2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 vs 2025 Volvo EX40: Better Technology vs Better Powertrains

Electric crossovers and SUVs are among the fastest growing segments in the Canadian auto market, with a bunch of new models being added every year. Of course, mass-market models are the ones that attract the bulk of buyers, but premium options are not doing too bad either.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB and the 2025 Volvo EX40 are two of the smallest and most affordable vehicles in this premium category, their size and similar boxy shape making them direct competitors. Here is how they compare.

A Short Overview

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB is a sub-compact electric SUV that shares its shape, looks, and market positioning with the gasoline-powered GLB. Mercedes-Benz offers two versions of its entry-level EV in 2025, with the EQB 350 having been abandoned last year. This leaves the front-wheel drive EQB 250+ and the all-wheel drive EQB 300, which is the one we got to drive. The EQB 250+ is priced from $59,990 and the EQB 300 4Matic from $64,990. Our tester, equipped with a few options, came with a price tag of about $68,000.

The 2025 Volvo EX40 is also a sub-compact electric SUV that has an almost identical gasoline-powered counterpart: the XC40. Unlike Mercedes, Volvo uses the same platform to underpin both of these models. Another difference is that the single-motor version of the Volvo is rear-wheel drive instead of front-wheel drive. Three trim levels are available irrespective of the powertrain, with the Core Single Motor starting at $63,638, the Plus version starting at $71,688 and the top of the line Ultra priced from $76,138. Choosing all-wheel drive adds $3,550 to the Core version and $2,500 to the Plus and Ultra models. Our fully-loaded EX40 Ultra Twin Motor had a price tag of just about $80,000.

Exterior

From the outside, both the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB and the Volvo EX40 adopt a similar strategy that consists of an elegant and understated design that doesn’t scream “EV”. Only the lack of a front grille makes it clear these SUVs don’t hide an engine under their hood.

In the case of the EQB, the front-end treatment includes a black plastic fascia that surrounds the Mercedes star, along with a discreet lightbar that links both headlamps. The star motif also radiates from the main logo, adding some visual interest to an otherwise somewhat nondescript look.

Looking at the EX40 from the front, the first thing we notice is the body-colour panel that replaces the grille. Here again, the brand’s logo is the main focal point, with the cooling vents being relegated to the bottom of the bumper. The Volvo has a slightly more dynamic look than the Mercedes thanks to its more aggressive body lines. The EQB has a smoother, more aerodynamic design instead.

From the side, the Volvo features a prominent sculpted-out area at the bottom of the doors and a wide C-Pillar that supports our tester’s available black contrasting roof. In profile, the Mercedes shows its extra 244 millimetres of length with many unbroken lines that run from the front to the rear. Tasteful chrome accents at the bottom of the doors, on the door handles, and around the windows add a touch of class to the EQB.

At the rear, the EQB displays a large lightbar and a fairly upright rear window, along with a central logo that doubles as the power liftgate’s release handle. The EX40 adopts the Swedish brand’s established design tradition with large vertical taillamps that highlight the “hips” of the car, giving it a more muscular look than its German counterpart.

Interior

Inside is where the philosophies of both brands take different paths, with Volvo embracing a minimalist, Scandinavian style and Mercedes choosing a more conventional, Germanic approach. In practice, this means that the EX40 has a simpler look, with most controls being integrated into the vertical center screen while the EQB has a more premium appearance, with prominent air vents and more buttons.

Thanks in part to the beautiful light beige/grey leather and cloth upholstery of our tested model, the EX40’s interior feels warmer and more inviting than the EQB’s. The front seats are also in the Volvo tradition, offering a high level of comfort for every drive, long or short.

In the Mercedes, a more driver-focused approach is favoured, with all of the screens and controls being placed closer to the left seat. Speaking of seats, the EQB features buckets that don’t quite provide the level of support we would expect, in addition to being quite firm. This doesn’t make the experience outright uncomfortable, but the Volvo does better in this regard.

At night, both models impress with their ambient lighting systems, especially the Mercedes. Indeed, the EQB is packed full of configurable LED accent lights that can illuminate the door handles, air vents, floor pans, and the edges of the center console in a multitude of colours. You can even choose different hues for each part of the interior. Like the rest of its cabin, the EX40’s ambient lighting is minimalistic, offering only one shade of warm white light. While this is a bit disappointing, the effect is very elegant as the lights reflect on the open-pore wood trim mounted on the door panels and the dashboard.

Thanks to their boxy shape, both the EX40 and the EQB are quite spacious for their size, including in the cargo compartment. The Mercedes-Benz has the advantage in terms of capacity, with 495 litres of available space behind the rear seats and 1,710 litres up to the front seats, compared to the Volvo’s 410 litres and 1,383 litres respectively. The EX40 does have a front trunk, unlike the EQB, but its small capacity means it can only accommodate small items such as cleaning products or the portable charging cable.

A surprise in this segment: the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB can be ordered with a third-row seat, pushing its capacity up to 7 passengers. Our test vehicle wasn’t equipped with this option so I couldn’t experience it firsthand, but it is safe to assume these additional seats are better suited to children.

Technology

As they are premium models, both the EQB 300 and the EX40 come standard with a long list of tech features, both in terms of entertainment and driver assistance. In the Mercedes, the driver is faced with two rectangular screens that blend into the same panel on top of the dashboard. If they are a bit small by modern standards, they are at least clearly legible, with modern-looking graphics and colourful icons. The instrument screen has a more conventional layout than in the Volvo thanks to its two large dials for the speed and power level. A lot of information can be accessed via both screens, but unfortunately, all of the buttons on the steering wheel are touch-sensitive, which causes frustration by needlessly complicating most adjustments. Mercedes-Benz offers three tiers of sound systems on the EQB 300, from the standard 100-watt six-speaker unit to a 590-watt Burmester premium system. Our tester had the mid-level “Advanced sound system”, a 225-watt ten-speaker package that gave great results.

Over at Volvo, the tech package includes separate screens for the instrument cluster and the infotainment system, which is housed in a vertical display. This system is built on the Android Automotive platform, and it is clear its designers took inspiration from phone interfaces. While this places the most frequently used functions closer to hand than in the Mercedes, it also makes it look less interesting, with similar-looking icons and dull colours. In front of the driver, the instrument display is also less spectacular than the EQB’s, and much less configurable. In fact, you can only choose whether you want the map displayed between the semi-circular gauges or not. Audio equipment is limited to two options, with a standard eight-speaker system or a 600-watt, thirteen-speaker Harman Kardon setup. We got to sample the latter, and here again, sound quality was very good.

Powertrain

While the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4Matic and the 2025 Volvo EX40 Twin Motor share the same basic powertrain configuration (a high-voltage battery and two electric motors, one on each axle), the results are quite different in practice. Indeed, the EQB only has a maximum output of 225 horsepower and 287 lb-ft of torque, while its range is set at 330 kilometres by Natural Resources Canada (NR Can). Both of these aspects are frankly disappointing in a modern premium EV, especially when you consider that the range figure can only be achieved under the best of conditions. For example, our EQB 300 indicated 296 kilometres of range on a full charge at -2˚ C, which makes long highway trips more of a hassle than they should be. Not helping matters is the low DC charging rate, which is capped at 100 kW. Fortunately for the EQB, its small 70.5 kWh battery pack helps it achieve charging times that are not too far off from its competitors, with our model charging from 21 to 81% in about 40 minutes.

The 2025 Volvo EX40 Twin Motor is much more competitive, with an output of 402 horsepower and 494 lb-ft of torque along with 418 kilometres of range, according to NR Can. While this range figure is still lower than we would have liked, it is at least more useable than the EQB’s. During our week behind the wheel, the EX40 displayed 340 kilometres of range when fully charged at an ambient temperature of 3˚ C. Here again, DC charging is not the fastest in the industry, but better than in the EQB nonetheless. In practice, this means the EX40’s 82 kWh battery can be charged faster than the EQB’s, our test car taking 34 minutes to go from 15 to 80% state of charge.

On the Road

The driving experience is where both SUVs differ the most, in large part due to the significant performance gap.

Indeed, the Volvo feels much more dynamic thanks to its impressively quick acceleration, with a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h taking only 4,8 seconds. This means merging onto highways and passing on country lanes is child’s play. In terms of handling, the EX40 is not sporty per se, but its firm suspension provides a reassuring feel of solidity without being uncomfortable when the road deteriorates. On that subject, the front suspension is quite noisy when driving over potholes, a detail that might have been limited to our test vehicle. With its comfortable seats and well-tuned suspension, the EX40 is quite pleasant to drive on longer distances. There is no way to control the regenerative braking system manually, but the one-pedal mode is very well calibrated, providing strong deceleration without jerking the occupants. Our average energy consumption over a week of driving mostly on highways and country roads ended up at around 26 kWh/100 km, which is a bit much for an EV of this size.

Unsurprisingly, the Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 is less exciting to drive, with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 8 seconds, which is quite slow for a premium model in 2025. In practice, the EQB doesn’t really feel underpowered, but you don’t get the usual benefits of electric vehicles regarding instant torque delivery. Putting your foot down in the EQB 300 is underwhelming, even more so because the rest of the driving experience is not bad at all. Indeed, the suspension, which is also on the firmer side, absorbs bumps quite well, making for a smooth and refined ride that doesn’t negatively impact handling. One advantage over the Volvo is that the EQB allows the driver to quickly adjust regeneration with paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. Energy consumption in comparable driving conditions averaged 29.5 kWh/100 km.

Which One to Choose?

Choosing between the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 and the 2025 Volvo EX40 Twin Motor is more difficult than it might seem. Indeed, both small SUVs have a lot in common in terms of size and market position. While the Volvo has a clear advantage when it comes to the mechanical aspects, we can’t forget about pricing. Indeed, the EX40 is significantly more expensive than the EQB, with almost $12,000 between our two vehicles’ price tags.

While both models start at a similar price point, Volvo makes some popular features available only on the Ultra trim level, such as the adaptive cruise control, the heated rear seats, or the heat pump for the climate control system.

For its part, Mercedes-Benz includes fewer features as standard, with wireless device charging and the remote keyless entry system being relegated to the options list, but the pricing of these packages is at least much more affordable. Curiously, our well-equipped model lacked heated rear seats, which seems like an oversight in a premium family vehicle.

So, which one would I choose? I personally prefer the Volvo for its impressive power, its longer range, and its inviting interior. With that said, if I lived in a busier city and didn’t need to cover long distances so often, I would find it hard to justify the additional cost over the Mercedes, especially since the EQB is very competent in some areas, such as tech and practicality.