The electric Mercedes-Benz CLA is just starting to reach our shores, and if you’re on the fence about buying an EV because of range anxiety, this might be the car for you. Edmunds just took the little electric sedan through its range and changing test, and the results were more than impressive.
The outlet tested the 2026 CLA250+, which is the long-range, rear-wheel drive version of the subcompact. It’s fitted with an 85 kWh battery that is good enough for an EPA-estimated range of 374 miles. That alone is mighty impressive for a car that costs $48,500, including destination. Here’s the thing, though. The CLA Edmunds tested didn’t just beat that number, it kicked its teeth in. Over its testing loop, the CPA recorded 434 miles of total driving range from completely full to completely empty — 60 miles and 16% better than what the EPA said it would do. That’s quite an achievement for a car that actually costs less than the average new vehicle these days.
It wasn’t just range, either. In Edmund’s charging test, it earned a score of 833 miles per hour with an average charging rate of 193 kW from 10% to 80%. That puts it in second place all-time on its leaderboard of more than 100 EVs, falling short of only the Hyundai Ioniq 6, which scored a mind-boggling 926 miles per hour.
Wide range
434 miles places it at number seven all-time in Edmunds’ testing, right between the 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring and 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+. Of course, both of those cars have much bigger batteries and cost more than double the CLA. Anyway you slice it, this was quite a feat for the little sedan.
While carrying out the test, Edmunds says the CLA used 23.2 kWh of energy per 100 miles of driving. That actually beat the EPA’s estimate by 16.5%, which is roughly in line with the overall range percentage it beat the EPA’s estimate by.
Here’s how Edmunds tests its EV range:
The Edmunds EV Range Test is designed to give you the most accurate representation of a car’s real-world range. Rather than getting on the freeway, setting the cruise control at 70 mph, and driving until the battery is depleted, we follow a strict route made up of 60% city and 40% highway driving, with an average speed of 40 mph. We also stay within 5 mph of all posted speed limits, drive each car in its most efficient drive setting and keep the climate control on auto at 72 degrees. All of this most accurately represents the real-world driving that owners do day to day.
The CLA has bested quite literally everything in its class in Edmunds’ test, including the Polestar 2 (362 miles), Chevy Equinox EV (356 miles), Porsche Macan 4 (352 miles), Lucid Air Pure (349 miles), Ford Mustang Mach-E (344 miles), Hyundai Ioniq 6 RWD (343 miles) and Tesla Model 3 Long Range (338 miles). It has yet to give the all-wheel-drive, dual-motor CLA350 4Matic a go on its test loop, but the EPA estimates its range to be 312 miles.
