Which year to buy
Bar height: serious owner complaints to NHTSA for that year, against this model's usual year.
Verdicts computed from NHTSA owner complaints, defect investigations and recalls. NHTSA doesn't publish sales, so only big differences count. (How we judge.) Data checked 2026-10-06.
Trims and features
2011 B-Class trims
| Fuel Cell |
|---|
base price, seating and driver-assistance equipment from NHTSA's vehicle database (vPIC), as Mercedes-Benz reports it. Tech and comfort features (CarPlay, heated seats, sunroof) for Mercedes-Benz aren't in our data yet. "—": not verified in our sources. "Varies": standard on some versions of the trim.
Year by year
| Year | Engines | Drive | Fuel economy | Crash rating | Recalls | Owner complaints | Most-reported problem | CarPlay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Electric | FWD | 84 MPGe | Not rated | 0 | 20 | Engine (11) | — |
| 2016 | Electric | FWD | 84 MPGe | Not rated | 0 | 9 | Engine (5) | — |
| 2015 | Electric | FWD | 84 MPGe | Not rated | 0 | 28 | Power train (15) | — |
| 2014 | Electric | FWD | 84 MPGe | Not rated | 0 | 21 | Power train (10) | — |
| 2012 | — | — | — | Not rated | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 2011 | — | — | — | Not rated | 0 | 0 | — | — |
Owner complaints are unverified reports to NHTSA, counted as filed: older years have had longer to collect them and sales aren't adjusted for, so see Which year to buy for a fair comparison. Most-reported problem: the component named in the most complaints that year. Sources: EPA, NHTSA, Apple.
Every NHTSA-rated version: crash ratings, safety tech, recalls, complaints
| Year | Version | Stars | Forward collision warning | Lane departure warning | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mercedes-Benz B-Class E-Cell 4 DR FWD | Not Rated | Optional | Optional | 3 | 20 |
| 2016 | Mercedes-Benz B-Class E-Cell 4 DR FWD | Not Rated | No | Optional | 2 | 9 |
| 2015 | Mercedes-Benz B-Class E-Cell 4 DR FWD | Not Rated | Standard | Optional | 2 | 25 |
| 2014 | Mercedes-Benz B-CLASS E-CELL 4 DR FWD | Not Rated | Standard | No | 3 | 21 |
| 2012 | Mercedes-Benz B-Class 4 DR RWD | Not Rated | No | No | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | Mercedes-Benz B-Class Fuel Cell 4 DR AWD | Not Rated | No | No | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | Mercedes-Benz B-Class Fuel Cell 4 DR RWD | Not Rated | No | No | 0 | 0 |
Source: NHTSA.
Every EPA-rated version: engines and combined mpg
| Year | EPA model | Engines | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | B250e | Auto (A1) | 84 |
| 2016 | B250e | Auto (A1) | 84 |
| 2015 | B-Class Electric Drive | Auto (A1) | 84 |
| 2014 | B-Class Electric Drive | Auto (A1) | 84 |
Source: fueleconomy.gov.