Canadians will one day soon have access to more than one all-electric minivan.

Mercedes-Benz, which is currently testing what it refers to as “grand limousines,” says its all-electric midsize vehicles will be offered in Canada, the United States and China for the first time.

The only vehicle currently available in Canada that fits the bill as a battery-electric minivan is the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

Mercedes-Benz does sell a relatively low-cost three-row electric SUV in Canada, the EQB, which can be configured with two rows of seating with up to five seats or three rows with up to seven seats. In seven-seat configuration, the EQB 250+ has a starting Canadian MSRP of $61,090.

The company’s VLE minivan would offer sliding rear doors and seating for up to eight.

VLE and VLS

Mercedes-Benz plans to launch a pair of vans on its new Van Electric Architecture, which is a modular, scalable vehicle platform. Production vehicles on this platform will launch in 2026.

The VLE will offer a range of flexible vehicles options, from options for families and leisure-active buyers to what Mercedes calls exclusive VIP shuttles. VLE models would offer up to eight seats.

Mercedes-Benz is also working on the VLS, which will be more exclusive, and which the automaker said will define a unique segment of its own, which “bestows true greatness to automotive luxury.”

If you doubt a minivan can define luxury, check out this concept vehicle from Mercedes-Benz.

More on the VLE

The VLE will likely be more widely adopted – and by the way, minivan sales in general are up in 2025 in North America.

The automaker recently took a pair of VLEs, wrapped in camouflage, on a 1,090-kilometre drive from Stuttgart, Germany to Rome, Italy.

Over the journey, the drivers stopped the vans twice to charge, for 15 minutes at a time, and drove on winding roads and steep passes across the Alps, on long highway sections, busy country roads and narrow streets.

Thanks to rear-axle steering, vehicle maneuverability was no problem on tight town roadways, the automaker said.

At the beginning of the journey, outside temperature was approximately 11 C, by the end of the journey it was around 33 C, while the interior of the vans was kept at 22 C the entire way, Mercedes-Benz said.

Previously, the automaker had driven the VLE from Stuttgart to North Cape, Norway and conducted cold testing in Sweden during this past winter.

A Canadian launch date for the VLE or VLS hasn’t been provided. Stay tuned for updates.

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