Used Mercedes E-Class cars for sale

Now in its fifth generation, the current Mercedes E-Class has been on sale since 2017, and was facelifted in 2021 – so you’ll spot a mix of pre- and post-facelift cars for sale at Motorpoint. Pre-facelift cars have two LED strakes in the headlights, while facelift cars have an upturned grille and more sharply angled headlights.

The E-Class comes as a four-door saloon and as a practical five-door estate, as well as a svelte coupe and convertible.

With an abundance of space in the rear seats and a big boot, the Mercedes E-Class is quite a big car. It measures just over 4.9 metres long, just like the BMW 5 Series does, so it will fit in a standard parking space. Luckily, a reversing camera and parking assistance both come as standard, so you won’t be sweating into the plush leather every time you visit a car park.

The E-Class saloon has a 540-litre boot, while the estate has 100 litres more (it’s one of the biggest-booted estates you can buy) and a more versatile tailgate opening. It’s worth noting that the hybrid models have a smaller boot than other versions, and there’s often a big step in the middle of the boot to accommodate the batteries.

The E-Class is available with a range of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines, none of which are lacking in power. Most are decently economical, too, and the plug-in hybrids are capable of over 150mpg if you drive them as intended. Of course, if you’d rather burn a lot of fuel and go quickly, there are the red-hot AMG versions as well.

Like so many other premium cars, the E-Class's scores in reliability surveys leaves a little to be desired. There are no widespread reports of common issues, but electrical gremlins has cropped up from time to time.

As with any car, keeping your E-Class fully serviced on time is the best form of defence against unexpected failures, along with carrying out any unscheduled maintenance as soon as it appears.

You can choose an extended warranty when buying your E-Class. This kicks in once the manufacturer's coverage runs out and will protect you from unexpected mechanical or electrical repairs.

Mercedes is a premium brand building upmarket cars with heavily engineered parts. That means all maintenance, including replacement parts and skilled labour, will cost a bit more than it would for an affordable car from a mass-market brand.

It's worth spending the money, however, because keeping up with scheduled maintenance is the easiest way to make sure your E-Class is worth as much money as possible when you come to sell it. Missed services or untreated issues will shave thousands of pounds off your car's value.

The E-Class is an expensive car, so it's a good thing that it's also a very accomplished all-rounder. There's lots of passenger and cargo space, and Mercedes has elegantly trimmed the cabin in plush materials to help it feel a cut above most premium rivals.

It's also smooth and effortless on the road – as you'd expect from a car bearing the three-pointed star. Powerful petrol and plug-in hybrid engines offer hushed performance, or you can go for one of the long-legged diesel engines to cover vast distances with minimal fuel stops.

You'll pay for the privilege, of course. The E-Class is expensive to buy and will cost noticeably more to maintain than a lesser car from a cheaper brand. That's the price of admission to Mercedes ownership, however, and the payoff is the E-Class's laundry list of talents.