Here we are, then... The new BMW iX3 is our Electrifying Car of the Year, and with good reason. The new battery tech gives it 500 miles of range, it’s brilliant to drive and the new generation of infotainment is also a win for us. But there’s competition. The new Mercedes GLC Electric is here!

Do you prefer the Merc’s more traditional styling? The more luxurious interior? It’s got more equipment and more screen for the money than the BMW iX3. But the range? Well, that’s where the Mercedes lags a bit with 406 miles of WLTP range. 

Let’s pull it apart then, and see which of these new generation premium electric SUVs you should be getting for your next posh family EV. 

Cars tested:

BMW iX3 xDrive50

Price from: £60,655

Price as tested: £68,387 (M Sport with Tech Plus Pack, pano roof, iconic glow, parking assistant pro, heated steering wheel, multifunctional seats, sun protection glass)

Est monthly PCP: £921 (3yrs, 10k miles, £5,000 deposit)

WLTP range: 500 miles

Real world range: 360–420 miles

Max charging: 400kW

Power: 469hp

0–62mph: 4.9sec

Boot capacity: 520 litres (58 litre frunk)

Max towing capacity: 2,000kg

Mercedes GLC 400 4Matic Electric 

Price from: £60,350

Price as tested: £77,100 (AMG Line Premium Plus, lavender silver metallic paint, refinement pack, 22kW charging, trailer coupling)

Est. monthly PCP: £914pm (3yrs, 10k miles, £5,000 deposit)

WLTP range: 406 miles

Real world range: 300–360 miles

Max charging: 330kW

Power: 489hp

0–62mph: 4.3sec

Boot capacity: 570 litres (128 litre frunk)

Max towing capacity: 2,400kg

Real-world range and charging

Right, let’s start with the obvious disparity, here – the range! The BMW iX3 xDrive 50 really does offer a huge amount of range for the money, with a WLTP range of 500 miles from its 108.7kWh NMC battery, while the Mercedes GLC 400 Electric offers 406 miles from a 94.5kWh NMC pack. 

Both have almost identical claimed efficiency, and we found that in the real world both managed around 3.7 to 3.9 miles per kWh (m/kWh) in warm conditions on mostly country roads and motorways. That equates to a real-world range of around 360 miles for the Merc GLC Electric, or 413 miles for the BMW iX3.  

We haven’t had a chance to spend time with the GLC in winter, but our time in cold, rainy weather in the BMW showed that it’ll manage around 360 miles even on a solid motorway run, and we'd estimate that the Mercedes will manage around 300 miles in those same conditions. 

The BMW wins for charging, too. It gets rapid charging of up to 400kW, which will deliver 200 miles of range in around 10 minutes – if you find a fast enough charger! The Mercedes gets 330kW peak rapid charging speeds, which is still seriously fast, and Merc claims is good enough for 160 miles of range in 10 minutes. 

Styling

This is a very subjective one, of course, but I think there’s a very disparate vibe in terms of the styling of these two. The BMW iX3 is the ultra-modern, edgy one. The clean surfacing, the lack of any chrome, the LED grille... it’s all very futuristic and cool.  

The Mercedes GLC Electric is the traditionalist. Yes, it’s still got 56 million (at least according to Nicola...) LED lights in that huge, glowing grille that all but the base GLC models get. But otherwise, I’d say that it looks like a very smart, slick Mercedes SUV. There’s nothing radical about it, like there is about the BMW. 

Personally? I think I prefer the BMW. But I also think that from the outset, these two will appeal to different people, which is a bit of a theme throughout this test. 

Interior and infotainment

Mercedes has really made a feature of the screens in its cars, and the GLC Electric is no different. There are 39.1 inches of uninterrupted screen in the GLC – and it’s worth noting that even the entry level Sport model gets three screens across the width of the interior, but the full Hyperscreen that our AMG Line Premium Plus test car gets as standard brings quite the wow factor. 

Naturally, it’s got everything you expect including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, full nav with intelligent charger search function (so it’ll find a good charging stop on your route and plan it all in for you), streaming services and much more. Both of our cars have all of that as standard, of course. But the Merc’s screen – the graphics, the sheer impact of it when you get into the car... well, it is seriously impressive, isn’t it? 

And very modern, of course, which contrasts rather well with the sumptuous, rather traditional wood and brushed aluminium trim that dominates the GLC. Even in the entry level GLC Electric Sport car that I drove on the launch recently, you still get lots of metal and leatherette, and that very luxury feel. 

Mind you, I am a big fan of the tan leather and yacht-style wood in the high-spec GLC Electric test car that we had in. If the National Trust did car interiors, they’d look like this GLC test car, wouldn’t they? 

As for the BMW iX3’s interior? Well, I really like the fact that there’s more dashboard and less screen. Yes, I can absolutely see why you’d favour the Merc’s cliff face of screen, but the BMW’s parallelogram touchscreen with the full-width info readout across the base of the screen feels equally modern and yet less... well, ‘in yer face’, I suppose. 

A bit more subdued, and I’d say the Mercedes has the better graphics, but the BMW’s system still works brilliantly, looks super slick, and doesn’t make it feel like you’re driving a panoramic screen.  

It is a shame that BMW charges a lot extra for the pano roof even on the M Sport model, while Mercedes includes it as standard on every GLC Electric. 

As for as interiors go, both of these are rather lovely but the Merc certainly wins if you want maximum sumptuousness while the BMW stays rather modern and minimalist. I actually prefer the Merc’s materials, but I don’t like the sheer screenage. I don’t know if I could get a GLC interior with the iX3 infotainment? Probably not... 

Space and practicality

You won’t struggle for space in the back of either of these cars, even if you’re very tall. Both have masses of head and legroom, USB-C charging ports, climate control and a central armrest. I think it’d feel a bit dark in the back of the BMW if you went for the black interior and no pano roof, but other than that there’s very little to complain about back there. 

As for boot space, the BMW gets 520 litres of boot space while the Mercedes gets 570 litres. Both also get 40/20/40 split rear seats that drop down flat, which is useful as you can drop the rear seats in sections to carry longer items and still have a passenger or two, back there. 

The battle of the frunks is in the Merc’s favour, too. There's 58 litres of storage room in the nose of the iX3, while the GLC Electric gets a whopping 125 litres. And I agree with Nic on this, too; she says in the video that she doesn’t really use a frunk as it’s a faff to bend into the cabin and open it. 

But the Merc’s button push release on the nose of the car makes it so much more usable. I hope Ginny’s right and that we’ll see lots of EVs with frunks that you can open easily from the outside! 

In the meantime, the Mercedes GLC Electric beats the BMW iX3 for practicality, even if either will be fantastic electric family SUVs. 

Which one is best to drive? 

Hmm. Tough question, that. Both of them drive rather beautifully, but they are – again – quite different characters. Our Mercedes GLC Electric test car came with optional Airmatic air suspension, which gives a rather floaty, wallowy feel to the ride comfort. I don’t mind that, and it does soak up the bumps and potholes really well even on big 21-inch alloy wheels. 

But it is quite noticeable that there’s a fair bit of body movement, so it may not to everyone’s tastes. And I’d add, here, that I drove the GLC 400 Electric with its standard suspension and I’d say that’s arguably the better car to drive, if you don’t mind a slightly chattier ride comfort. I’d go without air suspension, if I were speccing my dream GLC.  

The BMW iX3 isn’t yet available with adaptive suspension (nor air suspension), although there are rumours that it may become available in the UK in the not too distant future. I suspect it’d benefit from adaptive suspension, as the ride is a touch firm. Not crashy or jarring, but you notice it when you’re on a scruffy surface. 

The flipside of that firmer ride is that the iX3 has a really enjoyable, assertive way of going down the road. It feels keyed in, with sharp responses as you fling it into a corner, and it just always feels alert. It’s a sports SUV, really, isn’t it? It’s fun! 

Mercedes has given the GLC 400 Electric a more suave, soft-edged feel. It still handles well, and if you stick it in Sport it’s the faster car here – at 4.4 seconds compared with 4.9 seconds for the BMW iX3 xDrive 50. But the steering’s lighter, and it all feels a bit more removed. 

That’s a good thing, I’d say, as it matches rather gentrified character of the GLC. It’s slick, smooth and always composed. The BMW’s sharper. It goads you on a bit to make the most of what it can do, yet it also settles down beautifully and is an absolutely epic long distance companion. 

So, which one’s best to drive? Both are refined, satisfying and rather smug-inducing, so I doubt you’ll be disappointed whichever you favour, but the BMW’s more assertive handling and equally excellent motorway and long distance manners give it the edge. Yes, I’d like the option of adaptive dampers. But even without them, the iX3 is the better of these two to drive.

Which one is best value? 

That’s a tricky question, because both are very comparable on list price if you compare like-for-like trims. The entry-level Mercedes GLC 400 Electric Sport costs £60,350 while the BMW iX3 M Sport comes in at £60,250 – and you’re getting the standard glass roof, leatherette and massage seats in the Merc. 

Go for the Sport trim and the Merc undercuts the BMW on monthly PCP, too, at £750 per month compared with £973 for the BMW – based on a 36-month contract, 10,000 miles per annum and a £5,000 deposit or part-ex. 

Leasing is tricky, as the GLC Electric is so new that prices are still much higher than on the BMW iX3, so if you’re looking to get the Merc on a lease then I’d recommend you wait a bit as there are likely to much more competitive deals out there very soon. 

Which one is better, then – the BMW iX3 or Mercedes GLC Electric?

Ah, well. I really like the Mercedes. I like its sophisticated, rather traditional appeal next to the BMW’s sharp, modern appeal. It’s like James Bond versus X-Men, right? I like both, but it depends on my mood as to which one I want to watch at any given time.  

But it’d be quite extravagant to run both a GLC and iX3 in order to cater to my mecurial mood swings, so let’s get to the point. Both of these are seriously excellent, recommendable and all-round impressive electric SUVs, but with its range, sharper handling and slightly less over-the-top infotainment? The BMW iX3 remains the one to beat. Now it’s just the Volvo EX60 that the BMW’s got to worry about…