Mercedes-Benz cars are an extremely reliable asset in the luxury automotive world. In fact, the longest running Benz was a 1976 Mercedes-Benz 240D that exceeded 2,850,000 miles! Mercedes-Benz is one of the most valuable car companies on the planet, thanks to its incredibly enduring history.
Today, Mercedes-Benz’s most reliable car is the CLA-Class which costs owners an average of $10,486 in maintenance over ten years of ownership, a stark contrast to the G-Class which cost an average of $16,561 over the same period
Today the brand costs owners an average of $15,986 to maintain over ten years; that makes the average Mercedes much more reliable than its Bavarian compatriots, the BMW, which costs owners an average of $19,312 over the same period, according to CarEdge. Using statistics from JD Power and pricing from classic.com, here’s a mix of Daimler’s best… and worst automotive deals.
10 Run Forever: Mercedes-Benz W201 190E
Designed by Bruno Sacco, the Mercedes 190E was a £600 million project by Mercedes-Benz to create the ultimate competitor to the BMW Dominate E30 3 Series. The result was a robust, astronomically over-engineered “Budget Benz”. The “E” in the 190E stands for “Einspritzung,” which translates to injected in English, a nod to the on-board fuel delivery system. Mercedes’ little 190E also saw the company delve deeper into the world of compact performance.
Produced between 1982 and 1993, Mercedes-Benz sold 1,974,668 economy 190E models as its first foray into compact cars.
9 Moneypit: Mercedes E Class W210
It’s hard to believe that the stunning 2024 E-Class is related to this monstrosity, which is the W210 produced between 1995 and 2003. The W210 Mercedes-Benz E-Class featured a polarizing design from its legendary predecessor, the W124. While the W124 will go down in history as one of the coolest Daimler products ever, the W210 E-Class, on the other hand, is a rusty bucket of bolts clinging to the mighty name of its predecessor.
And here’s why, the second generation E-Class was subject to multiple fuel injection issues and ignition switch issues, which required a rather expensive Mercedes specialist to repair. The supply owners escaped these fatal malfunctions, and the smiling Mercedes technician offered his services; the E-Class would begin to leave the bodywork. As with all Mercedes of this period, rust was the main killer of the W210 E-Class, making it one of the worst Mercedes-Benz products to fly the Daimler flag.
8 Run Forever: Mercedes-Benz E-Class W211
A reliable return for the E-Class comes from the 2002-2008 W211 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Widely regarded as the most reliable Mercedes-Benz of the modern era, the W211 was listed in the top 5 “premium mid-size cars” with JD Power for 2008, while maintaining an 85/100 quality and reliability rating.
By 2015, Mercedes had sold more than 13 million E-Class models, making it the best-selling product at the time.
Prospective owners should look for models after 2006, as early models suffered from minor electrical issues. For example, a 2008 Mercedes-Benz E-Class costs potential owners an average of $19,760 today.
7 Moneypit: Mercedes ML-Class W163
Produced between 1998 and 2005, the American-built ML-Class offered customers an overwhelmingly frustrating experience, leading to its more common moniker, “the dustbin of Alabama”; it is worth noting that the M112 and M113 engines housed inside the ML frame were exceptionally reliable engines. But unfortunately, it was everything else that went down the drain for the compact SUV.
Issues plaguing one of Mercedes’ many less desirable products range from mass airflow sensor malfunctions to rotting plastic panels, as the ML-Class left a lot to be desired in the build quality department. Owners report issues with window regulators, keyless entry failures, and of course the late 90s rust that plummeted Mercedes’ reliability ratings during this era.
6 Run Forever: Mercedes-Benz S-Class W221
Of course the flagship Benz was going to make an appearance! Daimler’s 2006-2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, known as the W221, is a very reliable member of the illustrious Mercedes-Benz family. As always, the S-Class comes packed with advanced technology. This era in particular received the famous M275 V12, capable of 620 hp and a whopping 738 lb-ft of torque in the S65 AMG model.
Customer Reports rates the W221 S-Class 4.6/5 for reliability, highlighting the 2009 model as a hot spot for the fifth-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
5 Moneypit: Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
The SL65 was a full AMG product from Mercede-Benz with the ridiculous M275 twin-turbo V12 producing 604 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately for the SL65, the $179,720 MSRP was the first of many problems.
The 2005-2008 Mercedes-Benz SL65 costs about $47,195 today.
Mercedes-Benz SL65 appeared between 2005 and 2008 as part of the R230 SL family. The problems plaguing this fireball of the road start with the powerful and expensive “Sensotronic” electro-hydraulic brakes, which could have been more reliable. Another issue was the dodgy hardtop that several owners report failing. As with all Mercedes-Benz products, repairs on this limited Benz are expensive.
4 Run Forever: Mercedes-Benz SL R129
Legendary Mercedes-Benz designer Bruno Sacco rates the SL R129 as one of his best creations for the brand. The writers’ claims are correct, as the 1989-2001 Mercedes-Benz SL saw 213,089 units produced.
The Mercedes SL moniker means “Super Leicht”. Engineers shortened the extremely reliable W124 floor plan to achieve the SL’s namesake and armed the roadster with the highly engineered M113 V8. As a result, the R129 SL arrived at Mercedes’ most reliable plant, along with the company’s most incredible V8 engine, making it one of the most reliable Mercedes-Benz cars ever built.
3 Moneypit: Mercedes-Benz C-Class W202
Mercedes-Benz saw fit to replace the 190E W201 with the W202 series. Unfortunately, the W202 marked the beginning of a troubled period for the brand, as water-based paints began to cause rust on most Mercedes products of the time.
The W202 was no exception; the first of the non-engineered Mercedes-Benz cars also featured the biodegradable wiring the company used between 1992 and 1996, which was not maintained, causing fire hazards and ECU malfunctions across the Mercedes-Benz line of the late 90s. Another problem for the compact Merc was the M104 and M116 engines in it; both units became famous for oil leaks and head gasket failure. Unfortunately for the German marque, the cheap build quality of the W202 marked the end of the over-engineered Mercedes product.
2 Run Forever: Mercedes-Benz W124
The illustrious W124 Mercedes-Benz was the first Daimler car to feature the ‘E-Class’ moniker on facelifted models in 1993. The Mercedes luxury sedan was part of the era of ‘over-engineering’ cars Mercedes-Benz and, like its 190 little brothers, had a Bavarian enemy in mind, the BMW 5 Series.
The W124 was the first Merc to feature the legendary 15-hole flat-faced alloys, which have become synonymous with Mercedes-Benz cars of the 1980s.
Billed as one of the “last proper Mercedes cars”, the W124 was a product of the £600 million W201 project, which saw Daimler vehicles built to last and take on German rivals BMW.
1 Moneypit: Mercedes-Benz C-Class W205
Before the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a modern catastrophe occurred, the Mercedes C-Class W205 suffered 11 recalls between 2014 and 2021. Recalls for the fleet-compatible Merc range from fatal failures of steering to software errors that limit the vehicle’s ability to locate itself in the event of an accident.
Aside from heading into a tree, the W205 also suffered from overheating and fuel delivery issues, forcing owners to replace the fuel delivery module.
JD Power gave the W205 a 2/5 reliability rating in the early days of this generation.
Sources: Classic.com, JD Power, CarEdge
