2025 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
20–29 mpgcombined; city 19–25, highway 22–35; every version of this model year; plug-in hybrid versions on gasoline, 37 MPGe on electricity
Five years of fuel
$13,880–$18,290U.S. average; Ohio $13,070–$17,240 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026. Plug-in hybrid versions: $20,500, EPA's own estimate for plug-in hybrids: its national gasoline and electricity prices and the share of miles it expects on electricity; not priced for any state
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Recall campaigns
2over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
4filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2025 C-Class. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 C-Class. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Back over prevention2000
Electrical system1000
Service brakes1000
Structure1000
Unknown or other1000
Vehicle speed control1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2006181
  2. 2007274
  3. 2008834
  4. 2009656
  5. 2010475
  6. 2011509
  7. 2012579
  8. 2013565
  9. 2014271
  10. 2015412
  11. 2016317
  12. 2017250
  13. 2018129
  14. 201978
  15. 202045
  16. 202117
  17. 202226
  18. 202326
  19. 202415
  20. 20254
  21. 20264

Every C-Class year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2025 C-Class over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel

NHTSA campaign 26V281000 · reported May 1, 2026 · 144,049 vehicles potentially affected

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2024-2026 AMG GT, C-Class, E-Class, SL, CLE, and GLC vehicles. The infotainment control unit may reset while the vehicle is in motion and cause the instrument panel display to go blank.

Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer and warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the infotainment control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 29, 2026. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2026050004. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 8, 2026.

NHTSA's record and documents

Seat belts: front

NHTSA campaign 25V253000 · reported May 2, 2025 · 46 vehicles potentially affected

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2022-2025 C 300, and 2023-2024 AMG C 43 vehicles. The driver-side seat belt cover may not be properly installed on the seat belt tensioner, which can cause the seat belt anchor to come loose.

Risk: A loose seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the seat belt covers, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 16, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2025040012.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 176 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2025 C-Class, the latest on Sep 26, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: electrical system (87), power train (24), steering (14), suspension (14), structure (12).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2025 C-Class.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2025 Mercedes-Benz C-Classs for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: compact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–6 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
AMG C43 4matic
All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic 9-spdPremium Gasoline19 / 27 / 22
AMG C63 S E Performance
All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic 9-spdPremium Gasoline or Electricity
1 miles on electricity, 320 miles in all
19 / 22 / 20 on gasoline
37 MPGe on electricity
C300
Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic 9-spdPremium Gasoline25 / 35 / 29
C300 4matic
All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic 9-spdPremium Gasoline24 / 33 / 27

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data