Battery size: 118–122kWh
E-Rating™: A+
Max charge rate: 350kW
Range: 574 miles
Introduction – new 2026 Mercedes EQS
The new 2026 Mercedes EQS looks pretty much the same as it did before. It’s now a lot more sparkly thanks to the twinkling three-pointed stars in the grille, and the glittery black paint (if you go for the option, anyway).
But what’s really important is that the EQS has had a comprehensive tech overhaul underneath the skin, so the new long range Mercedes EQS models will get a more energy dense 122kWh battery that gives a claimed WLTP range of up to 574 miles.
Not only that but there’s much faster 800V charging, bi-directional charging, better aerodynamics, improved lighting technology and more. Oh, and heated seatbelts, which I absolutely love. It doesn’t get much more luxurious than that, does it?
Like I said – the new EQS doesn’t look drastically changed but there’s a lot of improvements that add up to make this a very exciting new addition to the luxury executive electric saloon class.
Range, battery and charging
The final details of the UK Mercedes EQS lineup haven’t been confirmed, yet, but I suspect that the big seller will be the Merc EQS 450+, which is the cheapest model that will get the new 122kWh lithium-ion NMC battery.
It’s a more energy dense battery, so Mercedes has squeezed an additional 4kWh of usable capacity into a pack the same size as the 118kWh battery that the EQS had before this 2026 facelift.
Together with the improved electric motor efficiency and aerodynamics (0.20 drag coefficient, by the way, which is more aerodynamic than a Tesla Model S), that’s resulted in a WLTP range of up to 574 miles in the Merc EQS 450+ model. If we get the more powerful, four-wheel drive EQS 500 4Matic and 580 4Matic in the UK, you’ll see a bit of a penalty to that range but I’d still expect it to be well over 500 miles.
We’re also likely to get an entry-level Mercedes EQS 400 model, which will be rear wheel drive and have a smaller 112kWh battery. Range hasn’t been confirmed for that one yet.
As for real world range, we’ll have to wait and see as we haven’t driven the new Mercedes EQS yet. I mean, a real world range of well over 400 miles seems reasonable, doesn’t it, and that would be amazing. That’s way more than even the official claimed range in the BMW i7, while the Volvo ES90 manages a claimed range of up to 437 miles.
Mind you, there is a new generation of ultra long-range EVs with over 550 miles of claimed range just arriving, including the new BMW i3 (or the electric BMW 3-Series, as most of us will call it!), but the Merc EQS is winning the range race for now.
The new battery tech in the Mercedes uses partial-silicon oxide anode technology, and don’t worry – you don’t need to understand that to figure out the benefits! Basically, a traditional anode uses graphite, but by combining silicon oxide and graphite in the EQS’s batteries, it makes the cells faster to charge and may also help with battery longevity – although I’d caution that most of the data gathered on the life of silicon anode batteries currently comes from prototype testing in labs.
Still, it’s another step forward in battery tech, and it allows the updated EQS to charge via a new 800V system at speeds of up to 350kW. That’s good for as much as 200 miles of range in just 10 minutes. Plug into one of the more common 400V rapid charging stations and you’ll get up to 175kW charging speeds, which will be good for more like 100 miles of range in 10 minutes.
There’s also bidirectional charging, now, including vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid. You can read all about that in our explainer article, here.
Practicality and boot space
The EQS may look like a saloon, but it's actually got a big hatchback boot opening that reveals a vast 620 litres of space, so it's an unlikely champion for practicality. Sure, the boot space isn't that deep thanks to that aerodynamic, swooping roofline, but it's a huge boot floor that'll take your long haul luggage with relative ease. There’s no frunk, unfortunately.
I’d love it if it got a frunk that you could open with a cheeky flick of that upright Mercedes star badge – which is new, but, er, also old as it’s a nod to the traditional Merc badges on the original S-Class and other heritage Mercedes models.
Mercedes traditionalists will love it, and I have to say I’m rather a fan, too. It’s just very gentrified, and that suits the EQS sense of being a very high class, expensive, top-notch piece of automotive real estate.
As for rear passenger space, it’s super comfortable back there with ample room, plus seats that can recline, massage, heat and cool you depending on which options you’ve added. I would have to go for those cushioned headrests, if I were going to be driven around in my EQS. They’re so comfy! Like sitting in first class on a plane.
If we're really nitpicking, there are others including the BMW i7 that have slightly more headroom, but the EQS has full limousine-style space, and there’s shock and awe in all the material details and lavish comforts. It’s properly impressive, although remember that many of those first class luxuries are optional on the current EQS – and will no doubt remain costly on this updated 2026 Merc EQS model, too.
Interior, styling and technology
Software and tech are two big features of the EQS, and even with this 2026 update the huge Hyperscreen is still breathtaking when you first get in. Mercedes calls it a "continuous surface made of aluminium silicate glass", but to you and I it's a large infotainment screen that extends practically across the entire dashboard.
Its screen is curved at 65 degrees and measures a staggering 1.41 metres, making a Tesla Model S's screen look pretty tiny. It’s so big that sometimes you have to physically lean forward and stretch to tap some on-screen buttons, although I have to say that the voice control in the Mercedes is impressively reliable, so you can do a lot by using that.
Even so, you'll definitely need to give yourself time to get used to how the system works. It can be confusing if you're trying to find a setting in one of the deeper menus, as there are so many features in this infotainment system.
When you’ve done that it’s a fairly easy system to use, the graphics are some of the best in any car, and the sheer wow factor of that enormous screen is definitely a selling point. Naturally you get a satnav, as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, intelligent charger search function and even atmospheric modes that help to relax you by playing gentle background music and accompanying graphics on the screens, while also massaging your stresses away.
The lights have had an impressive overhaul for the 2026 update. You now get digital LED headlights that have a 40% improved area of coverage, yet use 50% less energy. The ‘Dynamic Ultra Range’ high beam can now illuminate the road up to 600 metres ahead – which is the equivalent of six football pitches!
Now, I rate Mercedes matrix headlights (which give you high beam light without dazzling other drivers) as some of the best, they really do respond almost instantly and offer brilliant illumination. But there is a lot of talk about headlights being a bit too bright on some modern cars, and this does sound... bright!
What do you reckon? Let us know in the comments on the YouTube video, if you think modern headlights are getting a bit too bright for their own good, even with the impressive fully adaptive tech also improving all the time.
Motors and performance
We haven’t driven the updated 2026 Mercedes EQS yet, but it gets new, more efficient electric motors and will be offered with rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive ‘4Matic’ models. It won’t be slow – the outgoing Merc EQS 450+ will do 0–62mph in 6.2 seconds, which is fast enough for us.
I’d much rather see performance like that (genuinely – fast enough for most, I think) and see better efficiency. Which is what Mercedes has done with a new two-speed gearbox that helps with acceleration and long-range efficiency when you’re on the motorway.
Brake regen has been upgraded, too, and now offers more regenerative power. Depending on the spec of the EQS model in question, you’ll be able to control it via paddles on the steering wheel.
New ‘cloud-based’ air suspension also promises exceptional ride comfort and the EQS will be able to read the road ahead and change its damper settings to suit the surface you’re driving along.
And don’t forget the steer-by-wire technology! This means that Mercedes has removed the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels altogether – it relies on an electrical connection instead.
This isn’t new tech. We’ve seen it on the Tesla Cybertruck among others, and it’s been used in driver assistance systems – not to mention versions in the widely used autopilot systems used in aircraft – and I had a go with it in a prototype car. Check out the video short, here.
You don’t have to have the ‘yoke’ steering wheel, by the way. Mercedes will offer a conventional steering wheel. I’d have the yoke, as I rather like it, but it is an acquired taste. You can find out what steer-by-wire tech is and whether it’s safe (which it is, by the way) in our explainer.
Other highlights of the EQS facelift include an improved towing capacity, with even rear-wheel-drive Merc EQS models now able to tow up to 1,600kg, while the 4Motion four-wheel-drive EQS variants will be able to tow 1,700kg.
Just think of all that aerodynamic work that Mercedes had done, and then someone sticks a lightweight caravan behind it! Makes me wince. I bet there are some engineers and aerodynamicists at Mercedes who are weeping into their wind tunnels at the thought.
Nonetheless, it’s a great, practical touch for the EQS, so well done Mercedes. Can’t wait to drive it! Maybe without a caravan attached, eh?
Pricing and on sale date
The new, updated Mercedes EQS will go on sale later in 2026, in the UK. We don’t have confirmed pricing and specs, yet, so we’ll have to wait and see. You can still get some remaining stock of the outgoing EQS, which cost around £110,000–£140,000 depending on spec, and I wouldn’t expect this new model to come in at a whole lot more than that. Like I said – we’ll have to wait and see!
Verdict
The updated, 2026 Mercedes EQS has got milestone moments to spare. It’s got so much tech, and that range is just astonishing.
I do wonder if new arrivals like the BMW i3 – and even Mercedes’ own new CLA, which gets close to 500 miles of range – will make it a bit harder to justify this sort of price. But then the EQS is the electric Mercedes S-Class, and it feels every bit the luxury limo, which comes with a price tag. Next to rivals like the BMW i7, it actually looks pretty good value!
It’s certainly stuffed with awesome tech, and as the longest range electric car you can buy in the UK, Mercedes is right to be very proud of it. We’ll have to wait and see final pricing details, and what real-world range and charging speeds are like before we deliver a final verdict. But blimey, it’s impressive, isn’t it?
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