Mercedes has recently unveiled the first electric C-Class in its history. The model fills an important gap in the brand’s portfolio of battery-powered models, aiming at the heart of the market. Not with a range that defeats the BMW i3 Neue Klasse, but with speeds that lift the charging experience. In 10 minutes, the compact executive sedan can add enough kilometers to cross Belgium from North to South.
Mercedes CEO Ola Kälenius brought this team and his newborn to Seoul for the official presentation. Officially, because South Korea is the brand’s fifth-largest car market. But in these Instagram times, it’s no coincidence that Germans are trying to embrace some of the success of K-pop and Squid Game culture. After all, if Mercedes wants to stay relevant in the near future, it needs a younger public. Speaking of youth, when Kälenius started at Mercedes, his first car was a C-Class.
In Germany, Mercedes has opened the order books for the new all-electric C-Class. There, prices for the C400 4Matic start at €67,711, VAT included. Also in Belgium, potential customers can configure their new electric C-Class, with prices starting at €70,059.
Like the GLC EQ
It’s not illogical to think that some current young potential manager in Stuttgart who receives an electric C-Class like this will follow in Kälenius’ footsteps. What he or she gets is basically a sedan version of the GLC EQ that preceded it. Similarly, the C-Class is launched initially only as the 400 4Matic, a model that, with dual electric motors, pinches a 0-100 kph run in a rounded 4 seconds from its combined output of 490 hp. Is moving up the ladder in the Mercedes hierarchy a career in the fast lane?
The similarities are visible in the looks department as well. The retro-inspired grille with 1,050 LED points is the standout feature and officially abolishes the black panel noses on the first-generation electric Mercedes models. It signals that this is second-generation battery technology, translating into an 800-volt network, bidirectional charging capability, and a hardware-software split to enable over-the-air updates across every corner of the car’s system. This is not new, as the GLC pioneered these features.
Higher but sleek
The style itself is classic, more closely mimicking the combustion-engined C-Class than all-electric models like the EQE, with its Cab Forward design. It makes sense because Mercedes no longer wishes to distinguish the design language for its different powertrains. At the back, the star theme in the lights is the trademark signature. Compared to the ICE versions, the 4.8-meter-long EQ is 60 mm higher, but Mercedes managed to give it a Cd of 0.22, which is notably favorable for consumption and range.
But where BMW offers a 108 kWh battery in the i3, Mercedes tones down to 94 kWh for its newly developed pack. A deliberate choice. The brand admits it could have matched its strongest opponent’s 900-kilometer range, but says it chooses rapid charging over range.
It’s impressive that the C-Class can refill 345 kilometers in 10 minutes, thanks to DC peak charging of 330 kW, but the first official statements from BMW point to 400 kilometers in 10 minutes for the i3 (400 kW). So, the latter wins in both fields. On the other hand, the C-Class EQ’s maximum range of 762 kilometers is decisively more than the current C300 e plug-in hybrid’s roughly 600 kilometers.
AMG version to follow?
The C-Class with combustion engines isn’t replaced by the all-electric version, but continues under its own lineage, building on today’s model and its MRA structure. The EQ sits on a bespoke electric platform, called MB.EA. In a later phase, an 85 kWh version and a 64 kWh pack with less expensive LFP chemistry will join the range. At the top, it is expected that AMG will offer a tri-motor performance version.
The MB.EA platform also includes a comprehensive software suite developed in-house by Mercedes (unlike Volvo, for instance, which relies on Google Android Automotive). As the system is water-cooled and can process 254 billion calculations per second, it should excel in reaction speed.
But it is also necessary to support the optional Hyperscreen, which covers the entire dashboard and is built from three separate screens seamlessly attached to one another. Certain parts can be dimmed separately to make the display presence a little less overwhelming.
As for artificial intelligence, the system blends ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. This unique multi-agent solution must make conversations between the driver and assistant more natural and precise.
Intelligence on the road
The car’s intelligence is also transferred to the road. The C-Class is capable of Level 2++ autonomous driving, meaning it can match Tesla FSD performance, where permitted. It is a supervised system, but with a high degree of self-driving even in a complex urban context.
Also, the suspension benefits from machine learning. In line with the facelifted EQS, the optional adaptive damping system is cloud-linked. When other Mercedes models on the road detect potholes or bumps, the information is communicated to your car over the internet, so it can prepare in advance.
The mechanical prowess is further enhanced by rear-wheel steering up to 4.5 degrees in either direction and a dual-speed gearbox for the best match between highway consumption and acceleration from lower speeds. And speaking of consumption, the front engine on the 4Matic can be decoupled – a gain of 90% in energy losses, according to Mercedes.
Ready to order
The price point comes as no surprise; expectations ahead of the world premiere had already pointed to a price range of €65,000 to €70,000. Mercedes has now settled on €67,711 in Germany, hitting the middle ground almost exactly.
The unusual gross prices at Mercedes in Germany stem from the Stuttgart-based manufacturer’s tradition of calculating net prices and simply adding VAT. In Belgium, the price for the only available model until now, the C400 4Matic, is €70,059.
The rear axle of this four-wheel-drive C-Class features the electric motor with a two-speed transmission, which is also used in the CLA. This motor will also be used in an upcoming rear-wheel-drive model, which Mercedes has now officially confirmed alongside the order launch of the C400 4MATIC.
The name of this variant has not yet been revealed, but the combination of the 94 kWh battery with a 200 kW motor is expected to deliver the C-Class’s longest range. Following Mercedes’ naming convention, this will likely result in a + suffix, such as a C300+.
Mercedes currently states the range as “approximately 800 kilometers”. Later, there will also be ‘various battery variants’, presumably including a smaller base battery with a lower starting price.
