Best used Mercedes

We crowned the Mercedes E-Class Estate our What Car? Used Car of the Year back in 2018 and we still think very highly of the model. Its interior is extremely plush and spacious, not to mention its boot is larger than most rivals' – the Audi A6 Avant and BMW 5 Series Touring, for example. 

The E-Class rides comfortably, even better on its optional-from-new air suspension, and its handling is tidy. However, where the E-Class really scores is its high-speed refinement. At 70mph, wind noise is well suppressed and its engine – our favourite being the 192bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel in the E220d – ticks away quietly.

Used prices are very compelling. For around £18,000, you can pick up a respectable 2017 example of this class-leading estate car. 

We found: 2017 Mercedes E-Class Estate E220d SE, 56,558 miles, £18,475

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From Southampton to San Francisco, why do chauffeurs across the globe make the Mercedes S-Class their go-to luxury car? Well, it’s because the model has long been an incredibly strong pillar of the class, offering almost unmatched opulence to all those who drive or passenger in one (unless you turn to Rolls-Royce or Bentley, of course). 

Mind you, as great as it is, deprecation tends to hit the S-Class hard – as it does its direct rivals as well – and this results in some bargain buys. For instance, you'll only need around £20,000 if you have your eye on our favourite S350d L AMG Line variant. We recommend upping your budget to around £25,000, though, so you can find one with less than stratospheric mileage.

We found: 2016 Mercedes S-Class S350d L AMG Line, 49,000 miles, £25,000

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Less is more with the Mercedes AMG A45. Despite its engine having a mere four cylinders, it produces more power than engines a lot of larger units. In fact, as of its arrival, the A45 possessed the single most powerful four-cylinder engine in production. 

The specific figure is 415bhp and, sat aside other hot hatches, only the Audi RS3 comes close to matching it. Pair that amount of muscle with a capable four-wheel-drive system and a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox and the result is 0-62mph in 3.9sec, making it quicker than the Porsche 911 Carrera. 

Not only is it a bolt of lightning in a straight line, but it's ravenous in the bends, too. The steering isn't hyper-quick, but it gives you a good, confidence-inspiring sense of connection with the front wheels – more so than you get in the RS3. Body lean is minimal, helping it corner with great ferocity. 

Used prices of around £35,000 means the A45 isn't a bargain just yet – it only arrived in 2019, remember – but you're getting a lot of thrilling performance for you money. 

We found: 2020 Mercedes-AMG A45 S, 32,363 miles, £35,699

Read our used Mercedes-AMG A45 review

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Swish to look at, the suave Mercedes CLA is now a great used buy, too.

This is the second generation version, which replaced the popular first-gen 2013-2019 Mercedes CLA. It's based on the latest A-Class hatchback model, itself a highly competent performer, so it's refined and steers and handles nicely.

Its interior really offers up the wow factor, especially if you find one that's had the dual 10.3in screens optioned from new. Everything in there feels of a high quality, too, and there's a surprisingly good amount of space considering its fastback silhouette. 

Prices are very keen now on the used market, making the CLA a handsome purchase. 

We found: 2020 Mercedes CLA 180 AMG Line, 57,000 miles, £22,495

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You'll lose a fair chunk of practicality by choosing the Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet over its estate car counterpart, but you don't buy a convertible as a family car, you buy it as something stylish to take out in the open air and sunshine that Britain enjoys a little infrequently. 

You and three other people can do so in great comfort. Its ride is almost as supple as the estate's, plus it shares much of its lavish interior with that car as well. Go for the E220d AMG Line variant and you'll need around £20,000, which (again) isn't that different to the estate. 

We found: 2018 Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet E220d AMG Line, 58,299 miles, £21,949

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By now, you know the deal. The Mercedes S-Class Coupé loses out on some practicality over the S-Class bodystyle previously referenced, but it gains some extra style in the process. It isn't quite the same as what you've seen with the E-Class, though, because the S-Class Coupé is only available with a select amount of the S-Class' engines – all taken from top-end of its range. 

For reference, the most affordable examples are S500 and S560 variants, both of which use muscular V8 engines. This does add to the cost (to buy and run), but in return the S-Class Coupé is properly quick – it sounds fantastic, too. It also adds to the model's credentials as an excellent grand tourer and helps it differentiate itself from the saloon. 

A convertible version, called the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet, is available as well. 

We found: 2018 Mercedes S-Class Coupé 4.0 S560 V8 BiTurbo AMG Line (Premium), 63,000 miles, £45,990

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Over the years, car manufacturers have gotten properly good at making big, heavy performance cars drive as if they aren't, well, big and heavy. The Mercedes-AMG E63 is one of them. Yes, it still isn't a featherweight Caterham Seven, but it handles with more precision and aggression than a near-two-tonne car has any right to.  

Its trick four-wheel-drive system certainly helps, although you can disengage it and make the E63 real-wheel drive, upon which it can drift to your every whim – on a closed course, mind you. Its 4.0-litre V8 engine makes a hell of a noise, as well as 603bhp. The E63 shoots from 0-62mph in just 3.4sec, making it as quick as a Ferrari Roma. 

However, while that car costs north of £150,000 (new, we should add), the E63 is available for less than £50,000. 

We found: 2017 Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ Premium, 41,319 miles, £45,490

Read our used Mercedes-AMG E63 review

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If you're searching for something more compact and sportier than an E-Class, but a car that can still seat four people with relative ease, then the Mercedes C-Class Coupé is a great place to look.

It's comes with a range of efficient petrol and diesel engines, plus three high-performance AMG models are available, too: the C43, C63 and C63 S. Those last two variants have V8 engines in them and they provide similar levels of sound and pulling power as the E63's unit does. 

The C-Class Coupé rides well, although it's much better on the optional-from-new air suspension. You can keep it soft or stiffen it up at the flick of a switch to reduce body lean in corners. The rival BMW 4 Series Coupé is sweeter-handling, but the C-Class Coupé still turns in to corners keenly and its steering weights up predictably.

Used prices are very reasonable and some of the cheapest you'll find on this list. 

We found: 2016 Mercedes C-Class Coupé C220d Sport, 49,364 miles, £15,915

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Infusing a family car with all the prestige of the three-pointed star sounds like a recipe for success – and, in terms of sales, it was one. Critically, mind you, previous Mercedes A-Class models often left something to be desired. The current A-Class, well, that's a different story. 

There’s a good choice of engines, particularly for petrol fans since there are three to choose from, all of which impress. From 2020 onwards, a petrol and electric plug-in hybrid A250e became available with a combined output of 212bhp and an electric-only range of 44 miles. 

The interior is stunning, with lashings of shiny piano black plastic, leather and metal-effect finishes in all the important places. 

If it's so good, why doesn't the A-Class rank higher on our list? Well, as seen in our What Car? Reliability Survey, the model has a fair few issues that have been troubling owners – diesel versions being the worst of them. It's a shame, because if this wasn't the case, the A-Class would be much higher up. 

We found: 2020 Mercedes A-Class A250e 1.3 AMG Line , 50,588 miles, £19,198

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If you like your SUVs large, plush and imposing, then the Mercedes GLE should be right up your street. It's a tough yet luxurious 4x4. 

The model range is relatively simple but very well equipped. The GLE's engine line-up is a generally powerful one, too, ranging from a 204bhp four-cylinder diesel (badged GLE 250d) to a 577bhp V8 petrol in the GLE 63 model. 

With this previous-generation car, you're certainly getting a lot of SUV for your money. It drives well, there's loads of space and it has a good reputation for reliability too. It finished third out of 11 cars in the luxury car class in our most recent reliability survey. 

We found: 2017 Mercedes GLE350d AMG Line, 51,961 miles, £22,990

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