Used Mercedes C-Class 2021-present reliability
Category: Executive car
The Mercedes C-Class is a comfortable executive car with an excellent plug-in hybrid version. Used prices are high, though, and reliability is poor.
What should I look for in a used Mercedes C-Class saloon?
A prestige brand image isn’t always an indicator of superior quality, as the data for the 2021-present Mercedes C-Class shows. According to the What Car? Reliability Survey, 43% of cars were reported to have a glitch, which is more than the 23% of the previous 2014-2021 generation.
The list of faults reported have been numerous, so you'll need to check everything. Try all the electrical items work while you poke around the interior, try the sat nav and make sure the air-con blows cold air and that there are no weird smells. During your test drive, listen out for any interior rattles; pay attention to the gearbox and that it operates smoothly and that there are no nasty knocks and bangs from the suspension over bumps.
Check also that the car doesn't pull heavily to one side as you're driving down the road, and that it also doesn't deviate under braking. The engine should have a smooth power delivery and not have any flat-spots or surges of acceleration. On automatic versions, make sure the kick-down function works under full acceleration – when it is safe to do so.
What are the most common problems with a used Mercedes C-Class saloon?
There have been 38 recalls so far for the C-Class, which is a lot for a car of this age. Some only involve a handful of cars, but others are in the hundreds and a few are in the thousands. For instance, 9925 examples from 2022 and 2023 are involved in a recall that says the fuel pump impeller – which is responsible for pulling the fuel through to the engine – is at risk of deforming. Contact your local Mercedes dealer if you believe your C-Class is affected. You won't have to pay for anything involving the recall.
Click here for more information. Contact your local Mercedes dealer if you believe your vehicle is involved in a recall.
Is a used Mercedes C-Class saloon reliable?
The 2021-present C-Class is not a reliable car, according to the What Car? Reliability Survey. It finished in last place out of 23 cars in the executive car class, with a disappointing score of 76.3%. That's below all of its rivals, including the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Jaguar XE. The long list of recalls is concerning for a car of this age, too.
According to C-Class owners, failures occurred across a range of areas, including the air-con, engine, fuel system, gearbox and non-engine electrics. Thirty-nine percent of faults were serious enough to stop cars from being used, too. While 19% of cars were put right in a day or less, 38% were in the workshop for more than a week. At least owners were spared the expense of unexpected bills; all repairs were fixed for free.
As a brand, Mercedes didn't do much better. It finished in joint 22nd place with Audi out of 30 manufacturers in the same survey, below BMW, Lexus and Tesla, with an overall score of 90.6%. It did, however, do better than Jaguar and Volkswagen.
If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.
