A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) may mare the most sense for most new car buyers who want emissions-free daily driving with the flexibility and range pairing a battery and motor with a gasoline-powered engine offers.
Mercedes-Benz has a full lineup of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) including sedans and SUVs of all sizes. But, to appeal to the largest set of buyers, the company also offers mild-hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and internal combustion engine powertrains.
For its latest market offering, Mercedes is pairing its most popular vehicle with a PHEV powertrain. The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e Hybrid has a small 23.3-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack that delivers a reasonable 54 miles of all-electric range.
But what it has over BEVs, despite not having the breakneck acceleration, is the ability to charge about halfway to full range overnight using a common 120-volt household plug. That’s what I used.
This Mercedes doesn’t need fancy new garage wiring; it doesn’t need a 240-volt outlet. It doesn’t need a new, installed wallbox from an automaker or any of the other dozens of companies that now ship them from Amazon in two days or less. If your garage is full of other cars, a heavy-duty extension cord, advisably on a dedicated circuit, will probably do the trick.
When the 2025 GLC 350e arrived in Detroit for my hometown first drive opportunity, the battery was nearly empty. After a day’s worth of driving, it was down to zero. However, just plugging it in overnight added 30 miles of range.
With that added range, the next day, switching between Electric, Hybrid and Sport modes while running errands, I was able to drive all day without fully depleting the range. After one more night’s charge, the battery was nearly full.
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Over the course of a week, I used no more than an eighth tank of gasoline to go more than 150 miles and I plugged in the car overnight each night.
That said, the cost of entrance to this semi-exclusive PHEV club is steep.
The 2025 Mercedes GLC 300 stickers for $49,250 while the GLC 350e starts at $59,900. That’s about a $10,000 difference and at today’s prices that would buy about 3,000 gallons of gasoline. At 20 miles per gallon, buyers are looking at 60,000 miles of driving before payoff. However, those are 60,000, less-efficient, worse-for-the-environment miles.
The 2025 GLC 350e looks just like the regular GLC SUV, with the same dimensions and same simplified, classy look of the latest generation, which premiered in 2022. The only telltale is the small 350e badge on the back.
With the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine the GLC hybrid delivers 313 horsepower (hp) and 406 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. Impressively, the electric motor delivers 325 lb-ft by itself, meaning the two-row SUV feels quick in Electric drive mode, obviously quicker than when matting the accelerator in Hybrid or Sport mode.
Despite the sticker price, this vehicle will still quell the speed demon inside the owner, while not being as expensive or nearly as thirsty as the AMG model.
There are several modes for regenerative braking including Intelligent, which lets the vehicle coast when it is more efficient to do so, and then regenerates power when traffic slows. During harder stops the brakes don’t feel as confident as a traditional system as they blend between regeneration and mechanical stopping.
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The cabin of the GLC is filled with two-tone leather, metal accents and other materials making it a little busy for the eyes. Buyers can opt for less visually intensive materials for some surfaces.
The car’s two-tone seats also have several different material panels, all with creases and cracks, which catch and want to keep an inordinate amount of crumbs if the kids are eating something like donuts or pretzels.
However, they’re very comfortable with lots of adjustments, including an extension of the piece under the knees. They’re also supportive with good bolstering around the side and shoulders. That helps because GLC 350e is quick off the line and fun to drive on curvy backroads or blasting down the expressway.
All of the modes are useful, and none are boring. Electric is smooth enough to not be notice and Hybrid gives almost as much as Sport. There’s also an Individual mode where parameters can be adjusted separately.
The Sport drive mode is the most fun for drivers, using all of the power from both the engine and electric motor. All 406 lb-ft of torque can be felt, and it keeps the battery charged. After about 20 minutes in Sport it was showing 1 more mile of range than when I started.
The new dashboard features an upper wing-like profile with new, flattened round air vents meant to evoke aircraft. The lower portion, pinstriped in this tester, waterfalls toward the driver and passenger. There’s an 11.9-inch free-standing touchscreen infotainment system, flanked on the left by a digital driver instrument cluster, both of which are standard.
The main screen has wireless Apple CarPlay, but also its own set of icons that are big, bright, colorful and easy to read while driving. Most functions take two taps to access, though climate is permanently displayed at the bottom of the screen. Volume is controlled on the wheel or by a slider on a lower function bar. It’s all very natural and easy to get used to, which is the mark of a good technology setup.
Like most new luxury cars, the 2025 GLC comes with a voice assistant summoned by the phrase, “Hey, Mercedes.”
The driver cluster has several modes including Classic, with two round displays. Sport takes a red color and features the rev counter prominently. Understated just shows speed and a few other bits of info and Assistance mode displays the traffic situation in real time. A new Off-road mode shows gradient, inclination, compass and steering angle. Like the recently revealed Murano, it can also use cameras to show what’s underneath the front of the vehicle.
A brushed chrome insert divides the center console into a padded area for the armrest and a front storage area in glossy deep black. It features two cupholders, but drivers will need to fish around to find smaller objects put there.
The back seats are spacious enough for three adults. The LATCH child seat attachments are easy to access and the seatbelts are easy to use for kids.
The cargo area measures 21.9 cubic feet but looks bigger. It can fit more than 50 cubic feet when the seats are folded. That is less than both of its main competitors. The BMW X3 has 29 cubic feet and the Audi Q5 has about 26.
Prices of the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 both start close to the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC. The X3 starts at $49,500 and the Q5 is $45,400. The hybrid model is more expensive, and Audi’s Q5 plug-in comes with $13,000 premium and only has a 23-mile electric range. BMW doesn’t offer a plug-in version of the X3.
With the 2025 GLC 350e hybrid, buyers aren’t just paying for efficiency, they’re paying for speed and luxury too. All three German brands also offer super sporty gasoline-only options as well, if buyers are so inclined, but this Mercedes at least (we haven’t driven the Q5 plug-in), is quick enough for anyone without professional training.
The combination of the relatively speedy, mid-priced powertrain (the AMG model is far more expensive), the ability to charge up without any electricians, and the user-friendly technology, the 2025 GLC 350e is the best version of the best option in the luxury compact SUV market.