Car Model Guide/ Mercedes-Benz/ E-Class/ S212/ E 250

E 250 M274

The facelift E200/E250 petrol. A modern 2.0 turbo four that replaced the older M271 EVO. Refined and reasonably trouble-free; like any direct-injection engine it will accumulate intake carbon over time.

Overview

The E 250 is the M274 petrol version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon (S212), sold 2013–2016 with 211 PS and auto_7g. Manageable at level 2. Like the E 200, no endemic engine fault. Carbon aside, the M274 is a trouble-free modern four. 15 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon (S212) · photo Mercedes-Benz E 350 CGi Estate (4979954100) by nakhon100 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power211 PS

Torque350 Nm

Years2013–2016

Fuelpetrol

DriveRWD

EnginesM274

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 15 recorded in total.

63Demands diligence

Carbon buildup on intake valves€400–€700not checkable
Front control arm bushing wear€300–€700checkable
Electronic steering lock (ESL/ELV) failure€150–€1,200partly checkable

Risk level −11 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 3 with no recurring fault reported

Engine✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Intake & airwatchCarbon buildup on intake valves, €400–€700.

CoolingwatchCoolant expansion tank cracking, €120–€250.

Emissions✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Transmissionwatch7G-Tronic conductor plate and 13-pin connector leak (722.9), €400–€900.+1 more in this system

ElectricswatchElectronic steering lock (ESL/ELV) failure, €150–€1,200.+3 more in this system

Suspension & brakeswatchFront control arm bushing wear, €300–€700.+4 more in this system

Body & interiorwatchCorrosion at the rear subframe and arch seams, €300–€2,000.+1 more in this system

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Carbon buildup on intake valvesdirect injection€400–€700

Rough cold idle, slow throttle response, misfires, gradual loss of low-end response. Direct injection puts no fuel over the intake valves, so crankcase vapour deposits bake on undisturbed.

Check: Not visible without a borescope. Treat it as a service item that's due unless there's a receipt. It's not a fault, it's an unbudgeted maintenance cost.

Turbo & intakeuniversalNot detectable at viewingevidence: documented80–120k km

Front control arm bushing wearE9x chassis€300–€700

Knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking. The front lower arm bushings are a known wear item on this chassis and go well before the ball joints.

Check: Drive over a rough road at low speed with the windows down and listen. Check the inside edges of the front tyres for feathering.

SuspensionuniversalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented80–150k km

Electronic steering lock (ESL/ELV) failureE-Class platform€150–€1,200

The engine cranks but won't start and the steering stays locked, sometimes after several attempts, with steering-lock fault codes. The small motor that drives the locking bolt wears out and the module eventually blocks further attempts. The cause is consistent motor wear rather than anything variable.

Check: Do several cold starts. Listen for the steering-lock clunk as the key goes in, and scan for B2254 and related codes; intermittent no-starts are the early warning.

ElectricalcommonPartly detectableevidence: documented80–200k km

7G-Tronic conductor plate and 13-pin connector leak (722.9)7G-TRONIC€400–€900

Harsh, delayed or jerky shifts, holding a gear then banging the next in, and limp mode, often with speed-sensor or gear-ratio fault codes. The speed sensors in the conductor plate (mechatronic) fail, and/or the external 13-pin connector leaks fluid that wicks up the wiring into the control unit. Early units are the most affected.

Check: Test-drive through every gear cold and warm. Scan the transmission, and pull the external 13-pin plug to check for fluid on the pins.

TransmissioncommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–220k km

Rear self-levelling air-suspension leak (estate)S212 body€400–€900

The rear sits low or sags overnight, a suspension-malfunction message, and a compressor that runs long or fails. The rear air springs perish and leak, the air lines chafe, or the compressor wears. The S212 estate has rear self-levelling air suspension as standard, so every one of them ages into this.

Check: Park it level overnight and check the rear ride height and for warning messages the next morning; inspect the airbags and lines for cracks and a long-running compressor.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented100–200k km

Run-flat tyres and kerbed or cracked wheelsE9x chassis€150–€900

Harsh ride, vibration at speed, slow punctures. Stiff-sidewall run-flats transmit impacts straight into the rim, and these alloys crack rather than bend.

Check: Inspect the inner rim edge of every wheel for cracks and hairline splits, not just the face for kerbing. Budget for a set of conventional tyres; most owners switch and the ride improves markedly.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Corrosion at the rear subframe and arch seamsE9x chassis€300–€2,000

Bubbling at the rear arch lip, scaling on subframe mounting points and rear suspension components. Age plus road salt. This generation isn't a notorious rotter, but nothing from 2005–2013 is immune in a salted market.

Check: Put it on a lift and look at the rear subframe mounting points and the arch lips from behind. Largely a non-issue on cars from southern Europe, a real one on northern and Baltic cars.

Body & corrosionoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Front thrust-arm and control-arm bush wearE-Class platform€300–€600

A clunk or knock over bumps and when turning at low speed, vibration through the wheel, and vague or wandering steering. The aluminium front arms use fluid-filled hydraulic bushes that rupture and leak; the bushes aren't separately serviceable, so the whole arm is replaced. The cause is consistent.

Check: Look for brown hydraulic fluid weeping from the bushes, rock the arms for play, and listen for a clunk over rough roads and on full lock.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented95–160k km

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once. All 15 issues in full →

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

A later car with a full history is the target; the engine itself asks little beyond routine care.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Walnut-blast intake Direct injection carbons the valves	as needed	€300–500
Engine oil Routine longevity insurance	on time, correct spec	€110–160
7G-Tronic fluid Not a lifetime fill	roughly 80,000 km	€300–500

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

median €12.3k

€7.8k€10.1k€19.4k

Cheapfind the reasonGood buyif it checks outFairnormal moneyOverpricedneeds justifying

Asking price (€)Mileage (km)

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD · 2026-07

🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€10,100band €7,800–€19,450

🇺🇸 United StatesNot soldE 250 M274 was never a US-market car

What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

ModelMercedes-Benz E-Class E 250
ChassisS212
EngineM274
Years2013–2016
MarketCentral EU
Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07

Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the s212 median, all 10 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record

The E 250 is the M274 in its stronger 211 PS tune, and it's enough to make the big W212 feel genuinely brisk rather than merely adequate. Like the E 200 it has no endemic fault, so ownership is about the routine: oil on time, gearbox fluid, and the eventual intake decarbonise. If you want a petrol executive saloon that won't spring the diesels' injector or chain surprises on you, the facelift E 250 is the low-worry choice.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine code	M274 2.0 turbo
Configuration	I4, turbocharged · 1991 cc
Fuel / injection	petrol · direct
Model years	2013–2016
Facelift phase	Facelift (LCI) only, from 2013
Power / torque	211 PS · 350 Nm
Transmissions	7-speed automatic (7G-Tronic)
Gearbox families	7G-TRONIC
Drivetrain	RWD
Economy (real-world)	6.2–8.2 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU

E 250 M274

Overview

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Pre-purchase inspection

1Cold startYou get one. If the engine is warm when you arrive, come back another day.

2Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

3On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.

4PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.