Mercedes GLC 400 4Matic Electric charging curve [video]. Nice, though the Chinese make it better

William Jarbeaux, working with the American outlet Out of Spec Reviews, posted on Instagram and YouTube a test drive review of the Mercedes GLC 400 Electric, which features a Li-NMC battery with a capacity of around 100 (94) kWh and all-wheel drive delivering a maximum power output of 360 kW/489 hp. The electric Mercedes GLC performs well when charged, reaching 10 to 80 percent battery level in just over 21 minutes—only 3 minutes longer than the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which was introduced 5 years ago. But compared to Chinese electric vehicles, this charging curve is… quite steep.

How fast does the Mercedes GLC 400 4Matic Electric charge?

The car was connected to one of the few European Superchargers v4 units that support vehicles with powertrains operating at voltages up to 1,000 V. While there are already quite a number of Superchargers v4 on the Old Continent, the vast majority of them are powered by transformer stations that provide up to 500 V, which is incompatible with electric vehicles using 600-800-1,000 V systems. Even those models equipped with converters or battery splitting systems charge more slowly at 500 V Superchargers compared to ultra-fast chargers.

It should be a great roadtripping SUV. Efficient drivetrain on the highway and good charging. https://t.co/K8a4ByPeeX pic.twitter.com/7saSZEIrzO

— William Jarbeaux (@RoamingNorway) August 29, 2026

The vehicle reached 351 kW at its peak, taking just over 21 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 percent. Mercedes claims 22 minutes, so everything adds up when accounting for connection setup time. While 21-22 minutes have recently become the market standard for larger premium SUVs, it’s worth noting that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 required only 18 minutes under optimal conditions to charge from 10 to 80 percent a few years ago. The same was true for the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT.

Mercedes GLC Electric Battery (c) Mercedes

Worse still, the Mercedes GLC Electric performs fairly mediocrely compared to cheaper or similarly priced competitors from China. The Xpeng G6 Performance, a model in the same D-SUV segment, took just 12 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% (Xpeng G6 charging curve on YouTube <- HERE). Despite having a smaller battery capacity than the GLC 400 Electric, it achieved higher maximum charging power (421 kW versus 351 kW). The Mercedes GLC likely only surpasses it in range, Polish-language software, and the impression created by its large illuminated Mercedes logo and grille.

The weakness of the German vehicle is particularly evident when comparing the two charging curves. The Mercedes GLC only briefly (the turquoise graph) reaches higher power levels than the Xpeng G6 (the green curve with large drops that mostly go downward); otherwise, its curve performs worse despite having a larger battery capacity. It should also be noted that both graphs start around 10 percent, with the Mercedes curve ending at 80 percent, while the Xpeng’s stepped curve reaches 95%+ (scale on the right edge: power levels correspond to the curve with large drops, and charging percentages correspond to the curve with small steps).

That’s not all. To show a comparison of power levels from 10 to 80 percent in one illustration, we had to resort to a bit of trickery by compressing Mercedes’ graph to almost 50 percent of its original width. As we mentioned, the German car takes over 21 minutes to reach “80 percent” charge, while Xpeng takes only 12 minutes. If the actual charging time at the charger were shown on the X-axis, Mercedes would still show a charging curve, whereas the Xpeng G6 would already be on the road for several minutes.

Editor’s note from Elektrowozu: the full review of the Mercedes GLC 400 4Matic is below. Strangely, Jarbeaux still refers to it as “EQ Tech,” even though in the Polish vehicle configurator, it has quietly been renamed to Mercedes GLC Electric.

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