Few automotive rivalries resonate as much as that between a Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series; and long may this continue in the electric car age. With both German manufacturers revealing their next-generation BEV variants at pretty much the same time, we can’t resist making a few useful comparisons between the Mercedes C-Class Electric and BMW i3. Helpfully BMW and Mercedes have decided to release two similarly-priced and specified long-range, dual-motor variants simultaneously. Judging purely on the battery specs, the BMW packs 112kWh, a fair chunk more than the Merc’s 94.5kWh, but both will sit at the top of their respective ranges at similar price points, which is just below future M and AMG variants. So, which comes out on top? The most important number for many EVs in 2026 is range, and in this case BMW has the legs, and then some. BMW quotes 559-miles of range from its new i3, which is 87 more than the 472 miles Mercedes can manage with the C-Class. However, break this down into miles per kWh and they’re absolutely neck-and-neck at 4.99m/kWh, making them identically efficient according to their WLTP figures. The extra weight of the BMW’s larger battery pack might skew this in its favour if they were even in size, but they are representative of cars available, rather than hypotheticals. The next big battlefield is charging, and BMW once again has the numbers. The i3 can manage up to 400kW DC fast charging, which is considerably higher than the 330kW capable from Mercedes. There’s no 10-80 per cent figure for the C-Class either – Mercedes says that its ‘198 miles of range in 10 minutes’ is a more useful figure. BMW quotes 248 miles. Where the Mercedes has a win is power and performance, as its dual-motor setup is capable of producing 482bhp, 20bhp more than the BMW. It’ll hit 62mph in just 4.1 seconds, which will almost certainly be faster than the i3, which still has no official rating. So where does this leave us? The only thing left to do is drive them and find out which will be the true victor on the road. On paper, though, BMW’s new i3 just shows up Mercedes in too many areas, impressive though the new C-Class Electric is. Mercedes C400 4MaticBMW i3 50xDriveBattery size94.5kWh112kWhRange (WLTP)472 miles559 milesCharging speed (DC)330kW400kWCharge in 10 mins198 miles248 milesPower 482bhp462bhp0-62mph4.1 secs4.4 secs (approx)
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