First electric Mercedes C-Class lands with 472 miles of range and tech-packed cabin

It’s already turning into a landmark year for EVs, and now Mercedes-Benz has joined the party with its first-ever battery-powered C-Class.

Boasting a claimed maximum range of 473 miles, the all-new electric C-Class sticks to a more conventional design language than some other Mercedes EVs. Instead of adopting the CLA’s more futuristic looks, the C-Class keeps things relatively traditional, and at first glance you might not be even sure it’s fully-electric. Mercedes describes the car as being “fascinatingly different and yet reassuringly familiar”.

The car is powered by a 94.5 kWh battery pack and uses an 800-volt system architecture. This means super-fast charging is available, with the C-Class capable of adding 202 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes, assuming ideal conditions. Thankfully – and unlike early examples of the new CLA – the C-Class will be supplied with a 400-volt inverter, making it compatible with the UK’s many 400-volt chargers.

A maximum charge rate hasn’t been disclosed, but Mercedes says the C-Class can deliver up to 300 kW of regenerative braking power when using the one-pedal drive mode. Bidirectional charging is also available, meaning the C-Class can be used to power other electronic devices and appliances from its charge socket.

The car’s dual-motor drivetrain produces 483 bhp and delivers a 0-62 mph time of just 4.2 seconds – plenty quick enough for a mid-size executive saloon, and putting the C-Class on par with V8-powered AMG super saloons from just a generation ago.

To that end, Mercedes is keen to highlight the sporty potential of the new C-Class. It described the car as “the sportiest C-Class ever with unmatched agility and long-distance comfort”.

Inside, the new C-Class continues the Mercedes trend of turning the entire dashboard into a huge digital display called the Hyperscreen. Shunning the growing industry trend for a return to physical switchgear, Mercedes continues to go all-in on touch. This latest generation of Hyperscreen measures a whopping 39.1 inches (a fraction under a full metre), stretching right across the dashboard and incorporating the infotainment system, driver display and passenger display into one giant screen.

Mercedes says the display has an “innovative matrix backlight technology,” which uses over 1,000 individual LEDs to create a system that sounds like the local-dimming tech seen on televisions, with “independently adjustable brightness zones”.

The tech continues with the MBUX Virtual Assistant, which uses generative AI to handle complex conversations and give it a form of memory that Mercedes says helps it respond “like an informed friend.”

A fun design detail is the ‘Sky Control’ panoramic roof, which incorporates 162 illuminated stars into the glass roof. Instead of just shining white, these take on the colour of whatever ambient lighting hue you’ve chosen for the rest of the cabin.

The electric C-Class will be sold alongside the internal-combustion version, which will likely soon be facelifted to more closely resemble the new EV. As with other brands, Mercedes now appears keen to offer drivers a choice of fuel type well into the future, rather than shift to a fully-electric strategy.

The car uses the same new MB-EA electric car platform as the closely related Mercedes GLC, and will come to the UK later this year in a dual-motor 400 4Matic configuration, meaning a pair of electric motors and all-wheel-drive. Other versions of the new C-Class, including a performance variant and one with a single motor (and likely more range but less power and a lower price) will be along later.

Mercedes-Benz Group chairman Ola Källenius said: “The all-new electric C-Class is redefining the mid-size segment for electric vehicles. Customers will get exactly what they expect from this new version of the beloved model: the perfect blend of performance, comfort, dynamics, and intelligence. On top of that, it is the most powerful and sportiest C-Class we’ve ever built, offering pure driving pleasure and outstanding real-world range”.