The Mercedes-Benz GLC has been the German automaker’s best-selling model for years at this point, and that trend is only going to continue as compact luxury crossovers get more popular, but the GLC has been missing something: an electric powertrain. Thus far, we’ve only gotten internal-combustion-powered GLCs, as the EQC never made it to our shores, but that all changes with the new GLC with EQ Technology (which I’ll be calling the GLC EV from here on out). Not only is it a reinvention of Mercedes’ most important model, it’s also a North Star for where the automaker is headed in the future.
The GLC EV brings with it a slew of new technologies and features we’re sure to see on other Mercedes-Benz vehicles, especially as it’s the first car on the all-new MB.EA electric vehicle architecture. It also has an AI-driven MB.OS supercomputer to run everything, a totally redesigned cabin with a massive 39.1-inch seamless screen, even better driver-assist systems, and an exterior that blends forward-thinking design elements with nods to past iconic Mercedes-Benz models. There’s a lot to like here. Let’s dig in.
Power up
Underneath the skin of the GLC EV is the all-new 800-volt MB.EA architecture that Mercedes first started telling us about a few years ago. In the U.S. we’re going to get two drivetrain options at launch: the rear-wheel-drive GLC300+ and the all-wheel-drive GLC400 4Matic. Mercedes says the GLC300+ will put out 369 horsepower and 372 pound-feet of torque from its single motor. That’s good enough for a 5.9-second 0-to-60-mph run. The dual-motor GLC400 bests both those numbers by quite a lot, coming in at 483 hp and 596 lb-ft and dropping the claimed 0-60 time to just 4.4 seconds. Either way you get a 130-mph top speed.
Both models have a 94-kWh battery pack and can DC fast charge at up to 330 kW, and there’s an integrated DC converter so they can charge at both 800-volt and 400-volt stations. Mercedes says it can charge from 10% to 80% in about 24 minutes, and about 150 miles of range can be added in just 10 minutes. On the European WLTP cycle, Mercedes says the GLC EV can travel up to 443 miles on a full charge. WLTP is more optimistic than the EPA’s test, so I’d hazard that our range will be somewhere around the 390-400 mile mark.
It has a two-speed transmission
It also comes as standard with selectable one-pedal driving. Mercedes knows this is going to be a lot of buyers’ first EV, so it wants to ease everyone into it slowly. Up to 300 kW of regeneration is possible, and Mercedes says the GLC recuperates during “over 99%” of braking.
Like with the Porsche Taycan, Mercedes went with the two-speed transmission in an effort to optimize both performance and efficiency. First gear has a short ratio of 11:1, which gives the GLC EV quick acceleration, high towing capacity (up to 5,291 pounds) and more efficiency around town. Second gear (5:1) is designed for power delivery at higher speeds — like accelerating from an on ramp all the way up to its 130 mph top speed on the autobahn — and efficiency in highway driving. Air suspension is optional, as is rear-wheel steering that turns up to 4.5 degrees.
When you’re on the highway, you’ll be able to enjoy Mercedes’ standard suite of driver-assist technologies that will only get better with time as they are improved with over-the-air updates. The GLC has up to ten cameras, twelve ultrasonic sensors and five radar sensors.
A new look
When it comes to the outside of the GLC EV, the first thing you’re going to notice is the biggest thing, that eye-catching grille up front that Mercedes says both “marks an important milestone and redefines the face of the brand.” The “grille” has a wide chrome frame, a smoked-glass-look mesh structure and integrated contour lighting. Of course, there’s an illuminated version available that you simply must get, which comes with 942 polycarbonate backlit dots, as well as an illuminated three-pointed star.
Other than the grille, the GLC EV isn’t that wild-looking. That isn’t to say it’s not a handsome crossover — it definitely is, but it’s fairly conservative by modern EV standards. For the most part, the GLC EV looks like a pretty conventional Mercedes-Benz crossover, though it’s not nearly as blob-like as the EQE SUV. It’s a nice mix between gas-powered crossovers like the existing GLC and the EQ models.
As will become standard new Mercedes-Benz fare, the headlights have three-pointed-star-shaped running lights, and the taillight bar contains small encircled star LEDs like on the recent GT XX concept. The car also comes with plenty of chrome to keep even the most traditional Mercedes fan happy, and there’s a small roof spoiler at the top of the trunk to help with aerodynamics and disguise the GLC EV’s sloping roofline. Mercedes says the GLC has a drag coefficient of 0.26, which is pretty good but slightly off the mark of the newly released BMW iX3, which will be the GLC’s biggest competitor. You can get up to 21-inch wheels if you aren’t too worried about the car’s range, but 20s come as standard.
Matters of size
The GLC EV’s 117-inch wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than the gas-powered GLC, and because of other clever EV packaging, interior room grows for everyone. Front and rear occupants get an extra 0.5 inches and 1.9 inches of legroom, respectively, and rear headroom is up 0.6 inches, thanks in part to the standard panoramic roof.
Mercedes says the GLC EV will have 20.1 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats, which isn’t bad but is a bit less than the gas GLC. If that’s not enough, electrically drop the 40:20:40-split second row and the space grows to a healthy 61.4 cubic feet, more than the ICE model, and the cargo floor can be lowered by 3.1 inches. If you need just a bit more space, there’s a standard frunk with an extra 4.5 cubic feet of room. But overall, the GLC EV isn’t that much bigger than the gas
More screen, more buttons
While the outside of the GLC EV is evolutionary, its inside could very well be considered revolutionary. The big news here is the available 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, the largest display fitted to a Mercedes to date. Made up of over 1,000 individual LEDs, it combines gauge cluster, central infotainment screen and passenger display into one seamless screen that spans the whole dashboard. Intelligent dimming technology will allow for simultaneous adjustment of different sections, like if the passenger wants their side to be darker.
Mercedes says the screen can show “high-resolution ambient styles” as background motifs that are meant to offer a wide range of moods to the folks in the car, “from calm to intense, cool to warm, and technical to emotional.” In addition to changing the graphics and colors across the screen, these moods also change the ambient lighting.
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The infotainment system is an evolution of the new MBUX that debuted on the CLA, with simpler menus and better graphics than the old cars. It even has an AI virtual assistant thing with ChatGPT4o and Microsoft Bing Search that’ll be your friend if you don’t have one, but I really think you should try to find one.
The GLC EV’s interior is about more than a big screen, though. Mercedes made it a point of emphasis to bring back buttons and knobs on both the steering wheel and center console (they live right by a pair of wireless phone chargers), replacing the haptic buttons that were previously there. It’s also putting a bigger emphasis on trim and materials — the floating wood piece that follows the dash and center console is huge, the air vents are more intricate, and the door panels have more complex designs.
Typically eye-catching inside
Of course, like all modern Mercedes-Benz models, the GLC EV’s interior is festooned with all of the ambient lighting you could ever want that can be changed to 11 trillion different colors and even pulse and change along with the music. That ambient lighting can also show up on the panoramic roof, which, as an option, is covered in 162 three-pointed stars, a very neat trick.
Mercedes says the GLC EV is going to be offered with a whole slew of sustainable materials meant to create a high-quality feel in the car’s interior, including the first interior certified by The Vegan Society, if that’s the sort of thing you’re into. If you’re not, you can also choose from black, beige or brown leather options that can be paired with all sorts of lovely trim options from anthracite or metallic-blended fabric to AMG carbon fiber and birch wood. It’s a Mercedes. You’ve got lots of options.
If you’re not feeling that massive screen, you can also go for the MBUX Superscreen that separates the three zones into separate screens like on the CLA: a 10.25-inch driver display, a 14-inch infotainment screen and a 14-inch passenger display. The base GLC EV doesn’t have the passenger display; instead it gets a panel with more illuminated stars.
Have it your way
The AMG version of the GLC EV isn’t getting revealed yet, but that hasn’t stopped Mercedes from offering several different AMG appearance packages on the car. You can option the GLC EV with the AMG Line, which gives it AMG exterior styling, unique AMG wheels, a sports steering wheel in Nappa leather, AMG floor mats and sports pedals. You can also opt for the AMG Line Sport Seat Package that gets you more snug seats with integrated headrests, AMG-specific stitching for the door panels and interior, cherry red leather and different graphics for the screen.
If that’s not quite enough AMG for you, there’s also the AMG Line Plus with Night Package, which adds all the AMG Line features plus 21-inch wheels with a black tint, a black rear spoiler, illuminated black door sills and Manufaktur seatbelts in red.
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I hear you, AMG isn’t your thing. Don’t worry, there are plenty of other GLC EVs to choose from, like the Executive Line. It packages the illuminated grille with the illuminated panoramic roof and the Superscreen with the 14-inch passenger display, ambient interior lighting and illuminated door sills. You can also go for the Pinnacle Line, which gives you the Executive features plus active ambient lighting, a Burmester sound system and an air purifier.
If you’re someone who wants, no needs, the best, go for the Pinnacle Plus Line. That upgrades your lights on the outside, gets you the 39.1-inch Hyperscreen, as well as an even better Burmester sound system, heated and ventilated front seats that’ll massage you, and the Winter package.
As important as it gets
We can expect to see the GLC400 4Matic hitting showroom floors in late 2026, with the GLC300+ following in early 2027. The price has yet to be announced, but with BMW’s iX3 said to start at around $55,000, Mercedes probably wants to be close to that mark.
It’s hard to think of a car in the past few decades that has been as important for Mercedes-Benz as the GLC with EQ Technology. Putting aside its silly name, it’s a car that carries an enormous weight on its shoulders. Despite America’s best efforts, the rest of the world is moving away from gas-powered vehicles and toward EVs.
For luxury brands like Mercedes, the compact crossover is the most important segment, bar none. It’s been a rocky road for Mercedes trying to introduce a model in this segment in the U.S., but the GLC EV looks ready to take the world by storm, all while setting the tone for what a Mercedes-Benz is going to look like for years to come.
