Hi Noel,

The Mercedes E 300 Hybrid was built in the fourth-generation ‘W212’ E-Class body shape from 2012 until the car went out of production, to be replaced by the current fifth-generation ‘W213’ E-Class (which has a plug-in hybrid petrol-electric model called the E 350 e). However, the W212 E 300 Hybrid was a diesel-electric vehicle, using Mercedes’ long-serving 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel unit.

So, despite its mild hybrid assistance, in the case of the Mercedes you can apply the general rules for whether a diesel is right for you: if you’re doing more than 20,000km per annum and a lot of it on motorways, then diesels are a sound choice. If you’re doing low annual mileage, mainly around town, then a petrol would be a better selection. That therefore means, for you, that the E 300 Hybrid is probably not the ideal car.