EQA

The single EQA 250+ grade uses a 70.5 kWh usable battery rated at 560 km on the WLTP test cycle. That is competitive for a compact electric SUV and comfortably covers a week of commuting between charges, with enough in reserve for the occasional intercity trip and one planned stop. As with every EV, expect the real-world figure to fall 10 to 20 per cent at sustained highway speeds or in extreme heat. At a claimed 144 Wh per kilometre the EQA is efficient, and the standard heat pump helps protect range in cold weather.

This is the EQA's weakest number. DC fast charging peaks at just 100 kW, so a 10 to 80 per cent top-up on a public fast charger takes around 35 minutes, noticeably slower than newer rivals that charge at 150 kW or more. For most owners it matters less than the spec suggests, because the bulk of charging happens at home: the 11 kW AC onboard charger refills the 70.5 kWh pack overnight on a wall box. If you regularly drive long highway legs, though, the slow DC speed is a real consideration, and it is the clearest sign that a newer platform is on the way.

At $93,729 drive-away (August 2026) the EQA looks dear next to a Tesla Model Y, but the real value is in the ownership structure. Its list price sits under the $91,387 luxury car tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles (2025-26 financial year), which makes it eligible for the federal electric-vehicle fringe-benefits-tax exemption, the single biggest saving for salary-packaged and novated-lease buyers. Add a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, an eight-year battery warranty and low charging costs, and the ownership case firms up. If you are paying cash, cheaper EVs offer more metal for the money; if you are leasing, the EQA is hard to beat on tax alone.

The current EQA is in its run-out year. Mercedes-Benz has revealed an all-new GLA on its MMA platform that replaces the EQA from 2027, and on paper it is a big step: up to 657 km of range, 320 kW DC charging and 800-volt architecture. If charging speed and range headroom are your priorities, the newer car will be worth the wait. But the run-out EQA is a known, well-sorted quantity with a mature cabin and a sharp FBT-driven ownership case right now, and run-out pricing can favour the buyer. Buy today for what the EQA does well today, not for what is coming.

Every EQA comes with a generous standard safety package. That covers autonomous emergency braking with junction support, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera and a full airbag count. The one caveat is the crash-test rating. The current EQA is not covered by a current ANCAP star rating, so the 2026 car is effectively unrated. That does not mean it is unsafe, the active-safety hardware is extensive, but buyers who weight an independent star rating heavily should note the gap and compare it against a currently rated rival such as the BMW iX1 or Volvo EX40.