Mercedes B-Class review - Reliability and Safety

The Mercedes B-Class was put through Euro NCAP’s litany of crash tests in 2019 and performed extremely well. It received the organisation’s maximum five-star rating, plus a score of 96 per cent for adult occupant protection and 90 per cent for child occupant protection. 

There’s a generous level of standard safety equipment, such as Attention Assist, a reversing camera and seven airbags, including a driver’s knee bag, while an optional Driving Assistance pack can be added to top-spec models for £1,495. This includes blind-spot assist, emergency braking, steering assist, adaptive cruise control and route-based speed adjustment.

The Mercedes B-Class didn’t sell enough to make it onto the list of best cars to own in our 2022 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, although the A-Class hatchback it’s based on did come a respectable 30th, ahead of several BMW and Audi products. Mercedes as a brand didn’t fare as well, however, finishing 23rd out of 29 in the best car manufacturers rankings, behind BMW and Audi, which came 16th and 22nd respectively.

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Warranty

The B-Class is covered by a three-year/unlimited-mileage warranty, which is a match for the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer’s standard warranty, plus you get 30 years of pan-European roadside assistance and coverage against corrosion with the Mercedes. 

Servicing

Mercedes Service Care packages are available for the B-Class, and these allow you to spread the cost of servicing. Prices start from £59 a month for the basic plan which includes two services, while the most comprehensive costs £136 a month, which includes four services and two MOTs.