Mercedes C-Class Plug-in Hybrid EV Charging Cable

The 2022 C 300 e is exceptional for a plug-in hybrid

It carries 19.5 kWh usable from a 25.4 kWh pack, good for around 67 miles of electric running. It takes 11 kW on AC. And, almost uniquely in this class, it takes 55 kW on DC, which means a 10 to 80 per cent top-up in about twenty minutes at a motorway rapid.

On paper 11 kW, in a driveway 7.4 kW, and the difference is the supply rather than the car or the cable. So at home it draws 7.4 kW and fills in about three hours, and away from home it is not dependent on this cable at all. Both of those are unusual on a plug-in, and together they make it the most capable one in the range.

The rest of the family, and which cable each needs

The 2019 to 2021 C 300 e and C 300 de carry 13.5 kWh and a 7.4 kW SINGLE PHASE charger, which is the good kind: a British house gives the car its whole rating, so 32A is right and a full charge takes about ninety minutes. Neither has any DC socket.

The AMG C 63 S E Performance is the opposite end. Its 6.1 kWh battery is there for performance rather than range, worth about eight electric miles, and it charges at 3.7 kW with no DC. A 16A cable is all it can use. The older C 350 e of 2015 to 2018 sits somewhere below, on a charger we have not been able to pin down precisely, but on a 6.2 kWh battery a 16A lead is plainly sufficient.

How long a full charge takes

Figures are calculated rather than quoted: battery divided by power, 13 per cent for losses, quarter hour rounding. Columns are the AMG, the 2019-2021 C 300 e and the 2022 C 300 e. Read the AMG down the 16A row, which is the only one it can use.

Which length for a C-Class

The port is at the rear on all of them, but the side is not straightforward: data written for left hand drive cars puts the 2019 to 2021 C 300 e on the right of the body and both the C 300 de and the AMG on the left. That looks like a genuine model difference rather than an error, and none of it is confirmed for a UK car, so check yours.

The C-Class is 4.75 metres as a saloon. If the port is on the opposite side from your charge point, which you now know is worth establishing, 10 metres is the size that works. Choose on the real distance from inlet to charge point, not the distance on the drawing, and never buy it tight.

How these cables are built

It is made to IEC 62196-2, CE marked, and sealed to IP55 across a -30C to +50C temperature range.

The three pin unit is IEC 62752 compliant, CE marked, IP67 against water and rated -30C to +60C. Two year manufacturer's warranty. Delivery is free and next working day, and returns are open for 30 days.

Also from Mercedes: Mercedes EQA EV Charging Cable. The full range of Mercedes charging cables is on one page. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Mercedes C-Class plug-in hybrid charging cable questions

Which cable does a C 300 e need?

A 32A Type 2 to Type 2 lead, on either generation. The 2019 to 2021 car is 7.4 kW single phase and the 2022 car gives 7.4 kW from its 11 kW three phase charger, so both use all of a 32A cable.

Can a C-Class plug-in rapid charge?

Only the 2022 C 300 e, which takes CCS at 55 kW for a 10 to 80 per cent stop in about twenty minutes. That is very rare on a plug-in hybrid. The earlier cars and the AMG have no DC at all.

What about the AMG C 63 S E Performance?

A 16A cable. Its 6.1 kWh battery charges at 3.7 kW and is worth about eight electric miles, so it is there for performance rather than for commuting.

Which side is the charge flap on?

At the rear, but the side appears to differ between models and none of it is confirmed for right hand drive cars. Worth a look before choosing a length.