Mercedes-Benz EQA (H243) · 1st generation EQA

H243

The GLA-shaped gateway into Mercedes-Benz electric mobility.

Production
2021–2026
Range
up to 560 km
Body
5-door SUV
Charging
100 kW DC
Mercedes-Benz EQA (H243) (H243)

The EQA made electric Mercedes-Benz ownership compact, familiar and deliberately undramatic.

Unveiled on 20 January 2021, H243 took the second-generation GLA body and replaced its combustion driveline with a battery beneath the cabin and an asynchronous motor at the front axle. The launch EQA 250 produced 140 kW from a usable 66.5 kWh battery; EQA 300 and EQA 350 4MATIC versions followed in May with a second, permanently excited motor at the rear. All charged at up to 100 kW DC. The packaging compromise was visible in the 340-liter luggage compartment, but the result was an electric compact SUV that could be built beside the GLA at Rastatt rather than waiting for a dedicated architecture.

The 70.5 kWh EQA 250+ stretched the formula beyond 500 km WLTP, and a 2023 update brought the star-pattern black panel, Plug & Charge, newer MBUX and detail aerodynamic work for as much as 560 km. EQA was never sold in the United States; its years here follow the global launch calendar, not a US model-year sequence. Orders closed in March 2026 and Rastatt production ended in July, while the all-new electric GLA opened for orders on 30 July and assumed the entry-SUV role without the EQA name.

H243 interior
Twin 10.25″ displays and turbine vents carried the compact Mercedes cabin into the electric range.

Every model.

Front-drive 250 and long-range 250+, plus the dual-motor 300 and 350 4MATIC; unpublished drive-unit codes remain empty.

ModelModel yearsChassisEngineTransmissionTotal
EQA 2502021–2023243— —
EQA 250+2022–2026243— —
EQA 300 4MATIC2021–2026243— —
EQA 350 4MATIC2021–2026243— —
H243 side profile
H243 retained the GLA’s 2,729 mm wheelbase and upright compact-SUV proportions.

Year by year.

From the January 2021 debut through the 2024 model update and the July 2026 handover to GLA.

  1. 2021
    • 20 January: EQA unveiled as the entry model of Mercedes-EQ; EQA 250 launches with front-wheel drive, 140 kW, a usable 66.5 kWh battery and up to 426 km WLTP.
    • Rastatt and Beijing production begins; European deliveries start in spring. The EQA is not offered in the United States.
    • May: EQA 300 4MATIC (168 kW) and EQA 350 4MATIC (215 kW) add a rear synchronous motor and fully variable all-wheel drive.
  2. 2022
    • EQA 250+ joins with a usable 70.5 kWh battery and the long-range calibration promised at launch.
  3. 2023
    • 23 August: the updated EQA is announced with a star-pattern black-panel front, revised lamps and steering wheel, improved voice control and assistance systems, optional Sound Experiences and Plug & Charge.
    • Aerodynamic detailing, low-rolling-resistance tires and a range-maximization mode lift EQA 250+ to as much as 560 km WLTP.
  4. 2024
    • Updated cars reach European dealers at the beginning of the year; the powertrain range remains 250+, 300 4MATIC and 350 4MATIC in major European markets.
  5. 2026
    • New orders close in March and H243 production at Rastatt ends in July after five and a half years.
    • 29 July: Mercedes-Benz presents the all-new GLA, whose electric versions replace EQA; German ordering opens the following day for a November market launch.
H243 rear three-quarter view
A full-width light strip and enclosed black-panel nose distinguished EQA from the GLA.

Original brochures.

Factory EQA sales literature from the complete H243 production run.

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