Used Mercedes C-Class Estate 2021-present review

As medium-sized estate cars go, few will cause your passengers to let out an "ooh la la" like the latest Mercedes C-Class Estate. The interior appears about as flashy as a luxury apartment.

Not to say its predecessors weren't posh, mind you, because they certainly were. As such, if you can't make the financial step up to this one, even via the used car market, then the 2014-2021 Mercedes C-Class Estate and 2007-2011 Mercedes C-Class Estate are worth looking at.

Engines and performance: The estate features the same engine range as the Mercedes C-Class saloon, which is to say all the engines feature electrical assistance for extra shove at low speeds.

Things kick off with the 201bhp C200 petrol. It needs to be worked quite hard to achieve the 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds, so, for a bit more low-end urgency, consider the C220d diesel. Its 194bhp is slightly down on the C200, but, because of its extra pull at low revs, it manages to get from 0-62mph in a similar time of 7.4 seconds.

The C300 petrol and C300d diesel, with 274bhp and 261bhp respectively, are noticeably punchier and will get from 0-60mph in around six seconds. Then there's the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) C300e and C300de. In these versions, the electric motor is more than capable of keeping up with traffic to motorway speeds, and they can travel around twice as far on electric power than the rival BMW 3 Series Touring 330e.

When you need a sudden burst of speed in either PHEV, the switch between electric and conventional power is seamless and acceleration is swift, even if the extra weight hinders them from beating the C300 to 60mph (just enough).

The C43 and C63 performance cars are incredibly quick. However, we can't help but lust after their more characterful predecessors, which had V6 and V8 petrol engines. The current models are four-cylinder units, with the C63 being a PHEV.

Ride and handling: Most C-Class Estates come with adaptive sports suspension, with the C300e PHEV getting special comfort suspension: it adds air suspension to the rear wheels to counter the heavy battery.

When the adaptive suspension is in Comfort mode, it deals with the worst effects of bumps and potholes better than the 3 Series Touring, although there's a slightly floaty sensation over undulating roads. To avoid that, there's Sport mode, which significantly tightens up the body control without losing its ability to round off harsher humps and holes.

As with many PHEVs, there was every chance that the C300e’s heavy battery could have upset the ride. Thankfully, though, instead of stiffening everything up, the rear air suspension means that you don’t feel the extra weight and the C300e remains comfortable – if anything, it rides better, removing the float that you can experience in the normal versions.

The C-Class Estate's handling treads a fine line between the Audi A4 Avant and the 3 Series Touring. The steering is accurate and easier to gauge than the A4's overly light system but doesn’t give you as much confidence as a 3 Series does.

Interior and practicality: While the interior looks lavish, in reality, it doesn't feel as premium as you might expect. You get some plush materials on the dashboard and in most of the places you’ll touch often, sure, but there are some cheap-feeling plastics in some surprising places – around the fancy-looking air vents, for example.

The quality of the materials in the A4 Avant is far better, while the 3 Series Touring and, to a certain degree, the Skoda Superb Estate provide a plusher environment.

It’s unlikely that three people will be able to travel in comfort in the back because of the large central tunnel they’ll need to straddle. For more space, you’ll need to go for a bigger Superb Estate or perhaps even choose a large SUV instead, such as the Peugeot 5008 with its three individual rear seats.

Head room should be fine for those below six feet tall, but for anyone taller, things might not be so rosy, especially if the panoramic sunroof is present.

Every C-Class Estate comes with an electric tailgate and motorised luggage cover. The capacity with the seats up is a match for that of the A4 Avant but is just shy of the 3 Series Touring. All models, except the C300e, have underfloor storage (and a handy foldable plastic tote box), and there’s only a small lip to lug items over.

Trims and equipment: No matter which trim you go for, you can expect to get plenty of kit, with even the entry-level AMG Line trim getting sporty exterior and interior styling, 18in alloy wheels, keyless start, dual-zone climate control and the touchscreen infotainment system.

Stepping up to mid-spec AMG Line Premium adds an electrically adjustable steering wheel, keyless entry, augmented reality navigation, upgraded LED headlights and 360-degree camera.

Range-topping AMG Line Premium Plus will be the one to go for if you want all the bells and whistles – it’s also currently your only choice if you want the C300e. It gets all the kit you could ever need, though, including three-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic sunroof, the excellent Burmester sound system, a head-up display and 19in alloy wheels.

Interested in buying a used Mercedes C-Class Estate? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

You can buy a used Mercedes C-Class Estate for around £22,000. For the money, expect a 2021/'22 C200 with around 70,000 miles on it. Budget for a few grand more, perhaps around £24,000, to get a lower mileage example. Used C220d diesels and C300e versions cost a bit more, with prices starting from £25,000.

The C300 rises to £27,000, while the C300d goes to £30,000. If you'd like a C300e – or even a C300de – with low mileage, have around £30,000 to spend.

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MPG

Fuel economy – particularly for the C220d, at just over 60mpg – is ahead of the A4 Avant and 3 Series Touring. Similarly, 42mpg for the C200 petrol compares well with estate car rivals.

The C300e officially averages a whopping 471mpg, but you'll need to keep the battery topped up and drive a lot on electric power alone to achieve anything like that figure.

Road tax

You'll pay £195 per year in road tax for all versions of the C-Class Estate, whether they're petrol, diesel or PHEV. All C-Class Estates cost more than £40,000 when new, so you'll also have to pay £425 per year (for year's two to five of the car's life).

Insurance and servicing

Insurance groups generally waver around the high 30s (out of 50), meaning insurance will be costlier than most mainstream estate cars but about average for one of a premium nature.

For two services of the C-Class Estate, Mercedes will sell you a fixed price package at £1080 or £45 per month for two years.

Warranty

From new, every C-Class Estate comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty with three years of breakdown cover. That's similar to BMW's offering and slightly better than the three-year Audi offering, which is limited to 60,000 miles in the final year.

Safety

When it was tested by Euro NCAP for safety in 2022, the C-Class Estate was awarded five stars out five, and scored highly for adult and child occupant protection. The 3 Series Touring was tested using different procedures and the A4 Avant rating has expired.

Reliability

The Mercedes C-Class hasn’t yet featured in our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, but its predecessor didn’t impress, placing 14th out of 20 executive cars with a score of 86.1%. That puts it behind key rivals like the BMW 3 Series, Jaguar XE and Volvo S60.

Adding to the concerns is a long list of recalls for a car of its age. Mercedes as a brand also fell short in the manufacturer rankings, placing 22nd out of 31 brands with a score of 89.7% – below Audi, BMW and Lexus.

Engine

If you have the budget for the PHEV C300, then go for it – it's one of the best plug-in hybrids out there. However, it demands quite the leap in price over lesser models and we aren't convinced it's wholly worth it, especially if you're on the fence about it. We'd go for the C220d and enjoy the money saved.

Specification

A few examples sport the AMG Line Premium trim and are reasonably priced next to regular AMG Line, so we'd also aim for the former.

Our favourite Mercedes C-Class Estate: C220d AMG Line Premium

The latest BMW 3 Series Touring arrived a few years earlier than this C-Class Estate did, so it's no surprise it's cheaper to buy used. What might be surprising is that its interior is better built and more luxurious. The 3 Series Touring is also more fun to drive.

The Audi A4 Avant has a similar mission statement in providing a classy estate car experience. It's also very comfortable and refined over a long journeys – more so than the already-competent Touring, actually.

Only the 3 Series Touring is available as a plug-in hybrid. It's great, although, as we said, you won't see the kind of electric range that the C300e has. Officially, the 330e can travel 34-37 miles before running out of juice.

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Interested in buying a used Mercedes C-Class Estate? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.