Mercedes C-Class Electric UK reviews: 452 miles, 489bhp and a £58,000 start

The Mercedes C-Class Electric has been driven on UK roads for the first time, and the verdicts are largely positive. The all-new electric saloon arrives in the UK at the end of 2026 as the twin-motor C 400 4Matic, from £57,995 according to Fleet News, with nearly 500PS and up to 452 miles of WLTP range in UK specification. Fleet News calls it “a highly impressive EV”.

It matters because the C-Class is one of the most important company cars in Britain, and this is Mercedes’ first electric C-Class built from scratch rather than adapted. Its main rival is BMW’s new i3, which claims even more range. Here is what UK reviewers say, and how it compares.

What is the C-Class Electric?

It is a new car on Mercedes’ 800-volt MB.EA electric platform, not a converted petrol C-Class. Top Gear describes it as “a lowered GLC Electric” rather than a stretched CLA. It sits alongside the petrol and plug-in hybrid C-Class, which continues with a different body.

Mercedes C 400 4Matic Electric	Figure
UK price	From £57,995 (Fleet News); about £60,000 (PistonHeads)
Power	489bhp (nearly 500PS)
0-62mph	About 4.0 to 4.1 seconds
Battery	94kWh
WLTP range	Up to 452 miles (UK spec); up to 473 miles quoted in most efficient form
Peak charging	330kW
10% to 80%	About 22 minutes
Length	Nearly 4.9 metres
Boot	470 litres, plus a 101-litre front boot
Weight	About 2,500kg

The rear motor has a two-speed gearbox: the first gear for acceleration and the second for efficient motorway cruising. The front motor can disconnect when not needed, which Mercedes says cuts losses at the front axle by up to 90%. The drag coefficient is a very low 0.22.

What do UK reviewers say about the drive?

Very good, especially if you value comfort and calm. PistonHeads said it “takes all the strengths innate to EVs and makes even greater virtues of them”, calling it “quieter than a silent disco at the morgue”. It praised the optional adaptive suspension as “very good indeed” and said the C-Class “is a very convincing argument for all of the EV benefits with none of the downsides”.

Top Gear scored it 8 out of 10. “Stable, quiet, comfortable and rangey, so it’s a great long-distance machine,” it said, adding that “there’s a fine solidity to the way it goes down the road” and that the steering gets livelier when pushed. It expects the BMW i3 to be “a smidge more engaging to drive”.

The optional air suspension uses cloud data from other Mercedes cars to prepare the dampers for bumps ahead, and the chassis package adds rear-wheel steering of up to 4.5 degrees.

How efficient is it?

Impressively. PistonHeads quotes efficiency of up to 4.4 miles per kWh, better than the smaller CLA despite about 100 more horsepower. Regenerative braking can handle almost all stopping, adjustable with the steering wheel paddles.

On charging, the C-Class takes up to 330kW, adding up to 198 miles in 10 minutes and going from 10% to 80% in about 22 minutes. Few UK chargers deliver that much power yet, but it will still charge quickly on 150kW units. Our Ionity and Tesla Supercharger comparison explains which networks have the fastest chargers.

What are the downsides?

Reviewers raise three:

• Looks. PistonHeads called the front “too busy and too snouty” and the rear “a weird mismatch of hatch and saloon”. Top Gear compared the grille to “a piggy’s snout”.
• Rear foot space. Despite the long wheelbase, Top Gear and PistonHeads both note limited foot room under the front seats, a common EV issue.
• Cabin details. PistonHeads said some parts “didn’t feel expensive enough for a car that starts at £60,000”, and that the driver can see too much of the large passenger screen. Top Gear criticised the need for a subscription to use the full driver assistance systems, even though the hardware is standard.

The boot is a conventional saloon opening rather than a hatchback, though Fleet News notes it is wide and holds 470 litres, plus a 101-litre front boot you open by pressing the Mercedes badge.

Is it good for company car drivers?

Fleet News thinks so, despite the high launch price. It calls the C-Class Electric “perhaps the firm’s most significant electric car yet” and praises rear space, comparable to an E-Class or BMW 5 Series, which beats a petrol C-Class and a BMW i4.

The catch is the launch version. The C 400 4Matic is “not so fleet-friendly” with its high power and price. Mercedes promises cheaper rear-wheel-drive versions with more than 500 miles of range, likely priced close to the plug-in hybrid C-Class at a little over £50,000. Those will be the company car sweet spot. As an EV, it will pay the low electric benefit-in-kind rate, as our company car tax guide explains.

At this price, the C-Class Electric is above the Electric Car Grant’s price cap and will also pay the expensive car supplement on Vehicle Excise Duty.

How does it compare with the BMW i3 and Tesla Model 3?

	Mercedes C 400 4Matic	BMW i3	Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD
Battery	94kWh	109kWh	Not disclosed
Claimed WLTP range	Up to 452 to 473 miles	About 559 miles	466 miles
Peak charging	330kW	400kW	Not stated here

Figures from evo and Fleet News. On paper the BMW goes further and charges faster, though from a bigger and probably heavier battery. The Mercedes leans on comfort and refinement. Our BMW iX3 range report shows how well BMW’s Neue Klasse technology performs in the real world.

How does it compare with the petrol and plug-in hybrid C-Class?

Mercedes is selling the electric C-Class alongside the combustion and plug-in hybrid versions, which will get a facelift to look more like the EV later in 2026. The key differences:

	C-Class Electric (C 400 4Matic)	C-Class plug-in hybrid
Body	New electric-only design, nearly 4.9m long	Existing C-Class body
Starting price	About £57,995 to £60,000	A little over £50,000
Rear space	Comparable to an E-Class	Tighter
Company car tax 2026-27	4%	Higher, based on CO2 and electric range
Electric range	Up to 452 miles	Short electric range, then petrol

Fleet News says the electric C-Class is about 13cm longer than the regular C-Class and closer in size to an E-Class, which shows in its interior space. The future rear-drive electric versions are expected to be priced close to the plug-in hybrid.

What is the technology like?

The C-Class Electric is packed with screens and software. Top-spec versions can have a dashboard-spanning “Hyperscreen” that Top Gear likened to “a seamless 8k IMAX”, and all versions get a high-resolution central screen and driver display. The system connects to both Mercedes’ own AI and Google’s, and can hold fluent voice conversations and act on commands.

Mercedes has reintroduced proper scroll wheels on the steering wheel in place of the haptic buttons it used for several years, which Fleet News welcomed. The C-Class Electric is also certified by the Vegan Society, a first for a saloon, according to Fleet News, though Premier Edition models use Nappa leather.

Its optional air suspension uses cloud-based data from other Mercedes cars to prepare for bumps ahead, and its “one-box” braking system lets regenerative braking handle almost all stopping, even in hard or wet braking.

What about driver assistance?

The C-Class Electric has the sensors and actuators for advanced driver assistance as standard, including Mercedes’ Level 2 MB.Drive Assist Pro, which can help steer through city streets while allowing the driver to adjust steering at any time without switching it off. But Top Gear notes that some features require a subscription to use, which it says should be standard on a car at this price.

In the UK, hands-off systems are only allowed on approved roads, so check what is enabled and legal here before relying on it.

Should you wait for the rear-drive version?

For most buyers, yes. The launch C 400 4Matic is powerful and expensive. Mercedes says rear-wheel-drive versions with more than 500 miles of range will follow, priced closer to the plug-in hybrid. They should be cheaper to buy, cheaper to tax as a company car (because benefit-in-kind is based on list price) and go further on a charge.

If you need a car now, the C 400 is a very capable executive EV. But if you can wait, the rear-drive versions are likely to be the better buy.

Our view

The C-Class Electric looks like the most convincing electric Mercedes saloon yet: quiet, comfortable, roomy in the back and genuinely long-legged. The launch C 400 is a lot of car, and a lot of money. For most UK buyers and company car drivers, the rear-drive versions due later, with more range and a lower price, will be the ones to wait for. If you can live with the styling, it is a serious alternative to the BMW i3.