Mercedes-Benz electric Tesla Model Y rival edges closer: 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC EV, successor to discontinued EQC SUV breaks cover

Is Mercedes-Benz edging closer to delivering its Tesla Model Y rival?

According to the latest round of spy shots circulating online, yes, it is.

It’s called the GLC EV and it's been spotted in prototype guise undergoing testing in Germany before its confirmed launch in 2026.

It is a replacement for the Mercedes-Benz EQC, that was discontinued in 2023, after launching to much fanfare in 2019.

That meant Mercedes-Benz has been missing an EV model in the all important mid-size SUV segment for more than a year now.

We do know it will ride on the brand’s new MB.EA platform that is designed to suit is larger electric vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz's CEO, Ola Källenius, confirmed the news – along with the car's arrival date – earlier this year.

The MB.EA platform is likely to share – and potentially advance – the technology of Mercedes’ new MMA (Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture) platform which will debut on the next-generation CLA sedan next year.

That suggests 800-volt architecture and 320kW fast-charging capacity, which could see the GLC EV add 400km of range in as little as 15 minutes.

Mercedes is projecting the CLA could deliver up to 750km of range, which also suggests a similar figure is likely for the GLC EV.

We may also see the electric motors from the CLA carry over to the MB.EA platform. At the moment, the CLA is poised to be offered in single or dual-motor setups. The former is likely to carry a 200kW rear-mounted motor while the latter will add an 80kW front-axle motor.

Battery sizes for the CLA are rumoured to be a 58kWh lithium-ion-phosphate pack, or a flagship 85kWh lithium-ion-nickel-manganese-cobalt unit.

Mercedes recently set a record for the longest driving distance covered by an EV over a 24-hour period on a pre-production CLA.

The CLA covered a distance of 3717km – averaging a speed of 155km/h – at the Nardò test track in Southern Italy, obliterating the previous record set by the Porsche Taycan in 2019 of 3425km at 143km/h.

For now, further details on the GLC EV will have to wait, but as usual, we can expect more information over the coming months.