Mercedes-Benz GLA Review 2024

If you want a fashionable small SUV, the latest Mercedes-Benz GLA is likely to be a strong choice. It’s got infinitely more appeal than its half-hearted predecessor, and it’s more practical. Recent updates mean you get more for your cash, too.

Larger families, or those who need to carry more stuff, will be better off with the seven-seat GLB or the more palatial five-seat Mercedes-Benz GLC. But the GLA is more usable for families than the A-Class, and still affordable and desirable enough to have wide appeal. 

The most affordable Mercedes-Benz GLA 180 1.3-litre petrol is probably the best choice for the majority of buyers. It offers perfectly respectable performance, decent fuel economy and a relatively affordable price tag.

If you're looking to tentatively make your first steps towards electric car ownership, the Mercedes GLA 250e is a plug-in hybrid with a decent range. We'd only recommend this if you can charge a car at home, though - like all PHEVs, it'll be a bit of a faff (or just generally uneconomical) if you don't have anywhere to easily plug it in.

In terms of trim levels, buy the best you can afford. All Mercedes GLA models are relatively well-equipped, especially since the 2023 update. The priciest models are a little hard to justify, especially brand new.

If you fancy a flashy German SUV, also look at the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. There are many non-German alternatives, too, including the Alfa Romeo Tonale, Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC40. If you want more room, the Mercedes-Benz GLB is a slightly more practical choice with seven seats. If an electric car appeals, we'd recommend the Mercedes EQA or Audi Q4 e-tron.

Of course, you'll find your money goes further with mainstream competitors. The latest Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage are excellent family SUVs (and genuinely don't feel downmarket compared to the Mercedes GLA), while the Peugeot 3008 and Volkswagen Tiguan are two other strong alternatives.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA certainly looks upmarket when you step inside, with a real wow-factor enabled by the glitzy ambient lighting, fancy air vents and expensive-looking infotainment suite. It's less austere than an Audi Q3, that's for sure, and probably the most visually arresting interior in the class.

For the most part the actual fit and finish stacks up too, although there are one or two areas where rivals from BMW, Land Rover and Volvo pip it. For example, the dashboard on examples we've driven has a habit of creaking over bumps, while you can feel some flexing in the centre console areas. Some key rivals feel that bit more solid and built to last. 

The Mercedes GLA's infotainment system was upgraded when the car was updated in 2023. A pair of dazzling 10.25-inch displays are now standard across the range, operated via a variety of methods - from conventional touchscreen to touch pads on the steering wheel and even a 'Hey Mercedes' voice-activated personal assistant. Gone is the central touchpad between the front seats - a shame, as we quite liked it, although it was never as good as the rotary controller used in some BMWs.

The screens are crisp and clear, with classy graphics and plenty of features. Navigation is standard across the range, as is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. GLA AMG Line Premium models and above also get a cool augmented-reality navigation function. This is a bit gimmicky but we like it: it uses the car's cameras to show a real-time view of junctions ahead, overlaid with graphics pointing you in the direction you need to drive.

Watch out for pre-2023 cars in Sport or AMG Line trims, as you'll only get a pair of seven-inch displays in these. Upgrade to the Executive version of either trim, and the central touchscreen becomes a 10.25-inch display (which better fills the plastic bezel and looks more upmarket). Upgrading to the Premium versions of either trim makes both screens 10.25 inches.

The advantage of going for the Mercedes-Benz GLA over its A-Class hatchback sibling is that you get a much more practical interior.

In the front, its seats benefit from large footwells and plenty of adjustment, so if you're taller and need more legroom you can put the seat back without being on top of the rear passengers. The seats are also height adjustable, so if you're not getting that SUV feel, you can crank the seat up to view the road from a higher stance. 

In the driver's seat, the steering wheel has great height- and reach adjustment to find a comfortable position. There's more good news when you check out the back seat, because even if you're tall, there will be room behind for someone the same size to sit comfortably. The middle seat is reserved for shorter journeys or occasional use, but three adults will fit abreast no problem. 

The GLA doesn't offer seven-seats but it does get a big and practical boot, with a 485-litre capacity (445 litres if you go for the 250e hybrid). If the rear seats are folded down that jumps up to 1420 litres (or 1385 litres in the PHEV). The seats don't fold completely flat and there's a small load lip, but the huge opening means you still won't struggle to get things in.

As hatchbacks like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class are no longer as small as they once were, the GLA is not much bigger than the A-Class at 4424mm long, 2022mm wide (with the mirrors folded out) and 1494mm tall, so it's just a little bit wider and taller. 

You'll have noticed how rapidly the car market is moving towards electric vehicles, which is partly why Mercedes gave GLA an update in 2023, part of which resulted in improved electrification technology.

That means both the 'regular' petrol and diesel Mercedes GLA models now come with a small degree of electrical assistance - they're now what you might call mild-hybrids - while the plug-in hybrid Mercedes GLA 250e has a more efficient battery, meaning it can now travel further under electric power alone.

The Mercedes GLA 180 is the entry-level car in the range, with power coming from a 1.3-litre petrol engine. This is combined with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. With 136PS, it's not exactly blistering, accelerating to 62mph in 10.0 seconds, but that level of performance will be fine for many drivers. You do need to work it quite hard to extract the best from it, though, which isn't exactly the refined Mercedes experience you might expect, because it can get quite gruff-sounding.

Next up is the Mercedes GLA 200, which uses the same 1.3-litre petrol engine, but with power hiked to 163PS. It's a little quicker against the stopwatch, accelerating to 62mph in 8.9 seconds, but you won't notice a great deal of difference in the real world and it's much the same in character.

The Mercedes GLA 250e combines the same 1.3-litre petrol engine with an eight-speed gearbox and an electric motor, producing a combined 218PS. The weight of the battery pack does hamper performance slightly, although it'll cover 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds. The instant torque from the electric motor means it feels pretty swift off the line, while the engine kicks in seamlessly when you want more performance (or run out of electricity).

There are also diesel offerings in the form of 2.0-litre GLA 200d (150PS) and 220d (190PS) models, both with an eight-speed auto box and the latter offered exclusively with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. These feel quite effortless, accelerating to 62mph in 8.8 and 7.5 seconds, respectively. Due to their torquey nature, you don't really have to rev them too hard, so they're not really any noisier than the petrol GLA 200.

Initially, there were also a pair of 2.0-litre petrol engines available int the form of the 190PS GLA 220 and the 224PS GLA 250, both with 4MATIC four-wheel drive as standard, but these have since been discontinued.

Hot-hatch fans will be catered for with the all-wheel drive GLA 35 AMG 4MATIC, which produces 306PS and can cover 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds. That's enough by any measure for a small SUV, although it isn't a particularly exciting engine in terms of its noise and drama. 

What's definitely more exciting is the 421PS Mercedes-AMG GLA45. Hitting 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds it'll leave some sports cars for dead, and the engine is full of theatre and willing to rev out more than you might expect. 

The refinement of the Mercedes-Benz GLA depends on which version you plump for. The base GLA 180 and 200 petrol engines are fairly smooth and quiet until revved out to the upper reaches of the rev range, whereupon they start to sound coarse. The same applies to the plug-in hybrid model, although it's smoother around town and doesn't need to be worked as hard. 

The GLA 250 has just the right balance of low-rev smoothness and high-end sportiness. The diesels are obviously a bit more gruff and send more vibration through the controls, but they're far from unrefined compared with other diesel small SUVs. 

The GLA 35 and 45 add a bit more noise (however synthesised), with the 45 in particular adding plenty of drama and theatre. Where they give somewhere they take away elsewhere, however, as road noise is quite pronounced. 

The Mercedes-Benz GLA was awarded the maximum five star safety rating in 2019, with very high scores for adult and child occupant protection. It's one of the safest small SUVs in its class. 

Along with a plethora of airbags there's standard-fit automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance and traffic sign recognition. Optional equipment is bundled into packs, with features such as blind-spot monitoring, cross traffic alerts, adaptive cruise control and intelligent speed limit functions available.  

Mercedes-Benz came 20th out of 29 manufacturers in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. That's not a hugely convincing showing, and it means Merc was beaten by all its premium-manufacturer rivals. Even worse, Mercedes had two models - the previous versions of the C-Class and GLC - in the list of the ten most unreliable cars in the study, with the GLC coming in last place overall. More positively, the GLA bears very little resemblance to those two models mechanically, so you'd hope for a better standard of reliability.

Insurance groups for the mainstream versions of the latest Mercedes GLA range from 22 at the lowest end for low-spec versions of the GLA 180, up to 37 for a high-spec GLA 250e plug-in hybrid.

Go for one of the AMG models, and you're looking at a group of between 38 and 40 on the GLA 35, and between 41 and 42 on the GLA 45 S.

You'll currently pay a flat rate of £190/year to tax a Mercedes GLA, or £170 for those with electrical assistance (including mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid models). Tread carefully, though, as those with a list price of more than £40,000 when new will be hit by the government's premium car tax. That adds an extra £390/year to the bill for five years.

Following the 2023 update, standard equipment on the entry-level Mercedes GLA Sport Executive includes 18-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior highlights, an electric boot opening, LED headlights, aluminium roof rails, selectable drive modes, automatic climate control, keyless start, heated front seats, a 10.25-inch instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch touchscreen media display, navigation, DAB radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a 100w Mercedes sound system. The seats are finished in black Artico man-made leather and cloth.

In December 2023, an additional Sport Edition trim level was introduced exclusively with the GLA 180 variant, which had all the same kit as the Sport Executive but with a different design of 18-inch alloy and some different interior trim finishes.

Mercedes GLA AMG Line Executive models add AMG exterior bodystyling, 19-inch AMG alloy wheels, privacy glass and a bespoke radiator grille. Inside, the AMG Line Executive features AMG floor mats, AMG sports pedals, 64-colour ambient lighting, sports seats (finished in black Artico man-made leather and microfibre with red stitching) and a sports steering in nappa leather.

The Mercedes GLA AMG Line Premium features automatic climate control, illuminated door sills with 'Mercedes-Benz' lettering, blind spot assist with exit warning function, MBUX augmented reality navigation, Mercedes-Benz advanced sound system and aluminium interior trim.

The Mercedes GLA AMG Line Premium Plus builds on this with 20-inch alloy wheels, multibeam LED headlights (with adaptive highbeam), a panoramic sunroof, electrically-adjustable front memory seats with lumbar support, the Driving Assistance package (on the GLA 220d 4Matic only), 360-degree camera, and Traffic Sign assist.

Highlights of the Mercedes GLA Exclusive Launch Edition include a 12-speaker Burmester surround sound system, illuminated start pattern trim on the dash, black roof rails, Night package, 20-inch black AMG alloy wheels and high-gloss black exterior highlights.

Standard equipment on the Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 Premium includes 20-inch AMG alloy wheels, the AMG Night package, AMG sports exhaust, LED high performance headlights and the Mirror package. Inside, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 Premium features 64-colour ambient lighting, illuminated door sills, sports seats, an AMG steering wheel finished in nappa leather, MBUX augmented-reality nav, an advanced system and black leather trim.

The Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 Premium Plus adds matt black alloy wheels, AMG aerodynamic package, AMG ride control suspension, multibeam LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, memory package and traffic sign assist.

On top of the, the A45 S gets even racier styling, 21-inch wheels, an uprated exhaust, and a track activity recorder.