10 MERCEDES-BENZ MODELS YOU SHOULD BUY USED

Buying a used German luxury car can either be a gift or a curse and a used Mercedes is not exempt from this fact. Do you know what you are getting yourself into before you begin this potentially financially devastating journey? It has long been known that German cars don't tend to be as reliable as their Japanese equivalents and also cost more to fix when they break. Yet, is this still true in 2024? Well, the most recent data available supports this fact and the last couple of decades of automotive history will also give you the same answer.

What data exactly? Well, Consumer Reports recently released their latest analysis of 26 car brands' reliability based on a selection of 5-to-10-year-old models. Mercedes ranked 10th out of 26 with a 46 score in their "Reliability Verdict", 3 points behind 7th place BMW, and 4 points ahead of 16th place Audi.

For context, the top five highest-scoring brands are all Japanese, with Toyota and Lexus beating out the entire field by a solid margin. Mercedes, despite being 32 points away from 1st place leader Lexus in this study, has still offered some of its most reliable vehicles within the last 10 or so years. What we did was take a look at every single Mercedes model that Consumer Reports has reviewed and ranked them to find the most reliable models of the last decade. Let's break it down!

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

Reliability Verdict: 3/5

Kicking off our list is the latest redesign of Mercedes' mid-sized SUV, the GLE. The fourth generation of this German SUV served as the introduction of a new set of powertrains for the GLE family, including the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four found in 350 models and the mild hybrid turbocharged 3.0 inline-six found in 450 models.

450 4MATIC Performance Specifications

The 2020 model year was the first of this current generation and, like most first-year models, did not have the best reliability score. However, the proceeding 2021 model year would score a 3/5 in the reliability verdict, giving it the highest score of any GLE model year within its generation.

Pros

• The most efficient powertrain options offered in a GLE body
• Ride comfort and quality
• A 600+ horsepower AMG model is still offered, because why not?

Cons

• Poor driving dynamics
• Annoying infotainment system and user controls
• The complex mild hybrid system will be $$$$ to fix in the future

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class

Reliability Verdict: 3/5

Next comes the first-generation Mercedes GLC crossover SUV, which has seen a long production run from 2016 to 2022. In 2020, the GLC saw a major refresh, of which the most important change was the new set of next-gen Mercedes powertrains.

300 4MATIC Performance Specifications

The 2021 model year is the highest rated on the reliability verdict for this 1st generation refresh, which spanned for three years. The turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four found in this generation refresh would be the last iteration of the platform before moving onto the combination of this engine with the more complex mild hybrid 48-volt system found on current generation Mercedes models.

Pros

• Great ride comfort
• Quality interior
• Solid handling for its size

Cons

• Complex infotainment
• Deserves better MPG
• Needs more power

2021 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Reliability Verdict: 3/5

Our first C-class sedan featured on the list is the fourth-generation, which was available from 2015 to 2021. For the 2019 model year, there was a significant refresh of this compact Mercedes sedan, including its powertrain options moving forward to the 48V mild hybrid combo that is now the modern Mercedes standard.

C 300 4MATIC Performance Specifications

Of every Mercedes C-class model year between 2015 and 2021, the final 2021 model year received the highest reliability verdict score of 3/5. If you are looking at this generation of C-class, we recommend the 2019+ model years as, on average, all the post-refresh years managed higher reliability scores than pre-refresh models.

Pros

• Quiet and comfortable
• The refreshed interior is great
• Expensive LED headlights are standard on refreshed models

Cons

• The infotainment system and user controls are still far from perfect
• The complex mild hybrid system might be expensive to fix in the future

2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Reliability Verdict: 3/5

Our next Mercedes is the third-generation C-class which was available from 2008 to 2014. About a decade ago, this Mercedes sedan was the best-selling Mercedes model on the market back in an era when the C 300 model still offered a 3.5-liter V-6 engine at its helm.

2014 C 300 4MATIC Performance Specifications

The 2012 model year of the third-generation C-class offered a welcome refresh, which included a much-needed overhaul of the C-class' not-so-nice interior along with global powertrain updates. The 2014 model year is the last year of this generation, and it also scored the highest reliability verdict of 3/5 for any year within the third-generation C-class.

Pros

• Comfortable front seats
• The standard manual transmission in RWD C 300 models, but only pre-refresh
• The C 63 AMG model is still a legend today

Cons

• The pre-refresh interior is lackluster
• Lower-trim models lacked overall performance
• Pre-refresh models look and feel outdated

2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class

Reliability Verdict: 4/5

Before there was a GLC-Class, there was its predecessor, the GLK-Class SUV, which was, in essence, a C-Class SUV. The GLK was first available in 2010, but a major refresh in the 2013 model year would prove to be a smart decision for the German luxury brand.

350 4MATIC Performance Specifications

The first model year of the refresh, 2013, would score an impressive 4/5 reliability verdict, placing it among the most reliable modern Mercedes models. The GLK 350's 3.5-liter V-6 is in one of its most refined and developed iterations in the 2013 model. Interestingly, the final model year of 2015 has a staunchly contrasting score of 2/5, despite no changes in powertrain or major design elements.

Pros

• Refresh models offer the best version of the smooth and solid V-6 engine
• Solid MPG for its size
• Refresh models' interior quality is improved

Cons

• Low-speed handling characteristics
• Could be more spacious in general
• Infotainment will leave you disappointed

2014 Mercedes-Benz M-Class

Reliability Verdict: 4/5

The predecessor to the current GLK-Class is the M-Class, Mercedes' full-sized SUV, which saw the name change occur after the 2015 model year for its mid-cycle refresh. Yet, it was the penultimate year of the pre-refresh model of this third-generation German SUV , the 2014 model year, that shines above the rest of the available years.

ML 500 Performance Specifications

The 2014 model year managed an impressive 4/5 reliability verdict, in stark contrast to the 2015 model year which only had a 2/5 score. The tried and true 3.5-liter V-6 found in the Ml 350 models was without question the most reliable powertrain available for the M-Class, but the ML 500/550 with its twin-turbo V-8 engine offers serious power at the expense of some extra cost.

Pros

• Diverse engine offerings across trims
• Quiet and comfortable
• Impressive off-road capability that rarely gets used

Cons

• Vague driving dynamics
• Confusing infotainment system
• 20+ mpg is a blessing

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class

Reliability Verdict: 4/5

After the GLK-Class crossover SUV disappeared in 2015, the first-generation GLC-Class would come to take its place for the 2016 model year. Rarely does the first model year of a new generation offer the best reliability and, more often than not, the first year tends to be a guinea pig to improve upon.

300 4MATIC Performance Specifications

Despite this fact, the 2016 GLC offered the highest reliability verdict of any year within its generation with a 4/5 score, which spanned from 2016 all the way to the 2022 model year. We can say that much of this success is due to the increasingly efficient powertrain options across the entire GLC line-up when compared to the previous generation.

Pros

• Comfortable and quiet
• Interior quality is great
• Great value at its price point

Cons

• Frustrating infotainment
• Rear seats could be more spacious
• Fuel economy is acceptable at best

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Reliability Verdict: 4/5

What is the most consistently reliable Mercedes model of the last decade? The fifth generation E-Class takes the cake by offering three different 4/5 reliability verdict scores all within the same generation, a feat only seen in the E-Class. The fifth generation E-Class continues to be an outlier as its first model year, 2017, is one of the three top-rated model years despite large changes compared to the previous generation.

E 300 Performance Specifications

The amount of models and powertrain options offered in the fifth-generation E-Class could best be described as messy and confusing. Base models E 300s got the turbo-four while the E 400 offered a twin-turbo V-6, not to mention the twin-turbo V-8 found in the E 63 AMG. Yet, there is still the mild hybrid turbo inline-six model found in the E 53 AMG along with mild hybrid versions of the turbo-four, and we haven't even mentioned the hybrid or diesel engines.

Pros

• Improved fuel economy across trims
• Gorgeous interior quality
• An E-Class for every tax bracket

Cons

• Not as plush as the previous generation
• Infotainment and user controls still a mess
• Less interior space than in the previous generation

2019 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Reliability Verdict: 4/5

Despite the sheer number of body styles and powertrain options found in the pre-facelift fifth-generation E-Class, the turbo-four found in the starting trim E 300 and 350 models is the most reliable of the bunch. The twin-turbo V-6 found in the E 450 would see its final application in an E-Class model, replaced by the mild hybrid turbocharged inline-six powering the current generation of 400/450-badged Mercedes models.

E 450 4MATIC Performance Specifications

Despite how encompassing the model line-up is, the fifth-generation E-Class still managed to be successful because of its foundation. This generation of E-Class would be the first E-Class to use the Mercedes' modern modular chassis platform, known as MRA. The MRA was a smash hit across a variety of segments and many of the models we have discussed all share this same foundational architecture.

Pros

• Better dynamics than its predecessor
• Gorgeous interior quality
• An E-Class for every tax bracket

Cons

• Not as plush as the previous generation
• Infotainment and user controls still a mess
• Jack of all trades complex?

2022 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Reliability Verdict: 4/5

Our final model year on the list is the 2022 Mercedes E-Class, which saw a major facelift during the 2021 model year. No aspect of this facelift was as impactful as the overhaul of the entire powertrain department, which was convoluted and way too expansive for its own good.

Performance Specifications

This 2021+ facelift brought a well-needed simplification to the entire Mercedes powertrain option list. The facelifted E 300 offers the current standard mild hybrid turbo-four combo setup, while the E 450 models offer the mild hybrid turbocharged inline-six setup. The iconic E 63 twin-turbo V-8 model also came to an end with this generation as Mercedes continues its prerogative of engine downsizing, for better or for worse.

Pros

• Modernized and simplified powertrain options
• Gorgeous interior quality
• An E-Class for every tax bracket

Cons

• End of the E 63 lineage
• Mercedes still can't figure out infotainment
• Mild hybrid technology is still unproven long-term and expensive

2024-09-18T07:13:23Z dg43tfdfdgfd