Mercedes GLE Plug-in Hybrid Review

GLE: £67,260 - £75,060, GLE Coupe: £73,915

Electrifying.com score

7/10

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If you’re a company car driver or have the right lifestyle, the GLE hybrid is an excellent option – it’s quiet, plush and very posh.


  • Battery size: 31.2kWh
  • Company car tax: 7%
  • Emissions: 22g/km
  • Range: 66 miles (WLTP claimed)
  • Fuel economy: 30.4 MPG

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  • Battery size: 31.2kWh
  • Company car tax: 7%
  • Emissions: 22g/km
  • Range: 66 miles (WLTP claimed)
  • Fuel economy: 30.4 MPG
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE350de4MATIC front action shot, UK registered, mountains in background
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE350de4MATIC rear action shot, UK registered, mountains in background
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE350de4MATIC front action shot, UK registered, woodland road
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE350de4MATIC rear action shot, UK registered, driving on dirt track
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE350de4MATIC side on shot, UK registered, mountains in background, gloomy weather
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE350de4MATIC boot / luggage area, seats folded

Tom Says

“Up to 61-miles of electric-only running from an SUV that also has a diesel engine? The GLE 350de seems like a massive contradiction. But it has a battery the same size as some city-car pure electrics. Genius, or madness?”

Ginny Says

“The idea of mixing a diesel with an electric motor seems crazy, but I can see why it could make sense and add to efficiency.  But you'd need to be doing a lot of long journeys to justify it over a pure electric.”

​The GLE has the largest battery of its nearest rivals and can easily return around 60 miles of pure electric range. It can be rapid-charged, too.

  • Range :66 miles (WLTP claimed)
  • Battery:31.2kWh
  • Home/Public charger (7kW):5 hrs
  • Fast charging 20-80% (50kW):20 mins
  • Domestic three-pin:11 hrs 30 mins

Range     

Mercedes claims you’ll get up to 66 miles from a full charge, but also says that’ll fluctuate to as little as 50. A good rule of thumb is the larger the size of the alloy wheels, the smaller the range you’ll get. The top spec GLE 350de gets 22-inch wheels which, while they look great, not only affect the ride quality but also put a dent into the range. Our car had 20-inch wheels and we were getting around 60 miles which for a big plug-in hybrid SUV isn’t bad at all. There are a number of driving modes with Eco helping to eek out the range.

Battery 

The GLE 350de gets a 31.2kWh battery which may sound small if you’re considering the Mercedes EQC pure-electric SUV (the EQC has an 80kWh battery) but it’s actually pretty big for a PHEV. In fact, it’s not just pretty big but class leading and beats rivals like the BMW X5 xDrive 45e. Mercedes has mounted the battery under the boot floor which means the GLE plug-in only comes as a five-seater – it’s still a large five-seater with a big boot but remember the Volvo XC90 Recharge does sacrifice its two seats in the boot and remains a seven-seat SUV just like the petrol and diesel models.

Charging

The GLE 350de is charged just like any other electric car and has a charging port on the kerbside – and on the opposite side to where you fill the car with diesel. Unusually for a plug-in hybrid, the GLE can also be rapid charged meaning charging times can be dramatically shorter if you plug in to a fast or rapid charger at a supermarket car park or motorway services. Hooking up to a 7kW home wallbox will take five hours to replenish the car’s battery or if you connect to a 50kW fast charger then an 80% top-up will take just 20 minutes. If you can only hook up to a three-pin domestic socket then a full charge will take over 11 hours, but the good news is Mercedes throws in cables suitable for three-pin and wallbox/charging point for free.

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