2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ A Model 3 Killer

It looks evolutionary, a logical rework of the CLA four-door that has been Mercedes-Benz’s entry-level sedan here in Britain for some years now. But under the skin the 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology is utterly revolutionary, a second-generation electric vehicle from Mercedes that debuts technologies destined for company’s flagship S-Class.
 

The CLA 250+ is the first of two variants of the new electric-powered Mercedes sedan that will be sold in Britain. A dual-motor, all-wheel drive version, the CLA 350 4Matic, will arrive next year, along with a version with a 48V mild-hybrid powertrain anchored around Mercedes-Benz’s new 1.5-litre M252 turbocharged four-cylinder Miller cycle engine.
 
The Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology (for the sake of brevity, we’ll dump the lumpen ‘with EQ Technology’ suffix from here on, okay?) jumps into a market segment fizzing with choice, from the surprising BYD Seal to BMW’s i4 to the Hyundai Ioniq 6 to the long-time benchmark, Tesla’s Model 3. It’s a segment in which the three-pointed star hasn’t really been a player. Until now.
 
At a glance
Pros: Class leading range, fast charging, near-S Class ride quality, composed dynamics.
Cons: Transmission shift shock under hard acceleration, tight rear seat accommodation, no sunshade on panorama roof.
 
What’s new?
Everything. The CLA 250+ is built on Mercedes-Benz’s new MMA vehicle architecture, which will also underpin a Shooting Brake version, as well as the next generation GLA and GLB compact SUVs.
 
MMA was designed from the outset to accommodate both battery electric and internal combustion engine powertrains. Both the EV and ICE versions look virtually identical inside and out and will be built on the same assembly line in Rastatt, Germany, but have different floorpans and unique front and rear body structures under the sheet metal to meet different crash performance requirements.
 
The CLA 250+ debuts Mercedes-Benz’s new MB.OS operating system, bigger and brighter screens, and a new brake control system. Beyond that, the CLA 250+ also debuts the first e-motor designed and developed entirely in-house at Mercedes-Benz, the company’s first series production 800V electrical architecture, and a new battery chemistry that features silicon carbide anodes and has 20 percent better energy density than any thus far fitted to an electric powered Mercedes.
 

What are the specs?
The CLA 250+ is powered by a single e-motor mounted at the rear axle that develops 268hp and 247lb-ft of torque and drives the rear wheels through a two-speed transmission. Mercedes claims the CLA 250+ will accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 6.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 130mph.
 
The battery has a useable capacity of 85kWh and its advanced thermal management system combined with the 800V electrical architecture combined means that on a fast charger it will take peak charge rates of 320kW, enabling it to take on 36kWh of energy in as little as 10 minutes.
 
Mercedes claims a WLTP-rated range of 484 miles for the entry-level Sport Edition, and 482 miles for the AMG Line Edition. The more aggressively tyred AMG Line Premium Edition has an official range of 462 miles. But do those impressive numbers stack up on the road?
 
What’s it like to drive?
The powertrain’s outputs look modest. But the instant-on torque of the e-motor, combined with rear-wheel drive and the 46/54 percent front to rear weight distribution, makes the CLA 250+ feel surprisingly agile and alert, though hard acceleration will provoke a disconcerting pause-thump from the transmission as it goes into high gear.
 
The CLA 250+ can recoup up to 200kW while on the road, the new digital brake control system allowing regeneration to occur even under full ABS braking in icy conditions, the system’s software ensuring a confident, consistent pedal feel. Four levels of lift-off regen are available – D Auto, which lets the car’s software optimize the regen levels; D+, which allows the car to coast; D, which slows the CLA in much the same way as when lifting off the accelerator in an internal combustion engine vehicle; and D-, which allows one-pedal driving, and will even bring the Mercedes to a halt on an icy downhill.
 
Toggling between the modes is achieved by pushing or pulling the column-mounted shift lever, and in D+ the CLA 250+ seems to sail forever when you lift off the accelerator pedal, its 0.21 drag coefficient helping it slip through the air. On the A – and B-roads the D+ setting allows the car to flow beautifully down the tarmac.
 
You expect an electric vehicle to be quiet, but where the CLA 250+ does surprise is in the plushness of its ride. Though marginally longer, wider, and taller than the outgoing CLA sedan, it feels almost as serene as an S Class. It’s highly manoeuvrable, though, thanks to its tight turning circle.
 
The two-speed transmission means the CLA 250+ feels more relaxed at 80 mph on the motorway than most electric vehicles. Not only does the transmission help the car reach that impressive 130mph top speed, but it also improves efficiency. Even driven briskly, with no attempt at hypermiling, the CLA 250+ returned 4.2 miles/kWh on our test. Driven gently, you can expect to get as much as 4.8 miles/kWh.
 
That suggests a real-world range of 350 to 410 miles. True, that’s less than the advertised numbers, but the WLTP range figures, generated under laboratory conditions, are notoriously optimistic. A good rule of thumb is to take 20 percent off a WLTP range number, and you’ll get a good indication of an electric vehicle’s real-world range. The maths suggests the CLA 250+ is efficient as Mercedes claims it is and will indeed go further on a charge than Tesla’s rear-wheel drive Model 3 Long Range.
 

What about the interior?
It’s all about the screen(s). The glass-surfaced structure that stretches right across the dash leaves you in no doubt the CLA 250+ is a Mercedes-Benz for the digital age. Its displays, and the functionality they offer, are physical manifestations of the new MB.OS operating system that powers the car’s neural network.
 
Look past the screen, though, and the CLA 250+ interior is relatively conventional in design and execution. The flying buttress centre console, now a common feature of many electric vehicle interiors, arches over a lower storage area that includes USB C ports to connect your devices. Smart use of materials and trim elements endow the cabin with an upscale ambience the Tesla Model 3 can’t match.
 
The relatively conventional exterior design of the CLA 250+ cleverly disguises the fact that it’s an electric vehicle with a thick battery pack mounted under the floor, between the axles. But the interior packaging gives the game away.
 
As in all Benzes, the accommodation for the front seat passengers is spacious, the power seats sliding well back. The rear seat, however, is tight, particularly as the front seats are effectively mounted on the floor, atop the battery pack, and there’s not much room to get feet under them. The close relationship between the rear seat squab and the floor also means rear passengers sit with their knees pushed up, with little under-thigh support.
 
The panorama sunroof that is standard across the CLA 250+ range isn’t there because Mercedes felt generous: It’s needed to give headroom for rear seat passengers. Annoyingly, the roof does not have dimmable glass, or even a deployable cloth sunshade, so glare – directly from the sun, or reflected off shiny interior hardware – is a problem on sunny days.
 
Load space is decent. The boot has a capacity of 405 litres, and the frunk a capacity of 101 litres. And none of that space is needed to store charging cables.
 

Before you buy?
The entry-level Sport Edition starts at £45,615. Next comes what is likely to be the best-seller of the lineup, the AMG Line Edition, at £49,374. Top spec model is the AMG Line Premium Edition, which retails for £51,770.
 
As mentioned, all models come standard with the panorama glass roof. They also get pair of 14in screens behind the glass panel stretching across the dash. In addition to the dazzling displays and functionality powered by state-of-the-art high-performance chips and real-time game engine graphics, MB.OS supports a full range of Level 2+ driver assistance systems, including park assist.
 
Stepping up to the AMG Line Edition gets you extras such as Keyless Go and ambient lighting, along with sports seats and LED headlights and the option of two-tone interior trim. Both the Sport Edition and AMG Line Edition come standard with 18in alloy wheels, though with designs unique to each. The AMG Line Premium Edition rolls on 19in wheels with low profile tyres.
 
Verdict
The Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ is the most consequential compact sedan ever from the three-pointed star. If the first generation of Mercedes electric vehicles were perhaps less than world beating, the CLA 250+ suggests the coming second-generation electric vehicles from Stuttgart will offer measurable improvements in terms of their efficiency and design and connectivity.
 
More importantly, on the road the CLA 250+ displays the calm composure that has long been the hallmark of the very best Mercedes-Benz sedans. It might be Benz’s entry level electric vehicle, but it has the serene demeanour of an S Class. It’s more than premium; it feels like a proper luxury car. It makes the Tesla Model 3 seem an appliance.