Mercedes-Benz launched the C-Class facelift on August 18, 2026, for the German market with the starting price of €41,045 (equivalent to around ₹45.43 lakh in India). They have launched the model with both petrol-powered and diesel-powered internal combustion engines and also with the plug-in hybrid electric powertrain.
The facelift that the German luxury automobile manufacturer has introduced is the first update for the fifth-generation C-Class, which debuted globally back in 2021. The carmaker has not only launched the facelift for the sedan but also the estate. Notably, the updated C-Class has received many upgrades from the brand’s S-Class model.
Now, it gets a new larger grill with a more prominent chrome surround to make it look more refreshed than before, connected headlights for better nighttime visibility, a redesigned front bumper for a more aggressive front-end appearance, new alloy wheels designed for freshness on the sides, and revised taillights to improve rear styling.
Its dimensions remain the same. Still, its length, width, and height are 4,751 mm, 2,033 mm, and 1,438 mm, respectively. With a wheelbase of 2,865 mm, giving ample legroom for rear-seating passengers. 17-inch to 19-inch alloy wheels are available, and 455 litres and 315 litres of boot space are retained for the ICE and PHEV, respectively.
The pure petrol is available in three trims: they are the C 200, the C 250, and the C 300, which gets a 1,999cc four-cylinder 2.0L turbo-petrol ICE with a 48V mild-hybrid system and 9-speed automatic transmission inside the hood, delivering 177hp and 270Nm, 258hp and 400Nm, and 258hp and 400Nm, respectively.
The first and last ones are available with a rear-wheel-drive drivetrain, and the second one also with 4Matic. The acceleration timing and top speed for the C 200 are 7.9 seconds and 227 km/h, respectively; the same for the C 250 are 6.3 seconds and 246 km/h, and for the C 300, 4.8 seconds and 250 km/h.
And the pure-diesel options are available in two trims: they are the C 200d and C 250d with a 1,993 cc 2.0 L turbo-diesel ICE; it gets the mild-hybrid and transmission the same as pure petrol. The first one puts out 163 hp and 380 Nm with a RWD drivetrain, and the second one delivers 200 hp and 440 Nm with both RWD and AWD drivetrains.
A few markets in Europe are also set to get a PHEV version, available in two variants: C 300e and C 400e. Both get a 2.0L turbo M 254 EVO ICE and a 19.53 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. An electric motor is mated with the engine and nine-speed automatic transmission. The combined power output is 395 hp, and torque is 650 Nm.
They have a 100 km range in WLTP conditions on the EV mode. The key difference between these two variants is that the former one has both RWD and AWD drivetrains, but the latter comes with only RWD. Support DC chargers up to 55 kW, which take 20 minutes for 10% to 80% battery charging.
Inside, it has an 11.9-inch portrait touchscreen that runs on the new MB.OS operating system and features the MBUX Virtual Assistant with ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini, and connected services with the over-the-air software updates. The centrally mounted screen is integrated with the new Burmester 3D audio system with Dolby Atmos.
A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is present behind the steering wheel that acts as a driver display and shows all driving details. Other features that the cabin gets are wireless phone charging to enhance the practicality of phone charging and rear-wheel steering, reducing the turning radius to make compact parking convenient.