The new Mercedes C-Class Electric brings the fight to the BMW i3, and I’ve seen it
Car changing is a big deal
The electric version of Mercedes’ popular saloon car offers a 473-mile range and a super high-tech cabin. Deputy reviews editor Tom Wiltshire has seen the car in person, and here’s everything you need to know about it.
Hot on the heels of the recently revealed BMW i3, this is the car that’s going to be its closest alternative – the Mercedes C-Class Electric. I’ve had a poke around one, and can report that there’s a lot to be excited about.
The new C-Class shares nothing with its combustion-engined sibling of the same name. It’s a ground-up electric model sharing more with the GLC Electric, including its slightly challenging styling.
The new grille is shared with the GLC and is certainly bold, with a more traditional upright silhouette than we’ve seen on previous Mercedes EVs. It’s also illuminated, as is typical of posh EVs these days, with 1,050 individual points of light as well as an illuminated badge and a strip around the rim.
Merc’s three-pointed star motif can be seen in the daytime running lights as well as at the rear, where four circular taillights sit inside a full-width black strip. The sides are pretty featureless, with pop-out door handles and alloy wheels in 18-, 19- or 20-inch sizes. Despite the blocky front end, it’s still very aerodynamically efficient, which should pay dividends for range.
However, at launch it’s not quite as impressive as it might be. The twin-motor model is certainly powerful with more than 480hp and a 0-62mph sprint of 4.0 seconds – that’s 0.9s faster than the BMW i3. But it doesn’t hit the magic 500-mile range figure that the BMW can manage, topping out at 473 miles to a charge. The i3 will do 560 miles according to official tests. Despite a slightly larger battery in the BMW, that equates to greater efficiency.
A rear-drive C-Class will follow, but even that only has an expected range of 497 miles.
Still, if the new GLC is anything to go by, then those miles will go by in serious comfort. The new C-Class Electric even has optional air suspension, while other high-tech features include rear-wheel steering and the ability to charge at up to 330kW – though that’s again slower than the i3 with its 400kW capability.
As conventional as the C-Class’ exterior is, the interior is anything but. It’s similar to the GLC’s, which means top models feature the utterly mental ‘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 I was sitting in, 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. I could sit behind myself 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, so that’s one point away from 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.
The new C-Class Electric will hit the roads later in 2026, and we’ll be among the first to drive it. As far as pricing goes, I’d expect it to be a couple of thousand pounds pricier than the equivalent BMW i3 – but slightly better-equipped as standard. That’s the same relationship the GLC Electric has with the BMW iX3.
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