Mercedes E-Class Estate - Reliability & safety

With the needs of business users and families of equal importance, Mercedes isn’t cutting any corners with regards to the safety of the latest E-Class. The latest model is too new to have yet proven itself for reliability, but we would be very disappointed if it were anything other than excellent.

Mercedes E-Class Estate reliability

Mercedes has a strong reputation for quality – something the German marque works hard to maintain. The latest E-Class wasn’t included in our annual Driver Power owner satisfaction survey but the brand dropped down to 28th out of 30 manufacturers. High running costs, slightly noisy engines and the usability of the infotainment system all came in for some criticism, but the performance and interior were often praised.

Our 2016 survey saw the previous model come home in an impressive 44th place out of 150 cars examined, not at all bad for a car on the market for seven years. Its best result was a 16th place for in build quality, while 25th and 27th place for ride quality and ease of driving respectively are commendable, too.

The previous E-Class doesn’t impress owners with its running costs though, nor with its handling – both issues that the latest model has made big advancements on.

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Safety

The latest Mercedes E-Class has received the full five-star safety rating from independent experts Euro NCAP following rigorous crash testing. Among the car’s results is a very impressive 95% rating for adult occupant crash protection.

The E-Class is loaded with safety technology as standard, and there are many more features that are optionally available. All models are fitted with nine airbags and an autonomous braking system that slows and stops the car if it detects an obstacle in its path.

Advanced safety systems include the optional Driving Assistance Plus pack. It costs £1,700 and includes Drive Pilot, a system that gives the car semi-autonomous capabilities. An evolution of cruise control, it can automatically adjust speed according to traffic conditions and speed limits, with the ability to steer the car back onto a safe course if it detects that you’re drifting out of your lane. The package also adds active blind-spot assistance, among other features.