Quiz question: What’s the best-selling Mercedes-Benz? You might think the classic E-Class sedan, which has been with us since the 1950s, but the brand’s top seller is a compact luxury SUV.
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC is not quite the least-expensive Mercedes, but its $50,400 starting price is just a hair above what the average new car buyer pays in 2025. It’s a reasonably affordable price for a well-balanced German luxury car with flexible capabilities and a stylish cabin you’ll enjoy for years.
For 2025, Mercedes has introduced a new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version, the GLC 350e. PHEVs can travel a set distance on electric power alone before using any gasoline. Functionally, owning one is like having an EV for around-town driving and a gas-powered car for road trips.
The company loaned me one for a week of testing around suburban Washington, D.C. I used it for my daily errands and a day trip.
Which Trim Level
My tester was a GLC 350e 4Matic in the midlevel Exclusive trim with the AMG-Line package, which adds larger wheels, decorative enhancements inside and out, and sport seats. The “4Matic” means all-wheel drive (AWD) in Mercedes. It had optional ventilated seats, a panoramic sunroof, and a Drive Assistance Package that included automated driver aids. The total sticker came to $73,770 — a significant premium over the entry-level model.
New 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC Prices
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Retail Price
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Fair Purchase Price (92620)
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$61,050
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TBD
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Favorite Feature
I’m often iffy on the value of PHEVs. I like the concept, but fear the expense of maintaining such a complex powertrain. To make it worthwhile, it seems to me, you’d need a PHEV that could be driven as an electric car almost all the time. If you rarely need to use gasoline, a PHEV becomes — in practice — strictly an EV, but one with infinite range as long as you have access to gas along the way.
The GLC 350e is rated for an astonishing 54 miles on electric power alone. The EPA’s estimate may even be unrealistically short. I once made it 71 miles, driving carefully to extend the range as long as I could.
The average American doesn’t drive that far in an average day. Practically speaking, the GLC 350e makes good on the promise of PHEV technology in a way most plug-ins don’t. That is, as long as you charge it every night.
As for charging, the GLC 350e is one of the few PHEVs on the market that can plug into a DC fast charger. Most can’t use the fastest type of public charger. This can, recovering up to 80% of a charge in just 30 minutes, according to Mercedes.
If you install a Level 2 charger at home, it will refill completely in around 2 hours.
What It’s Like to Drive
The PHEV drivetrain combines a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder making 255 horsepower with an electric motor making 134 hp. The math of PHEVs isn’t always straightforward. Together, the components net a combined 313 hp.
That sounds like plenty, but Mercedes admits it’s the slowest form of the GLC. Tuned for maximum efficiency, it gets from zero to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. That’s enough for anyone, but if you’re used to the often abundant power of a Mercedes, you might want one of the other GLC models.
The 350e also loses some power when the battery runs out. Its long, electric-only mileage means that it won’t happen to you often. But it’s another reason to keep this one charged.
To compensate for the added weight of the battery, Mercedes builds an adjustable air suspension into every 350e. That’s a nice bonus, keeping handling light and letting you adjust the ride height.
Braking is unusual: Press the pedal softly, and it feels a bit spongy. Press it firmly, and the brakes bite much harder. That’s a function of regenerative braking, which recharges the battery, and I quickly got used to it.
Interior Comfort and Technology
The design language inside most current Mercedes cars is ultra-modern, with a large portrait-mounted touchscreen canted toward the driver and turbine-look air vents surrounded by color-changing mood lighting.
My tester’s AMG-Line package dressed it in red-and-black leather upholstery with a dashboard trim Mercedes calls “metal weave.” It’s not the walnut luxury of Old World luxury cars. It’s modern and high-tech.
The front seats are comfortable, with a highly adjustable knee bolster.
No compact luxury SUV has tremendous rear-seat room, but the GLC offers slightly more than the BMW X3 or Lexus NX.
The Exclusive trim comes with a 13-speaker Burmester audio system with impressive clarity and range.
Limitations
The GLC 350e likely has enough power to keep most drivers happy. However, the added weight of the PHEV system makes it the slowest form of GLC. You can get a quicker one for less by choosing the GLC 300 gas-powered model.
If it’s real power you want, though, Mercedes’ AMG speed shop makes two different versions of the GLC. The most potent, the AMG GLC 63 S E Performance, starts at a much higher price. But it’s possible to configure a 416-hp AMG GLC 43 for a lower price than my test model.