In-depth Reviews

Mercedes C350e hybrid (2017-2018): owner reviews

Name: Mercedes C-Class hybrid
Brand: Mercedes

“The Mercedes C350e plug-in hybrid has all the excellent qualities of the C-Class, with big savings for company-car drivers”

by Carbuyer team

2 Aug 2017

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The Mercedes C350e is a plug-in hybrid version of the hugely popular executive car

Carbuyer Rating

4.2 out of 5

Owners Rating

1.8 out of 5

Buy used for less at Buyacar

25%of people would recommend this car to a friend.

Owner Rating

2reviews
1reviews
1reviews

Common Problems

Other (1 cases)
Electrics, Engine, Gearbox / clutch, Suspension (1 cases)
Electrics (1 cases)

Version

350e estate

Year of registration

Average annual mileage

15,000 – 19,999

Owned

2 - 3 years

Bought Car

Used

Typical MPG

Review

Very disappointing - do not waste your money if you want a hybrid with a decent electric range. For 12 months a full electric charge indicated a 100% charge would give 20 electric miles (so in reality mixed driving would give 12 miles on electric). After 12 months, this suddenly reduced to only indicating a range of 9 miles on a full charge (so we only get 4 or 5 miles on electric in reality). Three dealerships and Mercedes' head office all say nothing is wrong and this usage is typical.

Version

Phev

Year of registration

2016

Average annual mileage

5,000 – 9,999

Owned

2 - 3 years

Bought Car

Used

Typical MPG

Review

The electric range is a joke. Plan around it being 6 miles. Mine was better when repaired, after warning lights for the hybrid system took months to resolve. Mercedes claimed the on board diagnostics didn't record a fault ( even though I got a red dashboard light and acoustic warning). It needed a new motive battery, loom and control module. The air suspension failed. The car was right on the floor with virtually no steering lock left, and it gave me no warning other than a message telling me to stop. This happened to me at 60 on a bumpy B'' road, entering a tightish bend. Also, don't break the headlight. It disables the car totally and costs £780 to mend. My electric tailgate won't open all the way either. The transmission is awful. It's jerky with a slow response. Sport mode is okay, sport+ is nonsense – it's not really any quicker but the engine makes much more noise. Manual mode reverts to auto when it decides to, includinh when mid-corner. Front tyre wear is incredibly biased to the outside edge of the tyre. I keep taking it back for the tracking to be checked but am told it is all in spec. it has scrubbed out the very edge of a pair of front tyres in 5k miles. This review is not exaggerated, these are my opinions and everything I have written is factually correct and I stand by it.

I would recommend this car to a friend

Version

5dr

Year of registration

2016

Average annual mileage

5,000 – 9,999

Owned

2 - 3 years

Bought Car

Used

Typical MPG

Review

It is very comfortable to drive, and great for London as there is no congestion charge, no road tax, and parking in Westminster is almost free. But there is a serious problem with my car which is that the electrics have been going wrong on average 4 times a year since I bought it. It suddenly stops charging for no apparent reason. Mercedes can't seem to fix it properly they do a semi-fix and it goes wrong again. I have tried everything to persuade them but they absolutely refuse to take responsibility. I suspect that it is unfixable and they know that. If you are lucky enough to buy one which works then I think you can get about 45mpg on the motorway on a 2 hour drive, if you start with a full charge. In London you can do one trip from say Kensington to the West End and back just on the electric charge.