Mercedes has launched a new cheaper version of its GLC Electric SUV that starts the range £5k lower. 

The new GLC 250 slots in beneath the GLC 400 4MATIC and starts from £55,495 in entry level Sport trim versus the other car’s £60,350.

There are some obvious specification changes for the 250 over the 400, but none that would stop us from thinking the new model is a strong proposition. 

The new GLC 250 gets an 85kWh battery versus the 400’s 92kWh pack, and despite the smaller battery the 250’s range only drops by 16 miles for a 389-mile WLTP rating depending on trim level.

Likewise the new rear-wheel-drive 250 has less power on offer – 354hp versus 489hp, but what are 145 horses between friends? The 0–62mph run is dispatched in a still-perky 5.9 seconds and the GLC 250 has the same 130mph top speed if you’re trying to empty your battery as quickly as possible.

The 250 does charge ever so slightly slower with a 320kW peak that’s only 10kW lower than its bigger brother, so you can still juice up from 10–80% in 22 minutes. 

You get the same 520-litre boot and a 128-litre frunk under the bonnet that’s smartly accessible by pressing the Mercedes badge on the bonnet – a feature that we hope will make it to every single other electric car with a frunk in good time. 

The GLC 250 is available across all the same trim levels as the 400 model, from Sport all the way up to Premier Edition. 

Check out our head to head twin test of the GLC Electric versus the BMW iX3 below.