Mercedes EQA 250+ Review: I Let It Park Itself Between Two Cars, and Its Real-World Efficiency Surprised Me Even More

The Mercedes EQA 250+ is the smallest electric SUV Mercedes makes, and a lot of people see it as a city car, the second car in the family. I wanted to see whether it's more than that. I took it out at about 6:30 in the morning, while it was cool and the roads were empty, drove a two-lane highway to the town of Târgu Frumos and back, tried every efficiency trick in the EQ menu and, at the end, let it park itself in three different situations. Every efficiency and range figure below is something I read off the dashboard, on camera, for my Mașina Timpului YouTube channel.

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The car I tested: EQA 250+ with the 70.5 kWh battery

My car was a former demonstrator with about 5,000 km (3,100 miles) on it, on 18-inch AMG wheels with 235/55 R18 tires. I also put the camera under the car: the floor is fairly flat and the battery doesn't hang down much.

According to the official "Mercedes-Benz Media" release, the 250+ version arrived with the 2023 update and has a battery with 70.5 kWh of usable energy, compared with 66.5 kWh in the regular EQA 250. The technical data published by "Mercedes-Benz Romania" lists a front-axle motor with 140 kW (190 hp) and 385 Nm, 0–100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, a 160 km/h top speed and a WLTP range of up to 560 km (about 348 miles), with combined consumption of 14.4 kWh/100 km. DC fast charging goes up to 100 kW, and 10–80% takes about 35 minutes. On AC it charges at 11 kW. The car is 4,463 mm long with a 340-liter trunk, and a heat pump is standard, according to "Mercedes-Benz Media".

Navigation that draws the route on the real road

I reset the trip meter, set Târgu Frumos as the destination and left with 62% battery and 291 km of estimated range. The navigation said I'd arrive with 53%. I arrived with 54%, so the estimate was spot on as long as you drive normally and legally.

What I like most about Mercedes is the augmented reality navigation. The windshield camera films the road and the screen lays the arrows over the real image: where to turn right, which street to take, even the street name. To me it's the best feature any automaker that already has cameras on the car should offer. The infotainment responded quickly, and Android Auto worked without a hitch.

Eco, Eco Plus and automatic regeneration

The EQ menu has a range optimization feature. The car told me I could gain up to 46 km by switching to Eco, limiting the climate functions and moving to Eco Plus driving. Eco Plus doesn't cut power, but the accelerator pedal becomes "longer": you press it the same amount and the car responds more gently. That removes the tiny, pointless bursts of acceleration we don't even feel, which is why Eco modes really do make a difference to efficiency. I use them in every car I test.

I also used automatic regeneration. I lifted off the accelerator going downhill and the car held its speed, slowed down on its own toward 30 km/h when a speed limit was coming up, and recovered energy when it detected a car ahead. It doesn't brake all the way to a stop, so at a red light you brake yourself, but it helps a lot with coasting.

The numbers on the dashboard

• after the first 4 km in town, at an average of 24 km/h: 7.8 kWh/100 km;
• after the first 10 km: 11.7 kWh/100 km, and the "dynamic" range climbed from 291 to 313 km at 61% battery;
• at Târgu Frumos, at an average of 54 km/h, a maximum of 100 km/h (62 mph) and about 10°C (50°F) outside: 13.6 kWh/100 km (roughly 4.6 miles per kWh);
• at 47% battery the car still estimated 248 km, which works out to almost 500 km (about 310 miles) on a full battery at two-lane highway speeds.

Overall I stayed around 13 kWh/100 km on a normal drive. The quiet impressed me just as much. Up to 100 km/h I heard no wind noise at all, only the Michelin Primacy tires rolling. The seats are comfortable and firm, with well-designed adjustable lumbar support. The driving position felt a bit high for me, because I prefer sedans, but forward visibility is very good and the car isn't long, so it's easy to maneuver in town.

I let it park itself

Active Parking Assist is part of the Parking Package, according to the official "Mercedes-Benz" owner's manual: the car uses its cameras and ultrasonic sensors and takes over shifting, accelerating, braking and steering. In practice you press a button, the car searches for free spots, you pick one and it does the rest, under your supervision. It decides whether to park nose-in or reverse in.

I did the first try in a big parking lot, filmed with a drone. The car moved slowly, at about 2 km/h, didn't line up perfectly on the first pass, corrected with a move forward, then shifted into reverse on its own and stopped a safe distance from a pillar. The second time it parked next to another car, leaving plenty of room.

The hard test was at an apartment block, between a black car and a white one, in a tight spot. I was honestly nervous. At one point I braked myself because it looked like it was getting too close. The car didn't cancel the maneuver: it shifted into drive on its own, repositioned and carried on. I stopped it at the end out of caution, since it wasn't my car, but when I got out it was perfectly parallel and well centered.

What it means for drivers

The EQA 250+ isn't just a city car. At around 13 kWh/100 km on two-lane highways and with a 70.5 kWh battery, you can comfortably do a road trip of a few hundred kilometers, and a short stop at a fast charger takes care of the rest. Charging stations are popping up more and more often, including at gas stations. My advice: use Eco mode and automatic regeneration, because the difference in efficiency is real. And if parking makes you nervous, the self-parking feature really helps. You're still responsible, though: keep looking around and, if something doesn't feel right, take over and brake. If you want a compact electric SUV that is very quiet, comfortable and easy to park, the EQA 250+ deserves a serious test drive. You can read more about its bigger sibling in my Mercedes EQE SUV test.