Say hello to…
…the Mercedes E300e, the plug-in hybrid version of the German brand’s latest E-class. The executive car is powered by a 204hp 2.0-litre petrol coupled to a 129hp electric motor fed from a 25.4kWh battery. The battery provides a claimed range of 68 miles and, unlike many PHEVs, can be charged at up to 55kW on a DC charging point. All versions use a 9-speed automatic greabox.
The E300e is available as both a saloon – tested here – and an estate. Interestingly, the estate loses 155 litres of space thanks to the EV powertrain and the saloon loses 170 litres.
The E300e is available in three trim levels.
- AMG Line Premium
- AMG Line Premium Plus
- Exclusive Premium
Standard equipment on the AMG Line Premium includes keyless entry and start, panoramic sunroof, 19-inch alloys, heated and cooled front seats, powered memory front seats, two-zone climate control, metallic paint, leather upholstery, blind spot assist, surround camera and parking sensors, uprated stereo, satnav, 14.4-inch infotainment screen, USB sockets, wireless charging, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
AMG Line Premium Plus adds acoustic glass, 20-inch alloys, uprated steering wheel and head-up display.
Exclusive Premium adds 19-inch alloys, uprated interior and body styling kit.
Is The Mercedes E300e Suitable For My Fleet
The plug-in option turns the regular petrol (and diesel) E-class into a proper fleet proposition. The sub-50g/km CO2 figure coupled to a 68 mile official EV range means the E300e sits in the lowly 8% benefit-in-kind tax band. It may not be a full EV attracting 2%, but it’s a heck of a lot better than the 34% the E200 sits in.
What makes it even better for fleets is the real-world EV range which we found to be consistently 63 miles – not far shy of the official figure. Topping off the fleet appropriate nature of the E300e is the fact it can be DC charged at up to 55kW.
The only real pay-off is a smaller boot.
Leasing A Mercedes E300e
Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the E300e in AMG Line Premium form for £919 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year. Forecast maintenance costs are £105 a month, according to Gensen Reports. And the Class 1A NIC comes in at £64 a month.
Driving A Mercedes E300e
Every E-class should offer a world of comfort and luxury that sets it above rivals. It doesn’t have to be the sportiest or have the most avantgarde styling, but it should be a place you can sit in total comfort for mile after mile.
Initial impressions are good. The car looks classy and the cabin quality and materials are first rate. It’s impressive that the front seats are heated and cooled as standard on the E300e.
Even more impressive is the size and quality of the infotainment screen. The menu system is logical, scoring the car more points, and there’s even a few physical buttons to help – one of which takes you directly to the menu option to turn off the lane keeping assist and speed limit warning. And you’ll want to turn off the speed warning because the camera and system that detects road signs often gets it wrong – in both a too high and too low fashion.
While that button is to be praised, the steering wheel touch sensitive buttons, like the VW Groups ones now being phased out, are hard to operate and easy to accidentally activate.
On the move, the E300e is wonderfully refined. Using electric propulsion the saloon’s cabin is near silent. Only when the electricity runs out and the 2.0-litre petrol engine cuts in do you notice any noise and even then that’s only under greater acceleration and higher revs.
Impressively, the E300e will cruise at 70mph under electric power only and still maintain a 60 mile EV range.
The suspension is well judged and the E300e does offer the good comfort you’d expect. The car also steers well along twistier roads. And at parking speeds the turning circle is impressive for a car of this size.
What upsets the overall comfort and serenity is that the E300e is difficult to drive smoothly thanks to the way the regenerative braking is set up.
There are several regen modes on offer from ‘none’ to ‘lots’ and also an adaptive setting. In other brands this variable regen depending on traffic and road conditions can work well. Unfortunately in the Mercedes it isn’t and you end up having to brake far more than you’d expect. The easiest setting to work with is to have regen set to maximum. But even then the transition between regen and physical braking is difficult to judge.
Time behind the wheel does help and flow can become smoother, but it takes more effort than is ideal.
If the majority of your mileage is on the motorway, it’s not going to be a particular issue. However, if town driving is more your regular mileage then is would be annoying.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Mercedes E300e
A quality premium executive saloon with an impressive EV range.
Mercedes E300e
- Model: E300e AMG Line Premium saloon
- Power: 313hp
- Torque: 550Nm
- Max speed: 147mph
- 0-62mph: 6.4s
- Official range: 68 miles
- Test range: 63 miles
- Official fuel consumption: 470.8mpg
- Test fuel consumption: 131mpg
- CO2 emissions: 13g/km
- BIK tax band 2024/25: 8%
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Why not join the conversation on SME fleets – visit our LinkedIn SME Fleet Discussion page