Used Mercedes C-Class 2021-present reliability

A prestige brand image isn’t always an indicator of superior quality, as the data for the previous generation of the Mercedes C-Class shows in our reliability survey, with nearly a third of cars presenting a problem. Although these problems should have been ironed out in this generation, it's worth listing these so you can reference them against your new C-Class.

This list of faults reported have been numerous, so you'll need to check everything. Try all the electrical items work while you poke around the interior, try the sat nav and make sure the air-con blows cold air and that there are no weird smells. During your test drive, listen out for any interior rattles; pay attention to the gearbox and that it operates smoothly and that there are no nasty knocks and bangs from the suspension over bumps.

Check also that the car doesn't pull heavily to one side as you're driving down the road, and that it also doesn't deviate under braking. The engine should have a smooth power delivery and not have any flat-spots or surges of acceleration. On automatic versions, make sure the kick-down function works under full acceleration – when it is safe to do so.

There have been several recalls for the C-Class, though. There are currently 12 listed for 2022 and six for 2023. Some only involve a handful of cars, but others are in the hundreds and a few are in the thousands. For instance, 9925 examples from 2022 and 2023 are involved in a recall that says the fuel pump impeller – which is responsible for pulling the fuel through to the engine – is at risk of deforming. Contact your local Mercedes dealer if you believe your C-Class is involved in a recall.

Click here for more information. Contact your local Mercedes dealer if you believe your vehicle is involved in a recall.

In our most recent reliability survey, this version of the C-Class was too new to feature. However, for reference, the previous version of the C-Class finished eighth out of 24 cars in the executive car class.

Reliability rating 87.3%

What went wrong? Non-engine electrics 11%, exhaust 6%, fuel system 4%, battery 3%, bodywork 3%, infotainment/sat-nav 3%, brakes 2%, steering 2%, engine 1%, gearbox/clutch 1%, interior trim 1%

A third of C-Classes went wrong, according to owners, who reported a wide range of issues. Faults rendered more than a third of cars undriveable, and one in four was off the road for more than a week. Although 81% of cars were fixed for free, a small percentage of owners paid out more than £1500 in repair bills.

Mercedes as a brand finished in a disappointing 24th place out of 32 manufacturers in the same survey, below Audi, BMW and Lexus.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.