Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon Review & Prices

The Mercedes C-Class is the poshest of the small saloon cars on sale, and it’s one of the most stylish, too. You get a tech-heavy cabin and it’s very comfortable, but alternatives feel sportier and more fun to drive.

It’s a bit like a foamy cappuccino, sprinkled in chocolate and cinnamon. It’s less hard-edged than the sporty, double-shot espresso BMW 3 Series, while being a bit more luxurious than the straightforward, Nespresso Audi A5.

Mercedes is churning out some good-looking cars at the minute, and though it’s a bit less Russian nesting-doll than its previous generation models, there’s no denying the hints of S-Class and E-Class in the little C-Class’ design. It looks very handsome, with a broad grille, crisp lines and curvaceous rear end.

The interior also looks posher than you might expect at this price point, again sharing a design with larger, more expensive Mercedes models. The portrait-oriented 11.9-inch infotainment touchscreen floats over the rakish dashboard, joining up to the centre console in one eye-catching swoop.

Group Test: Audi A4 v BMW 3 Series v DS9 v Genesis G70 v Mercedes C-Class

That infotainment system looks swish, but it’s a bit annoying to navigate - whether you’re using the screen itself or the touch-sensitive control pad on the steering wheel, as there are a few too many menus to sort through to get to your desired setting.

You get a 12.9-inch driver’s display behind the steering wheel, and while there are some scratchy plastics within reach on the lower dashboard, door cards and centre console, the higher-up materials all feel solid and plush. There’s plenty of storage space up front, with two cubbies, cup holders and a wireless phone charger all hidden in the centre console.

You’ve got loads of adjustability in the steering wheel and comfortable seats, plus a good amount of headroom and legroom in the back; enough space for four adults to handle a long journey with ease.

Boot space in the C-Class is a middling 455 litres, bigger than the Audi A5 but smaller than the BMW 3 Series. The Skoda Superb has a much larger boot than all of them, though. If you opt for the hybrid model the boot capacity drops significantly to 315 litres. Boo.

The C-Class is supremely comfortable around town, deflecting blows from potholes and speedbumps as it it’s wearing a suit of armour. The sharpest ruts in the road do thud through the cabin, but otherwise it’s a very soothing driving experience - aside from the PHEV’s engine which can sound a little harsh when you put your foot down.

It’s even more comfortable on the motorway, where the C-Class wafts along serenely, with only very rough sections of road, cats eyes or the gruff engine disrupting the peace when accelerating hard. While it’ll hang on well on a twisty road, the small Mercedes is better at gliding along a country lane rather than attacking corners, where it’s not as fun as a BMW 3 Series.

Check out the latest Mercedes C-Class deals on Carwow, or C-Class lease deals instead. You can search for a used Mercedes C-Class for sale, or other used Mercedes models through our network of trusted dealers. Carwow can even help you sell your car when the time comes to switch.

The Mercedes C-Class starts at just over £46,000, making it around £5,000 more than the BMW 3 Series and £3,000 more than the Audi A5. It may be posher and a bit more luxurious than either alternative, but it’s no better equipped than the others which makes the price difference a little hard to justify.

All C-Class models come in AMG Line trim, meaning they all have a sporty body kit and wheels as standard as well as the large, portrait oriented touchscreen, LED lights, heated seats and a rear-view camera as standard.

You’ll want the AMG Line Premium Plus trim for more bells and whistles as standard, such as 360-degree parking cameras, a panoramic sunroof and sports seats.

The Mercedes C-Class gets close to being as comfortable as the luxury S-Class, although others are more fun on a twisting B-road

In town

Driving the Mercedes C-Class feels like you're behind the wheel of an S-Class with stunted growth – it’s smaller, but the shared DNA is undeniable.

The C-Class floats over lumps and bumps in town like a full-sized luxury saloon. To back up the comfy suspension, you get light steering in Comfort mode and a nine-speed gearbox that changes gear so smoothly, you’ll wonder if its cogs have been dipped in butter. In fact, the serenity of the cabin is only disturbed by the car’s ventilation system, which is noisy even in its lowest fan setting.

Want even more relaxation? Then the C-Class can deliver. Its automated driving aids work in the city – as well as motorways and A-roads – allowing it to do the accelerating, braking and steering for you, for large swathes of the journey. Although, you do have to keep your hands on the steering wheel for it to work.

Despise parking? Then you’ll love the C-Class. All models come with parking sensors all round and a reversing camera, and if that’s not enough, you also get auto-park fitted as standard.

To keep the S-Class-only-smaller theme alive, though, you’ll want to go for an AMG Line Premium or AMG Line Premium Plus version of the C-Class, which come fitted with Merc’s 360-degree camera. Not only does it give you a stunning bird’s-eye view of your surroundings, it also augments a 3D image of the car onto the display. It’s mind-bogglingly clever, but also very useful.

On the motorway

The Mercedes C-Class gets the basics of long-distance driving just right.

For starters, you get seats that are brilliantly comfortable even after hours of driving. Then there’s the cabin, which is such a nice place to sit, it can single-handedly take the edge off being behind the wheel for long periods.

But it’s the way the C-Class drives that makes it so ideal for motorway work. Its controls are light and easy to use, its suspension is very comfortable and the relaxed steering makes it easy to keep the car dead centre of its lane.

Want to bolster the C-Class’ cruising ability with a trip to the options list? Get yourself the Driving Assistance Package Plus. Like all active cruise control, it can accelerate, brake and steer the C-Class on the motorway, but it also works in queues and stop-start traffic, can steer around accidents and adhere to speed limits – it’s one of the best systems fitted to a car like this.

On a twisty road

The Mercedes C-Class’ vague steering and soft suspension mean it doesn’t feel as sporty in corners as a BMW 3 Series, but then it’s designed to be more relaxing. Having said that, it has no shortage of grip and body lean is kept in check when going around corners..

Even in Sport Plus mode – the hottest of the car’s drive select settings – the C-Class’ suspension remains surprisingly comfortable when fitted with the optional adjustable suspension.

Premium levels of comfort are exhibited, although boot space isn’t the best, and takes a big hit with the hybrid model

Practicality

Sitting in the Mercedes C-Class is like sitting in your reconditioned Herman Miller Aeron office chair – it feels modern and fresh yet strangely familiar to the old model.

Getting a comfortable driving position in the C-Class is beyond easy because, well, the seats are so darn comfortable and all models offer full electric steering wheel and seat adjustment – including lumbar adjustment and extendable thigh support. The front seats are also heated.

There’s no shortage of smaller storage areas either. You get two cup holders hidden under a cover in the centre console and they grip your drink to stop spillages. There’s more storage below the centre armrest. You also get a phone-sized tray (big enough for big phones) that totes two USB-C plugs and a wireless charging pad.

The door bins are large and so is the glovebox, so long as you avoid the optional (sickly sweet) perfume dispenser that eats into the room. Meanwhile, in the back you’ll find cup holders and a place to put your phone hidden in the centre armrest.

Space in the back seats

Rear seat passengers won’t feel forgotten in your C-Class.

It has the same cool design in the back as you get in the front with shiny black plastic highlights and chrome details. You even get separate heater controls. The scratchy plastics lower on the doors and on the backs of the front seats, aren’t so great, mind.

In terms of space, knee room is generous – you get more than you did in the old model – although headroom is only okay for people more than six foot tall; avoid the panoramic glass roof if that's an issue.

Overall, the rear of the C-Class is roomier and more comfortable than a BMW 3 Series or a Tesla Model 3 for carrying two people, but three will be happier in the Tesla Model 3 thanks to its flat footwell.

Boot space

The Mercedes C-Class has a 455-litre boot, although that drops all the way to 315 litres in hybrid models that have their batteries hidden under the boot floor.

A BMW 3 Series by comparison has a 480-litre boot, while a Tesla Model 3 has 425 litres, which sounds worse but the Tesla is actually the best of the three thanks to having lots of extra storage under its boot floor and bonnet. The Audi A5 has a smaller boot at 445 litres, so not by much.

Mind you, the C-Class’ boot has more features, including shopping hooks and luggage ties, and you can drop its back seats by pressing a couple of buttons at the front of the boot.

The C-Class has a stylish interior packed with technology, but some of the materials aren't up to scratch

The Mercedes C-Class is super stylish on the inside thanks to having many of the features you’ll find on the S-Class – including its portrait-style infotainment display that makes the screen on rivals look tiny. Along with the sexy screenage, you get a textured dashboard top, expensive feeling leather upholstery and cool air vents with back lighting that changes depending on the temperature of the heating.

All in all, the Mercedes is a much more inspiring place to sit than the dour cabin of the BMW 3 Series. In terms of interior quality however, the BMW wins – for all the Mercedes looks nice, you’ll find no shortage of scratchy plastics at knee level and the jiggly dashboard buttons don’t exactly inspire confidence.

Thankfully, the infotainment brings things back on track. The Merc’s digital dashboard is very pretty and has several different views, while the centre screen is huge, has intricate graphics and is bursting with colours – it looks great.

Okay, so there are some things to find fault with like the ventilation system buttons which are hard to press when you’re driving, and the less-than-accurate in-built voice activation system.

On the other hand, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are fitted as standard so you can just plug your phone in and use its more reliable voice recognition. 

You can have your C-Class with a choice of two petrol engines, two diesels and a plug-in hybrid petrol, all of which are hooked up to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Most versions will be subject to the £355 premium car tax which you need to pay for the first five years of a car’s life if it costs more than £40,000.

The C200 petrol is the entry level model but also the best all-round option. Its 1.5-litre capacity produces 204hp, which is enough to get the Mercedes from 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds and onto a top speed of 153mph. It barely breaks sweat on the motorway. And you won’t be sweating much over running costs because it’ll return around 40mpg and road tax is £230 in year one.

Fancy more power? Then the 258hp 2.0-litre C300 drops 0-62mph to just six seconds and gets about the same fuel economy as the basic petrol, however higher CO2 emissions mean it costs £585 to tax.

Plan to use your C-Class predominantly on the motorway? Then the diesel models still make a strong case for themselves – they consist of the C220d and C300d.

The C220d has few chinks in its armour. Its 2.0-litre engine produces 200hp and gets the Mercedes from 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds, while having noticeably more punch than the petrol models when you’re accelerating on the motorway. Fuel economy is excellent with more than 60mpg possible, while road tax costs £190.

The C300d is marginally more expensive to run but with 265hp on tap, also quicker – it does 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds.

Finally, there’s the C300e plug-in hybrid. It makes sense if you have a short commute because you can make full use of its 60-mile electric range, while you still have a 2.0-litre petrol engine to fall back on for longer journeys.

The system produces 313hp in total to get you from 0-6mph in 6.1 seconds, fuel economy is excellent so long as the battery is charged and it costs nothing to tax in the first year.

The Mercedes C-Class scored five stars when it was crash tested by Euro NCAP under 2022’s tough test conditions. As well as having features like automatic emergency brakes and lane assist, the Mercedes also has a rare centre airbag that stops you and your passenger clashing heads in an accident. On top of that, you get side airbags that are designed to push you out of the way of a side impact. All C-Class models come as standard with Thatcham Category 1 alarm.

Mercedes came second in the 2025 Driver Power survey for owner satisfaction, which should fill you with confidence if you opt for a C-Class saloon. We haven’t heard any horror stories about it yet, but if something does go wrong it’s worth bearing in mind that Mercedes mechanical repairs are more expensive than for non-premium brands.

You get a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty for some peace of mind, on par with BMW and offering more miles than Audi’s warranty. You can pay to extend the Mercedes warranty up to 120,000 miles and nine years from your C-Class’ date of manufacture, too.