Battery sizes: 58 - 85 kWh
E-Rating™: A+
Max charge rate: 320kW
WLTP range: 300 - 465 miles (est) 
Introduction and model history - 2026 Mercedes CLA
Mercedes-Benz is revolutionising its compact 'coupe-like saloon' - the CLA - by offering it in fully electric guise for the first time. Set to take on rivals like the Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3, BMW I4 and BYD Seal, the new, electric Mercedes CLA isn’t holding back on the specification.
Base versions of the electric Merc CLA will feature rear-wheel drive and one motor, combined with a smaller 58kWh battery, with higher spec models gaining a 4Matic four-wheel drive with a decoupling front motor, a larger silicon carbide chemistry 85kWh battery pack. A two-speed gearbox, 800 Volt technology, intelligent brake regeneration, a multi-source heat pump and up to 320kW DC charging power is technology derived from Mercedes-Benz’s record-breaking Vision EQXX concept car.
Based on Mercedes-Benz’s MMA platform, which accepts both full BEV drive and combustion engines with 48V mild hybrid drive, the BEV will lead the model charge when it’s introduced early in 2026, with the production models anticipated to be revealed later this March.
Range, battery and charging
Being a pre-production prototype drive, Mercedes-Benz’s press people and engineers are remaining tight-lipped about exact numbers for the Merc CLA EV, but they will admit that they’re aiming for a range of in excess of 465 miles, which is very impressive and will better rivals from BMW, BYD, Polestar and Tesla. Naturally, that long range will be associated with the range-topping model, which benefits from an 85kWh li-ion NMC battery, with lesser models making do with a 58kWh with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. You can read about the pros and cons of NMC and LFP batteries, right here.
While the smaller battery inevitably won’t have the headline range of its more expensive relation, it still promises good range due to Mercedes-Benz throwing all its most innovative tech at the CLA. This includes silicon carbide inverters, which basically help to manage battery temperature, reduce weight and improve the efficiency of the electric motors. There's also a two-speed gearbox (a bit like on the Porsche Taycan) and a neat, effective multi-source heat pump.
With the potential to charge at up to 320kW depending on model, there’s the possibility to add as much as 186 miles in under ten minutes, which would make the new Mercedes CLA one of the fastest charging electric cars out there, as well as one of the most efficient. All of this tech means that - going by official figures - it'll manage well over 5.0 miles/kWh. Nice!
Practicality and boot space
Despite being a slinky, four-door coupe-saloon kinda thing, the CLA gets a useful 395-litres of boot space, which is more than you get in the ID.3, for instance, but isn't quite as big as the boot in the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3.
As for the space inside? Again, think decent accommodation that'll comfortably take four normally-proportioned adults. Even with a taller driver, an adult will be fine in the back. There's a full flat floor, too, in the electric CLA (the petrol versions will have a transmission tunnel), but between the space on offer and there being lots of glass, rear climate control, charging ports and more, the accommodation for rear passengers is very good. You can seat three across the rear bench, but it'll be a bit of a squeeze. Don't forget that the CLA is a compact executive, and by the standards of that class it's very good!
Interior, design/styling and technology
The interior of the new, 2026 Mercedes CLA is one of the really interesting things. You can really personalise the interior (which you certainly can't do with a Tesla or any other current executive car). There's about eight different seat finishes, and you can even choose from lots of different centre console finishes; there's a paper version with 'zen garden style' finish, or a wood finish, or pin stripes, or the aluminium finish of the car in our pictures is really lovely, too, if a bit more conventional.
And the screens? It's not three screens, it's the 'MBUX superscreen'. To the rest of us, that means that there are three massive screens, plus optional head-up display. The two central screens are your main focus, and they've got built-in ChatGPT, it'll do intelligent route planning factoring in charging times, and it is all really clever. Mind you, that voice control... Well, check out the video to see how responsive it was! It's a bit hit-and-miss in the pre-production car that Nicola looked around (and wasn't active at all in the prototype that we drove, as it was all draped in sheets). Nonetheless, when it's working it's very clever, and one of the most advanced voice control systems you can use.
Plus, there's games, movie streaming, games console connectivity and more - as well as the usual wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's got everything you could ever think of wanting in your car. The fact that the interface is so much like a mobile phone is also good, as it is easy to use (and very configurable). Clever, eh?!
Motors, performance and handling
We experienced the range-topping, four-wheel drive, dual motor setup, which gets around 268bhp at the rear and 107bhp at the front. The front motor decouples when it's not needed for power/recuperation, to help with that efficiency. In this form, the CLA felt brisk, even on winter tyres across a frozen lake. The immediacy of response is particularly impressive, not just in acceleration, but in braking, too. Mercedes has developed a new Brake Control System to deliver a brake pedal that produces excellent pedal feel, without the vagueness and poor blending between brake regen' and physical friction brakes that many BEVs suffer from. It works, too; the CLA’s brakes feel more natural than some rivals’ systems.
Similarly, the chassis set-up is typically surefooted as you’d expect from Mercedes-Benz, though agile and enjoyable at the same time. A brief run in the CLA hybrid highlighted just how much more enjoyable and able the BEV was, particularly in regard to engagement, so the fully-electric Mercedes CLA is definitely the driver’s choice.
Running costs and pricing
We’re making educated guesses here, as we have no figures, but expect prices to be higher than the mainstream alternatives thanks to that Mercedes-Benz badge, though not punitively so. Running costs should work out well, with Merc's promise of excellent efficiency meaning that you’ll get further on your charge than in some alternatives.
Verdict
We’ll reserve our final judgement on the electric Merc CLA until we’ve got all the official numbers to crunch, not to mention UK pricing and exact model details. But on evidence of our early access, it’s clear that Mercedes-Benz is aiming to take a sizeable chunk of the smaller, premium electric car marketplace - and it looks like it could do that quite convincingly, too. The CLA loads up a lot of innovate, efficiency-enhancing technology to deliver a useful potential range, allied with the possibility of rapid charging, too. And that styling and interior? Blimey, it's lovely, and really does feel like a much more premium prospect even than a Polestar 2 - never mind a Tesla Model 3.
Anyway, we'll bring you more details including final pricing as soon as we have it, so pop back to Electrifying.com soon for our full, complete verdict. Based on everything we've seen and driven so far, the Merc CLA could well set more than one new benchmark.
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