New Mercedes S-Class facelift confirmed for 2026 launch

A ‘major upgrade’ will come to Mercedes’ flagship S-Class in 2026, according to the brand in its 2024 financial results report. Mercedes' CEO Ola Källenius spoke last year on the upcoming change to the S-Class, stating the company has "invested a lot more in the model update of the new combustion engine S-Class than we normally spend on a facelift". 

The current seventh-generation Mercedes S-Class went into production in 2020, with a range with petrol, diesel and hybrid engines, leaving all-electric power to the EQS. 

Mercedes claims it has a range of ‘future-proof’ engines ready to meet Euro-7 emissions guidelines. That line-up spans four to eight-cylinder units, with 12-cylinder options still being made for certain markets. Beyond this year, Mercedes says investments into combustion-engine technology will remain limited, thanks in part to a ‘reduction in powertrain complexity’ and ‘modularisation between BEV and electrified high-tech ICE products’.

Further hybridisation should be part of the powertrain strategy. However, the brand’s pragmatic approach to offering diesels in models that fundamentally suit them should mean they remain an option here in the UK – not a given when rivals such as BMW and Audi no longer offer any diesel variants of their full-size saloons. 

As for the S-Class design, we’ve spotted Mercedes testing its limousine already and can see it will be getting a significant update to its exterior design, dominated by a much larger grille that sits between two new headlights. While the test car’s camouflage does hide most design details, we can see that the headlights have three-pointed lighting elements similar to that found on the recently updated EQS, likely featuring Mercedes’ latest Digital Headlight technology. 

Changes at the rear include new tail-lights that look to be inspired by the latest E-Class, which feature yet more three-pointed star motifs. These sit above a prominent set of exhaust finishers at the bottom of the lower bumper. 

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While such exterior changes are nothing unusual on a mid-life update, the level to which Mercedes is planning on upgrading the cabin and its powertrain tech is a bigger question that’s still to be answered. 

In typical fashion, the current S-Class was the first Mercedes to introduce a new infotainment system when it arrived in 2020. That portrait-orientated touchscreen is now in use across most of the marque’s C-Class and sports car ranges. But the latest E-Class has now usurped the S-Class with its new ‘Superscreen’ option, suggesting that a more comprehensive tech update will be on the cards in order to keep the limo feeling like a flagship model. 

We expect to see and hear more about the new S-Class in the coming months, with a reveal possible later this year, ahead of 2026 sales. 

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