Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

Mercedes CLS review - Reliability and Safety

Mercedes has a solid reputation for reliability and safety – and the new CLS comes loaded with standard kit

Reliability and Safety rating

4.5

How we review cars
Find your Mercedes CLS
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Despite a small production quality blip in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mercedes has a hard fought and well deserved reputation for reliability. Safety has always been of paramount importance, with many world firsts trickling down from S-Class to E-Class, A-Class and, of course, the CLS models too. 

Every car comes with Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive, which the firm claims “takes the stress and strain out of every journeys”. Using a suite of sensors, the CLS monitors the road in every direction, and can actively sense dangerous situations – applying the brakes if necessary. Of course, every CLS comes with a long list of airbags, too.

Mercedes finished in 20th position in the 2018 Driver Power Survey, behind its main German rivals BMW and Audi, as well as Japanese giants Lexus, too. The CLS is too new and too exclusive to feature in the individual model round-up for now. 

Warranty

Every new Mercedes comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty, so if you cover more than 20,000 miles per year, it trumps the Audi A7’s three-year/60,000-mile cap. Of course, all consumables like tyres and brakes are excluded, but reliability is good so these shouldn’t need replacing more than on an equivalent A7 or BMW 6 Series.

Servicing

Mercedes offers fixed-price service plans across the range, and these apply to the CLS, too. Using figures for the previous-generation model, a Mercedes ServiceCare plan starts from £34 per month, based on a two-year/two service deal.

Advertisement - Article continues below

If you intend to keep your car a little longer, a three-year deal (with three services) might make more sense. This bumps things up to £37 per month, while four years and four services will cost £38 per month. If you cover higher mileages and need to service your CLS more often, it could cost you as much as £152 per month – but that does account for four services in the first year.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,160Avg. savings £2,721 off RRP*Used from £8,600
Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

RRP £24,625Avg. savings £2,261 off RRP*Used from £13,211
MG MG4

MG MG4

RRP £26,995Avg. savings £8,094 off RRP*Used from £13,199
Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Yaris Cross

RRP £26,495Avg. savings £1,831 off RRP*Used from £15,519
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025