A Mercedes GLC Electric ran 392 miles in Edmunds’ test, 61 past EPA

A 2027 Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4Matic Electric covered 392 miles on a full charge in Edmunds’ EV Range Test, beating its EPA-estimated range of 331 miles by 61 miles. The result, reported by Autoblog on October 19, works out to about 18.4 percent above the federal rating. It comes from one vehicle on one set route, so it is a data point about this SUV under Edmunds’ protocol and not a retest of the EPA figure.

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The GLC tested is the 400 4Matic, which pairs a 94-kilowatt-hour usable battery with two electric motors producing 483 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. DC fast charging is rated up to 330 kilowatts, and Mercedes estimates a 10 to 80 percent charge in about 22 minutes under ideal conditions. Those specifications matter less than how the test was run, because Edmunds built its procedure to resemble ordinary mixed driving.

The Edmunds route: 60 percent city, 40 percent highway

Edmunds drives a set route that is 60 percent city and 40 percent highway at an average of 40 mph, according to the Edmunds write-up of the GLC test. The driver stays within 5 mph of posted speed limits, uses each car’s most efficient drive mode and runs the climate control on auto at 72 degrees. Edmunds does not hold the car at 70 mph on the highway until the battery is empty, so the route reflects stop-and-go and highway stretches in one run rather than a single steady-speed cruise.

The company’s broader explanation of how it differs from the EPA appears in its comparison of EPA and Edmunds range and consumption, and its running tally of results lives on an electric car range page. The Autoblog report cautions that results still vary with weather, speed, terrain and driving style, a caveat that applies to every figure here.

28.4 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles against 33

Efficiency tells the same story from the energy side. Edmunds measured 28.4 kWh per 100 miles, while the EPA estimate is 33 kWh per 100 miles, which means the SUV used roughly 14 percent less energy than the federal figure implies. A bigger gap between measured and rated consumption is exactly what lets a battery of a given size stretch to a longer range, and Autoblog’s report lays out both numbers side by side. In the Edmunds article’s own words, “The GLC exceeded its EPA range estimate by more than 18%.”

The sticker side is more modest. Edmunds lists the most popular trim, the GLC 400 4Matic, at a suggested price of $62,482, and the page notes that a single-motor rear-wheel-drive GLC 300+ has not yet been range tested. The BMW iX3 is also listed as not yet tested, so the comparison set on the page is still filling in. Autoblog’s report, written by news editor Prerna Malhotra, concentrates on range and consumption.

Other electric SUVs on Edmunds’ list

Edmunds’ own results give the 392 miles some context. The 2027 Audi Q6 E-Tron Prestige managed 337 miles, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq 339 miles and the 2024 Porsche Macan 4 Electric 352 miles, which is 40 miles short of the Mercedes. All of them were run under the same procedure, so the margin is meaningful in a way that cross-publication comparisons are not.

Kelley Blue Book also covered the model’s range and price in a separate GLC electric story, and shoppers comparing sources should check which trim and rating each one cites. An EPA rating comes from a standardized procedure, while Edmunds drives a real route, so a vehicle can beat its rating under one set of conditions and fall short under another.

Range tests also depend on the trim and battery tested. This one used the 94-kilowatt-hour usable battery in the 400 4Matic, so the figures do not carry over to other versions of the GLC, such as the single-motor GLC 300+, whose range Edmunds has not yet measured. Buyers comparing the two will find the EPA rating the only common yardstick until that test is done.

Limits of a single-vehicle result

One GLC on one route proves little about the next owner’s experience. Cold weather, sustained high-speed highway driving or aggressive acceleration can all shrink the range, and Edmunds itself notes that results vary with weather, speed, terrain and driving style, with climate control fixed at 72 degrees on its route. The useful reading is relative: under a consistent protocol, this SUV used less energy than its EPA label predicts and outran three rivals tested the same way. For shoppers who distrust EPA labels, that is the practical takeaway: the rating is a floor in this case, set by a lab procedure, while the measured route result shows what one example did across a mix of city and highway driving. The 61-mile margin and the 28.4 versus 33 kWh per 100 miles gap point the same direction, which strengthens the reading without making it a guarantee.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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