• Disappoingly small boot
• Excellent headroom
• Lots of stowage space

How much space is there?

The EQA is reasonably spacious for the driver and passengers. The floor is largely flat in the rear, so there’s ample space for rear-seat passengers’ feet. There’s not quite enough width in the rear bench for three people to get properly comfortable, though — three can fit, but it’s a squeeze. Rear legroom and headroom are good, though, and there are reasonably sized door bins and seat-back pockets too, as well as air vents and two USB-C sockets.

Up front, there’s plenty of space. There’s a large centre console that has two big, covered storage areas — one in front of the trackpad that controls the big infotainment screen, which also has cupholders, a wireless mobile phone charger and USB sockets, and another large storage box under the ‘butterfly’ style split armrest. There are big door bins in the front too, divided up so you can keep a big bottle of water in there without it sliding around.

The only problem is that rivals such as the Audi Q4 E-Tron and Ford Mustang Mach-E are much roomier inside — the EQA is a little hamstrung by sharing its chassis and body with the GLA, which limits how Mercedes-Benz can organise the interior packaging.

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Boot space and storage

Here’s where the GLA really disappoints — the boot is too small compared with its rivals. Thanks to having to make space to package the battery, you get just 340 litres. That’s less space than you get in a Volkswagen Golf hatchback, and 200 litres less than you’d find in the rival Audi Q4 E-Tron.

There is a small under-floor storage area, which helps a little, but that’s probably going to be used for holding the charging cables, as the EQA has no storage area under the bonnet.

Fold the back seats, the story is better and there’s no load lip, which at least makes it easier to get heavier items in. You still only have 1,320 litres to play with, though, so it’s a relative improvement. The tailgate is electrically powered as standard, which is useful.  

Is it easy to park?

All models come with a rear parking camera and sensors, and the EQA has a reasonably tight 11.4-metre turning circle, so it’s pretty easy to swing in and out of spaces. Go for the Premium Plus package and you get a 360-degree camera system that makes things even easier.

The EQA’s slightly bulbous shape means that rear three-quarter visibility isn’t brilliant, so the cameras and sensors definitely play their part, but then again at only 4.4 metres long, the EQA isn’t exactly built like a tank. The smooth application of the electric motor’s power really helps when parking, too.

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Safety

• Five-star test score from Euro NCAP
• Adult protection rating of 97%
• Active lane-keeping assistance as standard

The EQA should be an exceptionally safe car, and not merely because it has received a maximum score from the independent safety experts at Euro NCAP. The NCAP rating included a 97% score for adult occupants, 90% for child occupants and an impressive 81% for vulnerable road users.

As standard, the EQA gets lane-keeping steering, but it’s an occasionally frustrating system. That’s because as well as flashing a warning on the dashboard, and steering the car away from the road marking you’re about to cross, it also dabs the brake. That can be irritating if you have just gone a bit close to the edge of your lane.

The safety package also includes an active speed limit assistant as standard (which reads road signs and can warn you when you’re exceeding the speed limit), LED headlights with an automatic high-beam assistant (which dips the lights when it detects other vehicles on the road) and active brake assist, which can slam on the brakes to prevent a low-speed collision with another car, a pedestrian, or a cyclist.

There’s also an optional Driving Assistance Package, which adds radar-controlled cruise control, a blind-spot monitoring system that also warns you if you’re about to open your door into traffic or cyclists coming from behind and ‘Evasive Steering Assist’, which can actually help you to swerve away from danger.

Watch: Mercedes-Benz EQA Euro NCAP crash test