Skip advert
Advertisement

Driver Power Award 2025: Mercedes GLE

The Mercedes GLE is the winner of the 2025 Auto Express Driver Power Award

Driver Power Award 2025: Mercedes GLE

Chosen not by us but by you, the large and luxurious Mercedes GLE has been rated the best car to own in this year’s Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.

It topped half of the 10 main categories and reached the podium places in several others, while it was the elegant interior and exterior design that impressed owners the most.

The model is offered with petrol, hybrid and diesel engines, making it one of the very few cars on sale available with the latter fuel type. Our case study, Norman Eaton, loves the smooth and prodigious power delivery from 
his GLE 450 d’s 3.0-litre diesel. He even returns 40mpg on the motorway, where the GLE thrives given its cushioned ride, slushy nine-speed automatic gearbox and fine sound deadening.

Advertisement - Article continues below

On the inside, owners love the Merc’s superb quality, with plush leather, wood veneer and metal wrapping almost everything you touch. Even in its most basic form, the GLE is fully loaded with equipment and luxurious materials, negating the need for buyers to climb up the range and spend more. All cars get dual-screen displays as standard, with owners – including Norman – saying they like the GLE’s balance of digital and physical controls.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

It’s not often a premium car does well in Driver Power – having spent extra, customers usually expect a lot more from a car with a posh badge – but in this case, the GLE has fulfilled buyers’ expectations commendably, even managing to wiggle its way onto the podium for the value section – no mean feat for a car starting from almost £80,000.

Configure your perfect Mercedes GLE through our Find A Car service now. Alternatively, check out the best deals out there on a new Mercedes GLE from stock or top prices on used Mercedes GLE models...

See all the winners...

Click on the gallery below to see all the winners of our 2025 New Car Awards...

You can find all the information on our New Car Awards 2025 winners and the reasons why we chose them on the pages below. Just follow the links to read more…

New Car Awards 2025: the winners

Special edition of Auto Express

Auto Express Issue 1,889

For the full New Car Awards experience, make sure you pick up a copy of our special 2025 New Car Awards collectors' edition of the Auto Express magazine, which is available in shops now.

Subscribe to Auto Express magazine

You can buy individual issues of Auto Express or subscribe for even bigger discounts on the print magazine cover price. You can also subscribe or download individual issues of our digital edition direct to your desktop, phone or tablet as well.

Stay right up to date with the latest from the world of cars in 2025 and beyond, subscribe to our email newsletter and follow us on social media...

Great leasing deals on a Mercedes GLE and rivals

Mercedes-Benz GLE

Mercedes-Benz GLE

Volvo Xc90
Land Rover Discovery
Skip advert
Advertisement
Consumer reporter

Tom is Auto Express' Consumer reporter, meaning he spends his time investigating the stories that matter to all motorists - enthusiasts or otherwise. An ex-BBC journalist and Multimedia Journalism graduate, Tom previously wrote for partner sites Carbuyer and DrivingElectric and you may also spot him throwing away his dignity by filming videos for the Auto Express social media channels.

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Used Car Hunter: tech-filled, premium SUVs for £50,000
Car Hunter premium SUVs £50k

Used Car Hunter: tech-filled, premium SUVs for £50,000

Our Car Hunter has £50,000 for an upmarket SUV that’s crammed with top-shelf tech
Features
30 Jul 2025
Our New Car Awards winners prove many great models are now more affordable than ever
Opinion - NCA Fiat Grande Panda

Our New Car Awards winners prove many great models are now more affordable than ever

With many of our award winners costing less than £36k, Mike Rutherford wonders why anybody would consider more expensive rivals that just aren’t as go…
Opinion
3 Jul 2025
The Skoda Elroq is a great all-round EV and a worthy Car of the Year winner
Opinion - Skoda Elroq NCA

The Skoda Elroq is a great all-round EV and a worthy Car of the Year winner

Editor Paul Barker thinks the winners of our 2025 New Car Awards highlight the strength in depth across the car industry
Opinion
2 Jul 2025
New Car Awards 2025 - the winners
Auto Express New Car Awards 2025

New Car Awards 2025 - the winners

All the winners and highly commended cars at the 2025 Auto Express New Car Awards.
Awards
2 Jul 2025

Most Popular

Best car tyres to buy now 2025: top tyres tested and reviewed
Auto Express Summer Tyre Test 2025 - header image showing a Volkswagen Golf undergoing wet weather cornering

Best car tyres to buy now 2025: top tyres tested and reviewed

Nine brands go head to head in our annual test, but which one should you put on your car?
Product group tests
13 Aug 2025
New Jaecoo E5 is a Range Rover lookalike with a very attractive price
New Jaecoo E5 - front static

New Jaecoo E5 is a Range Rover lookalike with a very attractive price

Chinese newcomer’s first electric SUV is also a rival to the award-winning Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona Electric
News
13 Aug 2025
Shock new mid-size Range Rover to get EV power and stunning design
Range Rover Velar EV - front (watermarked)

Shock new mid-size Range Rover to get EV power and stunning design

Mid-size SUV will end the four-year wait for a new JLR model and our exclusive images preview how it could look
News
14 Aug 2025