Kia EV9 vs Mercedes-Benz EQC

The Kia EV9 costs £1,005 more than the Mercedes-Benz EQC. For that premium it adds 90 miles more WLTP range, 100 kW faster peak rapid charging and 2 more seats (7 versus 5). The Mercedes-Benz EQC is not just cheaper - it also offers 167 litres more boot space, 150 kW more power and a 4.3s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Kia EV9 comes out ahead overall.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC is £1,005 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £192 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Mercedes-Benz EQC comes out roughly £925 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 291 miles for the Kia EV9 and 216 miles for the Mercedes-Benz EQC - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Kia EV9 goes roughly 75 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 24 minutes in the Kia EV9 and 40 in the Mercedes-Benz EQC, so the Kia EV9 loses less time at each stop. That makes the Kia EV9 the stronger long-distance car.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 96 mm narrower than the Kia EV9. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 516 mm of total clearance for the Mercedes-Benz EQC and about 420 mm of total clearance for the Kia EV9. The Mercedes-Benz EQC also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 89% battery health for the Kia EV9 and 84% for the Mercedes-Benz EQC. That gives the Kia EV9 a modest edge in retained real-world range. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. The Mercedes-Benz EQC has the longer battery warranty at 8 years, versus 7 for the Kia EV9.