Do you know calculus? Your equation seems to be another way of writing [itex]|E| = \Delta V/\Delta r[/itex], which is only an approximation. The correct value is gotten by taking the limit as Delta goes to 0. Then you get:
[itex]E=-\nabla V[/itex]
In the special case of infinite parallel plate, they give the same answer, but for a curved E field you get a more accurate answer for smaller step size.