Mercedes is considered as a benchmark German executive premium brand as far as the general public is concerned which means that Mercedes models tend to set standards for their respective segments. Even though both Audi and BMW do compete with Mercedes, most people out there still deem Mercedes as the upper echelon.
As such, Mercedes has to upkeep this reputation by investing large sums of R&D money in luxury, innovation, and technology. All of this means that Mercedes is not prioritizing reliability because the majority of company money goes to these three company departments.
As such, Mercedes falls into the average reliability bracket both with Audi and BMW while Volvo, the sister company of Polestar tends to fall into the average-to-above average category. As most Polestar models are heavily based on modern-day Volvo cars, it’s reasonable to suggest that Polestar should be as reliable as Volvo.
There simply aren’t enough Polestar cars out there at the moment in order to correctly gauge how reliable the brand is as a whole. However, because the parts sharing between Volvo and Polestar is extensive, Polestar and Volvo should be equally as reliable which means that they are both better than Mercedes.
Mercedes reliability – Average
According to RepairPal Mercedes Benz’s reliability is 3 out of 5 which makes it average – not great, not terrible. This is a reoccurring theme with the German executive segment as both Audi and BMW also tend to reside in the average reliability segment. That being said, Porsche tends to best all three of these when it comes to reliability.
As previously mentioned, Mercedes is focused on making the most luxurious and most sophisticated and desirable cars on the market which consists out of making reliability compromises. Some models like the Mercedes Benz G-Class which is arguably one of the most desirable SUVs on the planet are a perfect example of this.
It is large, boxy, and borderline unreasonable which makes it both rugged and archaic at the same time. It costs a lot of money to maintain and if you don’t, those compromises tend to show as expensive repairs. However, a few decades ago Mercedes was building unbelievably reliable cars but they stopped doing so because it went against modern-company policy.
New Mercedes models come with a 4-year long/50k mile warranty, but this warranty can be extended up to 7 years/100k miles.
Polestar reliability – Most likely better than Mercedes
As stated in the beginning, Polestar is still a newcomer company which means that they don’t have enough cars on the market in order to be both unreliable or reliable. However, the fact that Polestar has its hands deep in the Volvo parts bin means that Polestar should fare similarly to Volvo.
Volvo is usually rated average-up-to-above average when it comes to reliability which means that Polestar should in theory be more or less the same thus being better than Mercedes. Furthermore, Polestar is focused on making EVs which also should in theory be more reliable because they use fewer moving parts.
Either way, it’s safe to suggest that Polestar should be more reliable than Mercedes but only time will tell if this is truly the case. Polestar does seem like a new company but they are heavily backed by Volvo company which enjoys 50% of all Polestar ownership rights.
Polestar models also come with a 4-year long/50k mile factory warranty which can also be extended to 100k miles.
Maintenance – A crucial aspect of reliability
Without proper maintenance, you can’t expect a car to be as reliable as most charts/results tend to suggest. Some people don’t maintain their cars at all while others tend to do it either by themselves, through a dealership, or through independent repair shops which can be both good and bad.
This means that even the most reliable Mercedes models are nowhere near as reliable as they should be if they are not maintained properly. Lousy maintenance more or less makes your car as unreliable as cars can get.
Once you start experiencing issues that were caused by lack of maintenance you might even witness your car dying prematurely. All in all, always be sure to maintain your car according to the manufacturer’s recommendations if you want it to be as reliable as possible.
Mercedes models are costly to maintain and that’s no secret as all premium European cars are. However, if you maintain them correctly, they should serve you for years to come. On the other hand, Volvo models are equally as expensive, but given the fact that Polestar makes EVs and EVs tend to be cheaper to maintain, Polestar should best Mercedes in this regard as well.
FAQ Section
Is Mercedes more luxurious than Polestar and Volvo?
Mercedes is indeed more luxurious than Polestar and Volvo, but only if you opt for the right trim. German executive cars are notorious for lack of standard equipment in their most basic models which means that a moderately equipped Volvo or Polestar model should easily best a basic-trim Mercedes.
However, if you opt for a higher-end Mercedes with a more adequate equipment level, no Volvo or Polestar out there can even come close to Mercedes as far as luxury is concerned.
Why should I buy a Polestar over a Mercedes?
Polestar is an exclusive EV brand which means that they are making EVs using their standalone EV-based chassis. This means that these EVs are designed to be EVs from the very get-go while Mercedes tends to use existing ICE platforms and convert them for EVs.
This means that if you are interested in EVs, you should buy a Polestar except for the Mercedes EQS which is arguably one of the best EVs on the market. On the other hand, if you want an ICE/hybrid, Mercedes is the obvious choice.
Can Polestar match Mercedes brand appeal?
Mercedes Benz brand appeal is built on a long-lasting tradition of making the very best luxury cars on the market. If you pair that with striking-looking design, lots of innovation, and hundred years of experience making upscale cars, there is hardly any chance that Polestar could ever match that.
Be that as it may, the world is slowly shifting towards EVs, and only time will tell who will come out on top. Tesla was a nobody-brand two decades ago, now they are the most valuable car company on the market.