In-depth reviews

Mercedes C350e hybrid (2017-2018): owner reviews

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

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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

2.2 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

40%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

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

Review 1 of 5

Tell us what you think about your car?

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.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Very interesting reading other reviews, agree with many issues. Have 2 C350e (Sport Estate versions) since new from same batch - but 1 had more problems than the other! Many things are about how you use the car. Found electric-only range best on Eco + E-drive, drive smoothly including braking, lift off regularly. Always plug-in and have a proper charging point - the 13A plug thing is useless and unreliable (had both replaced, one car twice). Can use in sport on M4, switch to electric-only on elevated section into London, go all way to Westminster, charge there, all way back out again on electric-only, switch back to sport. All that London driving in electric is much nicer than using the engine. Computer average to date is 49mpg on mine, 45mpg on the other. Mine is driven much harder but always on electric in town. For rapid driving get to know how to use the gear change paddles and predict (as yes, changes have a lag). Manually changing-up early forces the motor to join-in and add torque - acceleration becomes impressive. Outer-edge front tyre wear was ridiculous, eventually eliminated by changing from the Continental tyres to Pirellis. Cars also shredding rear tyres on hard use - again solved by changing to Pirellis. Also lost the air suspension - car bottoming out with 'stop' warning cross-country with whole family in car returning from Gatwick on holiday.. Nursed it home. Took to Merc' Reading to sort. Found corroded earth connection (how?) no cost as safety issue, no problems since. Tailgate also wouldn't open all the way - but workshop adjusted and been fine since. One issue is that, after slowing down from speed to say a roundabout, it can pause when you want to take off... maybe fixed in a recent recall / software update as doesn't do it anymore. Positive things - fantastic sound system, very quiet & comfortable, high quality interior, paintwork is incredibly tough / hard to mark or scratch and easy to clean, effortless long distance driving, effortless in-town driving in electric-only, restrained but very nice appearance (not in your face).

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

Electric only mode driving in City

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

Gear change response

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

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.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

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.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up