Mercedes was selected as one of the "top 100 British soap characters" by industry experts for a poll run by What's on TV entitled "Who is Soap's Greatest Legend?", in which readers regularly vote for their favourite character. In her book Soap Stars, Debbie Foy featured Metcalfe and described Mercedes as "having a dangerous streak and is always causing trouble or has a scam on the go, she enjoys taking risks and usually seems to get what she wants". Virgin Media listed Mercedes' wedding to Russ amongst their list of "Soap's biggest wedding day disasters" before adding that "McQueen weddings are full of drama, and Russ and Mercedes' big day was no exception". Virgin Media later profiled some of Hollyoaks' "hottest females" in their opinion, and stated about Mercedes, "As one of the hottest ladies in Hollyoaks, with curves to die for, Mercedes has had more men than hot dinners. And now Malachy's met his maker, we're sure it won't be long till Mercedes earns yet another notch on her bedpost". The Liverpool Echo described Mercedes' desire to marry saying, "Mercedes has finally got what she's wanted for so long – a great big gleaming rock on her finger. Not that it matters who gave it to her, of course". Anthony D. Langford from AfterElton praised Mercedes, saying he loved the character and had these affections "Because frankly, she scares the bejeezus out of me. This is one tough chick [...] As hard edged as she is, it's obvious she loves her brother dearly, and heaven help anyone who hurts a member of her family".
