Are Mercedes expensive to maintain?
Get the details on Mercedes maintenance costs, plus the cost of running your car
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If you’re in the market for a premium German car, you might be wondering: ‘are Mercedes expensive to maintain?’.
It’s a fair question – the high-quality nature of Mercedes models means they come with a higher price tag (and they’re worth every penny).
You’re likely prepared for the standard costs of car maintenance, but springing for a pricier model can mean that parts and specialist labour are slightly more expensive.
This does mean that parts are built to last and provide a smoother drive, so it’s a pay-off that’s worth it for plenty of drivers.
You’ll also need to consider the cost of servicing, insuring and taxing your Mercedes.
Get the breakdown on the full costs of maintaining a Mercedes below.
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Mercedes maintenance costs
Mercedes servicing costs
Car servicing prices differ depending on factors like where in the country you’re booking in, the size of car you have and the type of service you’re choosing.
The typical service schedule is:
Minor/interim service – every six months or 6,000 miles
Standard service – annually or every 12,000 miles
Major/full service – every two years or 24,000 miles
At cinch, we offer MOTs, oil and filter changes, standard servicing and full servicing. You can book in for a cinch service or MOT whether you purchased your car from us or elsewhere.
An official Mercedes service will typically be the most expensive option, unless you’ve opted for a servicing plan.
Across the market, standard prices typically look like:
Minor service - £70 to £250
Standard service - £150 to £300
Full service - £250 to £600
This will vary, as we mentioned earlier. It’s best to get a quote from Mercedes or another servicing centre to get exact figures for your budget planning.
At cinch, our service costs start at £129.95.
Mercedes also has its own servicing set-up – consisting of ‘A’ and ‘B’ services. These are about equivalent to standard servicing and full servicing. These are carried about by authorised Mercedes Repairers.
You’ll usually find that modern cars will keep you updated of its service schedule through a dashboard light or message on the infotainment system.
Modern Mercedes cars use the ASSYST PLUS system to let you know when a service is due. This will be displayed on the multimedia system display.
Servicing isn’t a legal requirement in the UK (like MOTs) but you might be required to service your car to upkeep any warranties. It will also help spot small maintenance issues before they become big – and often expensive – problems.
 "Mercedes C-Class Saloon infotainment screen")
Mercedes repair costs
Repairing a premium car like a Mercedes is always going to be pricier than work on a budget vehicle.
The flipside is that the higher costs will mean high quality, so any repairs should last a long time and be done to the best possible standard.
Repair costs will differ depending on where you are in the UK, what you’re having done and the parts used.
Here’s a guide for common wear and tear maintenance on a Mercedes A-Class:
Tyres – starting from prices around £85 per tyre and up to two hours labour
Brakes – starting from prices around £130 for brake pads and discs and up to three hours labour
Spark plugs – starting from £65 for six plugs, and up to two hours’ labour
ICE car battery – starting from £105, and between 15 and 60 minutes’ labour
This is just a rough guide based on the average cost of parts currently on sale – these prices will differ depending on your model.
Mercedes insurance costs
The cost of insuring any car will depend on multiple factors, but Mercedes insurance can be slightly pricier because of their premium nature.
Put simply, fancy cars cost more to replace if they’re damaged or written off. Insurance companies adjust prices to be in line with this.
How the insurance cost is calculated will depend on the age of the car. If you’re buying a Mercedes from after 1 August 2024, it’ll be calculated using the Vehicle Risk Rating System (five metrics scored between 1 and 99).
Mercedes models from before the August 2024 change will use the older Insurance Group rating system (insurance groups 1 to 50).
In general, the cheapest Mercedes models to insure will be the options with smaller engines, top spec safety and security systems, and high repairability.
Individual factors will also impact Mercedes insurance costs, like your driving history, age and mileage you’ll cover.
 "Mercedes GLA")
What Mercedes models are expensive to maintain?
We’re following a theme here, but the most expensive Mercedes models to maintain are going to be the most expensive Mercedes models to buy.
It’s that simple thing of luxury cars needing luxury parts and expertise. You’re not going to want to put budget tyres and brakes on a performance model like the Mercedes-AMG A35. Those will compromise not only the performance, but the safety of a car that packs a lot of power.
Cheaper Mercedes cars to maintain are the ones that are on the lower end of the price scale and are readily available. This means that parts will be easy to find and there won’t be a specific level of expertise needed from your technician.
There’s a special mention for electric Mercedes cars – maintenance on these will be cheaper as there are fewer oily engine parts to upkeep.
Mercedes vs. Audi vs. BMW maintenance costs
Comparing maintenance costs between Mercedes, Audi and BMW will leave you with a very similar picture.
These German giants are close when it comes to the cost of parts and upkeep.
Official services cost between £250 and £300 for each brand’s equivalent of a standard/full service – but this varies with the model.
On average, Audi is typically slightly cheaper to maintain because of its position within the Volkswagen group. This means that parts can be shared across VW Group brands and are easier to come by.
It’s best to do research on the individual cars you’re interested in, and weigh up things like reliability, safety and the cost of parts. This will help you see which car is cheapest for your lifestyle.
Explore quality used Mercedes-Benz cars
It’s tricky to cover all aspect of Mercedes car maintenance costs without knowing the exact models you’re interested in, but this guide offers solid pointers to help you decide if Mercedes is the brand for you.
Ensure you do your own research and look at our other Mercedes guides to learn more about the brand.
To assist with Mercedes maintenance, you can book in for an MOT or service at one of our 100+ locations across the country – whether you purchased the car from us or not.
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