2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC350e review: Australian first drive

For Mercedes-Benz owners who might not be ready to buy a fully-electric car just yet, the German brand has introduced a new plug-in hybrid variant to offer the best of both worlds.

The GLC350e is the latest addition to the GLC line-up, and is a mid-size plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV. 

It’s the third PHEV to join Mercedes’s local range this year, and slots between the entry-level GLC200 and the higher-spec GLC300 of the regular, non-AMG variants.

Here’s our first look at what the GLC350e has to offer.

The GLC range opens with the GLC200 for $89,000, rising to $99,900 for this GLC350e PHEV, while the GLC300 costs $105,100 for the SUV and $117,000 for the coupe version.

Beyond this, there are six AMG grades, three GLC43s and three GLC63s, with prices ranging from $128,900 up to $200,700.

All prices are before on-road costs.

As standard, the GLC350e comes with features such as a nine-speaker audio system, an 11.9-inch infotainment screen, and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a wireless phone charger.

It also has heated and memory front seats with lumbar support, a head-up display, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, privacy glass on the rear windows, a panoramic sunroof with a blind, and a powered tailgate.

Like other GLC grades, the 350e is decked out in metallic paint, with aluminium-look side steps, and it rides on 19-inch alloy wheels.

Buyers can also upgrade their GLC with a choice of three additional option packages.

The Sport Package, which costs $6000, includes an AMG Line exterior look and interior details such as sport seats, a sports steering wheel in nappa leather, 20-inch wheels, larger brake discs, and body-coloured wheel arches. 

The $1300 Night Package can be added on top of the Sports Package, bringing a high-gloss black trim and 20-inch black wheels.

While these two optional extras are more about customising the vehicle’s styling, the Plus Package, which costs $7600, is technology-focused.

It adds the Driving Assistance Plus Package, which brings additional safety features, a Burmester 3D surround-sound system, Mercedes’s Digital Light intelligent headlight system, Guard 360 enhanced security protection, heat- and noise-insulating acoustic glass, and augmented reality navigation.

The GLC350e competes with the BMW X3 30e, which costs $104,800, and the Volvo XC60 T8, which starts from $92,990 – all before on-road costs.

While what’s underneath may have changed, the sleek exterior and luxurious interior we’ve come to expect from the GLC remain unchanged.

Its interior styling is based on the previously limited-run Avantgarde, featuring dark grey leather on the dashboard, doors, sports steering wheel, and seats, with grey-timber look panels situated behind the two screens.

Overall, even with the panoramic sunroof blind open, the inside is quite dark, especially when you add in the piano black plastic running along the centre console. 

Most surfaces look and feel very luxurious, including the nice metal detailing around the window switches on the doors, but the cabin could benefit from more light, and the scratchy headliner fabric is a bit of a disappointment for a car costing $100K.

The power-adjusted seats are incredibly comfortable, though, and feel very cushiony and plush, and it’s obvious that both driver and passenger comfort are the focus over outright performance.

The portrait-style 11.9-inch MBUX infotainment system is excellent. The picture quality is crisp, and it responds quickly to input. And I had no issues connecting to wireless CarPlay either. 

Everything makes sense, and it’s easy to use on the move without struggling to find things within menus or jabbing at virtual buttons multiple times.

Although the heating and ventilation are not controlled via physical buttons, they are permanently displayed at the bottom of the screen, making them easily accessible. 

There are haptic touch buttons for the drive modes, volume, and parking cameras situated just underneath the main screen, which is also handy. Where haptic touch controls are present, such as on the steering wheel and the roof for the sunblind, they respond quickly and work well.

The 12.3-inch cluster is also highly customisable, and can be used to display driving data, as well as safety information and maps.

There are four USB-C ports in the front to connect up all your devices, and two more in the back. There’s also a sneaky 12V tucked away down the side of the centre console near the front passenger’s footwell.

The nine-speaker audio system is a highlight, too. It’s not as knock-your-socks-off-good as the Burmester, or a Bowers and Wilkins as you can get in the Volvo XC60 T8 Ultra PHEV, for example, but it still offers a bassy and clean note.

The GLC350e is a mid-size, five-seat family SUV, measuring 4722mm long, 1938mm wide, 1646mm high, and it has a 2888mm wheelbase.

There is a good amount of space in the front and in the second row. I had several inches of leg room in front of me behind my driving position, and I’m around 167cm tall. 

All doors have sufficient space for medium-to-large water bottles, and there are two additional spots in the centre console and two more in the rear centre armrest as well. 

There are map pockets on the backs of the front seats, but they are the hard plastic/retractable kind, good for storing, well, maps, but not ideal for toys or small items, as they don’t really fit.

It’s 400kg heavier than the regular GLC and also has 30 litres less boot space to accommodate the hybrid battery, offering 590L compared to the petrol car’s 620L. 

It’s still a generous area and could easily fit plenty of bags, a pram or anything else you need for everyday family life, or even a couple of large suitcases. It just doesn’t sit completely flat, tapering off towards the rear hatch.

For fitting child seats, there are two ISOFIX anchor points for the outboard seats, and three top-tether positions accessible from the boot.

In comparison, the GLC350e’s boot is a similar size to the XC60’s, which offers 598L, but is much larger than the X3 or Q5, which have 460L and 465L, respectively.

When it comes to safety, the GLC has a five-star ANCAP rating, awarded in 2022; however, this rating doesn’t apply to the PHEV variant, as it was not available at the time.

Its rival, the Audi Q5, received a five-star rating in 2025 following the introduction of the new model.

As you would expect from a Mercedes-Benz, the GLC350e is well equipped with a range of safety features.

As standard, it comes with 10 airbags, road sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera, forward collision warning, and adaptive cruise control.

Also included are driver attention detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, parking assist, a driver fatigue warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and a rear seat occupant reminder, among others.

During my time with the car, I found all the safety systems did their job without taking over or sounding alarm bells all the time.

Perhaps one of the most attractive things about the 350e, however, and that’s saying something given the high quality of the materials throughout, is its healthy electric-only driving range.

Early plug-in hybrids, including previous Mercedes models, had an electric range of around only 30km, but the GLC350e offers 132km according to NEDC testing – more than enough for your average commute and back.

Topping up the hybrid battery can be done using an 11kW AC charger in around two hours, or 55kW DC fast charging from 0–80 per cent can be achieved in roughly 20 minutes. It’s worth noting, however, that you need to pay $1153.90 extra for the ability to fast-charge.

Mercedes includes two cables as standard, one for a wallbox or public chargers, and a three-pin trickle charger for plugging in at home.

Fuel use is claimed to be just 1.2 litres per 100 kilometres, too, but it requires the use of the more expensive 95RON petrol. On test, I found it used 3.3L/100km, which is to be expected given that launch conditions do not reflect normal, everyday driving.

Comparatively, the X3 is claimed to use 1.6L/100km, and the XC60 uses 1.6L/100 km. The BMW and Volvo offer close electric driving ranges, 91km and 89km, respectively.

Powering the Mercedes-Benz GLC350e is the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine found in the GLC200, but with increased power due to its combination with a 25.28kWh battery and two electric motors, which produce a joint output of 230kW/550Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Although the GLC is no slouch, capable of a claimed 0–100km/h sprint time of 6.7 seconds, comfort is prioritised over performance, and it’s not especially quick off the line. It’s happier at higher speeds when it has had a chance to get into its stride. Overall, it feels quite heavy.

The payoff, aided by self-levelling suspension on the rear axle, is that the ride is incredibly smooth and unaffected by damaged road surfaces, expansion joints or bumps.

The 350e is also exceptionally quiet. There’s little noise from the chunky Continental EcoContact 6 rubber, and even the sound of the wind is kept to a minimum except for in very blustery conditions or at high speeds on the freeway.

There are five driving modes: Electric, Hybrid, Sport, Off-road, and Battery Hold.

In Electric mode, the GLC can travel at speeds of up to 140km/h, though it is most effective at low speeds around town. If you want to preserve the electric-only driving range, you can pop it into Battery Hold and run off petrol until you’re ready to use electric again, which is a nice feature.

In Hybrid mode, you can hear the engine cut in when you put your foot down and power is switched from electric to petrol, but it’s not particularly invasive, and the transition itself is relatively smooth thanks to a haptic accelerator that helps manage the shift.

If you want to hear a more traditional sound, with the engine purring and the gear changes, and a more urgent throttle response, Sport mode does the job.

Regardless of which mode you’re in, the steering is well balanced, if a touch on the heavier side. It handles corners with ease, and there’s no real body roll.

As with most electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, the regenerative braking through the brake pedal can be adjusted. In the GLC350e, this is via the paddles on the back of the steering wheel, with four settings to choose from.

The strongest feedback is D-, which mirrors the high-regen mode found in many EVs. Above that is D, which is markedly less aggressive, and D+, which is most like a regular petrol or diesel car. 

D Auto is where things get really interesting, as this adapts the braking to suit the conditions, such as traffic or navigation. Some higher-end models these days have adaptive regen, which is what D Auto is. 

Although its intelligence is very impressive, I also found it could catch me out at times because I didn’t know what to expect.

The GLC has long been a favourite in Australia, and is Mercedes’s best-selling model here. 

Its high levels of refinement and comfort have made it popular as a family luxury SUV, and that hasn’t changed with the addition of the plug-in hybrid.

The 350e has a lot of features included as standard, an impressive electric-only driving range, and a low fuel consumption claim that makes it around 40 per cent cheaper to run compared to the petrol GLC over three years.

Add in an industry-standard five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and servicing every 12 months or 25,000km, and it starts to stack up as a very attractive package indeed.

If you do a lot of urban driving, it makes sense, with the benefit of having the petrol engine there for when you do need to go further afield.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

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