Mercedes-Benz CLA 2026 review: Electric - Australian first drive | BMW i4 rival tested

This year has thrown up two unforeseen events: the mainstream acceptance of electric vehicles (EVs) and the return of the sedan.

Perfect timing, then, for the new Mercedes-Benz CLA electric.

Read More About Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

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• Mercedes-Benz ditches petrol power for electric grunt in the new 2027 Mercedes-AMG CLA45, as it flips the script to target Hyundai Ioniq 6 N

And is this the Mercedes of compact EV sedans?

Does the CLA electric deserve its pricing premium against cheaper alternatives?

The price leap going electric in this third-gen CLA four-door coupe is another surprise.

Starting from $72,200 (all prices are before on-road costs), the CLA200 electric’s premium is a reasonable $5700 over the entry-level CLA180 petrol-electric hybrid version, and just $4000 more than the CLA200 hybrid equivalent.

Now, most essentials are standard, with the following being standouts:

• a 14-inch central touchscreen and 10.25-inch driver display combo dubbed MBUX Superscreen
• a fixed glass roof
• a heat pump for efficiency enhancing climate control
• Google Maps with AI virtual assistant including car-to-X traffic communication for driving hazards alerts
• a 360-degree camera with parking assist
• artificial leather and suede-clad heated/powered front AMG sports seats with memory settings
• AMG 18-inch alloys and body kit

Then there’s the CLA350 4Matic Electric from $91,300, adding an electric motor up front for all-wheel drive, an 85kWh – rather than 58kWh – battery for longer range, faster charging and 19-inch wheels.

But we recommend the Premium Package ($1800 in the CLA200/$2340 in the CLA350) for worthwhile kit like:

• head-up display
• adaptive headlights
• keyless entry
• an orchestral audio upgrade
• a third, also 14-inch screen ahead of the front passenger

Speaking of which, compared to its Chinese-sourced Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3 rivals, the German CLA does cost more, but Mercedes has been making cars for 140 years, not 14 years, and there’s some very advanced EV engineering going on underneath that pretty body.

This looks like all Mercedes sedans nowadays. What's actually changed with the design?

Distinctively Mercedes, the Ford AU Falcon force is still strong with this CLA.

But thanks to the Stuttgart brand’s box-fresh MMA electric-first 800-volt platform, it matures as well as grows in every dimension, including in height and wheelbase, while super-slippery, aero-enhancing details promise to boost efficiency.

The CLA’s interior aesthetics are dominated by the MBUX Superscreen slab that, with the Premium Package, is lit like a Christmas tree fever dream.

Yet, when switched off and blacked out, one onlooker reckoned the dash is reminiscent of a Holden LH Torana’s. Iconic Aussie influences abound!

Can a coupe sedan actually be practical enough for family or friends sat out back?

Luckily everything including ambient lighting is configurable.

Getting in and out is tight – a reminder that the CLA is essentially a four-door coupe.

Once inside, though, the front seat area is amply spacious, including for heads, and there’s a lot to like, including the logical and slick operation of Mercedes’ latest, AI-enhanced multimedia system.

Brilliantly supportive seats, a superb driving position, beautifully crafted textures and abundant storage also make this CLA appealing. The cheapness of old is gone, though the plastics below knee level feel disappointingly hard and hollow.

And while we’re whining, the loss of buttons for the touchscreen-sited climate system, no overhead grab handles, cost-cutting absence of rear window switches for the driver (what is this, a Skoda?), and missing glass roof blockout are fixes for the facelift.

On the flip side, that vast ceiling sky vista makes an already roomier rear seat feel even airier, while most expected comfort amenities are present.

Further back, the boot is OK, though smaller than before at 405 litres and there’s no spare wheel. Boo.

Has the CLA finally been engineered like a Mercedes-Benz should, or is this more of the same mediocrity?

There’s also a 101L frunk up front – a first for a Mercedes.

That’s because the CLA electric’s MMA platform diverges from its front-drive/transverse ICE counterparts by being rear-wheel drive (RWD) biased.

This means the main, 165kW/335Nm permanently excited synchronous traction motor is located out back, sending drive to the rear wheels via a two-speed e-transmission.

In the CLA200, the 0-100km/h takes 7.5 seconds, while a second electric motor up front in the CLA350 4Matic makes for a combined 260kW/515Nm, slashing sprint time down to a rousing 4.9s.

Surely the CLA electric can't be as much fun as a Tesla Model 3 to drive!

And the EV changes don’t stop there, either, making the electric versions drive unlike any CLA that have come before.

With its strong and linear power delivery, both CLA electrics step off the line rapidly, and glide along smoothly with a newfound sophistication and control, aided by a new multi-link rear suspension set-up and stiff architecture that, incredibly, relies on passive – rather than the ICE variant’s available active – dampers.

This results in a ride suppleness alien to older CLAs and other modern smaller Benzes.

Better still, over the warm dry roads of the Queensland hinterland as tested, the CLA200e has evolved athletically, brandishing a RWD attitude that allows it to seek out curves with a handling joy we’d frankly never have anticipated in this series. Balanced, fluid and confident.

The CLA350 4Matic feels even more agile, and is stirringly quick point-to-point if you’re up for some fun. Just lovely.

Some drivers might ask for more steering weight at lower speeds, but otherwise the connected dynamics, isolating refinement and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) tech tuning are outstanding, and worth the three-pointed star premium alone.

Where Mercedes knows its stuff: efficiency

You can also thank the CLA’s aero prowess for providing impressive efficiency, with both electrics sitting underneath the already decent 14.4kWh/100km (CLA200) and 14.9kWh/100km (CLA350 4Matic) official consumption averages, dipping well below 13kWh at one stage, despite being driven enthusiastically over rural back roads.

That MMA 800V ultra-fast charging capability is a bonus, as is the standard 22kW AC charging set-up.

Where Mercedes also knows its stuff: safety

EuroNCAP have awarded the latest CLA range a five-star gong, with a similar ANCAP rating expected, too.

Mercedes’ obsession with pushing safety tech is undeniable, with all ADAS autonomous emergency brake (AEB) and lane-support systems present. On the airbag front, a front centre item is fitted, taking that total to eight.

Is that the sound of the CLA electric dropping the ball?

However, Mercedes’ five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is nothing but average nowadays. Service intervals are every 12 months or 25,000km, and only pre-paid servicing in three-year ($2455), four-year ($3620) and five-year ($4295) blocks are available.