In-depth reviews

Mercedes A-Class hybrid reliability & safety rating

A stellar safety rating should bring peace of mind for Mercedes A-Class hybrid buyers, as should decent owner feedback

Overall rating

4.0 out of 5

Reliability & safety rating rating

3.5 out of 5

Price
£40,745 - £46,590
Fuel Type:
Hybrid Petrol
Euro NCAPAdult protectionChild protectionSafety assist
5 stars (2018)96%91%75%

There are no questions around the A Class’ reputation for safety – a five-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating with great scores across the board means there’s not much to complain about. The reliability of the wider A-Class range could be better, according to respondents in our survey, although we may have to wait and see how the A 250 e and its added technology fare over the course of several years' ownership.

Mercedes A-Class hybrid reliability & problems

In the most recent Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, the Mercedes A-Class came 39th out of 75 on the best cars to own list, with the premium hatchback receiving fairly average scores for reliability. But, there are no known major issues with the A-Class. It was voted the best premium compact family car, and scored a ninth-place finish for its interior.

Mercedes as a whole, meanwhile, came in 25th place out of 32 manufacturers, ahead of Audi (30th), but behind BMW (21st).

Safety

Along with that stellar Euro NCAP rating, the Mercedes A-Class is available with a suite of the latest active safety and driver assistance systems. All get autonomous emergency braking, active lane-keeping assistance, speed-limit assistance and attention assistance as standard, but if you want even more kit, the optional Driving Assistance Package adds just about every other system you can imagine.

These include active cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and a range of other systems to stop you drifting out of lane or being hurt in a collision. You can rest assured that the A 250 e is one of the safest small plug-in hybrids around, especially once you’ve added the pack above.

Richard is editor of DrivingElectric, as well as sister site Carbuyer.co.uk, and a regular contributor to Auto Express. An electric and hybrid car advocate, he spent more than five years working on the news and reviews desk at Auto Express and has driven almost every new car currently on sale.

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