Used Mercedes E-Class Estate 2016-2023 review

If someone tells you that estate cars like this, the Mercedes E-Class Estate, have no place in a world increasingly populated by SUVs, then feel free to raise an eyebrow – in full Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson fashion, too.

Unless you demand a high ride height, this 2016-2023 version of the E-Class Estate has a lot going for it, with impressive luxury and practicality – not to mention reasonable costs when used.

Engines and performance: As far as engines go, there are three diesel options: two different versions of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit and a quicker V6 unit. All of these do a good job of punching the E-Class through the air at a good lick, while offering reasonable economy. Petrol engines can be found in the four-wheel drive E43 and E63 super-sporting models, and these are wonderfully responsive but not for the faint-hearted or those without deep pockets. The 2.0-litre petrols need to be worked a bit harder than equivalent diesels.

The E-Class Estate can be had with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power should you want it. You can have a petrol or diesel version, in E300e or E300de guises. Both provide a decent official electric-only range of 31 miles, which is similar to the Audi A6 Avant TFSI e. Performance is strong, too.

Ride and handling: The E-Class rides well, too, even better on its optional air suspension, and its handling is tidy. There is a little shake and shimmy from the standard steel-sprung cars over rougher roads at lower speeds, but it’s not enough to distract from the general comfort of the car.

However, where the E-Class really scores is its high-speed refinement. Having nine gears in its automatic gearbox – most of its rivals have ‘only’ eight – means at 70mph the engine ticks away quietly, while wind noise is well suppressed. Only a bit of rumble from the tyres stops it beating the peace and quiet served up by a BMW 5 Series at cruising speeds.

Interior and practicality: Inside is a spacious interior of rare class, with a distinctive dashboard and plenty of adjustability in the driving position. There’s a neat rotary controller for the infotainment system, too, and most of the materials and plastics look and feel high-quality. That said, build quality isn't as good as you'd expect from a premium car; some buttons and surfaces squeak and flex as you push them. An A6 Avant and BMW 5 Series Touring feel more solid by comparison.

The E-Class Estate wins back some points for boot space, though. With 640 litres of capacity, it has one of the biggest boots of any estate car – beating the 5 Series Touring and A6 Avant. When new, you could even specify two optional pull-up seats in the boot to turn your E-Class into an SUV-busting seven-seater.

In the back seats, there's loads of room for two adults to sit comfortably, with plenty of leg room on offer. This, combined with the big boot, makes it a fantastic family car. It's ideal for those long trips away.

Trims and equipment: The trim levels kick-off with entry-level SE. It comes with enough goodies to make life easy, such as power-folding door mirrors, parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Some agreeable luxuries are thrown in too, including heated seats and leather trim.

AMG Line models have sharper exterior styling, as well as 19in wheels that harm the ride. Oddly, man-made leather replaces the real cowhide you get in the SE.

Check out the Premium package option if you want more toys. It adds keyless entry, electrically operated front seats with lumbar support and memory settings, and a panoramic roof. A pricier Premium Plus package adds a 13-speaker sound system and adaptive LED headlights.

Facelift: In 2020 the E-Class Estate was treated to a substantial facelift. The engine range consists of the E220d, E200, E300e, E300de, E400d, E53 and E63 S.

Tweaks to the exterior styling included a new grille design and new bumpers. While the exterior changes are minor, Mercedes extensively reworked the E-Class’s electronics, allowing the firm to offer a host of new driver assistance systems, ‘energising’ comfort seats and its latest infotainment technology. The revised E-Class comes as standard with two 10.25in screens, for the MBUX infotainment and instrumentation, with 12.3in screens optional.

The revised engine line-up includes seven petrol and diesel plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants across the saloon and estate bodystyles, variously offering rear and four-wheel drive. Outputs for the PHEVs range from 154bhp to 362bhp for the petrol units and 158bhp to 326bhp for the diesels.

Other engine options include the four-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol unit, along with six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, all of which now feature a 48V starter/alternator electric motor. The installation of the EQ Boost system has been tweaked to further improve fuel economy.

If you're interested in finding a used E-Class, or any of the other estate cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

You’ll need to think around £13,000 as a starting point to buy an E-Class Estate of this generation, this for a late 2016 or early 2017 car with up to 100,000 miles on the clock. It's worth noting you can buy examples for less than that, but these have sky-high mileage, with some showing up to 200,000 miles. We wouldn't advise going for those versions.

Spend between £16,000 and £20,000 and you’ll step into a good 2018 or 2019 car with much lower mileage. Look to spend between £20,000 and £23,000 on a 2019 and 2020 model and £23,000 to £35,000 on a post-facelift 2021 and 2022 car. Last of the line 2023 models are pricey, costing upwards of £35,000.

AMG models are the most expensive of all E-Class Estates, with prices starting from £37,000 for both E53 and E63 models. Post-facelift E63s are quite rare, so these costs a lot more at around £70,000.

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MPG

The most economical non-PHEV engines are the diesels, with the entry-level E200d and E220d averaging a claimed 67.3mpg under the older NEDC tests.

Under the later and more realistic WLTP tests, the 2020 E220d records 50.4mpg, the E200 petrol 37.2mpg, the E300de diesel/electric plug-in 217.3mpg, the E400d 40.9mpg, the E53 29.7mpg and the E63 S 22.8mpg,

Road tax

All versions registered after April 2017 will be taxed at the flat rate of £195 per year. Models costing more than £40,000 when new will attract a supplementary charge of £425, which is payable from the car's second year for five years.

Insurance

The E-Class Estate won't be cheap to insure. The entry-level models sit in insurance group 35, while more expensive PHEV models are in group 47. The range-topping AMG models will cost even more – theses are in group 50 (the highest group). By comparison, an A6 Avant is cheaper to insure, but a 5 Series Touring will cost around the same.

Servicing

We were quoted £1176 (or £49 per month) by Mercedes for two services (and MOTs) spread across two years, which includes oil, brake fluid, spark plugs, oil filter and air filter changes. This is more than comparative servicing costs from Audi or BMW.

Warranty

All E-Class Estates come with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty from new, which is the same as BMW's cover. It is, however, better than Audi’s three-year, 60,000-mile warranty.

Safety

The E-Class Estate was awarded a full five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP in 2016, with it doing particularly well in the adult and child protection categories. It's worth noting this score is largely out-of-date, though; the test has been updated several times since then.

Reliability

The Mercedes E-Class (2016-2023) delivered a mixed performance for reliability in our latest What Car? Reliability Survey, based on real-world feedback from owners.

Many reported fault-free experiences, praising the car’s everyday dependability. But others ran into problems, especially with infotainment systems, batteries and electrics – issues more common on hybrid models. Some diesels also suffered from warning light and sensor glitches.

Repair times and dealership service were inconsistent. While some fixes were quick, others dragged on due to parts delays. Bills for outside warranty repairs left several owners disappointed, too.

Discover more about the used Mercedes E-Class reliability on our dedicated reliability page.

Engines

For most buyers the 192bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel in the E220d will be the default choice, and it's our pick of the range, too. Why? Well it’s pretty punchy once you get above 1500rpm, enough that it’ll match a BMW 520d Touring and Volvo V90 in whisking you up to 70mph with relative ease, then settle itself into an effortless cruise. A lower-power 148bhp E200d is also available, but it’s slower with no benefit in emissions or economy, hence why we’d seek out the E220d instead.

If you fancy something silkier in an E-Class you need to move up to the six-cylinder E350d. This is a super-refined engine and pretty quick, too – enough that it’ll breeze you past slower traffic – but the trade-off is it’s quite pricey to buy and run.

Specification

AMG Line is by far the most popular trim, but we wouldn't recommend going for it. Instead, go for SE; it comes with plenty of goodies, such as power-folding door mirrors, parking sensors, a rear-view camera, heated seats and leather leather upholstery. By comparison, AMG Line cars get faux leather instead of real leather, plus the larger alloy wheels harm the ride.

Our favourite Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate: E220d SE

The BMW 5 Series Touring sets the standards for driving pleasure in this class. It’s great to drive, with fine handling and a range of strong and efficient engines. On top of that, it’s comfortable and spacious and offers outstanding refinement.

The Volvo V90 is the firm’s best estate to date. It’s spacious, practical and classy inside, with lots of kit. On the minus side the boot is not as large as some of its rivals, including the E-Class, and it’s not as good to drive as the BMW.

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If you're interested in finding a used E-Class, or any of the other estate cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.