440 used Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars for sale

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class we know today is a far cry from its first iteration when it launched in 1997. Initially a unique and angular compact car, the A-Class revolutionised the small vehicle market. More than a quarter of a century later, it has undergone three generational developments, with its Mk4 launched as a subcompact executive hatchback in 2018. Stylish, luxurious and powerful, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a market winner for the German manufacturer.

The more recent accolades earned by the Mercedes-Benz A-Class demonstrate both its quality and its durability. A year after the launch of the Mk4, it won the Fleet News Award for Best Compact Premium Car, as well as the What Car? Safety Award thanks to its crash avoidance technology and passenger protection.

Due to its practicality and reliability, the A-Class makes an ideal family car, equally well suited to driving around town as it is covering longer distances. It is at the luxury end of the hatchback class and as such rivals the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and the Mazda 3.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class updates and facelifts

Mercedes-Benz launched the A-Class in 1997, with petrol engines ranging from a 1.4-litre to a 2.1-litre. Two diesel engines were also made available.

The Mk2 arrived on the market in 2004. While the difference between the external design is fairly minor compared to later updates, this second iteration made a range of updates to the ride quality, improving the suspension with adaptive damping and adding sat nav. It was also the first of the A-Class range to offer both three-door and five-door models, with the latter adding extra boot space.

The Mk3 and Mk4 are the two A-Class generations most regularly seen on the roads today. The Mk3 was in production between 2012 and 2018 and underwent a significant appearance overhaul to create a sporty, highly attractive family hatchback with enormous curb appeal. The same can be said for the Mk4, which built on this new design by adding an impressive bank of driver assistance technology and a more comprehensive entertainment system.

Practicality and style of the car

The Mk3 five-door A-Class has a boot capacity of 341 litres with all the seats up. Slot the rear seats down, and that opens up to 1,157 litres. With the addition of a 60/40 split among the rear seats, there’s the added practical option of including an extra passenger in the rear while also making use of extra storage space – perfect for a family trip away.

The Mk4 builds on the practical essence of the stylish Mk3, adding more space than its predecessor. The boot capacity is upped to 370 litres, closely rivalling the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series, which both have 380 litres of boot space, and beating the Mazda 3’s 358 litres. With seats down, capacity is in line with the Mk3 at 1,157 litres. This is more than the Mazda 3 and is similar to the Audi A3’s 1,200-litre capacity.

Adding to its capabilities as a more family-orientated car, the Mk4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class has a towing capacity of 1,800kg – so it could easily manage a mid-sized caravan. The Mk3 also has a respectable towing capacity of up to 1,500kg.

Running costs

The running costs of a Mercedes-Benz A-Class are reasonable, particularly considering its status as a luxury hatchback. Road tax sits at £180 for almost all Mk4 models, and it sits between insurance groups 17 and 32 depending on model. The majority of models sit at the lower end of this bracket, though, with many variants costing less than the Audi A3, which sits in groups 14 to 46, and the BMW 1 Series, which sits in groups 12 to 41.

How a used Mercedes-Benz A-Class drives

Mercedes-Benz is planning to offer fully electric versions of all of its models by 2025, with an electric-only policy by 2030 and an ambition to become CO2-neutral by 2039. For now, though, the used A-Class comes with a range of petrol, diesel and, as of 2023, hybrid options with varying levels of power.

The Mk3 comes with three CDI diesel engines, and three petrol engines. Diesel options start from the A180, which is a 1.5-litre BlueEfficiency manual that can achieve 0-62mph in 9.2 seconds. The top of the range diesel engine, the A220, produces 177bhp, and can reach 0-62mph in just 7.5 seconds. Petrol options span three different engines, with the most powerful being the A250. With 218bhp, this can hit 0-62mph in as little as 6.3 seconds.

The Mk4 trimmed down the options to two petrol and one diesel. Petrol versions of the Mk4 utilise mild-hybrid technology to enhance performance, paired with a 1.3-litre engine. The entry-level option offers 136bhp, while the more powerful version bumps this up to 163bhp. These are efficient options for running costs, too; the less powerful petrol engine can return up to 54mpg, while the top-of-the-range model can do 53mpg. The single diesel option is a 1.5-litre engine that achieves 0-62mph in 9.2 seconds. This can return an impressive 74mpg.

Both the Mk3 and Mk4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class are powerful and elegant on the roads. Finely tuned suspension ensures they can handle the potholes of urban streets, while their power ensures you can coast along the motorway.

Engines and official MPG

Please refer to the table below for a comprehensive list of engines and their official MPG figures.

2012 - 2018

2018 - onwards

Features you can expect in a Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Interior

The transition of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Mk3 to a five-door, five-occupant offering increased the car’s practicality exponentially, adding space throughout the cabin and a larger boot. As such, there’s a comfortable feel fit for a family, despite its label as a luxury hatchback. The Mk3 has a wealth of storage compartments throughout the cabin, while automatic variants have a little extra space where the gearbox would sit on a manual drive.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a luxury hatch, and its interior features live up to this description. Across its Mk3 and Mk4, there are signs of tasteful, premium design with every effort made to enhance the comfort of drivers and passengers.

The Mk3 includes a multimedia screen in the central console surrounded by soft-touch plastics, with sat nav and a range of entertainment capabilities. The all-black design throughout adds to the classy feel of the cabin, and there’s plenty of legroom for passengers in the rear – particularly when considering the compact nature of the car. Higher trim levels offer additional premium touches like a flat-bottomed leather steering wheel and faux-leather upholstery with red stitching.

Much like its design and engine range, the Mk4 A-Class builds on the solid and classy foundations of its predecessor. The infotainment system includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while some variants add wireless phone charging. The digital driver displays are crystal clear, creating an ultra-modern feel in the front. Like the Mk3, there’s plenty of legroom in the rear, and the premium upholstery and plastic materials are in keeping with the upmarket feel that Mercedes-Benz is known for.

Technology

A wealth of technology is available with the A-Class, helping to improve the driving experience with automated assistance. The Mk3 comes with plenty of kit as standard, including an adaptive braking system, attention assist (to notify drivers that they might be tired), and collision prevention assist. It also offers hill start assist and automated headlights as standard, while higher trim levels include cruise control with a speed limiter.

The Mk4 includes more advanced automated assistance. The pick of these is its active lane keeping assist technology, which will take control of the wheel for drivers on motorways if they stray out of their lane without indicating. Active braking assist is also included, as well as an improved attention assist feature.

Safety

Euro NCAP awarded both the Mk3 and Mk4 A-Class a full five-star safety rating. The Mk3 has an adult occupant rating of 93% and a child occupant rating of 81%. The Mk4’s ratings are even more impressive, with an adult occupant rating of 96% and a child occupant rating of 91%. These are higher than the Audi A3’s 83% adult score and 81% child score, as well as the BMW 1 Series’ 83% adult score and 87% child score.

ISOFIX points in the rear of the A-Class make the installation of car seats easy, and all versions come with a wealth of airbags that attest to the car’s full marks from Euro NCAP.

Trims available on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class

The A-Class is available in petrol, diesel or as a plug-in hybrid – all the fuel types you have come to expect from a modern premium car manufacturer. The A-Class comes in a wide range of trim levels, offering a variety of options that meet and exceed the expectations of most buyers:

Mercedes-Benz A-Class SE

The SE is the entry-level trim level of the A-Class. However, that doesn’t mean that it is a barebones option, far from it. Although not as opulent as some of the higher trim levels, the A-Class SE comes equipped with a level of functional technology that you would expect from the premium Mercedes-Benz brand. With 16-inch alloy wheels and an iconic diamond radiator grille, even the SE oozes curb appeal. The 7-inch media display provides access to the map pilot navigation system, along with reversing camera with dynamic guide and media access with mp3 connectivity. This is complete with a leather multifunction steering wheel and air conditioning.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sport

With the larger 17-inch alloy wheels that come with the Sport, the step up from the SE is immediately noticeable. The additional rain-sensing windscreen wipers provide the driver with another feature that isn’t available on the SE, while the twin stainless steel tailpipes afford the car its sporty look and increased curb appeal. As with the wheels, the digital display is also larger on the Sport with the tablet-style 8-inch panel that provides the driver with access to the same functionality as the SE, as well as Mercedes’ own ‘Thermotronic’ automatic climate control. The interior is fitted with reading lights and a rear roof lining light.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class AMG

The AMG, Mercedes-Benz‘ top-level trim, comes in two flavours: the AMG Line, which incorporates the AMG styling, and the full-fat AMG, which includes AMG styling and the famous AMG performance. So, beginning with the wheels, the AMG comes with 18-inch alloy wheels as well as the AMG body styling. With this being the performance division of Mercedes-Benz, the AMG badge often brings with it the sportier features.

The AMG trim available on the A-Class provides branded front calipers and perforated front brake discs that are visible through the alloy spokes. The lowered suspension, with a drop of 20mm at the front and 15mm on the rear, means AMG’s styling really helps portray the sense of performance and comfort. The AMG-specific Sports Direct-Steer system provides the driver with what Mercedes Benz describes as “far sharper handling for scintillating cornering” – so you can see why the AMG has the reputation of being a real performance choice. This carries through to the interior with sport seats, leather steering wheel with perforated grip and striking red contrasted stitching, carbon-fibre-look trim and stainless-steel sports pedals.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class Motorsport Edition

The Motorsport Edition was a limited release to celebrate the success of the Formula 1 achievements of Mercedes-Benz. Celebrating the motorsport pedigree of Mercedes-Benz with its eye-catching petrol green trim, the driver will find a whole host of great functionality at their disposal inside this driving marvel, such as AMG 18-inch alloy wheels, electrically folding exterior mirrors and automatically dimming rear-view mirror and drivers-side mirror. Just like the AMG trim, map pilot navigation is provided, while the Motorsport comes with sport seats in black leather/DINMICA microfibre that continues the petrol green trim with colour matching green stitching and stripes.

Whether you’re looking to finance a Mercedes-Benz A-Class or purchase one, we have a wide range of used Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars available to buy online safely with Click & Collect and home delivery options available.

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