Where each one leads
Mercedes-Benz GLC
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz GLC cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.4% against 5.8%).
- New Mercedes-Benz GLC cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 129 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 156 for the Toyota Highlander in 2022.
Toyota Highlander
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Toyota Highlander uses 8.0 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz GLC 9.5.
Too close to call: NHTSA overall safety rating.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Mercedes-Benz GLC | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2015–2023 | 1997–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 640,588 (2015–2022) | 11,164 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 98,346 | 1,227 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 25,833 | 563 |
| In traffic in Finland | 12,123 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Mercedes-Benz GLC | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 88% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +5% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 2.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | +28% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.4% | 5.8% |
| US owner complaints | 24 | 5,777 |
| Most complaints about | Service brakes | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 2017 (13) | 2021 (531) |
| US recall campaigns | — | 51 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 273 | 5,262 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 2 | 20 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Mercedes-Benz GLC | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2021) | 5★ (2026) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mercedes-Benz GLC | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 9.9 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.6 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 7.6 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 9.5 l/100 km | 8.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 13.1 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 129 g/km | 156 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 156 kW (209 hp) | 140 kW (188 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,960 kg | 2,136 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €77,065 | €81,945 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 123,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).