• Plenty of space front and rear
• PHEVs get significantly less boot space
• 40/20/40 split folding rear seats

How much space is there?

A growth spurt means this generation of E-Class is more spacious inside than its predecessors. Headroom is excellent up front and the seats go an awfully long way back to accommodate long legs. There’s also plenty of width in the cabin, with ample space between the driver and front passenger and a wide central armrest.

Move to the rear and the E-Class continues to impress. Legroom is sufficient for those over six-feet tall, and there’s just enough headroom as well. If you want a bit more vertical space, the E-Class estate is a bit better here. The car’s width once again helps when transporting three abreast in the back, although there is a sizeable transmission tunnel to contend with.

Boot space and storage

Stick with one of the mild hybrid engines and you get a decent 540-litres of boot space, twenty litres up on the BMW 5 Series. However, go for a plug-in hybrid and capacity drops to a mere 370-litres – less than most family hatchbacks. That’s not something you have to put up with in the BMW.

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The boot itself isn’t particularly square, and the floor is high on PHEVs, although you do get 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats. Storage space up front is good, with a large cubby under the front armrest, decent door bins, big cupholders, and plenty of other spots to empty your pockets.

Is it easy to park?

Although the E-Class is a sizeable saloon car, all models get tech to help squeeze it into a space. All-round parking sensors, assisted parking and a 180 degree reversing camera are fitted to AMG Line and Urban Edition models.

AMG Line Premium and other high-grade models upgrade the camera system to 360 degrees. Given the length of the car, it’s near-impossible to see the front and rear extremities, so it’s worth having. Even with all this, the E-Class is still a real space filler in the supermarket carpark.

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Safety

• Five stars from Euro NCAP 2024
• Safer than a 5 Series
• Assisted driving tech available

You get loads of standard safety kit with the E-Class, helping it manage a five star Euro NCAP rating in 2024. The scores are higher than the 5 Series’ making it a safer bet in a crash.

All models get lane keeping assist, lots of airbags including one between the front seats and another for the driver’s knee, blind spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition. The Driving Assistance Package Plus is available on the AMG Line Premium trim level and up, adding adaptive cruise control, steering assistance and a range of other useful features.