Mercedes-Benz E-Class review

Ideally less than Mercedes asks. Which is a lot. Prices begin at £55,290, which is some £4,000 more than BMW asks for its entry-level 5 Series. Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid starts at £68,020. Yes, regular premium saloons have got very expensive while we weren’t looking.

Nevertheless, it goes without saying that fleet buyers will flock to the E300 e: emissions of 12g/km combined with those 62 miles of range mean Benefit-in-Kind rates of eight per cent.

VED for the PHEV will be £10 in the first year and £180 annually after that. The petrol and diesel start at 146 and 126g/km respectively, so you’re looking at £210 minimum in the first year before the standard rate kicks in.

Sport still sells (at least visually), so while the E class is an emphatically unsporty car to drive, every trimline begins with the words ‘AMG Line’ and then tags on a variety of suffixes: Advanced, Premium, Exclusive etc.

These jump the price up about £3,000 a time, if you are serious about comfort, and not being distracted, while driving, stick with the basic one: it comes on 18-inch wheels, and has none of the dubious augmented reality or interior assistance features so you avoid the sensory overload that comes with the E-Class’s most cutting of cutting-edge tech.