Mercedes C-Class review - Reliability & safety

​​Mercedes has an excellent reputation for safety and the C-Class is bursting at the seams with technology to both mitigate collisions and help protect occupants should an accident occur. Its reputation is backed up by the C-Class gaining the maximum five-star score when it was crash-tested by independent body Euro NCAP.

The C-Class scored 93% and 89% for adult and child protection respectively, which are both excellent results. Its lowest section score was 80%, showing just how seriously Mercedes takes the safety of both its occupants and other road users.

The German brand may have more work to do when it comes to customer satisfaction, however. In our most recent 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, it came in a disappointing 25th place, with buyers not keen on the high running costs and expensive servicing. Even more importantly, many buyers are unimpressed with Mercedes’ quality and reliability, all contributing to a low perception of value for money, ahead only of Land Rover.

Mercedes C-Class reliability

The Mercedes C-Class itself didn’t feature in the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey in 2024, but as a brand reliability is slightly worse than average. 26.3% of owners reported having experienced an issue with their Mercedes in the first year of ownership. If reliability, quality and premium feel are important to you, then you might be better off with a Lexus – that brand comes in an impressive 12th place overall in the survey, with just 17.9% of owners experiencing an issue in the first year.

Safety

Mercedes is one of the biggest technological innovators, including in the areas of safety and assistance. This can be seen in features like a head-up display that projects an image that appears to be the size of a large TV but floating 4.5 metres ahead of the car. This can provide more accurate information and directions while using the sat nav, as well as showing you information so you don’t have to look away from the road.

There are also advances for the latest generation of Mercedes' Driving Assistance Package. This suite of semi-autonomous driving aids can help the driver stay in lane, with a greater ability to centre the car between the white lines and deal with bends.