The two most important issues that plague wider use of stainless steel bipolar plates in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are insufficient corrosion resistance and surface conductivity. In this study, C/CrN multilayer coatings are deposited on 316L stainless steel samples by close-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering ion plating. SEM shows that the C/CrN coatings are dense, continuous, and composing of carbon granules on the surface. Raman spectroscopy reveals an amorphous structure with a large sp2 constituent. The corrosion resistance and interfacial contact resistance (ICR) are investigated systematically. A superior ICR in the range of 2.6–2.9mΩ-cm2 at a compaction force of 150N/cm2 is achieved and it is even better than that of graphite. The deposited film possesses high chemical inertness thereby significantly enhancing the corrosion resistance of the coated SS316L. A thickness of 800nm is sufficient to protect against corrosion. C/CrN multilayer coatings are beneficial in that it can lead to a faster PVD deposition process and lower material cost, while permitting a superior performance in terms of surface conductivity and corrosion resistance. ► C/CrN multilayer coatings with dense structure and high percentage of sp2 bond are deposited on SS316L. ► C/CrN multilayer coatings exhibit superior surface conductivity that is even better than that of graphite. ► Electrochemical results disclose that the C/CrN multilayer coatings have excellent corrosion resistance.