2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan
Small overlap front: driver-side
Rating applies to 2015-21 models
Tested vehicle: 2016 Mercedes-Benz C 300 4-door
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was redesigned for the 2015 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics The dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but rolled to the left because the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the head and torso. The side curtain airbag deployed and has sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. |
Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.
The dummy's head contacted the frontal airbag but rolled partway around the left side, allowing the head to move toward the gap in coverage between the frontal and side curtain airbags.
The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEN1634 |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 5 |
| Footrest (cm) | 10 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 5 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 8 |
| Parking brake (cm) | |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 2 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 1 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 4 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 4 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 4 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEN1634 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 161 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 5 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.20 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 21 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 1.2 |
| Right | 1.3 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 3 |
| Right | 5 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.50 |
| Right | 0.43 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 2.8 |
| Right | 2.4 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 80 |
| Right | 73 |
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2015-21 models
Tested vehicle: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C 300 4-door 4wd
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was redesigned for the 2015 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Mercedes-Benz as part of frontal crash test verification.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF1415 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 1 |
| Left (cm) | 1 |
| Center (cm) | 1 |
| Right (cm) | 1 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 2 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 3 |
| Rearward (cm) | -7 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF1415 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 148 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 16 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 11 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.20 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 22 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 1.6 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 1.3 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 1 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 2 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.40 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.31 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.3 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.5 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 36 |
| Right | 53 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2015-21 models
Tested vehicle: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C 400 4-door 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was redesigned for the 2015 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Mercedes-Benz as part of side crash test verification.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS1417 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -20.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1417 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 228 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 40 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.2 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 35 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 32 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.56 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.51 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 2.4 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.2 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.6 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.4 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 36 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 74 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1417 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 225 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.1 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 34 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.1 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 22 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 18 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 1.94 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.19 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 2.4 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.0 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.2 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.5 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 33 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 51 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2015-21 models
Tested vehicle: 2016 Mercedes-Benz C 300 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,522 lbs |
| Peak force | 24,642 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 7.00 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Power leather seat
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Power leather seat |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 38 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | -14 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 16.1 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 57 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 21 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 464 |
How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Ratings are given for 2 different trim variations available on this vehicle.
Child seat anchors
Rating applies to 2015-21 models
| Overall evaluation |
|
| Vehicle trim | C 300 |
| Seat type | leather |
This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.
It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.
| Overall evaluation |
|
| Vehicle trim | C 300 |
| Seat type | leather |
| G | Good |
| A | Acceptable |
| M | Marginal |
| P | Poor |
|
|
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated. |
|
thether anchor symbol
|
Tether anchor |
|
lower anchor symbol
|
Lower anchors |
| Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s) | |
|
|
No hardware available |
Details by seating position
| 1 | |
|---|---|
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| not too deep in seat | |
| not too much force needed to attach | |
| easy to maneuver around anchors | |
| 2 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| none available | |
| 3 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| not too deep in seat | |
| not too much force needed to attach | |
| easy to maneuver around anchors |
Seat position 21
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | Yes |
| Depth | Visible |
| Force (lbs) | 3 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 69 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | Yes |
| Depth | Visible |
| Force (lbs) | 2 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 61 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
Seat position 22
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Lower anchor B | |
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
Seat position 23
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | Yes |
| Depth | Visible |
| Force (lbs) | 4 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 56 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | Yes |
| Depth | Visible |
| Force (lbs) | 5 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 70 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |