I drove the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 EV for a week — and it's the epitome of luxury driving

Tom's Guide

7 days ago

I've driven my fair share of luxury EVs. I thought EVs such as the Genesis GV60, Lexus RZ 450e, and Cadillac Lyriq were luxury vehicles, but I was wrong. My perception of what luxury really is has been distorted all this time. That's until now.
After driving the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 Sedan for a week, it proves to me what it takes to truly be defined as luxury driving. I wasn't prepared for the premium features it offers, which makes driving this all-electric sedan even more impressive — but it does cost a whopping $107,400 to start. That balloons to $139,910 with all the optional equipment and packages thrown in, so it's certainly not cheap.
Honestly, all the features make it feel more futuristic than some of the best electric cars I've tested.
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 Sedan
Battery
118 kWh
Motor
Dual-motor AWD
0 to 60 mph
5.9 seconds
Range
390 miles
Horsepower
355 hp
Wheels
21-inches
MSRP
$107,400
Price Tested
$139,910
Most of the luxury EVs I've tested aren't known for their efficient driving. When you're spending a fortune, charging costs are probably the least of your worries. Yet, the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 Sedan doesn't overlook this because it's actually quite efficient.
I drove a total of 380 miles in my week's worth of testing it out, reaching an average efficiency of 3.26 mi/kWh. Even though it doesn't reach the benchmark of 4 mi/kWh that I achieved with the Lucid Air Touring, it's still pretty exceptional. It's not as fun or responsive to drive like the BMW i4 M50 Gran Coupe or Volvo EX30, but for a full-sized sedan, it handles smoothly.
Based on my results, a full charge maintaining this efficiency would yield approximately 384 miles of range. That's a smidge short of the 390 miles it's rated for, but it's good enough in my book — plus, it beats my all-gas powered car. However, it's very plausible to reach that estimate because in one of my short-distance test drives, it averaged a 3.47 mi/kWh efficiency driving on mostly local and county roads.
On Level 1 charging at home, you'll get a decent amount of charge through a standard 120V outlet. Its 3.78 mi/hr charging rate returned 37 miles of range in about 9 hours of charging overnight. That's plenty enough for what I need for my commute, but those who drive far each day will want to invest in a Level 2 charger.
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2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 Sedan
2025 Lucid Air Touring
2025 BMW i4 M50 Gran Coupe EV
Price tested
$139,910
$101,850
$76,575
Total miles driven
384 miles
362.1 miles
461.5 miles
Average Efficiency
3.26 mi/kWh
4 mi/kWh
2.9 mi/kWh
Best long distance driving efficiency
3.44 mi/kWh
4.29 mi/kWh
N/A
Best short distance driving efficiency
3.47 mi/kWh
4.42 mi/kWh
N/A
Level 1 charging rate
3.78 mi/hr
4.27 mi/hr
2.19 mi/hr
When it comes to turn-by-turn directions, most luxury EVs come with a head-up display that shows me where to turn and the distance I need to travel. The Mercedes-Benz EQS takes it one step further by incorporating an augmented reality experience that dynamically guides me where to go.
What makes it different is how the head-up display shows arrows that progressively get larger as I approach my turns or exits. I find it much more helpful because the arrows overlay on top of the road to guide me exactly where to go, so I'm never second guessing the turn. It's as if the windshield is a see-through display, with those arrows moving in the direction you're supposed to go.
Nearly all luxury EVs have neat startup light sequences, like the stacking lights effect of the Cadillac Optiq. While you definitely get that with the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450V Sedan, there's one particular sequence that puts it in a league of its own.
I'm referring to the animation that projects from the front of the vehicle onto whatever's in front of it. In the open parking lot where I tried it out, it's an ostentatious display that does the obvious — telling the world your vehicle is different from 99% of the other stuff out there. Yes it's over the top, but I love it.
When it comes to the best TVs or best phones, the kind of displays that scream ultra premium are OLED panels. The Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan is filled to the brim with them, to the point that nearly the entire dashboard is covered by them.
Mercedes refers to it as the MBUX Hyperscreen, which consists of a 17.7-inch OLED main dashboard display flanked by a 12.3-inch LED driver's display and a 12.3-inch OLED passenger display. It's a jaw-dropping sight unlike anything else I've seen, offering high contrast, rich colors, and a wide viewing angle. Quite frankly, these are the best displays I've seen in any vehicle to date.
Luxury EVs typically focus a lot on the ambient light, and while some are a bit reserved, others like the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan take one step further. In fact, the entire interior space is bathed in bright, ambient lights that complement its luxurious design
It almost looks like a light cycle from 'TRON' because of the amount of LED light strips Mercedes-Benz employs here. Not only are they around the dashboard and doors, but they're also embedded in the seats as well. On top of that, you can also customize the colors and animation patterns to make it feel like you're driving something from the future.
Even though it's classified as a sedan, it feels like a hatchback due to how the entire back side of the vehicle opens up to access its trunk — which in itself offers generous storage for large items like my JackRabbit OG2 Pro micro ebike. At the same time, it doesn't compromise the space inside for your rear passengers.
I wasn't expecting a luxury EV like this to get decent efficiency, but it does. That's a good thing because it's something that should ease the range anxiety that people have about all-electric vehicles. Like I mentioned before, its 3.26 mi/kWh efficiency I averaged during my week's worth of testing is pretty good — so it's more than suitable for long distance driving.
Likewise, I'm also surprised by its fast Level 1 charging. Anyone who could afford this should get a Level 2 charger at their home to get a full charge overnight, but until they go through the process to install one, its 3.78 mi/hr charging rate should suffice in the interim.
Mercedes-Benz doesn't skimp out on what camera it employs throughout the EQS Sedan and it shows because the quality out of them is outstanding. Whether it's the backup camera or the front one, they all sort of have this HDR-like look that neutralizes the exposure across different lighting situations.
This is important because it also aids in its adaptive cruise control system, which helps to determine if there are nearby cars when it performs a lane change assist. I've found its ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) to work really well on highways to keep it straight in the lane — as well as automatically accelerating and braking to maintain cruising speed.
I can go on and on about all the small details that make it an ultra-premium vehicle, like the pillows in the backseat, cushioned headrests, massaging seats, and fragrance control to name a few, but it's still going to be hard to convince the majority of shoppers to spend nearly $140,000 on a vehicle.
Other luxury vehicles I've tested still come well under this price, like the Acura ZDX Type-S, Genesis GV70, and even the GMC Hummer EV. They might not have the same meticulous attention to detail like the EQS, but you're still paying well less for them.
This one's only a problem because of how popular Stanley's line of insulated tumblers have become in the last couple of years. The cupholders near the front seats aren't set deep enough and too tight from one another, resulting in larger sized cups, like Stanley's tumblers, to sometimes not fit properly.
I have a totally different perception of luxury vehicles because the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450V Sedan redefines my expectations. It makes other luxury vehicles I've tested feel ordinary, due in part to the insane amount of details it applies to everything.
At the same time, I'm pleased that it drives super smooth and offers good efficiency — but it's obnoxiously expensive. It's not to say you shouldn't consider it, but your budget will dictate if it's even possible in the first place. However, I will say that it's absolutely a status symbol that gives people an idea of your level of class.