Are petrol, diesel or electric cars better? A question that many, or rather many, ask themselves when buying a new car. But, as many experts point out, there is no certain answer because the use of one of these propulsion systems depends on many factors. In fact, what tips the scales for one solution over the other are various factors such as the km traveled annually, the type of use and usual itinerary, the needs of the owner and his family and - in the case of electric ones - the possibility of charging at home or at work.
Photo story GLB petrol and diesel, EQB electric, Mercedes SUVs always satisfying - Photos - Ansa.it
A doubt that becomes even more Hamlet-like if you have to choose between petrol, diesel and electric versions of similar, almost identical, models. And with dynamic characteristics, quality of life on board, safety and comfort that are aligned, whatever the propulsion system. This is the case of the two new Mercedes GLB (petrol and diesel) and of the EQB, which is the 100% battery-powered variant, which served for an unusual comparison, not only evaluating their behavior on road and off-road, but also through a hypothesis of costs on a mileage of 15 thousand km per year. The three 'sisters' of the Three-Pointed Star have in common a strong functionality - with the possibility of arranging up to seven seats - and by representing, despite being an uncompromising SUV, a particularly valid alternative both in everyday life and for free time and 'outdoor' escape, without forgetting the business world.
After all, the EQB 250 +, GLB 220d and GLB 200 represent the point of contact with the Mercedes SUVs of the higher segments, such as the GLC, GLE, GLS but also EQE and EQS. They do this by approaching the larger models in size and offering large volumes and great interior modularity, thus promoting incredible versatility. In a simulation based on the consumption of comparable models between the two ranges, on a mileage of 15,000 km/year, evaluating all the conceivable 'refueling' solutions, a particularly interesting comparison of costs emerges.
The study took into consideration various parameters such as consumption over 15 thousand km (in the case of EQB 250+: 2,550 kWh), the average cost in a photovoltaic system with storage and wallbox, net bonus (9,000 euros and energy supply of 8,000 kWh per year ) but also the average price of domestic energy directly from the operator (0.25 euro/kWh) that of 'on the road' and domestic charging (0.60 euro/kWh) but also the average incidence of petrol and diesel taxes - at date of March 2024 - and the price difference between endothermic and electric versions. The results - which do not take into account the different costs of maintenance, parking and ZTL entrances, but also the devaluation of used cars - are interesting, but not shocking.
It is in fact known that electric cars allow significant savings only if they are recharged at home, with a photovoltaic system. It emerges, therefore, that to use a petrol GLB for 15 thousand km you spend 1,600 euros at the petrol station, a value which drops to 950 for the 200d diesel variant. The EQB 205 + model is much more convenient (280 euros spent on energy) only if you connect the car to the photovoltaic system with storage, and even more advantageous if you fill up on energy at the home Wallbox, with low costs of kWh (650 euros). But if you use expensive public charging stations, the cost for 15 thousand km is close to that of the petrol GLB and goes well beyond that of the 200d version.
The close relationship between these three models reflects positively on driving pleasure and performance on and off-road. The petrol GLB is offered with four mild hybrid engines from 136 to 306 HP (+14 boot) and in two or four-wheel drive 4Matic variants. The number of variants for the diesel GLB is identical, with powers between 116 and 190 HP. The EQB also passed with flying colors in the on-road and off-road tests - which took place between Milan and Varese - and is offered in the 250+ versions with two-wheel drive and the 300 4matic and 350 4matic with all-wheel drive. The power band ranging from 190 and 292 HP. The batteries are 66.5 and 70.5 kWh and the autonomy (Wltp) reaches 534 km.
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