I’m not aware of a recall or class action over this problem, but it would definitely be worth talking to Mercedes-Benz’s Australian customer service department to see if there’s any help on offer. Provided the car has a complete service history, you might get a sympathetic ear, but, that said, don’t count on it.

The counter-argument you’ll likely be met with is that you should have been paying attention to the car’s temperature gauge and stopped the engine when it began to overheat. "That’s why cars have temperature gauges", will probably be the response at dealership level, but go straight over the dealer’s head and talk to head office.

This model A200 uses a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which is more or less a manual transmission with a robot to operate the clutch and gearshift for you. So, if it feels like a manual, that’s kind of because it is.

However, the transmission should never jump, jerk or thump into gears. If it does, that suggests there’s some problem within the gearbox, possibly worn clutch-packs which, like those of any manual transmission, can wear prematurely if the car has been abused or treated to patchy maintenance. A Mercedes-Benz dealer should be able to run an electronic check on the transmission to see if there’s any evidence of wear or damage.

At this stage, the smallest Mercedes-Benz EV is the EQA. Although there’s a Smart EV in other parts of the world, there are no plans to introduce it here. The decision not to make an A-Class hatchback EV is in line with the rest of the world’s car-makers who are ditching conventional hatchback and sedan designs in favour of the all-conquering SUV packaging.

However, while the EQA is physically larger than your current A250, it’s probably not by as much as you might imagine. In overall length terms, the EQA is about three centimetres longer and about five centimetres wider. The big difference is that the new car is a lot taller; about 19 centimetres higher, in fact. But even then, the EQA is still a pretty compact car, and if your garage won’t accommodate those dimensions, I’m wondering how it was ever council-approved as a parking space within a building.

As for your other requirements, the EQA has a theoretical range of up to 400km and can be fast-charged. As for more charging points in public areas on highways, I’m afraid that’s one you need to talk to your local government member about, not Mercedes-Benz.