Mercedes-Benz E Class

The entry price to the E-Class range is on a par with its main rivals, the BMW 5 Series Touring, Audi A6 Avant and XF Sportbrake. Beyond that you simply choose whether you want petrol, diesel or hybrid and how fast and luxurious you want it to be.

If the answer to the last two is ‘very’ you have the option of the high-performance E63 S version from Mercedes’ AMG division, weighing in at just shy of £100,000. Or you can spend less than half that on a more sensible model, with options ranging all the way between and including the quirky All-Terrain variant, which is now apparently ‘more SUV’ than before.

E-Class estates are popular with families and company drivers alike. Little surprise Mercedes accommodates the latter with a choice of affordable four-cylinder petrols and diesels (good on purchase price and P11D value) and plug-in hybrid versions of both if saving on Benefit In Kind is a priority. The hybrids cost as much as £10,000 more like for like but you could easily claw that back in tax savings, if the numbers work for you.

Given the above fuel consumption is likely less of a consideration, though if you’re really covering the miles the E220d’s 50mpg-plus will likely score nearly as well in the real world against the idealised triple-digit claims of the hybrids.