Mercedes-Benz Japan launched the electric GLC on Wednesday, Oct. 28, the first battery-electric version of its mainstay midsize SUV. Prices start at ¥9.13 million (about $57,800) for the rear-drive GLC 250, with a WLTC range of 642 km (399 miles). Orders opened the same day at dealers nationwide.
The lineup is two cars. The GLC 250 electric is rear-wheel drive and costs ¥9,130,000 (about $57,800). The GLC 300 4MATIC electric adds a front motor and costs ¥9,570,000 (about $60,600), with 618 km (384 miles) of WLTC range. Both use an 85.5 kWh battery, according to Response, which covered the launch event in Tokyo.
The GLC matters to Mercedes in Japan. Response reports it was the fourth-best-selling imported model by registrations in Japan in 2025, and No. 1 among midsize SUVs. Mercedes-Benz Japan’s president and CEO told reporters the electric version doesn’t change what made the GLC popular. It adds another choice. The gasoline version of the new-generation GLC won’t arrive in Japan until 2027 or later, Nikkei reports, so for now the new GLC in Japan is an EV.
The hardware
The car rides on Mercedes’ new EV-only MB.EA-M platform with an 800-volt electrical system. The rear motor uses a two-speed transmission, first gear for launch and city efficiency, second for highway speed. Mercedes claims 93% battery-to-wheel efficiency on long drives. The 250 makes 260 kW (354 PS) and 505 Nm of torque, while the 300 makes 310 kW (421 PS) and 800 Nm, and can disconnect its front motor to save power when it isn’t needed.
Japanese-spec cars charge on CHAdeMO at up to 100 kW, with AC charging up to 6 kW. In Mercedes’ own test on a 150 kW charger at 26°C (79°F), 10% to 80% took 45 minutes. That’s a long way from the 800-volt headlines in Europe, and it’s a reminder of how much Japan’s charging standard shapes what imported EVs can do here. Vehicle-to-load works too, though you need a separate charge/discharge unit.
The rest is the expected premium kit: a drag coefficient of 0.26, a 2,970 mm wheelbase (84 mm longer than the gas GLC), a 128-liter front trunk, 520 liters in back, and optional rear-wheel steering of up to 4.5 degrees for a turning radius of about 5.2 meters. The grille is a panel of 942 backlit dots that can animate, which is either a modern take on the classic Mercedes face or a very expensive LED sign, depending on your mood.
Inside, the MBUX Superscreen is standard, and the optional 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen spans the dash. The software runs on Mercedes’ in-house MB.OS with over-the-air updates. The voice assistant pulls from ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing and Google Cloud AI, and navigation uses Google Maps data. Production is at Mercedes’ Bremen plant in Germany.
Subsidies, and the Tesla comparison
Mercedes says the GLC 250 electric qualifies for ¥980,000 (about $6,210) from the national CEV subsidy, and the GLC 300 4MATIC for ¥784,000 (about $4,970). Kyodo puts the effective price of the GLC 250 after the national subsidy at ¥8.15 million (about $51,600). Tokyo adds up to ¥700,000 (about $4,430), and Nikkei reports that Tokyo residents can get up to ¥1.68 million (about $10,640) combined if they buy this year. Mercedes also covers maintenance, warranty repairs and roadside support for five years or 100,000 km, with an eight-year or 160,000 km battery capacity warranty.
That “this year” is doing real work. As we covered in our Japan & China EV Week, the national CEV subsidy is getting smaller for cars registered from January. For context, Tesla Japan’s new Model Y now starts at ¥5,499,000 (about $34,830) with its current discount, and Tesla lists an effective price of ¥4,229,000 (about $26,780) after the subsidy. So the electric GLC costs about ¥3.6 million (about $23,000) more than a Model Y before subsidies. It’s a different kind of buyer, sure. But this is the segment where Tesla has been setting the price-per-kilometer bar in Japan, and Mercedes is now in it with a real long-range EV.
Mercedes isn’t done for the year, either. The electric GLB, a seven-seat SUV, is due in Japan before the end of 2026.
Sources: Mercedes-Benz Japan, Response, Nikkei, Kyodo (via OANDA), WEB CARTOP. Currency conversions at about ¥158 to the dollar.
— The EVX News team
Featured image: the electric GLC (European model) on display in Munich during IAA 2025. Photo: Alexander-93 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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