Mercedes B250E charging cable

The Mercedes-Benz B 250 e is the plug-in hybrid version of the W247 B-Class, pairing a 1.33-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined 218 PS and 450 Nm, driving the front wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The 15.6 kWh lithium-ion battery sits beneath the rear seats, which leaves the boot close to standard, and the Type 2 socket is set into the right rear wing. Usable capacity varies by build: roughly 10.6 kWh on 2020 to 2022 cars, 11.6 kWh on facelift cars from 2023, and 13.0 kWh from September 2024 production onwards. One point of confusion worth clearing up first: the earlier B-Class Electric Drive (W242, 2014 to 2017) also wore the B 250 e badge. That car is fully electric, carries a 28 kWh usable battery and charges through a socket on the left rear, so the guidance below does not apply to it.

Three onboard chargers, one badge

More than any other detail, the onboard charger decides which cable suits your B 250 e, and Mercedes fitted three different ones over the model's life. Every car left the factory with a 3.7 kW single-phase charger as standard. On pre-facelift cars built between 2020 and 2022, a 7.4 kW single-phase charger was available as a paid option. On facelift cars from 2023 onwards, that option was replaced by an 11 kW three-phase unit. Separately, DC rapid charging through the CCS inlet was also an extra, rated at 24 kW on early cars and 22 kW after the facelift, good for 10 to 80 per cent in about 25 minutes. DC charging uses the charge point's own tethered lead, so it has no bearing on which cable you buy.

If you bought the car new, the original order sheet will confirm the specification. If you bought it used, the simplest check is the rate shown on the car's display at a public post: a 2020 to 2022 car will settle at either 3.7 kW or 7.4 kW, and a 2023-onwards car at a three-phase post will settle at either 3.7 kW or 11 kW. From near-empty, expect roughly three to three and a half hours at 3.7 kW, around one hour 45 minutes at 7.4 kW, and around one hour ten minutes at 11 kW.

Choosing a cable that fits every version

Almost all British homes are supplied on a single phase, and a typical home wallbox delivers 7.4 kW at 32A. That figure matters here, because reaching 7.4 kW on one phase requires a cable rated to carry 32A per conductor. Our 22 kW Type 2 cable is built for exactly that, and it is the recommendation we make across the whole B 250 e range for one reason: it delivers full speed to all three onboard chargers. A 7.4 kW car pulls its full 7.4 kW from a domestic wallbox, a facelift car with the 11 kW upgrade pulls its full 11 kW from a three-phase public post, and a standard 3.7 kW car charges at its maximum with plenty of headroom in reserve.

An 11 kW Type 2 cable remains a sound choice if you know your car has the 11 kW three-phase upgrade and you mainly use three-phase public charging, where it reaches the same 11 kW in a lighter, more manageable cable. The 22 kW cable simply covers more ground, including a future car with a higher-rated charger. On length, 6 metres suits a driveway or garage where the post sits close to the right rear wing. An 8-metre cable is the more relaxed choice for public bays, where the post may sit ahead of the car or across a wider bay. Where you share a driveway, park on-street or deal with awkward car park layouts, 10 and 15-metre cables give you room to work with.

Charging where there is no wallbox

A battery this size refills comfortably from ordinary sockets, which makes portable charging genuinely useful rather than a last resort. Our 22 kW portable charger plugs into a 32A red commando socket, the sort found in workshops, on farms, at commercial marinas and in trade units. It carries the same 32A per conductor as the fixed cable above, so a 7.4 kW car reaches 7.4 kW and completes a charge in about one hour 45 minutes, while a facelift car with the 11 kW upgrade takes around one hour ten. For campsites and caravan sites, the blue 16A commando charger is the one to pack: it charges at 3.7 kW, filling the battery in roughly three to three and a half hours, so an evening's pitch with the car plugged in returns you a full electric range by dinner.

For everything else there is the three-pin portable charger, adjustable from 8A to 13A and drawing up to 2.8 kW within the limits of what the circuit can sustain. That is meaningfully quicker than the 10A brick supplied with many of these cars, and it brings a flat battery back to full in around four to four and a half hours: an overnight plug-in at home, or a long afternoon at a relative's house. A built-in thermal sensor keeps watch on the temperature at the plug and trims the current automatically if the socket runs warm, which matters most on older wiring where you cannot see what is behind the faceplate.

Built to one specification

Every Voldt® cable is CE, UKCA and TÜV certified and made to automotive industry quality standards. The connectors are single-piece moulded units with no glue and no mechanical fasteners, housed in IP67-rated bodies tested from −30°C to +50°C. Conductors are 100% copper with silver-plated contacts, and every cable is rated beyond 10,000 connection cycles. Three-year warranty, 100-day returns, free shipping across Europe.