• Brilliant for the driver
• Slightly cramped in the rear
• Average-sized boot

How much space is there?

Space up front is good. The driver and passenger have lots of headroom and there’s plenty of space on the central armrest to prevent them from bumping elbows. The centre console is quite clever, too. The sliding cover pushes into the dashboard to reveal a hidden compartment for your phone and adjustable cupholders that are large enough to hold (nearly) any size of drink.

The Mercedes C-Class isn’t perfect, though. It’s a car designed around the driver, so space in the rear was bumped down the engineers’ priority list. Two six-foot adults will fit on the rear bench, but they’d be more comfortable in a BMW 3 Series or an Audi A4. Headroom is quite tight in the back, too, especially if you opt for the panoramic sunroof.

Legroom is a little disappointing. The wide central tunnel eats capacity from the rear footwells, while the narrow opening under the passenger-side dashboard left us feeling quite hemmed-in.

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Boot space and storage

Boot space for the petrol and diesel-powered versions of the Mercedes C-Class is average for the segment at 455 litres. That’s 25-litres less than you get in the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, which is disappointing – but it won’t make a massive difference when loading the weekly shop.

What’s arguably more important is how the boot is shaped. Mercedes has done a good job here because the C-Class’s boot is basically a big box. The sides are square, the wheel arches don’t eat into the space and the boot opens nice and wide to make it easy to load bulky items.

However, the size of the plug-in-hybrid-powered C300e’s boot is verging on comical. You lose 140 litres of space to the battery pack, making this compact executive saloon’s boot 55-litres smaller than that of the Mercedes A-Class hatchback. It’s tiny, but at least there isn’t a loading lip.

Is it easy to park?

Even the most basic versions of the Mercedes C-Class feature all-round parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Visibility is good and the car isn’t exactly enormous, so parking manually isn’t a chore. Mid-range AMG Line Premium cars also come with a 360-degree parking camera.

However, if the thought of parallel parking petrifies you, every version of the C-Class comes with Mercedes’s automated parking system, called Parktronic. You can activate it via the infotainment system when crawling along a line of parked cars and, if the system recognises a space that’s large enough, it can automatically steer the C-Class into it.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Impressive pedestrian safety features
• Lots of standard driver assistance kit

Euro NCAP crash-tested the Mercedes C-Class in May 2022 and, predictably, it scored top marks. On paper, its score looks identical to those of its rivals – but bear in mind that the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 were tested 2019 and 2015 respectively. Euro NCAP tightened up its testing criteria in January 2022 and, if those cars were retested today, they might not be as safe as their ratings suggest.

Part of the reason for the Mercedes C-Class’s glowing safety review is its arsenal of driver assistance technology. Every version of the car comes with autonomous emergency braking, a tyre pressure monitoring system, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist and a speed limiter.

It also has an active bonnet which, in the event of a collision with a pedestrian, pops up away from the engine to create a landing pad and minimise injury. The two outer rear seats also come with Isofix points and you can specify options such as super-bright adaptive LED headlights.

Watch: Mercedes-Benz C-Class crash test video