Compare the2025 Kia EV9VS 2025 Mercedes EQE SUV

Both the EV9 and EQE SUV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EV9 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The EQE SUV’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the EV9 and the EQE SUV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Kia EV9 (Built after January 2024) achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The EQE SUV has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The EV9 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The EQE SUV’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV9 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the EQE SUV. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the EQE SUV ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the EV9’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 21st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 19 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

As tested in Motor Trend the EV9 GT-Line electric motors is faster than the EQE SUV 350+ electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the EV9 gets better mileage than the EQE SUV:

The EV9 can travel longer on a full charge than the EQE SUV on a full charge:

The EV9 stops shorter than the EQE SUV:

For better traction, the EV9 GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the EQE SUV (285/45R21 vs. 275/35R22).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV9’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the EQE SUV (122 inches vs. 119.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the EV9 is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the EQE SUV.

The EV9 GT-Line AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the EQE SUV 350+ pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the EV9 has a 2.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the EQE SUV (7.8 vs. 5.2 inches), allowing the EV9 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The EV9’s minimum ground clearance is .2 inch higher than on the AMG EQE 53 4MATIC+ (7.8 vs. 7.6 inches).

The Kia EV9 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 300 pounds less than the Mercedes EQE SUV.

The front grille of the EV9 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The EV9 offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the EQE SUV can only carry 5.

The EV9 has 1.7 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the EQE SUV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the EV9’s middle and third row seats recline. The EQE SUV’s rear seats don’t recline.

The EV9’s cargo area provides more volume than the EQE SUV.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the EV9’s optional second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The EV9’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the EQE SUV’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes EQE SUV is only 4000 pounds. The EV9 AWD offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) is standard on the EV9, using the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the EQE SUV.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EV9 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the EQE SUV only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the EV9 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The EV9 has standard front air conditioned seats and the EV9 Land/GT-Line also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The EV9 has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The EV9 (except Light/Wind)’s optional Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The EQE SUV’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the EV9 first among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The EQE SUV isn’t in the top three.

The EV9 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024. The EQE SUV has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV9 as the 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The EQE SUV has never been chosen.