Electric Mercedes EQV on sale with price of £70,665

• Second electric Mercedes
• First deliveries expected in autumn
• Fast-charging as standard

The Mercedes EQV electric MPV is now on sale for a starting price of £70,665. It’s Mercedes’ second electric model after the Mercedes EQC SUV, and is one of the first electric MPVs on sale.

The car’s basic price is £15,500 more than that of the entry-level Mercedes V-Class, and we expect it’ll be considerably higher than any of the EQV’s electric rivals, including the Nissan e-NV200 and the upcoming Citroen e-SpaceTourer, Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life and Peugeot e-Traveller trio.

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There are three trim levels called Sport, Sport Premium and Sport Premium Plus. The entry-level sport model is well-equipped, with alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, a reversing camera, a hands-free tailgate, electric sliding doors, an upgraded MBUX sat nav system and a driver assistance tech package all included.

Sport Premium is £2,230 more and adds a 360-degree camera, smartphone integration, rear table layouts and styling tweaks, while the top-spec Sport Premium Plus adds a premium sound system, bigger alloys and air suspension for £77,145.

Based on the current Mercedes V-Class, the EQV is powered by a 100kW battery. This offers a claimed 213 miles of range, which is decent considering the car’s 3,500kg gross weight, and supplies power to electric motors that provide 201bhp. Mercedes has not confirmed any performance details aside from the EQV’s top speed of 99mph but don’t expect Tesla levels of acceleration.

More relevant to EQV buyers is the MPV’s standard-fit fast-charging. Recharging from 10-80% takes 45 minutes using a public rapid charger, and adding 60 miles should take just 15 minutes. Using an 11kW wallbox, the EQV will fully recharge in around 10 hours. The Mercedes EQV offers a selection of driving modes (with the E+ mode maximising range), and you can choose from different levels of brake regeneration; choose the strongest level and you’ll be able to slow to a stop without using the brake pedal.

The EQV’s 100kWh battery is located under its floor, so passenger space is unchanged from the Mercedes V-Class MPV. The UK will only get the extra-long wheelbase model, with eight seats as standard.

The EQV looks broadly similar to the current V-Class, with the electric version featuring larger LED headlights, a chrome grille with full-width LED lighting, restyled front and rear bumpers and aero-efficient alloy wheels with blue accents.

Inside, there’s blue leather trim and rose gold accents alongside Mercedes’ latest hi-tech infotainment system, which now features a self-learning voice control function. There are EV-specific tech changes, including sat nav that monitors the charge of the batteries and indicates where charging stations are available when driving, as well as a smartphone app that can be used to pre-heat the interior and pay for charging.

Want to know more about the current Mercedes V-Class? Check out our review or why not read our picks for the best cars you can buy with sliding doors.