If you want a Mercedes on PCO in London, the model you pick decides which Uber products you can work, and the gap between them is wider than most drivers expect. Only two Mercedes models in Uber's entire London list reach Lux. Six reach Exec. Almost the whole range reaches Comfort. Here is the full picture, read from Uber's own London vehicle data on 31 July 2026, with the TfL rules that sit underneath it applied on top.
The TfL gate comes first
Before any platform tier matters, the car has to be licensable as a London private hire vehicle. Two rules do most of the work:
- TfL will not licence a PHV more than 10 years old from first registration, at first licensing or at renewal. In 2026 that makes a 2016 the oldest usable car, and a 2016 is in its final licensable year.
- A vehicle being licensed in London for the first time must be zero emission capable and Euro 6.
That second rule is the one that quietly removes most of the used Mercedes market. A 2019 diesel E-Class is a perfectly good car and cannot be licensed new in London today. The plug-in hybrids and the electric models are the ones that clear it.
Which Mercedes reaches which Uber product
This is Uber's London eligible-model data, with the TfL age floor applied on top of Uber's global figures. The year shown is the minimum model year that works in London.
| Model | Comfort | Exec | Lux | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-Class | 2020 | 2021 | 2021 | No |
| EQS | 2020 | 2021 | 2021 | 2016 |
| Maybach S-Class | 2020 | 2021 | No | No |
| E-Class | 2020 | 2021 | No | No |
| E-Class Wagon | 2020 | No | No | No |
| EQE | 2020 | 2021 | No | 2016 |
| CLS-Class | 2020 | 2021 | No | No |
| C-Class | 2020 | No | No | No |
| GLE-Class | 2020 | No | No | No |
| EQE SUV | 2020 | No | No | No |
| EQS SUV | 2020 | No | No | No |
Individual engine variants follow their parent model. The E 220, E 320, E 400, E250, E280 and E350e all carry the same 2021 Exec floor as the E-Class line they belong to.
Three things stand out.
Only the S-Class and the EQS reach Lux. Not the Maybach S-Class, which is the more expensive car. Uber's list is a list, not a judgement about luxury, and a model either appears against a tier or it does not.
The SUVs stop at Comfort. EQE SUV and EQS SUV are Comfort only, while their saloon namesakes reach Exec. If you buy or hire the SUV expecting Exec work, you will not get it.
The E-Class Wagon stops at Comfort too, whatever the raw list says. Uber's vehicle data still tags some estate and wagon bodies against Exec, but Uber's published rule for the tier is explicit that no estate vehicles are accepted on Exec or Lux. Where the data and the rule disagree, the rule is the one you are held to. We have set out that contradiction in Uber Exec and Lux rules for London in 2026.
Exec is a 2021 floor across the board. Comfort is 2020. That single year is the difference between the two tiers for almost every Mercedes on the list, and it moves every January.
Why Exec and Lux are worth the model choice
The tiers are not just badges. Exec and Lux generally price higher than Comfort, and the rider expectation rises with them. A driver working Exec in a 2021 E-Class is competing in a much smaller pool than one working Comfort in the same car.
The rules for those two tiers changed on 1 August 2026, and the change applies to vehicles newly added in London from that date rather than immediately to cars already working, though that protection is not permanent. We have written up exactly what moved in Uber Exec and Lux rules for London in 2026. If you are choosing a Mercedes now with Exec or Lux in mind, read that before you commit, because the criteria you are buying against are the new ones.
For the full picture across every manufacturer, not just Mercedes, the complete list of models Uber accepts in London covers all 780 models across 107 makes, and what Uber requires of a car in London explains how the products stack on top of each other.
The Mercedes we run
We run four Mercedes models for licensed London drivers, chosen because they clear the TfL first licensing rule and reach the higher tiers:
| Model | Powertrain | Reaches |
|---|---|---|
| S580Le | Plug-in hybrid | Comfort, Exec, Lux |
| EQS | Electric | Comfort, Exec, Lux, Electric |
| EQE | Electric | Comfort, Exec, Electric |
| E-Class | Plug-in hybrid | Comfort, Exec |
Every one of them comes with fully comprehensive hire and reward insurance, scheduled servicing, MOT, maintenance and 24/7 RAC on a single weekly payment. Availability moves, so check the fleet page for what is on the road today and what is on the waiting list, and call us for a quote on anything not showing a price.
What a Mercedes actually costs to run on PCO
The sticker price is the smallest part of the decision. On a car you own, the running costs that matter are:
- Hire and reward insurance, roughly £1,500 to £3,000 a year for a London PHV driver depending on age, record and postcode.
- Servicing on a premium executive saloon, which is not the same number as a small hatchback.
- Tyres, which on an S-Class or an EQS are a genuine line item rather than an afterthought.
- Depreciation, which on a three year old executive Mercedes is the single largest cost of all and the one drivers reliably underestimate.
- The TfL clock. A car with three licensable years left is a different asset from one with eight, whatever the mileage says.
That last point is the one worth sitting with. A cheap 2018 E-Class looks like a bargain until you notice it cannot be licensed new in London at all, and that even on renewal it runs out in 2028.
Hiring moves insurance, servicing, MOT, maintenance and depreciation off your balance sheet and into one weekly figure. Buying keeps the asset. Neither is automatically right, and we have set out the arithmetic both ways in rent or rent to buy and what rent to buy actually is.
Before you commit to any Mercedes
Four checks, in this order, and the order matters:
- Is the exact model on Uber's list against the tier you want? Use the table above, or the full list. A model that is not on the list is invisible to that product, however good the car is.
- Does it clear TfL? Ten years from first registration, and zero emission capable plus Euro 6 if it is being licensed in London for the first time.
- What model year is it? Exec and Lux need 2021 or newer. Comfort needs 2020. Those floors move every January, so a car that qualifies in December may not in January.
- Will it pass inspection? Eligibility is not the same as passing. What TfL check at inspection and why cars fail covers the reasons a compliant car still gets turned away, and why cars get rejected by Uber covers the platform side of the same problem.
If your PCO badge is still with TfL, that is the right time to be choosing rather than signing. How to get your PCO licence in London sets out the process end to end.
The short version
For a Mercedes on PCO in London: the S-Class and EQS are the only two that reach Lux, and both need 2021 or newer. The E-Class, EQE, CLS-Class and Maybach S-Class reach Exec at the same 2021 floor. The E-Class Wagon, the SUVs and the C-Class stop at Comfort. Anything being licensed in London for the first time has to be zero emission capable and Euro 6, which in practice means the plug-in hybrids and the electric models.
We run the S580Le, EQS, EQE and E-Class, insured and maintained on one weekly price. Current availability and rates are on the fleet page.