Mercedes GLA 250 e EV Charging Cable

If you are choosing between a 2021 and a 2024 GLA 250 e

On paper the later one wins: more usable battery, 43 electric miles against 39, newer cabin. On charging it loses, and by a wide margin. The pre-2023 car has a 7.4 kW onboard charger that is genuinely single phase, so an ordinary British home supply gives it all of that and fills it in about two and a half hours.

The 2023 facelift has a 3.7 kW single phase charger. Mercedes sells an upgrade, but the upgrade goes to 11 kW across three phases rather than to more amps on one, and a house has one phase. So the newer car takes about three and three quarter hours at home no matter what was ticked on the order form, and the older one is the quicker of the two on a driveway.

How to tell which one you are looking at

The split is the 2023 facelift. The quickest external tell is the interior rather than the badge, since the facelift brought the newer infotainment and steering wheel controls. A build date on the VIN plate settles it outright, and a dealer can confirm the onboard charger specification against a registration in a phone call.

Two minutes on that is worth spending, because the two ways of getting it wrong point in opposite directions. Buy 32A for a facelift and you have paid for current the car will never draw. Buy 16A for a pre-2023 car and you have doubled every charge you will ever do. Paying for more amps buys nothing here, since the car will not draw them.

What a DC option would change, and why we cannot promise one

Mercedes listed a DC fast charging option on both generations in Germany, 24 kW on the earlier car and 22 kW on the facelift. On a battery this size that would take a top-up down to well under half an hour and would make the facelift's slower AC charging much less of an issue.

We have not been able to establish whether either option was actually sold in Britain, and it is not the sort of thing that shows up in a listing. Assume your GLA is AC only unless you know otherwise, and if it does turn out to have the socket, treat it as a bonus rather than something to plan a route around.

How long a full charge takes

Hours are worked from battery size against power drawn, plus a 13 per cent allowance for what is lost as heat, rounded to fifteen minutes. Columns are the facelift at 11.5 kWh usable and the earlier car at its 15.6 kWh gross figure, since no usable number is published for it. Electric range is about 39 miles before the facelift and 43 after.

A DC option existed on both generations in Germany, 24 kW on the earlier car and 22 kW on the facelift. We have not been able to confirm either was sold in Britain, so assume yours is AC only unless you know otherwise.

Which length for a GLA 250 e

Rear offside, on the right of the body, from German market data that has not been separately confirmed for a right hand drive car.

The GLA is 4.41 metres and tall, and tends to be reversed onto drives because of the tailgate. If that puts the flap on the same side as your charge point, 5 metres does it. If not, 10 metres. The honest way to choose is to measure the real parking position and allow two metres spare.

How these cables are built

Made to IEC 62196-2, CE marked, and rated IP55 from -30C to +50C so it lives outdoors all year.

Three pin leads are made to IEC 62752, CE marked and IP67 sealed, with a -30C to +60C specification. Two year manufacturer's warranty, free next working day UK delivery and 30 days to send it back.

Looking at another Mercedes? Start with the Mercedes EQA EV Charging Cable, or browse every model in Mercedes charging cables. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Mercedes GLA 250 e charging cable questions

Which cable does a GLA 250 e need?

A 32A Type 2 to Type 2 lead if yours was built before the 2023 facelift, where the 7.4 kW charger is genuinely single phase. A 16A lead is enough for a facelift car, which caps at 3.7 kW.

Why does the 11 kW option not help?

Because it is a three phase upgrade rather than a higher single phase rate. A British house has one phase, so the car still draws 3.7 kW whether the option was fitted or not.

How long does a GLA 250 e take to charge?

About two and a half hours on a pre-2023 car at 7.4 kW, and about three and three quarter hours on a facelift at 3.7 kW.

Does it rapid charge?

A DC option existed in Germany on both generations, but we cannot confirm it was sold in Britain. Assume AC only unless you know your car has it.