Mercedes-Benz C-Class Electric Review & Prices

One of the longest ongoing battles in the car world, between the Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 3 Series, is set to continue into the electric era. Not long after BMW announced its new i3 electric saloon, here’s Mercedes’ offering - the new C-Class Electric.

But as well as the i3, the new C-Class Electric will have to go against cars like the Polestar 2, BYD Seal and the undisputed king of the class, the Tesla Model 3. Mercedes is hoping its heritage as a pioneer - after all, it did literally invent the car - will convince you to choose the C-Class Electric over one of the newer upstarts.

You certainly can’t mistake the new C-Class Electric for anything but a Mercedes, thanks to that vast illuminated grille at the front. New electric cars often minimise their grilles - just look at the Model 3 or the BYD Seal - but Mercedes has made a real feature of it, harking back to the big, upright, chrome grilles on Mercedes models through the 20th century.

As conventional as the C-Class’ exterior is, the interior is anything but. It’s similar to the GLC Electric’s, which means top models feature the crazy big ‘Hyperscreen’. At 39.1 inches across, this stretches the full width of the dashboard and includes a driver display, central infotainment and passenger display all in one seamless unit.

On poking around, this works exactly as it does in the GLC – which is to say it’s visually very impressive but not too daunting to operate because everything pretty much stays within one zone. Build quality is also an improvement on the combustion C-Class, with fewer creaks and cheap-feeling plastics.

Passengers get twin wireless phone charging pads and, in the AMG Line model we sampled, lots of carbon fibre trim. There are also some features you might not be so happy to see, like a camera above the central screen that’s used for the car’s built-in Microsoft Teams app. No excuse to miss a meeting ever again.

Practicality is decent too. Our 6’2 tester could sit behind himself quite comfortably, with good leg- and head-room. The boot is 470 litres in capacity, with a nice wide opening, though an estate model hasn’t been confirmed for those who want to carry larger items. BMW has already said it’ll build a Touring variant of the i3; over to you, Mercedes.

The C-Class Electric does, however, have a hugely useful 101-litre front boot. And unlike every alternative, where you have to root about in the footwell for a lever, you can access the C-Class’ frunk by simply pressing the Mercedes badge and lifting the lid.

There’s just one version of the C-Class Electric available at launch, the C 400 4Matic. It has twin motors with a total of 480hp, good for a 0-62mph sprint in 4.0s - that’s 0.9s faster than the single-motor BMW i3. You can get the C-Class Electric with optional air suspension and four-wheel steering, for better comfort on the motorway and better manoeuvrability in town respectively.

The 94kWh battery gives an official range figure of 473 miles, which is good, but the new i3 is said to hit 560 miles. Despite a slightly larger battery in the BMW, that equates to greater efficiency. A single-motor C-Class is due shortly after launch but even this tops out at just 497 miles, so the i3 will probably be better for serious mile-munchers.

You can charge at up to 330kW, which is again slower than the i3 - but should still provide a meaningful top-up in just a few minutes.

We’ve not yet driven the new C-Class Electric, but it’s very closely related under the skin to the latest GLC Electric. That car is quite nice to drive - extremely comfortable and quiet, though it feels heavy in the corners so it’s not quite as dynamic as its BMW equivalent. You can expect the same from the C-Class.

If you're interested in this posh new EV, check out our latest Mercedes C-Class Electric deals here. Check out how much you could save leasing a Mercedes C-Class Electric, or check out used Mercedes models for sale from our network of trusted dealers. Remember Carwow can help you sell your old car, too.

The base ‘Sport’ model kicks off at £57,995, which is more expensive than the new BMW i3 is expected to be - just like the GLC is a few thousand pounds more expensive than a BMW iX3. For your money, you get 19-inch wheels, full LED lighting, a panoramic glass roof and artificial leather upholstery.

You miss out on the full-width infotainment display, though, and in these base models the passenger side is called a ‘digital trim panel’ - it’s not interactive at all, which is very weird.

AMG Line models upgrade the exterior styling, add the illuminated grille and interior ambient lighting, and make the passenger display interactive. Meanwhile, AMG Line Premium gains the full-sized Hyperscreen, plus a Burmester sound system and matrix LED lights.

AMG Line Premium Plus has 20-inch wheels, posher seats with heating, cooling and massage functions, an even posher stereo and an illuminated pattern in the glass roof. Meanwhile the Premier Edition gets a black styling package for the exterior trim, interior upholstery and even the vehicle key.