Best Used Luxury Car for 2022

The 2015 Mercedes-Benz S 300h is the winner of the luxury car category of carsales Best Used Cars for 2022, proudly presented by Bingle.

In previous years the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has played tag with Land Rover’s premium offering, the Range Rover, which won this category in 2020 and two years before that in 2018. The S-Class won in between, in 2019.

As elegant and lovely as the Range Rover is, it’s out of contention this year because the judges felt that it was inappropriate for any SUV – no matter how good – to be judged as a luxury car.

What defines a luxury car? To most consumers, it’s a long-wheelbase passenger car wearing a badge from a prestige brand.

By definition, a luxury car should be one that effortlessly lopes along country roads with barely any noise entering the cabin, and the suspension soaking up bumps that would have other cars bouncing around all over the place.

There should be abundant legroom in the rear, it should wear a prestige badge and, most importantly, it should be an imposing sedan (albeit possibly with a tailgate, like the Porsche Panamera), but not an SUV.

With that in mind, the S-Class fits our revised definition to a ‘tee’. The winning vehicle in 2022 is the Mercedes-Benz S 300h BlueTEC (‘h’ for ‘hybrid) that underpins the other, more expensive variants in the range.

Compared with its direct rivals, the S-Class is a known quantity in every important way.

The RedBook analysis of the S 300h added up to 34.6 points, with the judges’ score of 42 combining for a total of 76.6 out of 100. In 2015, the hybrid S-Class was priced at $196,500 plus on-road costs.

According to RedBook, its value as a used car in 2022 is $77,057.

Other than the introduction of the high-performance flagship, the S 65L, there were few changes to the S-Class range in 2015.

However, reviewer Matt Brogan was present for the launch of the S 300h in June the year before, and these were his findings: “With a fuel economy figure closer to a Prius than a prestige limousine, the new Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC hybrid is one impressive bit of kit.

“Priced at $195,000 plus on-road costs, it competes toe-to-toe with diesel-only entry-grade class rivals, yet still manages to match or even exceed the level of comfort and equipment offered as standard.”

You can read more about the Mercedes-Benz S 300h BlueTEC hybrid in our launch review here.

“Well-deserved win for the renowned champion of luxury limousines” – Ross Booth, RedBook data services director

“Unmatched for comfort and in-cabin serenity in this sector of the market” – Ken Gratton, carsales technical editor

In 2015, the S-Class was the top-selling car in its segment, and the only one to sell over 100 units. Benz found homes for 331 of the cars that year, five up from 2014. The closest rival was the BMW 7 Series, which recorded just 93 sales for the year, in runout ahead of a new generation for 2016.

Delivering all the benefits for which the S-Class is renowned – roominess, prestige, comfort and safety – the diesel/hybrid variant also brought eco-sensitive motoring to captains of industry and the hire-car market, making it a deserving winner in the luxury car category of carsales Best Used Cars for 2022, proudly presented by Bingle.

Find a used 2015 Mercedes-Benz S 300h on carsales

Honourable mentions:

The entry-level V6-engined Porsche Panamera scored 27.4 points from RedBook and 45 points from the judges for a total of 72.4
RedBook value: $95,525

“The impression the Panamera delivers from the driver’s seat is universal, whether you are in a turbo V6, hybrid, naturally-aspirated V8 or turbo V8 (and we drove them all) … And it is that this is a big car that is bloody quick and steers with precision that no mainstream oversized luxo-barge could hope to match” – Bruce Newton, carsales senior journalist

“Porsche’s Panamera is not a car revered by Porsche lovers. However… as is often the case with Porsches, the Panamera channels the essence of the brand in the way it drives” – Ken Gratton, carsales technical editor

The BMW 730d scored 27.9 points from RedBook and 40 points from the judges for a total of 67.9
RedBook value: $67,339

“The limousine for drivers who haven’t given up on driving” – Ken Gratton, carsales technical editor

“It really is an impressive achievement that a vehicle this big and heavy can be so light on fuel and light on its feet” – Bruce Newton, carsales senior journalist

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars?
• Less than six years old
• Standard side curtain airbags
• Standard Bluetooth
• Standard electronic stability control (mandated for 2014)
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership
• Five per cent for service intervals
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell

Read all about carsales Best Used Cars for 2022 here