Mercedes S-Class review - Reliability and safety

As ever, the Mercedes S-Class is loaded with the most advanced safety features, and we’d be amazed if it came out of the Euro NCAP independent crash testing with anything less than excellent scores. 

Meanwhile, we have to put our trust in a spec sheet that includes pretty much every safety feature you can think of, as well as a raft of semi-autonomous driver assistance features that have been upgraded for the new-generation car. An example is the DISTRONIC system designed to keep you at a safe distance from the car ahead, which can now avert accidents when you’re travelling at up to 80mph. 

Mercedes continues to roll out bigger innovations too, including industry-first rear seat airbags that provide flexible protection for all sizes of occupants from kids in child seats to over-fed corporate magnates.

Good reliability for the mechanical elements of the new S-Class should be assured, but some of the electronic systems are new and untested in the mass market. It’s worth noting also that Mercedes managed to finish only 28th out of 30 brands in our 2020 Driver Power satisfaction survey. Lexus, which makes the rival LS saloon, topped the table again.

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Warranty 

All Mercedes-Benz cars come with a standard three-year warranty with unlimited mileage, and a thirty-year warranty against corrosion for anyone intending to keep their new S-Class for a while. Mercedes also provides pan-European breakdown cover for up to 30 years should you request it.

Servicing 

You’ll need a fairly chunky budget to maintain an S-Class in the manner to which it ought to be accustomed, but Mercedes makes it simpler with flexible ServiceCare arrangements that allow you to spread the cost of up to four services into a single package. You can add it to your monthly finance cost or pay the full amount up front.