2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA Class Review: Prices, Specs, and Photos

One of the most popular small luxury cars has come in for a reinvention. This time, the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class has grown bigger, has gained more technology—and now, it’s driven by batteries.

It’s a compact sedan with a rakish profile and a choice of gas-electric or battery-electric driving, and a rival for vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Audi A3.

We haven’t driven the latest version yet, and this one’s so distinct from its forbears, we’ll hold comment until we get behind the wheel. That said, the 2025 CLA-Class earned a TCC Rating of 6.2 on our 10-point scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Everything, from the skin on in. A wedgy stance separates this CLA from its predecessors. The more muscular look kicks off with a front end panel lighted by a three-pointed star, surrounded by 142 LED mini-stars; the lights wink to the driver as a hello or a goodbye. The LED running lights form stars too, as do the taillights. That’s the EV model, at least: Hybrids get chrome-stamped stars instead, with LED piping around the grille. The roofline tapers to a pinched rear end banded by a light bar. It all works to disguise the CLA’s taller stance, and in general the sculpting and lighting work better from the rear than from the front.

The new CLA sports a spare interior dominated by a high cowl and wide rectangular Superscreen display. Like the Hyperscreen in the EQE and EQS cars, it’s a single pane of glass that blends three screens together into one appealing interface. It so overpowers the interior, the delightful details take a back seat: there’s a floating center console to lessen visual weight, and floating armrests with pull-style door handles. The CLA interior trims out with leather, wood, and metallic panels in some fantastic new combinations; a white wood with ‘70s-style inscribed lines pairs with white leather in one.

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The new CLA adopts battery power in its first versions, but there’s a surprise ending in the works. The first EV model is the CLA 250+ with EQ Technology. This electric car has a 85.5-kwh (usable) lithium-ion battery pack under the floor. With a single motor at the rear it’s rated at 268 hp, and can reach 60 mph in 6.6 seconds.

With a second 107-hp motor at the front and the same pack, the CLA 350 4Matic with EQ Technology has all-wheel drive and trims its 0-60 mph time to 4.8 seconds. In either case, top speed reaches 130 mph. The front motor decouples when not needed for better efficiency. The CLA scavenges power and efficiency elsewhere with its slick 0.21 coefficient of drag. It recovers lost heat from the drivetrain, battery, and air to keep the battery operating at best temperature.

On charging, the CLA EV sports an 800-volt architecture with a maximum charge rate of 320 kw and hosts an onboard 11-kw charger. That’s good enough, Mercedes says, to restore 186 miles of range in 10 minutes. EPA range ratings haven’t been published, but it sounds like the CLA will check in with at least about 300 miles of range in its single-motor edition—possibly even 350 miles.

Brake-by-wire aims to improve on Mercedes’s recent systems by reading pressure applied on the pedal, then determining how much regenerative braking and how much friction braking is needed, smoothly combining the two. Most of the time it operates on regenerative braking only.

The twist? Further into the future, a hybrid CLA will emerge. It will team a smaller 1.3-kwh battery pack with a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and a 27-hp front motor integrated with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic. Performance figures haven’t been confirmed but the hybrid CLA will look about the same as the electric model, minus the front trunk of course. And it’ll be able to cruise on battery power at speeds of up to 60 mph.

While going electric became the top priority for the CLA, Mercedes also wanted to boost interior space and luxury. So the new CLA rides on a wheelbase 2.4 inches longer than before, and stands 1.1 inches taller than before—all of which makes its formerly cramped back seat more livable. Rear-seat headroom is better, in our brief exposure to prototypes, but possibly because of the long panoramic sunroof that opens up the interior. The seating position, so good in front, still goes to a knees-up position in back. Trunk space has improved, though the new front trunk requires you to lean over painted pieces to load a roll-aboard suitcase in it.

But it’s the technology that gets a showcase inside the CLA. The Superscreen integrates all kinds of vehicle functions across its displays. It even allows front passengers to stream video content while on the road. Google data underpins the navigation system for the first time, though Mercedes maintains control over EV routing that incorporates dense data on weather, roads, and speeds, while it delivers an immersive view that includes other vehicles, pedestrians, and other modes of transportation. The new OS and its voice interface can answer commands with better natural language recognition and responds with clearer synthesized speech and with lighting changes that attempt to mirror—and defuse—the driver’s mood, changing from green to orange and red. The interface allows drivers to move around apps on its home screen, and swipe through screens. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto remain, and take over the entire central screen when in use.

Safety technology includes adaptive cruise control standard, with a Level 2 driver assistance offered as an option. A system of eight cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and five radar sensors bakes in the necessary ingredients for over-the-air updates to all the subsystems.

How much does the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class cost?

Prices haven’t been confirmed, but U.S.-spec models should include standard power features and synthetic leather upholstery, with available Superscreen, wireless smartphone charging, and a selection of interior themes. The 2025 CLA 250 started from $45,550, while the AMG CLA 45 S topped off at nearly $70,000.