Mercedes GLC hybrid (2020-2022) reliability & safety rating
The GLC scored highly in crash tests, but you have to pay extra to get the best assistance technology
| Euro NCAP | Adult protection | Child protection | Safety assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars (2019) | 95% | 89% | 71% |
Strong scores in its Euro NCAP crash test mean that the GLC is overall a safe car, so you shouldn’t have any concerns about that. It’s a shame you need to shell out to get the very latest high-tech safety kit, though, as it’s all bundled in an optional package rather than being standard, despite the GLC’s high asking price.
Mercedes GLC hybrid SUV reliability & problems
Mercedes owners didn’t seem all that impressed with their cars in the 2022 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, with the brand coming in 23rd place out of 29 manufacturers, behind all its premium brand rivals including Audi (22nd), BMW (16th), Land Rover (14th), Lexus (12th),Volvo (8th), Jaguar (6th) and Porsche (1st). Reliability doesn’t seem to be a strong point, either, with around 27% of respondents reporting a fault with their Mercedes in the first year.
The GLC SUV (including non-hybrid models) came in 39th place out of the top 75 cars to own. A third of Mercedes GLC owners have reported having to take the car back to a dealer to sort a fault, which isn’t encouraging news for reliability, either. Frustratingly, some reported having to take the car to an alternative dealer to get issues sorted properly after the first visit failed to rectify the problem.
Safety
The independent safety experts at Euro NCAP awarded the GLC five stars in 2015 when it was first tested, with a very strong score of 95% in the adult protection category and 89% for child protection. This means it should be very safe in an accident.
Standard safety kit includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), driver tiredness warning, parking sensors, a reversing camera, ISOFIX child-seat anchors and (on top-spec cars) a 360-degree camera. If you add the £1,695 Driving Assistance Package, you also get active blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic warning, adaptive cruise control, active steering assistance (steering for you to avoid a crash in an emergency) and even speed adjustment based on data from the sat nav.
