Mercedes E-Class review

At one time, if you'd told a high-flying executive that their Mercedes E-Class would one day be able to park itself into a space without a driver and join video meetings with colleagues around the world, they'd have thrown their BlackBerry at you.

Yet this sixth-generation E-Class can do both those and more. We’re talking about autonomous driving functions, a bleeding-edge infotainment system with a separate screen for your passenger, ambient lights that pulse to the beat of the music you’re listening to and a surround-sound system with Dolby Atmos.

What about the actual driving experience, though? Well, we can tell you right now that there’s no pure electric car version. If you want a fully electrified E-Class-sized Mercedes, see our Mercedes EQE review.

Mercedes' main rivals are taking the same approach with the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Both will sit alongside electric equivalents – the Audi A6 e-tron and the BMW i5 – although the near-identical BMWs will be harder to tell apart.

It turns out that executive car buyers like to have a choice over when and how they go electric – and manufacturers are clearly listening. So, is a new Mercedes E-Class right for you? Read on to find out...

What’s new?
- November 2023: new Mercedes E-Class goes on sale, with petrol, diesel and PHEV engines options available
- February 2023: first details of new E-Class executive saloon revealed, with new MBUX superscreen front and centre

The Mercedes E-Class engine range consists of three mild-hybrid engines and three plug-in hybrids (PHEV). All come with a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

All the mild-hybrids have a 23bhp electric motor to bolster performance. The entry-level E200 kicks things off, with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine to produce a combined power output of 224bhp. Despite the electrical assistance, you have to work the engine quite hard to get it up to motorway speeds.

The E220d has a 2.0-litre diesel engine producing a little less power but still manages to get from 0-62mph in a near-identical time. More importantly, the extra pull at low revs makes it more flexible to drive everyday and means it’s better suited to being a relaxing executive car. However, if you crave even more performance, the six-cylinder E450d diesel should have you covered. 

Nevertheless, our preferred model is the E300e PHEV. It combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a beefier electric motor to produce a combined 308bhp. A relatively swift 0-62mph time of just 6.4sec gives it the performance levels of a hot hatch. There’s also a 300de with a diesel engine of the same size producing identical performance figures. 

In pure electric mode, performance isn’t quite as strong as an equivalent BMW 530e, but it’s brisk enough and you’ll find that acceleration is smooth. If you floor the accelerator pedal, either engine fires up almost immediately, with acceleration feeling just as nippy as it does in a 530e. 

With a 19.5kWh (usable capacity) battery sitting under the boot, both PHEVs have an impressive official electric-only range of around 70 miles – a handful more than what the Audi A6 e-hybrid and BMW 530e can manage (up to 64 miles). In real-world driving, 45-50 miles is more realistic, but that's enough for most commutes.

Perhaps the best thing about the E-Class, though, is its pillowy ride. Around town, it does a brilliant job of dealing with broken-up surfaces while at motorway speeds it wafts along as smoothly (and quietly) as some luxury cars. If you frequently cover big miles we honestly can’t think of a better long-distance companion. Both the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series have a firmer setup that’s far from uncomfortable but will subtly fidget more over poorly surfaced roads.

All-round air suspension and rear-wheel steering are standard on the E450d and available as an option as part of the Refinement package on Premium trim levels, although we’ve yet to try one with it fitted.

Just don’t expect the E-Class to be as sharp as a BMW 5 Series in the corners. Drive it hard and you’ll find that it is softer, more ponderous and has less feelsome steering than a 5 Series. The body pitches into a corner quite suddenly, while grip levels are relatively low, so there’s little joy to be had in hustling it down a country road. This is a car that feels at its best when driven in a relaxed manner.

We’ve yet to try the AMG 53, which gets air suspension and four-wheel steering as standard. However, based on our drive of the Estate version, we wouldn’t expect it to out handle a BMW M5.

Perhaps the weakest area for the E-Class is the PHEV’s brake pedal response. It doesn’t blend the regenerative braking system with the regular friction brakes well at all, so a squeeze of the pedal doesn’t always give a consistent amount of braking force. As a result, you have to concentrate hard to avoid being jerky when slowing down, which is frustrating.

"I think it’s quite refreshing that the E-Class has been tuned for comfort rather than sporty handling, but it’s a shame the grabby brake pedal response hinders it from being a completely smooth drive" Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

The Mercedes E-Class's interior shares a number of its styling cues with the Mercedes EQE and the Mercedes EQS. Ostentatious ambient lighting bathes it with a warm glow and a pair of screens dominate the curvaceous dashboard.

There’s a 12.3in digital driver's display behind the steering wheel, a 14.4in infotainment touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard, and if you go for AMG Line Premium trim Plus, another 12.3in touchscreen on the right side for the passenger.

The passenger screen can be used to run social media apps and take photos, and has a special filter to make sure it's not visible from the driver’s seat.

The E-Class’s infotainment operating system is not as slick and intuitive as the iDrive system in a BMW 5 Series but it’s easy enough to get to grips with. Just don’t try to control it using the touch-sensitive pads on the steering wheel – they're fiddly and infuriating. You’re far better off prodding the screen or using the surprisingly competent voice control.

Our favourite Premium trim includes a brilliant 17-speaker Burmester surround-sound system upgrade that’s incredibly powerful, clear and immersive.

Aesthetically the interior is more striking than its rivals, but look closer and you’ll find that the materials don’t feel quite as dense and substantial as those in a 5 Series. It’s not a deal-breaker though, and we like that you can choose from various shades of leather upholstery if you think the standard black seats are a little too restrained.

The seats are soft and comfortable, with part-electric adjustment (including adjustable lumbar support) even on entry-level versions. AMG Line Premium adds full electric adjustment with memory settings, while AMG Line Premium Plus adds a massaging function.

Visibility is similar to an equivalent 5 Series thanks to relatively slim pillars. All models come with front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. Stepping up to AMG Line Premium introduces a 360-degree camera.

Interior storage is impressive, with lots of places to put everyday items, including two large storage cubbies in the centre console and big door bins.

"Some cars come with a branded sound system upgrade that still manages to sound disappointing, but I love the Burmester one in the E-Class. It’s a delightful way of getting tinnitus" Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

The sixth-generation Mercedes E-Class is bigger in every direction than its predecessor, and that's immediately noticeable up front. There's plenty of head and leg room, and the interior is wide enough that you won’t ever end up banging elbows with your passenger.

Passengers in the back get plenty of room in every direction too, but a third rear passenger will have to straddle a big central floor hump. The same is true of the back seats of the BMW 5 Series. 

The E-Class has rear seats that split 40/20/40 and fold down when you pull the handles in the boot. The Audi A6 has folding back seats too, but you have to pay extra for them in the 5 Series.

In terms of boot space, the mild-hybrid versions offer a square-shaped loading area with a carrying capacity of 540 litres. That’s slightly more than an equivalent Audi A6 (492 litres) and BMW 5 Series (520 litres). The PHEV loses some space to the battery under the boot floor, reducing the capacity to 370. That’s still more than what you get in an A6 e-Hybrid (354 litres), but the 530e has the clear advantage by retaining its full load capacity.

"I didn’t have any issues with the E300e’s smaller boot, but if you carry the charge cables with you all the time, it’s a shame you can’t stow them somewhere out the way" Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Mercedes E-Class is quite pricey. Even the entry-level E200 Urban Edition commands a good chunk more money than the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series.

For private buyers, the list price of the plug-in hybrids might raise even more of an eyebrow, because it costs significantly more than its non-PHEV equivalents. However, in this case, that number is almost a moot point because these versions are aimed squarely at company car drivers paying BIK tax.

Indeed, far more relevant is that the E-Class commands a lower BIK tax rating than its rivals, even though the difference in monthly salary sacrifice payments will be small.

A small bonus with the E-Class PHEVs is that they also have a CCS fast charging socket as standard. The maximum charging speed of up to 55kW from a public charger means a 10-80% charge should take around 20 minutes, although it’s much more expensive than charging at home. You’ll be waiting around three hours for a 10-100% charge from a home EV charger.

Every E-Class comes brimming with kit, starting with the entry-level Urban Edition trim that’s aimed at company car drivers looking for the lowest P11D costs. It comes with 20in wheels, artificial leather upholstery, keyless entry, rear privacy glass and two-zone climate control.

If you value small luxuries, we’d recommend stepping up to AMG Premium – our favoured trim for the E300e – because you benefit from active ambient lighting, a Burmester 4D sound system and the 12.3in passenger infotainment screen.

Pricier trim levels are more difficult to recommend, with AMG Line Premium Plus adding 20in wheels, ambient lighting that changes colour, heated front armrests and the 12.3in passenger touchscreen.

Exclusive Premium is similar in terms of price and equipment to AMG Line Premium but with less sporty styling. It comes with a different front grille and swaps the artificial engine sound function for acoustic glass. Inside, the wood trim finisher is finished in brown rather than black and active ambient lighting comes as standard.

The Mercedes AMG 53 is available in Premium or Premium Plus Night Edition. Both come with more aggressive styling, but get similar equipment to AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus respectively. 

The E-Class was awarded the full five stars when it was tested in 2024 for safety by Euro NCAP, with high scores for Adult Occupant and Child Occupant protection (92% and 90%). It comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot assist, traffic sign recognition and driver attention monitoring. 

All versions bar entry-level Urban Edition also get a built-in dashcam.

It's too early to tell you how reliable the latest E-Class will be but Mercedes didn't do particularly well in our What Car? Reliability Survey. It came in 22nd place out of 30 car makers, matching Audi, while BMW finished in a much stronger position in sixth place.

"If you like your tech, the MBUX Superscreen package is wonderfully indulgent. It blends the centre and passenger display screen into one neat housing, but I’m not sure how useful the selfie camera will be." Oliver Young, Reviewer

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