The Mercedes-Benz EQB is one of the company’s most inoffensive, perfectly plain vehicles. There is nothing incredibly notable about it, good or bad. It looks just fine, drives just fine, and has a totally acceptable 66.5-kWh battery with up to 250 miles of range.
Thanks to a recent recall, though, the EQB is about to get a whole lot more interesting for shoppers looking to purchase a like-new EV on a budget. Mercedes has pledged to replace the batteries of over 12,000 EQBs, ranging from model years 2022 to 2024, completely free of charge. That means you can buy a cheap, used model and receive a shiny, new battery pack for no extra cost.
While it’s not the same as getting a new engine, it’s pretty close. Sure, the interior won’t smell like a new car, but you’re getting a good chunk of the powertrain replaced with a new, better unit, all while spending a fraction of what the car costs new.
Here’s Why The EQB Is Getting A New Battery
Earlier this month, Mercedes-Benz issued a recall for 12,236 EQBs built between 2021 and 2024 over an issue with the car’s high-voltage battery pack, which was supplied by Farasis Energy, a parts maker based in Ganzhou, China. Specifically, the high-voltage battery in affected models “may fail internally and lead to a vehicle fire while parked or driving,” According to the recall documents.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first recall Mercedes has issued related to this problem. The dilemma was first discovered back in 2023, when the company started receiving reports of fire incidents outside the U.S. It issued a couple of recalls in 2025 to update the car’s software, but those proved ineffective, as the company received four more reports of EQB fires in 2025—two in the U.S., and two in Europe—the latter of which came from cars that already had the recall completed. That’s when Mercedes conducted further investigation. From the latest recall notice:
In December 2025 and January 2026, MBAG conducted an additional investigation, together with its supplier. This included experiments, cell and battery teardown analysis, as well as on-site inspection of the production facilities. As a result of this additional investigation and consideration of field cases occurring outside the US market after the software update, MBAG concluded that the effectiveness of the current software update to sufficiently reduce the risk of thermal incidents cannot be fully confirmed for all affected vehicles.
As a consequence, and based on MBAG’s newly acquired information and understanding, MBAG decided on January 30, 2026, to conduct a recall campaign and to replace the high-voltage batteries containing battery cells from a certain production date range.
The recall spans the entire EQB lineup, from the base, front-wheel drive EQB250+, to the mid-range EQB300 4Matic, to the top-range EQB350 4Matic. So if you’re in the market, you have some variety to choose from.
These Cars Are Not Expensive Right Now
Remember back in 2021 when Chevy had to recall 110,000 Bolt EVs because their batteries were prone to bursting into flames? The resulting press drove down used Bolt prices to the point where smart buyers snapped them up for huge discounts, knowing they’d get a brand-new, perfectly functioning LG-supplied battery swapped in totally free of charge.
Because there hasn’t been much negative press towards the EQB’s battery fire troubles, prices for used examples aren’t totally in the hole. But the same logic applies here. Used EQBs are tantalizingly cheap, considering you’re guaranteed to get a new battery with your purchase.
The most affordable example I could find online is this top-range EQB350 with 61,000 miles on the clock, listed on TrueCar in Brooklyn, New York, for just $19,999. For some context, a new 2022 EQB350 costs nearly 60 grand. Obviously, you’re not getting a totally new car for under $20,000, but you are getting a Mercedes-Benz with a mostly-new powertrain for less than the price of the cheapest brand-new car. As a day-to-day commuter car, that sounds like an impeccable value for money.
There are plenty of other examples listed for sale online. Here’s a 2023 model-year EQB250 in New Jersey with just 31,000 miles for $20,495. And another, for just $5 more and with fewer miles, in Georgia. If you absolutely need all-wheel drive, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a black EQB300 4Matic with just 21,000 miles on the clock for $20,990. If you want a bit of color, you’ll have to spend a bit more; the cheapest EQB that isn’t black, grey, white, or silver is this blue example listed in California for $25,970.
If you’re considering taking advantage of this situation, I have one piece of extra advice: Make sure to remember to run the car’s VIN against the NHTSA’s database to make sure it’s among the EQBs eligible for the battery recall. Mercedes sold a whole lot more than 12,000 of these cars from 2021 to 2024, so not every example you see is getting the service. Good hunting.
Top graphic images: XQ Toys; Mercedes-Benz
Buyer Beware: during chip shortage days, MB built some of these (and ICE platform mates GLB and GLA) with manual front seats, like that 2022 black linked car. No power or memory seat. Imagine trying to sell new, $50-60k+ Benz cars with manual seats to Americans: “It’s our latest authentic Euro feature!”
I’m my car’s only driver, so I’d actually like a manual driver seat! Saves weight and one less thing to go wrong. But not many automakers offer manual + cloth + heated and ventilated seats though……..
All the ’22s are manual seats, I believe. MBTex vinyl wears better than cloth
(even if cloth can feel better at times). Rare to find ventilated seats, all are heated. Seek out heated steering wheel. Good luck.
I had an opportunity to drive a 2021 GLC 300 in 2022 (I know, different car, but still a smaller Mercedes SUV thing) and if the EQB drives anything like it, I will pass at any price. I actively hated that car. Everything about it was “meh” at best. At the time, I had also recently test driven a 2019 GLS 550, thinking I might buy it and loved the way that living room on wheels got up and went, but really hated the interior and controls.
Both the GLC and GLS were too fussy inside for their own good and were not intuitive. THe GLS had AC blasting in hurricane mode for the couple of minutes it took me to figure out which blingy thingy to turn to get it to not use so much air to cool the interior. That’s one example. Nothing about either car really made me feel like I was in a Mercedes. You could have thrown a Honda or Chevy badge on either car, and I would have believed it.
I had a 1986 300SDL back in the 1990s and loved that car. Intuitive to operate, clean interior with controls that I immediately knew how to operate, a fuel-thrifty diesel, and the build quality of a bank vault. The newer Benzes are questionable at best on all accounts.
I definitely don’t want one with a battery that needs replacing due to ineffective software fixes on the old battery. I’d rather have my Hyundai than this. And it’s a sad day for Mercedes when a 3-year-old mid-trim Hyundai is a strong preference.
“Mercedes has pledged to replace the batteries of over 12,000 EQBs, ranging from model years 2022 to 2024, completely free of charge. ”
You aren’t supposed to let lithium ion batteries be free of charge… at 0%SOC any self-discharge or monitoring systems that wake up periodically can override the pack and hurt the lifespan!
My neighbor had an EQB350 4Matic as a loaner for a few weeks last year while their GLE350 was getting some warranty work done. They didn’t have anything nice to say about it, though they didn’t really have anything bad to say either. They really love their GLE, so I took the ambivalence about the EQB as a bad sign.
The colored lights in the dash/cabin make it feel like a Vegas bordello inside. And not a nice one (or so I’d imagine).
That really struck me. They’re almost brighter than the scenery outside. I bet it takes at least 45 seconds of tapping and swiping on one of the screens before you can dim them… if you can. Super distracting.
I bought an EQB350 last March and fuggin love it. It’s quick, quiet, was cheap, and can haul 7 people, which it does often. And it smells nice.
Last week I got the battery replaced by MB, and I’m probably one of the first. My car was part of the initial ~700 with an identified bus bar issue. I still like the car and expect to enjoy some longevity from the 2026 battery in the 2022 chassis.
Another Colin with an EQB here. Agree 100%.
The last time I looked at them maybe 6 months or a year ago they were going for about the same money around $20k so maybe battery stuff gets picked up by the talking heads they will take a hit down to $15k or so. It seems like so many bev are about 20 to 30 % of their original price in 3 years. Mercedes might be leading the charge with their high MSRP and low resale. The chose to chase Tesla and really matched the quality I’m don’t think buyers really wanted that.
Man, I want to like EVs so much. I even feel like the infrastructure has gotten good enough that I would consider one for my next car. But then I read so many stories about brands having to replace batteries after unacceptably short periods of time. Sure, they’re under warranty for now, but if they can’t build a battery that will last well past the warranty period then these cars have an expiration date. And I’m sure they’ll say they fixed the problem, just like Toyota and GM claimed they fixed their truck engines even though they’re still blowing up.
Which makes me really wonder how many vehicles being built in 2026 will still be usable in 2046. There are a lot of 20 year old cars and trucks out there driving around today, but modern ones feel so much more fragile that I just can’t see them making it that long.
Sorry, big digression from the article there. TLDR: I won’t be rushing out to buy an EQB. 😉
I think there’s whatever is the opposite of survivor’s bias going on here: we only hear about the catastrophes. It’s not news when packs work as planned. I assume somewhere out there someone has compiled failure/degradation rates for the national “fleet” of packs on the road. I’m guessing it’s a pretty small number. But to your point, you I get if you don’t want to take a 1% chance that your 50K+ vehicle will need a 25K battery replacement down the road.
I suspect there’s some anecdotal bias for me personally too. I know David’s i3 needed a new battery, I know two people who had to get rid of Volts due to issues with the battery electronics (not even the battery itself, necessarily), and now I know someone whose Bolt is in the shop for a new battery, despite the fact that it’s only a few years old (and I believe this is separate from the LG fire recall). Add in the well-documented problems with Leaf batteries, Hyundai’s issues with electronics, and this Mercedes recall, and I start to wonder if Tesla is the only manufacturer who isn’t failing miserably at battery longevity. Which sucks, because there are a number of other reasons I wouldn’t buy one of those.
Hopefully these are all just teething issues with a new technology, but it doesn’t give me warm-fuzzies about buying an EV right now.
One of the big problems is very few independent shops and many people are still afraid to work on them. Used parts for most models are relatively pluntiful because they are easily totaled for the same reasons. I believe the mass depreciation along with parts availability will help kick start more people working on them. Plus locked down software. But the more they are in the market and cheap the more there will be solutions to that too. Of course the idea that one could be banned from a charging network due to a previous fender bender is a problem. That goes back to the you will own nothing mantra so many corporations are pushing.
The first gen leafs are cockroaches they do extremely well in cold weather the batteries are terrible love to degrade and swell but they are still on the road and you can get a decent full replacement for about $1k to $1500. People even figured out how to put the gen 2 pack in and have software to interface along with various aftermarket solutions. Still probably doesn’t make a ton of sense to have a shop do it as you can get another for $2k – $3k. They are definitely more tech then car in that respect. It just doesn’t make a ton of sense to repair when there have been so many advancements and for the same money or cheaper you can have something that works better.
In many respects I think evs are where cars were in the 50s though 70s. A shiny new thing you get then throw away when the next shiny new thing arrives in a few years. Same cycle as tech has been.
When the head gasket on my Prius started failing, I found the local indie shop down the street wouldn’t even work on that. “We don’t want to mess around with a hybrid”.
OK, you took my money for oil changes just fine, but now that it needs a repair (that any ICE trained mechanic can handle…no hybrid system work needed) it is too tricky? Maybe I wouldn’t have wanted him working on it anyway.
I’ve talked to some independent shops about hybrids over the years. One guy I used to get inspections from in northern Virginia would touch some stuff he said he was still learning. His son eventually started buying used Prius and rebuilding the packs the last time I checked he said he was working on a lot of the hybrid camery and rav4 taxis. But other places they won’t do anything too involved. I took on of my hybrid highlanders in to a indy tire place for an alignment. The guy was freaked out said the first time he had ever dealt with a hybrid was a bit interested but not anything too mechanical. Once they figure out it’s not that hard and they can do it and make money it should be an easy sell. Maybe all the tech guys going into macanics, doing the reverse of so many mechanics 25 years ago will help. To a point trouble shooting is trouble shooting.
I’ve been running into this a lot lately.
My e-bike’s belt started skipping teeth one day so I popped into a bike shop on the way home. The tech I spoke with asked me if I’d bought it there. I hadn’t, so he declined to even look at it. They won’t touch an e-bike they didn’t sell.
I had my 80-series Land Cruiser’s tires rotated at Costco less than 2000 miles ago and recently took it in for another rotation. This time they claimed the tires showed unacceptably uneven wear and told me the professionally installed lift it’s had for a decade was to blame. They’re off a bit from inside to out but it’s not catastrophic.
A few independent shops have refused to work on the 80 at all because “it’s not like other Toyotas.” The one local place that’s okay with it is an Alfa specialist. That might be because I occasionally hang out there and bring beer.
This sucks. First we had problems with the right to repair, now we’re facing refusal to repair.
I don’t think EVs will be worse than ICE cars in the long run – but I see absolutely nothing that makes me believe they will be any better either, on average over the long run. They are still CARS – extremely complex devices that work in a horrifically harsh environment operated largely by untrained monkeys. And designed to the lowest possible cost…
But reality is I can, and have, rebuilt an ICE engine in my garage. I do not really have the ability to *safely* rebuild a battery pack in my garage (yes, I know you can homebrew LiPo packs if you are brave).
But I thought EVs were going to be so simple and reliable they would put dealer service departments out of business? That’s what the Interweb folks keep saying?
just wait till they put on a few more battery management modules. That’ll fix it.
No doubt.
We just picked up a 24′ Ioniq 6 AWD limited CPO with only 7,000 miles on the clock for half of the original MSRP of $56K! It had the dreaded ICCU recall done already, so hopefully it’s past that known issue. As far as I know the battery itself is fine.
It’s not a Mercedes but it still has ~ 4 years left of the bumper-to-bumper warranty and ~9 years left of the 10 year EV drivetrain.
…so check out those low mile KIAs and Hyundais too!
FWIW our 2-motor AWD Ioniq 6 goes like a bat out of hell, and is quite the upgrade compared to our 23 Bolt EUV.
Is it actually fixed though, or did they replace one faulty part with another one that will fail? I ask because the Technology Connections YT channel has an Ioniq 5 and last I heard he’s not happy with Hyundai’s handling of the ICCU issue, even though he likes the car.
Good question. I’m hoping the replacement unit, along with the new fuse and the firmware update all work as expected and they’ve fixed the root problem. At least any issue will be covered by warranty should something happen.
Yeah, I’m probably extra-sensitive to these “electronic black box” failures because I know two people who have gotten rid of their Volts due to a similar issue with an irreparable electronic component.
I was one of the folks who went through this with my Bolt, and it worked out great! Kind of makes me want to do it again with an EQB….
As someone who got a free replacement battery on the 1st gen Leaf, yeah it was a great experience. Half the fun was finding the “perfect” one to buy (with the most toasted battery while still being recall eligible) And h/t to The Old Site for clueing my into the opportunity. Hopefully a few folks will get EQBs on the cheap too.
I gambled on a first-gen Nissan Leaf battery and lost. I bought a sort-of cheap Leaf with 10 bars. I figured it would go under 9 and I could get in on the warranty, but by the end I had too many miles and too many bars remaining to get a new battery under warranty.
Left a very sour taste in my mouth as far as EVs go. I went the opposite direction now and only drive cars over 25 years old.
oof. I’m sorry. I think mine had 9 bars and about 12 months left before it became ineligible. I was really nervous it wouldn’t work out in my favor. I was planning to fast charge it constantly and park it over a space heater (joking…but also maybe not). Basically take all the tips to preserve your battery and then do the opposite. Fortunately for me that final bar dropped a few weeks after I got it and before I set my car on fire.
Time for Autopian to do a sh*tpost article about this awful trend towards interior mood lighting (or tacky pointless exterior lighting)?
Their inspiration was one of those ‘gamer’ computers.
Lol right or maybe a late ’90s aftermarket stereo, either way can’t imagine the 16 year olds this appeals to can afford these cars.
I was thinking tacky limo bus for drunk bridesmaids.
Every night can be a hen night!
Is that interior trying to sell me an X-Box? It’s it an ad for Razer mice and keyboards? What the heck is with all the green glow?
I laughed out loud at the main title graphic. Good job, designer!
Aw thanks man
it’s brilliant lol
I’ve said for years, that how electric car batteries should actually work. Just have a huge hatch under the car, and the batteries are large cylinders you can swap out as needed while it’s up on a lift.
all that needs to happen is get every OEM to agree on a standard battery architecture!
Just remember to insert them with the flat end on the spring!
unless you want your car driving backwards!
And a standard chassis/platform to fit the standard battery.
The EQB300 for $26k at an area dealer doesn’t show up in NHTSA’s recall. Also, it can’t tow for squat.
Who’s buying EQBs to tow anything?
Not me, clearly.
Are the super-cheap examples shown on the battery replacement list? I would expect the 12,000 that are getting new batteries command a price premium over the ones that aren’t.
All but the blue one are on the list—I’ve replaced it in the post with the next cheapest colorful example I could find that was part of the recall (thanks for pointing this out!)
There’s an arbitrage opportunity in the sense that a lot of sellers don’t know/appreciate the recall. In the middle of Dieselgate there were plenty of ppl buying TDIs for cheap b/c the owners somehow didn’t know about the buyback. I’ll let someone else decide on the ethics of that.
I’m not a fan of all the excess mood lighting in the first place, but man they did themselves a disservice setting them to green for that interior pic. It wouldn’t look nearly as bad if they’d made them blue or a soft white, but that green makes it look like something Xzibit got his hands on.
I think it’s a misguided effort to communicate “the mood lighting is 100% customizable as proven by us picking a hideous color that you know cannot possibly be the only option”
I’ve seen gaming PC’s with more tasteful interiors. No thanks.
That’s the perfect analogy for that dashboard.
I looked it up and this only accepts 100kw fast charging. Not Bolt-slow but super not-good. Combine that with my feelings about German car electrics and I’m out.
Good grief that’s slow! We are in such a weird space, where freaking Hyundai/Kia and GM are producing incredible and innovative electric drivetrains, while the Germans can’t figure out how to put in a frunk or make the cars fast charge at acceptable rates.
Right, my likely next car is a used Ioniq 5 which can accept up to 350kw. That is nuts.
Small correction – it can accept up to 262 kW at a 350+ kW fast charger.
Journalists make this error all the time, so I understand why you’d think it can accept more.
The super fast charging curve is not really because it can accept so many kW of energy; Tesla Models 3 and Y actually accept 250 kW peak, so basically the same.
The difference is that Hyundai’s 800 volt architecture allows it to keep accepting very high rates of energy for longer. It can accept that peak charging rate up to 70%, whereas Teslas start to throttle back around 30%.
Ah ok. Wouldn’t buy a Tesla with a gun to my head so it’s still the fastest I’m going to find on the affordable used market.
Absolutely. The Hyundai’s 10%-80% charging time is much, much faster than any Tesla on the market.
I have to say in practice, it doesn’t matter much! I have used DC fast chargers precisely twice in almost 3,000 miles of driving, so waiting an extra few minutes with a slower charging EV wouldn’t have been a big deal.
However maxing out at 100 kW is absolutely unacceptable. That wouldn’t add an extra few minutes. It would take an 18 minute stop to a 36 minute stop while adding much less overall range.
Yeah I have rarely used DCFC either, but it’s mostly because we have a Bolt and a Volt, and I use the hybrid for long trips. When the Volt goes I’m going to need something capable of charging fast enough to replace a gas car and not make me crazy!
My Chevy Bolt with 55 kW max charge rate enters the chat. That rate also starts tapering at about 50%.
In really it doesn’t matter much. We drive the Bolt around town and for regional trips and our Acura wagon for road trips.
Same! The Bolt is a fantastic daily driver and for regional day trips, we’ve got other cars for long-distance drives and towing.
I’m looking to buy a 2027 Bolt RS very soon with my award from the government (Bay Area Air Quality Management District). I had originally planned on a plug-in hybrid RAV4, but these don’t exist until the next shipment arrives. Can’t delay the award and the RAV4 price will exceed the program limit. Now, I’m waiting for them to change my award to allow me to buy the BEV. I hope they do it soon, as I think those Bolts will sell quickly and there are restrictions on which dealers I can use.
It is nice that the 2027 model changes at 150 kw instead of the 55 kWh of my 2027. I personally don’t know that it would change my use case much as DC charging is so expensive.
DC charging works out to about $0.17 per mile in my area which is the equivalent of a gas car that gets 20 mpg. ($0.50 / kWh vs $3.30 per gallon)
Slightly higher under optimal conditions. My 2024 MY LR got up to 275 once. At a 350 kW CCS charger through the OEM Tesla adapter after towing our small camper all day on a warmish summer day. The adapter stayed cool to the touch. True it did taper quickly but it was neat to see.
Fast charging has been shown to speed up battery degradation, too.
My gawd, that’s a chintzy interior. This premium Benz of superior German engineering looks like a thumping dance club before self-igniting from its Chinese battery. $21K lightly used seems like its finally priced appropriately.
The Lexus RZ550e we spent half the day slagging yesterday? Same MSRP (in the US) as a new EQB while being far more powerful, providing more rated EV range, a non-discoteque interior, and batteries that so far don’t need to be replaced to keep it from burning your neighborhood to the ground. Just saying, since Thomas didn’t mention that in his review.
Mercedes has totally lost the plot when it comes to interiors. It’s such a shame. They used to do some of the best interiors in the business. I have no clue what they’re thinking nowadays.
They’ve run out of ideas for differentiating themselves. Mainstream brands have become so good at providing all the previously lux-only features, and Genesis has been slaying them in the traditional realm of upscale materials (soft-touch panels, complex stitching, rich-looking metallic accents). Maximum LCD real estate is now considered the benchmark, I guess, but it’ll take someone else 2 minutes to match them on it and then they’re back to square one.
I completely agree with you! I’ve driven German cars almost exclusively for the last 10+ years, but my Hyundai is on par in so many areas that I can’t imagine spending tens of thousands of dollars more when anymore, it genuinely only buys you a badge and maybe slightly better sound insulation.
I think we’ve pretty much “optimized” the car interior, in the sense that pretty much any new car has most everything anyone really needs and they are all adequately durable. So all that’s left for “luxury” brands is new features that are increasingly stupid or novel design. If there’s not much you can do to make it better, just make it different and hope people will value that.
Yeah, the feature list is so long and ubiquitous now. What I’d pay for is better material quality. Pad the door panels top to bottom. Plush armrests. Good leather or rich velour rather than the sandpaper fabrics we have now. Wood. Metal. No squeaks or rattles. Old school stuff.
What we get instead are screens and gaudy ambient lighting. I guess that’s what the market wants.
Screens are easy. Quality is hard.
plus they show up real nice in press photos whereas quality materials do not.