Mercedes E Class Estate review

The E Class is popular with company car drivers, so CO2 emissions are just as important as price. The popular E220d isn’t quite as efficient as the BMW 520d Touring, but it does trump the Audi A6 Avant. Naturally, emissions increase, and economy decreases, if you opt for a bigger six-cylinder engine. The E220d’s economy is better than the claimed figures for the A6 but not as good as the 5 Series.

Company car choosers would be better off with the the plug-in hybrid E300de, which sits in the same company car tax bracket as the BMW 530e which means much lower monthly BIK payments than are levied against the regular petrol and diesel models. If you’re looking to buy outright, the E Class is cheaper than the 5 Series Touring and A6 Avant.

The range kicks off with Sport trim, which really has all the equipment you need including dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, an electric tailgate and cruise control. AMG Line adds a sportier bodykit, a faux leather wrapping to parts of the interior, larger alloy wheels and three-zone climate control.

AMG Line Premium and Premium Plus add some useful extra equipment, but the price does swell rapidly. Frustratingly you can’t cherry pick the bits you want to add to a lower trim level. For more detail on what each trim gets, have a look at our versions and specs page.

Euro NCAP awarded the E Class a five-star safety rating with adult protection in the event of a crash right up there with the Volvo S90 at the top of the pack, beating the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. The E Class is also particularly good for child protection, too. All versions come with active safety equipment including automatic emergency braking, which alerts you to potential frontal collisions with cars of pedestrians and applies the brakes if necessary. More advanced driver aids, such as lane-keeping assistance and blind spot monitoring are available in an optional Driving Assistance package. Seven airbags and an active bonnet to help protect pedestrians also come as standard.

Thatcham Research has given the E Class five stars for fending off car thieves and four stars for resistance to break-ins. An alarm and an immobiliser come as standard.

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