Mercedes-Benz CLA (2025 - ) review

If you can charge up at home, then this CLA should be just about the cheapest Mercedes to run, ever. Its monster – and seemingly near-achievable – 484-mile range means many drivers could get through not just a week, not just two weeks, but maybe even a full month without charging. That offers not just potentially reduced running costs but also remarkable peace of mind. It means you may well be able to spend less on pricey public fast charging, too.

Not only is the CLA a new model, but it’s also using an entirely new platform and a brand-new battery design, so it will be some time yet before we know how reliable it is. The good news is that, after a patchy few years, Mercedes’ overall quality and reliability seems to be on the up again, so there’s a good chance the new CLA will be very solid indeed. Mercedes only offers a three-year warranty as standard, which is a little disappointing, but the better news is that the CLA’s battery is covered for up to eight years or 100,000 miles. Dealer servicing will be expensive, but in theory an EV like this CLA needs less work come service time, so that should help balance things out.

The new CLA should be one of the safest cars you can buy, and that’s no idle statement. Quite apart from the fact that Mercedes has “safety baked into its DNA” according to Professor Christian Gloggler, the man who oversaw the new CLA’s safety design, it has also been subjected to no fewer than 150 physical crash tests, and tens of thousands computer simulations. There’s a new front-centre airbag to prevent the driver from clonking heads with the passenger in the event of a side impact, and the battery gets its own crash structure. There’s even a handy QR code inside the charging flap so emergency services can instantly access all of the relevant safety data for the car. Add to that some impressive Level 2 driving aids, including a very good adaptive cruise control system, and the CLA should top the safety ratings list. Click here for more information on what that all means!

The CLA has been given quite a soft setting for its suspension, with an almost marshmallow-like feeling in the first little bit of movement. That makes it really comfortable over lumps and bumps, and it’s especially good at shrugging off speed humps around town. It’s comfortable on faster roads too, and there’s very good refinement as well, so long journeys should be really pleasant. There’s a lack of proper feedback from the steering, and the CLA does lean a bit in corners, so keen drivers should maybe go elsewhere but if comfort is your priority, look no further. The only downside is that space in the back seats is a little compromised, so if you want to be properly comfortable, make sure you sit in the front.

Standard equipment for the CLA is quite decent, and it comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, pop-out door handles, LED headlamps, selectable driving modes, heated front seats and, of course, big screens on the inside. The biggest is the 14.9-inch infotainment screen in the middle of a cliff-faced dashboard, and it’s hugely impressive. Merc’s new MB.OS software is very responsive, and even the digital voice assistant seemed to understand a bit more of what we were saying than usual. The Google-based navigation system is especially good. Just don’t bother with the optional passenger-side screen, as they probably won’t use it much anyway, and it’s a bit of a distraction for the driver.

The entry-level CLA 250+ comes with a single electric motor, driving the rear wheels and pushing it to 62mph from rest in 6.7 seconds. There’s a clever two-speed gearbox (most EVs have only one gear) boosting low-down acceleration, but the CLA 250+ feels more brisk than properly fast. For that you need to upgrade to the 350+ 4Matic, which gets an extra electric motor, all-wheel drive and a 4.9-second 0-62mph time. There will be petrol-hybrid versions of the CLA eventually, as well. The big news, though, is the range. On this showing you should easily be able to get 400 miles out of the CLA 250+ in real-world conditions.