Mercedes-Benz CLA Review 2026: Price, specs & boot space

The main big decision to make is whether to go electric or petrol, and we can't definitively say which is better. That's not just because we're still waiting for the latter to arrive, but also because your personal circumstances will play a large part in dictating which of the two will best fit in your life.

If you are able to charge a car at home, though, we'd be tempted to point you towards the CLA EQ. Its electric powertrain fits in well with the CLA's generally relaxed demeanour in a way we suspect a modestly powerful four-cylinder engine that'll need working fairly hard to make good progress simply won't. 

From the initial choice of the two motor layouts, we reckon the entry-level 250+ makes most sense. It's more than powerful enough for most, and it should end up being a lot cheaper. The mid-spec AMG Line trim, meanwhile, strikes a good balance between equipment and price. We'd combine it with the Shooting Brake body style becoming available in 2026.

If you're drawn to the Mercedes-Benz brand but don't want anything too large or expensive, the CLA makes a lot of sense. Yes, the outgoing A-Class is smaller and was cheaper still, but the coupe-ish, four-door body of the CLA does a much better job of capturing the swanky spirit of Merc's fancier models than a hatchback, we think. 

Practicality will have to be fairly low on the agenda for you, thanks to the CLA coming with a compact boot and limited space for rear-seat passengers. If you do want a wee bit more space, a new CLA Shooting Brake is on the way, but its boot isn't exactly massive as far as estate cars go. 

There aren't many cars truly similar to the CLA. About as close as it gets is a BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, but you can't spec one of those as an EV like you can with the CLA. It's also the same case with the Audi A3 Saloon, and in any case, neither feels quite as upmarket as the Mercedes. 

If you look specifically at the CLA EQ, all of the potential rivals are a bit bigger, but actually fairly similar in terms of price. We're talking about the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Volkswagen ID.7 and BYD Seal. None of those gets anywhere near close when it comes to electric range, though. 

There’s nothing wrong with the Mercedes CLA in the way it's put together, so far as we’ve seen, but there are some design and material decisions that seem questionable at best. For one thing, there’s the dashboard, which isn’t really styled – it’s just one massive slab of black plastic housing a load of screens.

It looks a bit cheap, while the outer vents feel light and flimsy. The lower portion of the dash beneath the ‘slab’ doesn’t look especially plush either, but at least it’s below your eyeline and mostly out of sight. The leather upholstery feels suitably premium, though.

All versions of the CLA get a sizeable 14-inch central touchscreen infotainment system. It’s a good job it’s a decent size, though, as the bottom portion is taken up by climate controls. We’d really rather they were physical knobs and buttons, but this is such a common practice nowadays that we can’t single Mercedes out for it. 

The screen is nicely responsive, and the menu systems are easy enough to understand. You’ll eventually be able to pair it with a display of the same size for the passenger, combining with the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster to form what Mercedes-Benz calls a ‘Superscreen’. Although we’ve not tried a CLA with it yet, we’re struggling to see much point. It’ll almost certainly be a very expensive option, as well. 

Also appearing on the configurator at some point will be a Burmester sound system. These are actually worth the extra, we’ve discovered on other Mercedes-Benz models, but the standard setup is very good as well, so long as you fiddle with the settings a bit. 

Keeping your devices charged on the move should be easy enough, with four 100W fast-charging USB-C ports dotted around the cabin – two in the front and two in the rear. All but the entry-level Sport model get a wireless charging pad, and on the subject of smartphones, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are fitted across the board.

Mercedes-Benz seem very proud of its AI-enhanced voice assistant, but it seemed just as patchy and annoying as most other systems we’ve tried lately. 

The CLA’s boot is on the smaller side at 405 litres, and the saloon-style opening will make loading oversized items a bit of a pain. On the plus side, the EQ version has a ‘frunk’ storage area under the bonnet offering an impressive 105 litres of load space. That’s 17 litres more than you get in a Tesla Model 3, while a lot of rival EVs don’t offer any storage in the front at all. 

The rear bench folds in a 40/20/40 split, although a figure for the amount of boot volume this opens up is not quoted. Mercedes does quote one for the incoming Shooting Brake variant, but it's nothing too spectacular as far as estate cars go, with a total of 1290 litres available in the CLA EQ and 1350 litres in the petrol version. With the rear seats in place, it's 455 litres of space in the CLA EQ and 485 in the mild hybrid. 

Interior storage space is decent, with good-sized door bins in the front, a storage tray under the centre console and a cubby in the central armrest. Rear legroom is fairly limited, as is headroom, with the CLA’s sloping roofline encroaching on cabin space. It isn't quite as tight back there in the Shooting Brake, which gets a 26mm increase in headroom. 

There will eventually be a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol CLA available, but we don't know a whole lot about it just yet. For now, the CLA is only available as an EV with the clunky 'With EQ Technology' designation slapped on the end. 

That car is initially available with an 85kWh battery pack (a 58kWh option will be added later) and the choice of two motor layouts. The CLA 250+ has a single, rear-mounted motor to give 272PS and 335Nm of torque. 0-62mph happens in 6.7 seconds, so it's pretty brisk without being a rocketship like some EVs. When we tried it, we were never left wanting for more power, though. 

A perhaps unexpected feature is the two-speed gearbox, which involves a first gear for acceleration and a second gear to give better efficiency when cruising. You do actually feel this shift happen, but it's very smooth. 

If you want more power, there's also a CLA 35 4Matic, which adds a second motor to the front axle to give all-wheel drive. It produces 354PS and 515Nm of torque, enabling a hot hatch-bothering 0-62mph time of 4.9 seconds. 

With no engine noise to help drown out wind and road noise, the CLA needs to have its refinement sorted, and sure enough, it does. It stays nicely hushed at speed, making for a relaxing experience behind the wheel. We'll have to wait and see if that serene feeling remains in the mild hybrid when an engine is introduced into the mix. 

We're still awaiting a Euro NCAP rating for the latest CLA, but we're hoping it'll follow in the footsteps of the last two and achieve a five-star rating, as has every other Mercedes-Benz vehicle recently tested by the safety body. 

For now, we can take solace in the CLA's centre airbag, which Mercedes-Benz is claiming as a segment first, plus a healthy array of safety gizmos including blind spot assistance, evasive steering assistance, lane keeping and a driver attention monitor. 

The CLA 250+ goes the furthest on a full charge, managing an incredible 484 miles of range. The 350 4Matic isn’t too far behind on 479 miles. Those figures will be difficult to replicate in real-world driving conditions, but we were impressed with the efficiency we got out of the CLA EQ without really trying. We reckon each will be able to achieve over 400 miles at warmer times of year with relative ease. 

As a new car on a fresh platform, it's hard to tell how the CLA might fare in the long term in terms of reliability. The brand hasn't exactly covered itself in glory in recent runnings of the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, placing a woeful 30th of 33 brands for reliability. 

Mercedes-Benz's warranty is also pretty underwhelming, lasting three years and 60,000 miles, which we'd consider the bare minimum. Yes, the high-voltage battery has a separate warranty lasting eight years or 100,000 miles, but that's a legal requirement rather than something Merc has supplied out of generosity. 

Insurance groups hadn't been confirmed at the time of writing for the CLA EQ, and it'll be a little while before we get the numbers for the petrol-powered version. Expect the EQ to cost more to insure, though – electric cars are generally hit with larger premiums. 

With the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED)/car tax exemption for EVs a thing of the past, it's the same £195 annual fee for the CLA regardless of whether you go for the petrol version or the CLA EQ. All versions of the EQ revealed so far are way beyond the £40,000 threshold for the government's premium car tax supplement, and thus will also be hit by an extra £425 annually from years two to six.

We don't know how much the petrol CLA will cost, but hopefully a least some of that range will fall under £40k, thus escape the surcharge. The smaller battery version of the EQ might also scrape under that figure in lower trim levels. 

There are three trim levels for the CLA, which you'll recognise if you're familiar with other Mercedes-Benz models. These are Sport, AMG Line and AMG Line Premium.

Sport is a decent starting point, offering 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, LED headlamps, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, artificial leather trim and a 14-inch infotainment system as standard. The AMG line comes with all of the above plus AMG styling, 18-inch AMG wheels, keyless entry/start, 64-colour ambient lighting and Nappa leather trim. 

Finally, the top-spec AMG Line Premium comes with the AMG 'Night package', 19-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable front seats and multibeam LED headlamps as standard.