Mercedes-Benz and Smart dealers sold over 44,000 service plans combined in the UK last year.

The budget maintenance package helps Mercedes-Benz customers to cover the cost of two, three or four consecutive services and covers labour, parts and fluid costs.

Out of the 44,125 service care plans taken out last year, more than half (53%) were covering two consecutive services, with cover for the C-Class accounting for over 14,000 sales.

Almost 30% of service care plans were taken out with a new car purchase, with the remainder of plans for used cars or cars already in service.

James Ostridge, service contracts manager at Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “We have worked hard to develop service care plans that provide real value for money for owners, with the fixed monthly payment meaning they have real control over their servicing costs.”

Customers pay a monthly price for new and used models in the range with no variation on body type or engine size.

A three year service plan paid monthly over three years would be the same for a new E200CDI saloon or a new E350 Coupe.

The range of service care plans was extended in 2011 to include new AMG vehicles, meaning that all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and Smart cars are available for cover.

The Smart plans start from £19.999 per month and the Mercedes-Benz plans start at £23 per month.