2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS gets larger battery, S-Class face

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS electric sedan slips into the new year with a larger battery that should boost range, an updated regenerative braking system, and a new face that looks more like the flagship S-Class full-size sedan, Mercedes revealed last week. 

Launched for the 2022 model year, the EQS is a full battery electric take on the stately S-Class, but the EQS has a hatch instead of a trunk. The EQS sold 6,688 units in 2023, which is about half the number of S-Class sedans sold by Mercedes. To help close the gap, Mercedes will swap out the 108-kwh battery pack for a 118-battery pack, which signals a 9% improvement in capacity. It remains to be seen if that will translate into greater range from the 352-mile range in the 2024 EQS 450+ with a single motor and rear-wheel drive. 

In theory, the larger pack should result in a range that eclipses 400 miles, but range estimates and pricing won’t be released until later this year when the 2025 EQS goes on sale. 

An updated regenerative braking software designed to recapture more energy, and changes to the brake components promise a more natural, smoother pedal feel than the current system. It has a tendency to not only leave a lot of pedal travel to go from the regen to the friction braking, but changing the settings to be more aggressive also depresses the throttle position. Other energy savers introduced in 2024 will carry over, such as a heat pump to help with preconditioning and an all-wheel-drive disconnect feature that relies solely on the rear motor when extra traction isn’t demanded. 

One of the most obvious indicators that Mercedes wants the EQS to appeal more to the S-Class crowd is the new front fascia. The solid grille panel bejeweled with illuminated Mercedes’ stars now has a grille with a white bar pattern that looks as much like the grille on the S-Class as it does a spreadsheet. Contrary to the sleek aerodynamic shape of the EQS, a hood ornament stars on the 2025 model. 

Mercedes invested more in the comfort of the 2025 EQS, with more padding in the rear seats and available reclining options that sink a bit further back than last year’s model. Chrome accents and contrast stitching in the cabin, as well as leather seat piping on the rear comfort pillows. Every EQS still comes standard with the 55-inch Hyperscreen that encompasses three screens across the dash. 

The EQS headlines the brand’s EQ lineup of electric cars, which also includes the EQE sedan, as well as crossover SUV variants of both the EQE and EQS.