Four premium electric SUVs, one crowded segment, and a set of results that says more about how far this class has come than about which badge wins. Autogefühl put the BMW iX3, Mercedes GLC electric, Volvo EX60 and Audi Q6 e-tron through full driving reviews, motorway consumption runs and a road trip from western Germany to Berlin, then folded in early impressions of the larger BMW iX5. The channel reports the iX3 as the efficiency leader of the group, returning 15 kWh per 100 km at a steady 100 km/h on its smallest wheels, and covering 530 km on the return leg without stopping to charge, arriving with 10 percent showing. It also carries the biggest battery of the four at 108.7 kWh. And it still did not take the overall verdict.
What stands out is how little separates these cars on paper. Autogefühl gives the GLC electric 94.5 kWh, the Volvo EX60 92 kWh in its mid P10 form with a 112 kWh version above it, and the Audi Q6 95 kWh. Every one of them charges from 10 to 80 percent in roughly 16 to 22 minutes on a capable charger. The aerodynamic gap is similarly thin, with the channel quoting a drag coefficient of 0.24 for the iX3 against 0.26 for the Mercedes. Two things are worth adding that the video does not dwell on. First, these consumption runs were done in warm, dry conditions, one set at close to 30 degrees Celsius, and cold weather pushes real EV consumption up noticeably, so treat every range figure here as a best case rather than a year-round average. Second, wheel size is a decision you make once at order time and cannot cheaply undo. The channel's own numbers show the same iX3 shifting by three to four kWh per 100 km between its 20 and 22 inch wheels, which is the difference between clearing a long leg comfortably and planning a stop into it.
On charging, Autogefühl reports plugging the iX3 in at 15 percent and seeing a 400 kW peak almost immediately, reaching 80 percent in around 18 minutes at an average near 250 kW. Buyers who do not need the large pack are offered a smaller 82.6 kWh version, quoted at 300 kW, 320 horsepower and 635 km on the WLTP cycle. The GLC is given 330 kW and about 22 minutes for the same window, plus a two-speed gearbox the channel credits for closing the efficiency gap at higher speeds, optional air suspension with rear axle steering, and a 570 litre boot. The Volvo runs an 800 volt system, is quoted at 16 minutes from 10 to 80 percent in P10 form, and undercuts the German pair on list price, with the channel citing roughly 66,000 euros for the mid battery car. The Audi is given 270 kW and just over 20 minutes, and rates as the least efficient of the four in this testing. The verdict splits on feel rather than figures: the iX3 takes seats and driving engagement, the GLC takes ride quality and quietness, at roughly 10,000 euros more when comparably specced.
Bottom line: If most of your driving happens at legal limits and you want the most usable range per euro, the iX3 is the rational pick and that price gap is real money. If you spend real hours on a motorway, the Mercedes earns the premium, because noise and ride are the things you notice on hour three and a spec sheet never shows them. The Volvo looks like the value play if the active noise cancellation does not bother you, and that is worth a test drive rather than a leap of faith. Whichever way you go, order the smallest wheels.
Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.