Mercedes’ Electric C-Class Joins The 400-Mile EV Club

The C400 EV starts at €67,711 in Germany, but Mercedes says a cheaper version with 500 miles of range is coming soon.

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

By: Andrei Nedelea

May 8, at 2:56pm ET

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The C400 EV starts at €67,711 in Germany and a fully-loaded example will cost over €96,000.
Mercedes confirmed that a cheaper, longer-range, single-motor variant is coming soon.
Additional C-Class EV variants are planned, including a tri-motor AMG model with active aero.

Mercedes-Benz is trying to make the electric C-Class feel like just another sedan in its lineup, but it is quite a bit more expensive than the combustion model. In C400 4Matic guise, it has a starting price in Germany of €67,711, or around €3,500 cheaper than the electric GLC 400.

Pricing for the C400 for companies, which in Europe excludes value-added tax (VAT), starts at €56,900, which is closer to what the model will cost when it reaches the U.S. market later this year.

Along with pricing for the dual-motor C400, Mercedes has confirmed that “further models will follow,” including a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive variant with a WLTP range of around 497 miles (800 km). That’s more than the C400 4Matic, which has a WLTP rating of 473 miles (762 km).

Gallery: 2027 Mercedes-Benz C-Class EV

Source: Mercedes-Benz

But even in its more efficient single-motor guise, it still won’t be able to match its Bavarian rival, the BMW i3, which has a bigger battery and can deliver up to 559 miles (900 km) on one charge in dual-motor guise. If BMW launches a big-battery, single-motor i3, it could exceed 600 miles (960 km) on a single charge.

Even so, the future rear-wheel drive C-Class EV may end up being the important model and the big seller. The C400 is very quick, hitting 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in just 4 seconds, but better range and efficiency, as well as a lower price, will make a lot more sense in an electric sedan.

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Adding the AMG Line pack to a C400 costs €3,451 and it changes the standard 18-inch wheels for more aggressive 19-inch AMG aero wheels, it makes the bumpers and side skirts more aggressive, but you don’t get the body-hugging sports seats. You have to get the €7,556 AMG Line Plus pack, which adds different 19-inch wheels and lots of AMG-branded elements, to also have the sports seats.

The MBUX Hyperscreen, the 39.1-inch pillar-to-pillar display that replaces the standard three-screen array, is €1,487, while the augmented reality head-up display costs an additional €1,249. The Agility and Comfort Package, which adds air suspension and rear-wheel steering, costs €2,844, but if there’s one must-have option for the C-Class EV, it’s this because it transforms how the car feels and drives.

As with any Mercedes, the options list will quickly increase the price, and I was able to get a fully loaded C400 over €96,000. There will be an even more powerful and expensive version, including an AMG model, expected to feature a tri-motor setup and around 800 horsepower, to rival the M version of the BMW i3.