The E in Mercedes E-Class comes from the German einspritzmotor, meaning fuel-injected engine, which was a cutting-edge piece of tech back in the day. Of course, these days anything that’s not an electric car gets a fuel injection, but the point still stands: the E-Class has always been at the vanguard as technology advances, getting the latest and greatest gadgets not long after Mercedes’ flagship S-Class.
There’s so much more to the E-Class than the gizmos, though. The diversity of the range is staggering, with every body style available, including an estate, coupe and cabriolet, as well as the traditional four-door saloon, which is available in petrol and diesel, all with mild-hybrid technology to improve their efficiency, and plugin hybrids which are a godsend for company car drivers looking to lower their tax. Then there’s the mind-blowing AMG versions with sports car performance, including the E53 and time-warping E63 S. But before we delve too deeply into the E-Class, let’s check in with its key stats.
| Brand-new price range | £49,000–£120,000 |
| Car Planet price range | £10,000–£13,000 / £206–£261 a month |
| Trims | 4 |
| Engines | 9 |
| Available fuels | Petrol, diesel, hybrid, diesel–plugin electric hybrid |
| mpg range across all versions | 58–177 |
| Doors | 4 |
| Warranty | 3 years / No mileage cap |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £1,258 / £8,715 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £2,515 / £17,431 |
Equipment, options and extras
Every Mercedes E-Class comes brimming with kit. The entry-level Sport trim features cruise control, two-zone climate control, 17in alloy wheels, heated front seats, leather seat trim and power-folding door mirrors, not to mention a plethora of safety kit, visibility aids and infotainment features. However, if you’re able to stretch to the upper–mid-spec AMG Line Premium trim, that’s the pick of the range. It’s priced about the same as its competitor the BMW 5 M Series Sport and introduces extras like keyless entry, 19in alloys and a gesture-controlled powered boot lid.
The only downside of the E-Class is that it doesn’t enable you to add individual options. If you want a specific item, you’ll need to jump up the range to the trim that has it.
Costs, insurance groups, mpg and CO2
We recommend the E220d in the Mercedes E-Class’s AMG Line Premium trim. It costs about the same as one of the E-Class’s competitor the BMW 5 Series 520dM Sport, and slightly less than the Audi A6 TDI S Line. However, the 5 Series works out cheaper than both in the long term because it’s predicted to hold on to a bigger chunk of its list price, and costs less than the E-Class to service. The E-Class’s weaker resale values are reflected in its PCP finance costs, which tend to be higher than its rivals’.
The E220d averages 45mpg without too much trouble in the real world. That’s pretty competitive, as are its CO2 emissions. It’s also RDE2-compliant, which is good for your company car tax bill—but if you’re looking for the cheapest BIK tax, consider the E300e and E300de EQ Power plugin hybrids. And the big advantage of the E300de is that, unusually for a plugin, there’s still a frugal diesel engine even when the battery’s dead. It averages 50mpg when both power sources are used for a prolonged period. In contrast, the E300e doesn’t deliver brilliant fuel economy if you don’t keep the battery charged. A BMW 530e is marginally better in this respect. Charging either hybrid takes 90 minutes from a 7kW wallbox, or 5 hours from a three-pin plug.
Safety and security
The Mercedes E-Class comes with a raft of safety kit, including lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition displaying the speed limit, a driver attention alert to warn you when it’s time to take a break, and a blind spot warning to let you know when something’s sitting next to you on the motorway. That’s more than its key rivals come with as standard.
Euro NCAP awarded the E-Class a full five stars for safety, all but matching its competitor the Audi A6 for adult protection, and outperforming the BMW 5 Series at protecting adults from leg injuries and keeping children safe.
Reliability
Every Mercedes E-Class is sold with a 3-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, the same as most of its rivals.
The Car Planet verdict
The Mercedes E-Class is quiet and comfortable on the motorway, although the ride does leave a little to be desired when you’re tootling around town. And while the boot is big, the rear passenger compartment is less so, especially compared to its rivals. That being said, the E-Class is loaded with fantastic kit and comes with a range of engines, including efficient diesels, punchy petrols and tax-friendly plugin hybrids.
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