the WLTP cycle from its 70.5 kWh battery. The Volvo EX40 Twin Motor manages 485 km from a larger 82 kWh pack. That 75 km edge comes down to efficiency: the EQA uses a claimed 144 watt-hours per kilometre where the dual-motor Volvo uses 194. If maximum range is the point, the single-motor EX40 goes further again at a claimed 520 km for less money. Expect every one of these figures to fall 10 to 20 per cent at sustained highway speed. Read the EQA as the long-distance pick of this pair.

The Volvo EX40 Twin Motor peaks at 200 kW on a DC fast charger and claims a 10 to 80 per cent top-up in about 28 minutes. The Mercedes-Benz EQA 250+ peaks at just 100 kW and needs around 35 minutes for the same top-up, the clearest sign its platform is the older of the two. Both charge at 11 kW on AC, so overnight home charging is a wash. For drivers who road-trip and rely on public fast chargers, the Volvo is the easier car to live with. The EQA takes some of it back on range, so a single planned stop covers most trips either way.

The Volvo EX40 Twin Motor runs two motors for 300 kW, 670 Nm and all-wheel drive. The claimed 4.8-second run to 100 km/h is hot-hatch pace in a compact SUV. The Mercedes-Benz EQA 250+ makes 140 kW and 385 Nm through the front wheels for a relaxed 8.6 seconds. The EQA is unhurried by design, and reviewers rate it ample around town on instant torque, but it trails the Volvo on outright pace by a wide margin. If performance is near the top of your list, the Twin Motor is the clear pick; if you only ever commute, the EQA's pace is more than enough.

On the headline numbers in late 2026 the EX40 Twin Motor looks far cheaper, at $74,990 against the EQA 250+ at $93,729. The catch is the basis. Volvo quotes $74,990 as a national list price before on-road costs, so registration, stamp duty and delivery land on top and the drive-away figure climbs several thousand dollars depending on your state. The EQA's $93,729 is already a New South Wales drive-away number. Line the two up on the same basis and the gap narrows, but the Volvo is still the cheaper car either way. Price the EX40's drive-away total for your postcode before you treat the gap as settled.

Neither car carries a current ANCAP star rating. The EQA's 2019-based five-star result expired at the end of 2025 and the EX40's 2018 rating lapsed at the end of 2024, so both 2026 builds are unrated. It is not a measure of how safe they are, only a sign the independent crash score has aged out. On hardware both run a deep standard suite, with autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring on each. If an independent crash rating is a hard requirement, weigh both against a currently rated rival such as the Tesla Model Y or Kia EV5 before you sign.

For a novated-lease buyer the decisive factor is not the headline price but the fringe-benefits-tax exemption. It applies to EVs whose list price sits under the fuel-efficient luxury car tax threshold for 2025-26. The EQA 250+ is built for this buyer, and the saving on a salary-packaged lease can outweigh its higher drive-away figure. The EX40 Twin Motor also lists under the threshold, so it qualifies too, while costing less to buy and charging faster. Read the EQA as the lease pick if the Mercedes cabin and badge seal it, and the EX40 as the lease pick if you want the saving and the lower list price both.

Both of these are forgiving first electric cars: familiar SUV shapes, no reinvention of how you drive, and proper cabins rather than tech-first minimalism. The Mercedes leans on MBUX, material finish and the three-pointed star; the Volvo leans on Google-built software and a longer list of standard equipment for the money. Neither asks much of your routine. For a first-time switcher the call is mostly emotional: pick the EQA if the Mercedes cabin and badge are what you want to park in the garage, and the EX40 if you want the extra kit, the pace and the lower price.

Both are late in their life cycles. Mercedes has revealed an all-new electric GLA on a fresh platform that replaces the EQA in 2027 and retires the EQ badge, promising more range and much faster charging. Volvo has a facelifted EX40 due in 2027 and a larger EX60 arriving around the same window. Buying either today means buying a known, proven car at run-out pricing instead of a first-year product, which can favour the buyer. If the newest technology matters more than a sharp price now, waiting makes sense; if value today wins, both reward buying in the run-out.