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The entry-level Mercedes-Benz will soon be the brand's most advanced EV. Finally revealed in production form, the 2026 CLA is an EV first and a hybrid second. That applies to the timing of the new baby Benz—with the electric version arriving about nine months ahead of its gas-powered sibling—and to the optimized MMA platform on which it's built.
If it seems as if you've been hearing about the new CLA for ages, that's because you have. The design was previewed—quite faithfully, as it turns out—by the Concept CLA-class back in September 2023. The new model retains the outgoing car's sloped-roof, four-door coupe shape but looks bigger and more substantial. The need to package the underfloor battery is the chief reason. As a result, the wheelbase has grown by 2.4 inches, and the height is greater by 1.1 inches, while the body is 1.3 inches longer overall. The greenhouse is also elongated and adds rear quarter windows.
The front end leans slightly into the wind, and the grille area features a constellation of light-up star elements. The large central Mercedes star is also illuminated. As on the show car, optional Multibeam LED headlights have three-pointed-star-shaped DRLs connected by a light bar. The taillights similarly light up as three-pointed stars, and they're connected by a string of 40 clear illuminated louvres.
Inside, we find a dash-spanning trio of screens, which Mercedes describes as Super- rather than Hyper-, as in its larger cars. The trio consists of a 10.3-inch instrument display, a 14.0-inch center touchscreen, and a similarly sized optional screen for the passenger. Unfortunately, Mercedes continues with a touch-slider for volume and a touch-swipe four-way button on the steering wheel. The infotainment runs a new rendition of MBUX, which includes Google Maps navigation with Google's Gemini AI-enhanced search capabilities. MBUX, represented by an MB star in the upper right corner, also wants to be your digital friend. Like an in-dash mood ring, it claims to recognize the driver's emotional state (based on the sound of their voice) and changes color accordingly.
Rear-seat passengers do without a digital empath, but they can see the stars through the standard panoramic glass roof. The glass lacks a sunshade—instead, it's coated to block UV rays. The glass panel helps eke out a bit more headroom under the swoopy roofline. We found rear-seat headroom just adequate for a six-footer, and knee clearance is better than before, but the raised floor (to accommodate the battery) means there's essentially no footroom underneath the front seats.
The planned offerings include more than the usual selection of trim materials and upholstery colors. The former include striped- or mesh-patterned aluminum, two different woods, and one trim that's coated paper. Seat colors include black, brown, black with bright green accents, two-tone black and white, and two-tone black and red. A special launch edition gets its own gold-tone trim, Tartufo Brown seating with gold piping, and a matte-black exterior with gold-trimmed black wheels.
Mechanically, the first production MMA car doesn't reach quite as far as the EQXX advanced electric concept car, but the new CLA is certainly the most advanced EV in the brand's portfolio. We've previously done a deep dive into the new CLA's electric and hybrid powertrains, but we'll recap the highlights here. The CLA uses an 800-volt architecture (a Mercedes first), which allows for charging speeds up to 320 kW.
For our market, the sole battery is an 85.0-kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt unit that also incorporates graphite. It sends juice to a 268-hp rear motor, which drives the rear wheels through a two-speed transmission (another Benz first) for extra range and efficiency. An available 107-hp front motor jumps in only when additional acceleration or extra traction is needed; otherwise, it's decoupled to reduce parasitic drag. The dual-motor variant is said to reach 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, while the single-motor version can do so in a claimed 6.6 seconds.
EPA figures are not yet available, but Mercedes is predicting European WLTP range estimates of 694 to 792 kilometers for the CLA250+ with EQ Technology (its official name), which should translate to 367–418 miles using the EPA's methodology. For the CLA350 4Matic with EQ Technology, the estimated Euro numbers are 670–770 km, so figure 354–407 miles for U.S. models.
More so than in its other EVs, Mercedes has really embraced regenerative braking here, to the point where there's no physical connection between the brake pedal and the braking system. Entirely brake-by-wire, the system relies on the chips to determine the right combination of regenerative and friction braking based on the pedal input. One-pedal driving is available—with the driver selecting the regen level by pushing or pulling on the shifter stalk—and Mercedes claims that up to 200 kW of recuperation is possible.
Besides the 800v architecture and two-speed transmission, other Mercedes EV firsts here include a multi-source heat pump and a frunk, which is large enough to accommodate a roll-aboard bag.
On the hybrid side of the ledger, the CLA features a new turbocharged 1.5-liter Miller-cycle four-cylinder engine that sits transversely up front. The engine is a Mercedes-Benz design but will be supplied by Geely. It pairs with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that also houses a 27-hp electric motor and an inverter. A 1.3-kWh 48-volt battery feeds the electric motor, which can power the car on its own in city driving. Both front- and all-wheel-drive variants will be offered. There are no plans for a plug-in hybrid. More details about the hybrid version should become available as its on-sale date nears, sometime in 2026.
Meanwhile, the battery-powered CLA is set to appear in U.S. showrooms this fall. Mercedes hasn't yet tipped its hand on pricing, but given that this is supposed to be the entry to the brand, it's likely to fall into the category of under-$60K EVs, where it will face off primarily against the Tesla Model 3 and the BMW i4.
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