Familiar styling conceals total transformation for brand's best-seller as it turns electric to face the new BMW iX3
Could the new Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric be parachuting into one of the most crowded corners of the UK car market? Take a look at its list of potential rivals and you would certainly have to conclude that, given the huge array of options, medium-sized electrically powered SUVs with a premium badge have struck a chord with buyers. Old hands such as Audi, BMW, Porsche and Volvo all have highly credible contenders on their books, while relative upstarts such as Genesis and Polestar have models that are more than capable of muscling in on the upmarket action. Basically, if you’ve got upwards of £60,000 to spend on a high-riding, upper-class EV, the world is your lobster.Moreover, some of the GLC’s potential rivals are genuinely standout machines. The new BMW iX3 recently received a glowing 4.5-star road test review, while we've hailed the new Volvo EX60 as potentially even better than our newly crowned Bavarian standard bearer. As a result, Mercedes' latest addition will have to be on top form if it wants to stand out among a sea of competitive offerings.Like its closest rival, the GLC Electric is technically unrelated to its hugely popular, combustion-engined namesake, instead being based on a new-generation, electric-native platform that promises huge advances in performance, utility and packaging compared with the structures its manufacturer used for its first-generation EVs.