MB Newbie - EQA & MB Warranty

[Abc321]

Hi all, Mrs has decided (I think (&hope!!)) on an EQA. Will be 2021/22 year 250 AMG model. Sub 30k miles.

Anyone got one, things to look for, range, etc. I notice there was a model facelift around 2023.

Also, we would want warranty obviously. Merc are wanting £1,256 for 2 years which seems steep. Is 3rd party to be trusted? Again, any experience welcome.

Thanks!

[Greenmantle]

So yes I have two other Mercs.
One small daily 2006 and a large SUV (the spare)
3 years ago I knew that my daily was on its way out and I believed that electric was the way to go.
I do a lot of miles (15K) but don't stray too far from home.
So in 2022 I installed a home charger and it sat there till last July when the daily eventually died.
In those two years I wasn't idle and I did a lot or research.
BMWi3, Fiat500E and lots of others.
I even waited for the Porsche Macan EV and the Renault 5 to come to market but they really weren't there yet.
Merc were offering £9k contribution on pre-owned EQC's but they were reverse Tardis so that was a no.
Then insurance companies were refusing to insure EQA 350s due to high write offs.
Anyway July 2024 pre-owned prices were good but I was hoping high twenties rather than low thirties.
There was only 1 car 35K miles at £27k. 72 Plate EQA 350
I bought it and its been fab. Insurance with zero NCD was £700.
Glad I went for the 350 rather than 250+
Glad I went for a later model rather than 21/22.
Saving a tonne of cash by not filling up.
I usually keep my cars forever but prices are getting better so in a couple of years I will food chain this to my son and buy another.

[Jon39]

Expect you already know what I am going to describe, but will post in case it might be of help.

1. Financials.
Business owners and employee schemes benefit by taxation subsidies.
Not available for private owners.
Using leases and PCP will fix a known ownership cost from the outset.
Outright ownership introduces an unknown depreciation risk. The used EV market is very weak, so depreciation can be horrendous.
Make sure that you don't overpay. Research autotrader to see what is happening with pre-registered cars, eg. many brand new pre-registered Jaguar iPace cars with £30,000 discount. Other manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz have been re-registering EVs.

2. Reliability. Having almost no moving parts is often mentioned, suggesting hardly any maintenance requirements.
The cars are more complex than we might imagine.

A Renault main dealer charged £500 to incorrectly diagnose the fault on a 6,000 mile Zoe. Their advice to the owner, was it was not worth repairing the car.
This interesting video is an eye opener and reveals how complex the diagnosis and repair can be.

[Benson11]

I ran an EQA for a short while and it was a good little car, I'd be careful buying used on the money side of things as the deprecation and extra warranty costs may not add up over just leasing a new one. The facelift cars have got the newer audio system which is nice and few extra bits but not a total deal breaker in my opinion.

Defo take the warranty in some form and check what it covers. Motors and chargers are known to fail and will cost you big time. Batteries failures are quite rare but would cost you over £20k for a new one so again the warranty cost seems worthy when you consider the potential costs. These are the factors that will also affect your residual values as per my first point