Jaguar I-pace vs Mercedes EQC
Discussion
This will probably spark a lively debate, but here goes anyway. I have a second home abroad and will be definitely buying a new SUV type EV over here in a couple of years. I want to wait before buying new to see where this new batch of battery technology takes us and so that any teething troubles are ironed out. However, in the meantime I’m toying with buying a used model.
I’ve narrowed it down to either a Jaguar I-pace or a Mercedes EQC. The reason for this is that these sell fairly quickly over here if reasonably priced, so I won’t be lumbered with one when buying my new car. Trade in really isn’t a thing here and as it’s an island that drives on the left, there’s no market on the European mainland, so I need something I can probably move on with ease. I’ll knock the price down to be the cheapest when I do sell. There’s a major secondary benefit that both these cars are in plentiful supply in the U.K. as VAT qualifying, which is nice as I’ll be on the hook for up to 30% in import duties / VAT here, thanks Brexit!
The question is really around reliability and experience of this on models around the 2022 / 2023 MY. I’d welcome any feedback anyone has. I’m not bothered about range, as the longest possible drive is about 300 miles and I reckon that’s a once a year trip at most and got access to another car / charging points if I do.
I-pace is likely to be the HSE or SE Black model, EQC the 400 AMG Line Edition model (probably not Premium as the wheels look blooming awful!)
I’ve narrowed it down to either a Jaguar I-pace or a Mercedes EQC. The reason for this is that these sell fairly quickly over here if reasonably priced, so I won’t be lumbered with one when buying my new car. Trade in really isn’t a thing here and as it’s an island that drives on the left, there’s no market on the European mainland, so I need something I can probably move on with ease. I’ll knock the price down to be the cheapest when I do sell. There’s a major secondary benefit that both these cars are in plentiful supply in the U.K. as VAT qualifying, which is nice as I’ll be on the hook for up to 30% in import duties / VAT here, thanks Brexit!
The question is really around reliability and experience of this on models around the 2022 / 2023 MY. I’d welcome any feedback anyone has. I’m not bothered about range, as the longest possible drive is about 300 miles and I reckon that’s a once a year trip at most and got access to another car / charging points if I do.
I-pace is likely to be the HSE or SE Black model, EQC the 400 AMG Line Edition model (probably not Premium as the wheels look blooming awful!)
Qualifier - our Ipace is a 74 plate but hopefully some feedback is still useful.
The Jag is really nice to drive, either to waft or to string some corners together. we were comparing it to an EV6 and in terms of driving pleasure the Jag had it beaten, nothing wrong with the ev6 but it felt a bit meh.
Our only glitch in 20k miles has been the rear passenger door handle refused to work for a week (replaced under warranty obs) and the front tyres "chunking", replaced by lease co.
I havent driven the ECQ
The other thing to check is what actually came on the car your looking at, a chip crisis around covid meant some cars missed HUD and some other features, even the top spec ones i think
The Jag is really nice to drive, either to waft or to string some corners together. we were comparing it to an EV6 and in terms of driving pleasure the Jag had it beaten, nothing wrong with the ev6 but it felt a bit meh.
Our only glitch in 20k miles has been the rear passenger door handle refused to work for a week (replaced under warranty obs) and the front tyres "chunking", replaced by lease co.
I havent driven the ECQ
The other thing to check is what actually came on the car your looking at, a chip crisis around covid meant some cars missed HUD and some other features, even the top spec ones i think
Opapayer said:
I don t know what that means.
There have been massive issues with ipace high voltage batteries. There were recalls for early cars and supposedly Jag had to buy back a load of cars.At one point Jag were telling people not to charge beyond 80% and not to park next to your house. Theres a couple of recall numbers. Modules were replaced but lots of people had more failures after the recalls.
Issue was problems with some LG battery packs. I've been tempted by the ipace but never seen any details about a fix, so are all of them cursed? Is there a date after which the packs are OK?
I had my EQC for 3 years and it was completely reliable throughout my ownership. I was actually torn on whether I should part with it for my Taycan as I still thought it was a great car.
I got mine at 3 years old via Mercedes with 12 months manufacturer warranty and just before it ran out I was offered a further 2 years for £750.
By having an approved used warranty the HV battery is covered whereas if you rely on the 8 year battery warranty any claim is capped at the cars market value. This is a big issue as Mercedes have doubled the price of the HV battery and they have depreciated like a stone.
Can’t comment on the Jag but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend an EQC if you want to waft around in comfort and silence.
I got mine at 3 years old via Mercedes with 12 months manufacturer warranty and just before it ran out I was offered a further 2 years for £750.
By having an approved used warranty the HV battery is covered whereas if you rely on the 8 year battery warranty any claim is capped at the cars market value. This is a big issue as Mercedes have doubled the price of the HV battery and they have depreciated like a stone.
Can’t comment on the Jag but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend an EQC if you want to waft around in comfort and silence.
TooLateForAName said:
There have been massive issues with ipace high voltage batteries. There were recalls for early cars and supposedly Jag had to buy back a load of cars.
At one point Jag were telling people not to charge beyond 80% and not to park next to your house. Theres a couple of recall numbers. Modules were replaced but lots of people had more failures after the recalls.
Issue was problems with some LG battery packs. I've been tempted by the ipace but never seen any details about a fix, so are all of them cursed? Is there a date after which the packs are OK?
Interesting, I can’t find any permanent solution information, although it seems to have been an issue on earlier cars and I need one that’s no older than 4 years really. At one point Jag were telling people not to charge beyond 80% and not to park next to your house. Theres a couple of recall numbers. Modules were replaced but lots of people had more failures after the recalls.
Issue was problems with some LG battery packs. I've been tempted by the ipace but never seen any details about a fix, so are all of them cursed? Is there a date after which the packs are OK?
barryrs said:
I had my EQC for 3 years and it was completely reliable throughout my ownership. I was actually torn on whether I should part with it for my Taycan as I still thought it was a great car.
I got mine at 3 years old via Mercedes with 12 months manufacturer warranty and just before it ran out I was offered a further 2 years for £750.
By having an approved used warranty the HV battery is covered whereas if you rely on the 8 year battery warranty any claim is capped at the cars market value. This is a big issue as Mercedes have doubled the price of the HV battery and they have depreciated like a stone.
Can t comment on the Jag but I wouldn t hesitate to recommend an EQC if you want to waft around in comfort and silence.
I’m definitely leaning towards the EQC, although the depreciation has still left it about £2-4k dearer than a similar age and spec I-pace. I got mine at 3 years old via Mercedes with 12 months manufacturer warranty and just before it ran out I was offered a further 2 years for £750.
By having an approved used warranty the HV battery is covered whereas if you rely on the 8 year battery warranty any claim is capped at the cars market value. This is a big issue as Mercedes have doubled the price of the HV battery and they have depreciated like a stone.
Can t comment on the Jag but I wouldn t hesitate to recommend an EQC if you want to waft around in comfort and silence.
barryrs said:
I had my EQC for 3 years and it was completely reliable throughout my ownership. I was actually torn on whether I should part with it for my Taycan as I still thought it was a great car.
I got mine at 3 years old via Mercedes with 12 months manufacturer warranty and just before it ran out I was offered a further 2 years for £750.
By having an approved used warranty the HV battery is covered whereas if you rely on the 8 year battery warranty any claim is capped at the cars market value. This is a big issue as Mercedes have doubled the price of the HV battery and they have depreciated like a stone.
Can t comment on the Jag but I wouldn t hesitate to recommend an EQC if you want to waft around in comfort and silence.
Isn't a replacement battery for the Merc something like £55K? So under the battery warranty you'd still have to pay £20-30K to get it back on the roadI got mine at 3 years old via Mercedes with 12 months manufacturer warranty and just before it ran out I was offered a further 2 years for £750.
By having an approved used warranty the HV battery is covered whereas if you rely on the 8 year battery warranty any claim is capped at the cars market value. This is a big issue as Mercedes have doubled the price of the HV battery and they have depreciated like a stone.
Can t comment on the Jag but I wouldn t hesitate to recommend an EQC if you want to waft around in comfort and silence.
jinba-ittai said:
Isn't a replacement battery for the Merc something like £55K? So under the battery warranty you'd still have to pay £20-30K to get it back on the road
Yes that’s the problem.In 2023 when I purchased mine I got a family member who was a Mercedes EV qualified diagnostics technician to look up the replacement cost and it was circa £25k.
Mercedes has double the replacement costs and added in the market value cap wording to weasel out of the battery warranty!
Later iPaces (22 on) are very good cars - unlike some of the dealers (in the UK anyway). And incredible value.
Mine has been faultless over last 4 years (kiss of death). Fast, refined and very comfortable. For the money, little comes close if you can live with slow charging speed and 200-220 (max) range.
Not driven the Mercedes, but not as nice to look at IMO.
Mine has been faultless over last 4 years (kiss of death). Fast, refined and very comfortable. For the money, little comes close if you can live with slow charging speed and 200-220 (max) range.
Not driven the Mercedes, but not as nice to look at IMO.
barryrs said:
Yes that s the problem.
In 2023 when I purchased mine I got a family member who was a Mercedes EV qualified diagnostics technician to look up the replacement cost and it was circa £25k.
Mercedes has double the replacement costs and added in the market value cap wording to weasel out of the battery warranty!
What does that mean in practice though? Does it mean they’ll pay the market value to you in cash? Obviously it wouldn't be enough to replace the battery, but a cash lump sum equivalent to the value of the car makes it less of an issue. Or are they saying they’ll only contribute the market value to the £50-55k that has to be stumped up?In 2023 when I purchased mine I got a family member who was a Mercedes EV qualified diagnostics technician to look up the replacement cost and it was circa £25k.
Mercedes has double the replacement costs and added in the market value cap wording to weasel out of the battery warranty!
MinchCS said:
Later iPaces (22 on) are very good cars - unlike some of the dealers (in the UK anyway). And incredible value.
Mine has been faultless over last 4 years (kiss of death). Fast, refined and very comfortable. For the money, little comes close if you can live with slow charging speed and 200-220 (max) range.
Not driven the Mercedes, but not as nice to look at IMO.
Thanks I’m really torn on this at the moment. Frustratingly the car I’ve been stalking for a couple of months has just sold right at the point I was about to contact the dealer and part with my cash. This sale is what’s turned my head towards the EQC as an option. The I-pace ticks so many boxes, but it’s hard work deciphering the models / wording on adverts to get the definitive spec. Mine has been faultless over last 4 years (kiss of death). Fast, refined and very comfortable. For the money, little comes close if you can live with slow charging speed and 200-220 (max) range.
Not driven the Mercedes, but not as nice to look at IMO.
Opapayer said:
What does that mean in practice though? Does it mean they ll pay the market value to you in cash? Obviously it wouldn't be enough to replace the battery, but a cash lump sum equivalent to the value of the car makes it less of an issue. Or are they saying they ll only contribute the market value to the £50-55k that has to be stumped up?
The latter I’m afraid unless you have an approved extended warranty.If a new battery is £55k and Mercedes values your car at £30k you have to pay the £25k difference, which based on 2023 prices is the full cost anyway.
Thought it might be. That puts yet another twist on this. It’s compounded by me needing to export it to a small(ish) island that doesn’t have a network of overly qualified mechanics. Getting (and maintaining) an e-bike here has been a nightmare over the last couple of years. The effectively free electricity does make this an avenue to explore though, virtually free motoring once I’ve bought the car!
barryrs said:
Opapayer said:
What does that mean in practice though? Does it mean they ll pay the market value to you in cash? Obviously it wouldn't be enough to replace the battery, but a cash lump sum equivalent to the value of the car makes it less of an issue. Or are they saying they ll only contribute the market value to the £50-55k that has to be stumped up?
The latter I m afraid unless you have an approved extended warranty.If a new battery is £55k and Mercedes values your car at £30k you have to pay the £25k difference, which based on 2023 prices is the full cost anyway.
And in actual fact, a comprehensive manufacturer approved used warranty for £375/annum seems very reasonable period - you could easily pay that for a third party warranty on cars a lot cheaper than an EQC! By way of comparison, on other threads I seem to recall seeing the cost of extending the Jaguar approved used warranty on an iPace quoted at around £1k/annum (slightly more if you want comprehensive cover with no excess).
I renewed my warranty with JLR on my 71 plate iPace in March. £950 for 12 months with £500 excess, fully transferable and £79 per month, interest free. Cancellable at any point, with no further charge.
I bought it approved used and it has now done 65k miles. It's been 100% reliable but I live in fear of a big bill, hence the extended warranty.
I paid £28k for it in March 2024. Acorrding to WBAC depreciation during my ownership has been more than £600 per month, which is a real shame as it is a tremendous car.
I bought it approved used and it has now done 65k miles. It's been 100% reliable but I live in fear of a big bill, hence the extended warranty.
I paid £28k for it in March 2024. Acorrding to WBAC depreciation during my ownership has been more than £600 per month, which is a real shame as it is a tremendous car.
MinchCS said:
Later iPaces (22 on) are very good cars - unlike some of the dealers (in the UK anyway). And incredible value.
Mine has been faultless over last 4 years (kiss of death). Fast, refined and very comfortable. For the money, little comes close if you can live with slow charging speed and 200-220 (max) range.
Not driven the Mercedes, but not as nice to look at IMO.
Are the batteries different on later cars?Mine has been faultless over last 4 years (kiss of death). Fast, refined and very comfortable. For the money, little comes close if you can live with slow charging speed and 200-220 (max) range.
Not driven the Mercedes, but not as nice to look at IMO.
TooLateForAName said:
Are the batteries different on later cars?
As far as I know the batteries are the same.A number of brands suffered in c. 2019 to 2020 with poor quality battery cells provided by one of the manufacturers which had a high failure rate. JLR was one of those.
Mine was great until it hit about 75k miles - then it broke down due to an internal HV fault in the aircon pump and was out of action for months. That, the cost of the warranty extension and the fact that at the end of the extension I wouldn't be able to extend again as the car would be over 100k miles, led me to cutting my losses and selling it.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff