New Mercedes E 300 de plug-in hybrid now on sale in the UK

The new Mercedes E 300 de diesel plug-in hybrid has now gone on sale in the UK, priced from £47,700 for the Saloon, and £49,700 for the more practical Estate.

Powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine producing 191bhp and 400Nm of torque found in the E 220 d, the E 300 de gains the assistance of an electric motor with an additional 121bhp and 440Nm of torque. The combined figure stands at 302bhp and 700Nm, as the peak power and torque of the electric motor and diesel engine are not delivered at the same time.

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Mercedes claims 166.2mpg with official CO2 emissions pegged at 41g/km. On electric power only, Mercedes says that the E 300 de Saloon can run for 34 miles, with the heavier Estate benchmarked at 32 miles. The battery pack is 13.5kWh in size, and can be recharged in under two hours using a 7.4kW charger.

Like the rest of the E-Class line-up, the E 300 de is available in two trim levels – SE and AMG Line, with the sportier looking AMG Line model priced from £50,195 and £52,195 for the Saloon and Estate variants respectively.

The new addition to the E-Class line-up is one of two new plug-in hybrid systems coming to the brand’s executive saloon, with a petrol powered E 300 e, also using a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a 121bhp electric motor.

Read our review of the Mercedes S 560 e and the Mercedes C 300 de here...