Mercedes EQS Reinvented: What 575 Miles of Range and Steer-by-Wire Really Mean for UK Drivers

A flagship electric saloon just raised the bar — but does the technology stack up against Britain's roads, regulations, and charging realities?

There's a moment in the evolution of any technology when it stops being impressive and starts being genuinely useful. For electric vehicles in the UK, that moment may have quietly arrived — not with a fanfare of government announcements or infrastructure promises, but in the form of a quietly updated German saloon with a claimed range that, for the first time, makes a long-distance motorway run feel genuinely stress-free.

Mercedes has refreshed its flagship EQS, and the headline figures are striking: up to 575 miles of range in certain variants, a revised exterior, and — perhaps most intriguingly — steer-by-wire technology that removes the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels entirely. These aren't incremental tweaks. They represent a meaningful leap, and they carry implications that stretch well beyond the showroom floor.

What Mercedes Has Actually Done

The updated EQS, reported in detail by Autocar, arrives with a sharper, more conventional-looking front end — a deliberate response to criticism that the original's aerodynamic "one-box" silhouette looked too anonymous for a car costing the better part of £100,000. Underneath the restyled bodywork, the engineering changes are where the real story lies.

The range figure of 575 miles — quoted under the WLTP testing cycle — applies to the most efficient variant. To put that in context, the distance from London to Edinburgh is roughly 400 miles. London to Glasgow is around 420. For the first time, a mainstream production EV is credibly claiming it could complete those journeys on a single charge, under real-world conditions, without the driver needing to plan their route around charging stops.

The steer-by-wire system is perhaps the more technically audacious development. Rather than a traditional mechanical or hydraulic linkage between the steering column and the wheels, the system uses electronic signals to translate the driver's inputs into steering movements. Mercedes is not alone in pursuing this technology — Lexus has deployed a version on the RZ — but bringing it to a production vehicle at this level of refinement marks a significant milestone.

Why This Matters Beyond the Spec Sheet

The significance of the updated EQS isn't simply that one expensive German car can now travel further. It's what that achievement signals about the broader trajectory of EV development — and what it means for the very real anxieties that continue to suppress uptake among British drivers.

Range anxiety remains the single biggest barrier to EV adoption in the UK. Survey after survey, including data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), identifies it as the primary concern among drivers who are considering but have not yet made the switch. The argument that "most people only drive 30 miles a day" is technically accurate but psychologically irrelevant — drivers think in worst-case scenarios, not averages.

A 575-mile range changes that calculus fundamentally. It doesn't just cover the journey; it covers the uncertainty around the journey. It covers the detour, the traffic jam, the decision to stop somewhere unexpected. It is, in short, the first EV range figure that begins to feel like the freedom that petrol has always offered.

The steer-by-wire system matters for different reasons. By decoupling the steering wheel from the road mechanically, it enables variable steering ratios, reduced turning circles, and — critically — the possibility of the steering wheel folding away entirely when the car is in autonomous or semi-autonomous mode. As the UK moves cautiously towards permitting higher levels of vehicle automation on public roads, this technology represents the architecture that will underpin those systems.

The Legal Angle: Steer-by-Wire and UK Type Approval

Here is where things get genuinely interesting from a regulatory perspective.

Steer-by-wire systems have historically faced significant hurdles under UN Regulation No. 79, which governs the approval of steering equipment on vehicles sold in Europe and, post-Brexit, in the UK under the retained framework administered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The regulation was originally drafted with mechanical steering in mind, and for many years it effectively prohibited the removal of the direct mechanical connection between steering wheel and wheels.

The rules have since been updated to permit electronically controlled steering systems, provided they meet strict redundancy and fail-safe requirements. Any steer-by-wire system approved for road use must demonstrate that it can maintain safe steering control even in the event of a primary system failure — typically through a secondary electronic backup. Mercedes will have had to satisfy both European and UK type approval authorities on these points before the EQS reaches British roads.

For drivers, the practical implication is this: if you are involved in a collision and a steer-by-wire malfunction is alleged to have been a contributing factor, the legal and insurance landscape becomes considerably more complex. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires that vehicles be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. A documented steering system failure that contributed to an accident could give rise to a claim against the manufacturer under that legislation, separate from any insurance claim.

It is also worth noting that the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 — and the more recent Automated Vehicles Act 2024, which received Royal Assent in May 2024 — begins to address liability questions around vehicles with advanced automated systems. As these cars become more sophisticated, the question of who is legally responsible when something goes wrong shifts in ways that the existing insurance framework is still catching up with.

What Drivers Should Know Before Buying or Driving One

If you're considering the updated EQS, or simply want to understand what this technology shift means practically, here are the key things to bear in mind:

On range claims:

• The 575-mile figure is a WLTP estimate. Real-world range will be lower — typically 15–25% less, depending on speed, temperature, heating and air conditioning use, and load. On a cold January motorway run at 70mph, budget for something closer to 400–450 miles.
• That said, even a conservatively adjusted real-world range of 420 miles puts the EQS ahead of almost every other production EV currently on sale in the UK.
• WLTP figures are now considerably more reliable than the old NEDC cycle they replaced, but they are still optimised test conditions. Check independent real-world range tests from sources such as Autocar or What Car? before making purchasing decisions.

On steer-by-wire:

• The technology is type-approved and safe — it has passed rigorous testing. But it will feel different. There is no mechanical "feel" transmitted through the wheel in the traditional sense; feedback is artificially generated. If you test drive one, give yourself time to adjust.
• Ensure your insurer is aware of the vehicle's specific technology. Some specialist EV insurers may require additional disclosure when the vehicle features non-conventional steering systems.
• Keep your vehicle's software up to date. Steer-by-wire systems are, by definition, software-dependent. Manufacturers issue over-the-air updates that can affect system behaviour, and staying current is not just good practice — it may be relevant to your legal position if a fault ever arises.

On charging infrastructure:

• A 575-mile range is only as useful as the charging network that supports it. The UK's public rapid charging network has expanded significantly, but coverage remains patchy outside motorway corridors and major cities. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, published by the previous government, set targets for public charger availability that are progressing — but unevenly.
• If you are buying a premium EV at this price point, home charging installation is essentially non-negotiable. A 22kW home wallbox will restore significant range overnight, and the cost — typically £800–£1,200 installed — is trivial relative to the vehicle price.

Looking Ahead: The Road the EQS Is Pointing Down

The updated Mercedes EQS is not, in itself, a car that most people will buy. At its price point, it is a statement of intent — a demonstration of what the technology can do when cost is not the primary constraint. But the history of automotive technology is largely a story of trickle-down: what appears first in a £100,000 flagship reaches a £30,000 family car within a decade.

The 575-mile range achieved here will, within a few years, be within reach of mid-market EVs. Battery chemistry improvements — particularly the shift towards solid-state batteries, which several manufacturers including Toyota and BMW are targeting for the late 2020s — promise further gains in energy density without proportional increases in cost or weight.

Steer-by-wire, similarly, will become standard equipment on a wide range of vehicles as the technology matures and the cost of the components falls. When it does, it will fundamentally reshape how we think about vehicle design, driver assistance, and ultimately, autonomy.

For UK drivers, the message is straightforward: the objections to EVs that felt entirely reasonable three years ago are becoming harder to sustain. Range anxiety, at least at the premium end of the market, is being engineered out of existence. The charging infrastructure, while imperfect, is improving. And the legal framework governing these increasingly sophisticated vehicles is — slowly, imperfectly, but genuinely — catching up with the technology.

The EQS is not the future. It's a preview of what ordinary cars will be able to do before the decade is out. Pay attention.

Source: Autocar — "New look Mercedes EQS brings 575‑mile range and steer‑by‑wire"