Compare the2026 Mercedes EQS SUVVS 2025 Tesla Model X

Safety
Warranty
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The EQS SUV’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model X doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the EQS SUV are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model X doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The EQS SUV has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Model X doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The EQS SUV’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Model X doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The EQS SUV has a standard Post Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Model X doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The EQS SUV has a standard Maneuvering Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Model X doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the EQS SUV’s standard Downhill Speed Regulation allows you to creep down safely. The Model X doesn’t offer Downhill Speed Regulation.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The EQS SUV has Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Model X doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

The EQS SUV has a standard Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model X only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The EQS SUV has standard Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the EQS SUV and the Model X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Mercedes EQS SUV weighs 1057 to 1510 pounds more than the Tesla Model X. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

There are over 85 percent more Mercedes dealers than there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the EQS SUV’s warranty.

Fuel Economy and Range

The EQS SUV can travel longer on a full charge than the Model X on a full charge:

			Miles
EQS SUV
	AWD	550 4MATIC Electric Motors	317 miles
		400 4MATIC Electric Motors	312 miles
		Maybach EQS 680 Electric Motors	300 miles
Model X
	AWD	Plaid Electric Motors	314 miles
		Plaid 22" Wheels Electric Motors	294 miles

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the EQS SUV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Model X:

	EQS SUV	Model X
Front Rotors	16.3 inches	15.6 inches
Rear Rotors	14.9 inches	14.4 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the EQS SUV has larger standard tires than the Model X (275/45R21 vs. 265/45R20). The EQS SUV’s optional front tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model X (F:275/40R22 & R:285/40R22 vs. F:265/35R22 & R:285/35R22).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EQS SUV has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Model X.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the EQS SUV can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Model X doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The EQS SUV has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Model X’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EQS SUV’s wheelbase is 9.7 inches longer than on the Model X (126.4 inches vs. 116.7 inches).

The EQS SUV handles at .86 G’s, while the Model X pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The EQS SUV executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Model X (26 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Maybach EQS 680’s turning circle is 4.3 feet tighter than the Model X’s (36 feet vs. 40.3 feet). The EQS SUV’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Model X’s (39 feet vs. 40.3 feet).

Cargo Capacity

The EQS SUV has a much larger cargo volume than the Model X with its rear seat up (22.7 vs. 15 cubic feet).

The EQS SUV’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the EQS SUV’s second row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Model X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the EQS SUV’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model X doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

An ASSYST PLUS is standard on the EQS SUV to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model X.

Ergonomics

The EQS SUV’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Model X, the EQS SUV has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and climate settings and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The EQS SUV offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model X doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The EQS SUV’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model X’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the EQS SUV to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Model X doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its standard heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EQS SUV has a standard rear wiper. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The EQS SUV’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model X doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the EQS SUV Maybach has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Model X doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

The EQS SUV’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Model X’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the EQS SUV to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Model X doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The EQS SUV has standard front air conditioned seats and the EQS SUV Maybach also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Model X doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The EQS SUV has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Model X doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The EQS SUV offers optional massaging front and rear seats (rear massaging seats standard on Maybach). Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model X.

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