NEW 2026 MERCEDES GLB WILL BE A 'MASSIVE STEP UP'

BMW X1 rival uses new platform and fresh tech for EVs and mild hybrids

- GREG KABLE

The next Mercedes-Benz GLB will go on sale in the UK next year and is described by a senior insider as a “massive step up” from the first-generation car.

Part of an ambitious wide-ranging offensive from Mercedes, the compact SUV will be joined by more than a dozen new models and facelifts over the next 24 months.

The new GLB will retain the distinctive upright silhouette introduced by the current car in 2019 but test mules show that it will be slightly longer and wider, with more of a focus on interior space and storage.

Autocar understands it will also adopt a bolder-looking front end with new lighting signatures.

These changes have been made possible by a switch to the new Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), the fourth model to use it. The outgoing GLB sits on the older Modular Front Architecture (MFA), which will be phased out in 2026.