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The Mercedes CLA offers great EV specs for an average price
Transportation Close Transportation Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Transportation Tech Close Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Tech Cars Close Cars Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Cars The Mercedes CLA offers great EV specs for an average price It can be hard to find an affordable EV that’s fun to drive. Fortunately, the CLA ticks all the right boxes. It can be hard to find an affordable EV that’s fun to drive. Fortunately, the CLA ticks all the right boxes. by Peter Nelson Close Peter Nelson Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All by Peter Nelson Photos by Peter Nelson May 31, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC Link Share Gift Image: Peter Nelson / The Verge Despite headwinds from the current administration, automakers continue to release well-equipped EVs with bigger battery packs and increasingly faster charging speeds. For those who want to travel further between plugging in, the future is still bright, just slightly tinted. But there haven’t been many sedans starting around or below $50,000, as crossover SUVs have largely taken up this territory. Now, Mercedes-Benz has released its CLA compact sedan which ticks every box above for the 2026 and 2027 model year, and throws in pleasant interior amenities and fun driving character for good measure. Previous Next 1 / 6 What’s inside The CLA with EQ Technology (Mercedes’ term for “EV”) is based on its latest MMA platform—the driving kind, not the fighting kind—and comes in two flavors: CLA250 Plus and CLA350 4Matic. They both pack 85 kWh batteries, 800V architecture, a maximum charging capacity of 320 kW, and the ability to go from 10-80 percent charge in just 22 minutes at that maximum rate. The 250 Plus utilizes just a rear motor for propulsion with an output of 268 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque, which will shove its 4,553-pound stature to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. The 350 4Matic utilizes a motor on each axle with a combined output of 349 and 380, respectively, and its 4,729-pound heft will reach 60 mph in just 4.8. The 250 Plus has an EPA-estimated range of 374 miles, whereas the 350 4Matic travels 62 fewer. Prices start at $48,500 and $51,850, respectively. The latest CLA is classed as a compact sedan, but it’s amply spacious inside. I found the front passenger area in my 350 4Matic tester rather commodious for my six-foot-three stature, and really dug its driving position; the telescoping steering wheel could be brought in sports car-close, overall visibility was great, and the optional AMG Line sport seats were amply comfortable. The rear passenger room was a hair more restrictive but fine for average-build occupants. Combined cargo room reaches 11.7 cubic feet, of which 1.4 is in the frunk—that’s right, it’s thankfully not just wiring and coolant hoses under there. Previous Next 1 / 6 Tech amenities The CLA is the first model to get the latest Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS0). Notably, this makes over-the-air updates more seamless, which the brand says will come in handy for refining its driver-assistance system software over time. Personalization also seems high on MB’s list of boasts as the latest, sixth-generation MBUX software—the gateway into the software’s user interface, as opposed to MB.OS0 being the software foundation for the entire vehicle—offers the ability to customize themes, interior lighting, and more, with ease. Though, getting the most out of it isn’t possible without the optional Pinnacle Line ($5,850) tacked on. This accounted for my tester’s deeply customizable interior lighting, wireless charging, a head-up display, Burmester 3D surround sound, four-zone automatic climate control, among other niceties. The optional Superscreen—three separate, massive screens housed together—that covered much of the dash was easy to gain familiarity with. Knowing what to tap to quickly change settings, music, and more, had a learning curve, and the software’s voice assistant filled in any gaps well. Lag wasn’t a thing, either. Though finer adjustments like ambient lighting brightness were a bit fiddly, and, at night, the lit-up air vents obscured my view of the side mirrors from my seating position. Previous Next 1 / 6 Driving the Mercedes-Benz CLA350 4Matic EV Sporting solid EV specs and 0.21 coefficient of drag, I was impressed by how easily the CLA could achieve over 300 miles on a single charge. My week was a good mix of city and highway driving, plus a weekend trip to the mountains above Southern California thrown in for good measure; 4,200 feet of elevation gain and loss. Kicking off my getaway with 85 percent charge, I still had an estimated 150 miles left—after covering 175 miles and averaging 0.225 kWh-per-mile. Taking advantage of downhill
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