Best Value for Money EVs — Full Size (E Segment) – CleanTechnica

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This is the fifth of a five-part series of articles (you can check the others here: part one: A segment/city cars, part two: B segment/subcompacts, part three: C segment/compacts, and part four: D segment/midsizers), where I look at the best affordable EVs in each size category. See the background for this series in the first two articles if you missed them.

E Segment — Full Size

For this category, I have restricted the top price to 80,000 euros. In the fossil-fuel vehicle world, this would grant you a mid-range Mercedes E220d with 220 hp, which starts at 70,000 euros. In the EV world, there’s already a good mix of EV models on offer.

In this category, I have chosen the Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance, a name as long as the size of the car; the Mercedes EQE 350+; and, to fill the Made-in-China affordable EV quota, we have the Zeekr 001 Long Range RWD as the best in class. As an alternative to these picks, other models also deserve attention, like the nicely designed but pricey Polestar 3 RWD (80,000 euros, 706 km range, 250 kW DC charging) or the Xpeng G9 Long Range RWD (64,000 euros, 570 km range, 300 kW DC charging), a compelling offer if range is not a top priority.

Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance

This is the type of vehicle that German premium makes should be doing. The new Audi A6 electric models offers top specs on a handsome body for a price that doesn’t break the bank. With a new generation of German premium EVs coming next year, like the next-generation Mercedes CLA and the Neue Klasse BMW iX3, one hopes they will follow this logic. Brand power alone is no longer enough to justify their high prices. They have to give something in return for the (not outrageously) high prices. But I digress.

Back to the A6 electric. Unlike the regular logic behind big Audis, I haven’t chosen the Avant body, because the station wagon has the same trunk space as the Sportback body, 502 liters (and a 27-liter frunk!). Also, unlike the fossil fuel version, the Sportback version has a big hatchback, improving on practicality, with the added bonus of having a bit more range than the Avant body (756 km vs 720 km range).

The Performance version adds a bigger battery (95 kWh NMC usable battery), allowing a class leading 756 km range (600 km real world) and a more powerful motor (367 hp), making a quick 0–100 km/h result of 5.4 seconds, more than enough for an Autobahn cruiser like this one. So, unless you really need AWD, you can save the extra 4,000 euros of the quattro version or spend that money on extras.

Thanks to 800V technology, the big Audi has class leading DC charging (270 kW), but does not offer vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology, which is a shame considering the price and the fact that it is an all-new vehicle.

With generous dimensions, almost 5 meters in length, there’s plenty of space (2.95 meters wheelbase), and the interior design is appealing, with the only letdown being the choice of materials, which could be better considering the price.

Finally, when it comes to warranties, it has the usual tightfisted German warranty: 3 years general warranty and 8 years for the battery.

Still, with class leading range and charging, the A6 e-tron is a practical vehicle that has the added bonus of offering a reasonable price (75,000 euros) considering what it offers.

Mercedes EQE 350+

Despite delivering a slightly bigger battery than its Audi rival, at 96 kWh usable NMC battery, the pebble-like Mercedes is not as range-tastic as its Ingolstadt competitor, but it still has some pretty respectable specs. It has 687 km of range (555 km real world), a 292 hp motor, and goes 0–100 km/h in 6.5 seconds. However, DC charging is a bit meh, with only 170 kW DC charging. Considering the price, 76,000 euros, Mercedes could have done better in that department and serves as proof that two years in the EV world is a long time (the EQE was launched in 2022).

As with the Audi, the Mercedes sedan does not offer V2L capability, and inside, while the interior is among the best in class, like the wheelbase (a huge 3.12 meters), the sloping roofline makes it look cramped in the back. Also, the trunk, at just 430 liters, is rather small for the category.

Warranty-wise, it has a three year general warranty, while the battery has a best in class warranty of 10 years.

Overall, the new Audi A6 e-tron has made the EQE look old, losing on specs and practicality, but the EQE is still a refined vehicle, with a good looking interior and cosseting ride. It’s ideal for spending many hours on the highway.

Zeekr 001 Long Range RWD

For something more oddball and/or more focused on value for money, the Zeekr 001 is an attractive proposal. For 60,500 euros, you get a lot of car (almost 5 meter car, 3 meter wheelbase, 94 kWh NMC battery, 620 km range, 272 hp electric motor, 0–100 km/h in 7.2 seconds). And this isn’t at the expense of personality, because its shooting-brake-meets-liftback-meets-Porsche-Panamera design gives it a distinctive presence on the road.

While the DC charging rate is only average, 200 kW, the Chinese EV compensates by offering 22 kW AC charging and V2L capability, the only of the trio to offer this.

Besides a generous trunk (539 liters) and frunk (80 liters), the interior is solid and luxurious, if a bit premium-Chinese-EV generic. The general warranty is 5 years and the battery warranty covers the usual 8 years.

So, if you want something different or are on a tight budget and want the best value for money, this is the best option in the full size category.

Don’t worry, there will be an extra edition! The best MPVs will be the topic, and I will mention which of the models chosen in the various categories are sold in the USA, as well as the probability of the others ever landing (hint: 0% chance in the case of the Chinese EVs).