New Mercedes CLA 2025 preview: electric exec gets near 500-mile range

The Mercedes CLA with EQ Technology might just be the most important new electric car revealed in 2025. This is not due to its design or technology – fresh though they are – but the fact that it raises the stakes in terms of range for cars in its class, and even the classes above. The new Mercedes CLA250+ with EQ Technology can achieve up to 491 miles on the WLTP cycle, which is literally miles and miles ahead of any competition. 

The new Mercedes CLA is able to offer this level of electric range thanks to not only a big battery pack, but also a highly efficient e-motor set-up and ultra-slick aerodynamics that make the most of all the energy being stored within it. 

However, all this is packaged in a body that doesn’t look quite as revolutionary as you might expect. Mercedes tried a ‘shock and awe’ design strategy with the EQS and EQE EVs, but was faced with something of a backlash. This time it’s aiming for a ‘hidden in plain sight’ approach, with this new EV taking the form of a more familiar CLA saloon. 

The important bit, though, is that Mercedes won’t be leaving its ICE customers behind, because it’ll also sell combustion-powered variants of the CLA alongside the EV, and apart from an open grille, these look exactly the same. We’ll get more information on these new petrol-powered models in a few months, but for now the EQ versions are in the limelight.

What powertrain options and performance can we expect?

CLA sales will kick off with all-electric variants under the EQ Technology banner later this year. These models will initially come with single or dual-motor options paired with an 85kWh battery pack. A smaller 58kWh battery will follow, lowering the cost but compromising the range.

The range kicks off with the single-motor CLA250+ with Mercedes posting a peak power of 286bhp derived from its rear-mounted e-motor that’ll get it from 0-62mph in just 6.7 seconds and onto a 130mph top speed. Above this sits the CLA350 that adds an additional e-motor to the front axle, therefore making it all-wheel drive. Power rises to 348bhp, with the 0-62mph time dropping to 4.9 seconds.

Both versions have a two-speed transmission on the rear motor that allow for punchier acceleration at low speeds and more effortless cruising at high speeds. 

Specifics about the hybrid variants are still thin on the ground, but we do know they’ll feature a new 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine matched to a 48V mild-hybrid system. This will be offered with both front and all-wheel drive with an electrified eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and with three different power outputs. 

What do we know about the efficiency and running costs? 

It’s the CLA250+ single-motor variant that’s making headlines, though, because it will be launched with that huge range figure of between 430 and 491 miles. It’s no slouch, either, with Mercedes posting a peak power of 286bhp derived from its rear-mounted e-motor that’ll get it from 0-62mph in just 6.7 seconds and onto a 130mph top speed. 

An all-wheel-drive, dual-motor CLA350 model will come with the same battery pack, and range figures of between 416 and 478 miles. Power jumps to 348bhp in this variant, with the 0-62mph time dropping to 4.9 seconds. Both versions have a two-speed transmission on the rear motor that allows for punchier acceleration at low speeds and more effortless cruising at high speeds. 

The CLA is able to achieve these figures thanks to a range of technical innovations, starting with the inclusion of an 800V electrical system for the first time in a Mercedes. As well as packaging in lighter and more compact hardware, it also allows for super-fast 320kW charging, which is capable of adding up to 200 miles in just 10 minutes.

Mercedes is also quoting very impressive efficiency ratings for the motors, ranging between 4.4 and 5.1mi/kWh, which is helped by a relatively sensible 2,050kg kerb weight and that slippery body. The complex design is an efficient one with a coefficient of drag that’s best in class at 0.21. This comes as no surprise considering Merc’s expertise in aero management, and with the new CLA’s mandate of being the brand’s most efficient EV, it was also essential to reach those challenging range targets. A heat pump is also standard across the range. 

What is the exterior and interior design like?

Fans of the current CLA will be happy to see the new model’s look is a natural evolution from the previous models, but there are lots of new design details that we’ll see across Merc’s future models. The swooping roofline, sleek windows and frameless doors all draw from previous CLA models, although everything sits a little higher on this new car, due to a thick floor designed to contain the batteries. Mercedes has tried to hide this with the use of black sills, but on most AMG Line cars the designers have added a chrome sill strip, which reverses this effect. 

For all this, it’s the new CLA’s lighting that will grab more attention. This includes a complex front lighting arrangement that sees the main headlight units connected by a lightbar stretching across the car’s nose. 

It’s not a single unbroken light as you’ll find on some new cars, rather it’s split into three pieces and joined at either end by two three-pointed star motifs that also act as the car’s daytime running lights and indicators. 

Below that is a gloss black grille insert peppered with tiny three-pointed stars and a much larger one in the centre. All of those individual stars are illuminated and can show things such as the charge status. These sit above more familiar Mercedes design elements such as fake intakes and plastic strakes. The models in these pictures are the AMG Line version, which will almost certainly be the most popular option in the UK, but a less sporty base trim will be available, too. 

The rear end also draws lots from the previous CLA, but with more three-pointed star motifs inside the now-connected rear lamps. In place of a standard light bar there’s a row of notches that stretch right across the bootlid. AMG Line models add a small rear lip spoiler, but there are no fake exhaust outlets. Wheel sizes vary between 17 and 19-inches, and most feature some level of aero optimisation that help eke out extra range. 

The cabin, on the other hand, is completely new and diverges from the current generation by offering an even more digital experience. Dominating the whole cabin is what looks like one huge pane of glass, which houses a driver’s display, the main touchscreen and an optional passenger screen. It’s so big that there’s not much room for many design flourishes, but there are a few touches, such as the round illuminated outer air vents and door cards. 

What do we know about the infotainment system? 

The infotainment system is brand new, and there’s a lot of it. Starting with the driver’s display, it still runs on a 10.25-inch screen and is controlled through a new and slightly simplified set of controls on the steering wheel. These are haptic, but there are significantly less of them now, making the steering wheel easier to navigate. 

The main 14-inch touchscreen is the more dramatic new arrival, because not only is it big, but it also houses a brand-new operating system. Now called MB OS, the system looks similar to that used in larger Mercedes models, but the whole thing is now much more responsive and can be updated through over-the-air updates. 

Its navigation system is much smarter than before and uses Google intelligence to add in further search functions and more accurate traffic and weather information. Mercedes will also offer the option of a second 14-inch passenger screen with the same interface, but the screen is visible from the driver’s seat and doesn’t offer any picture-obscuring tech.

The ‘zero-layer’ system is still in place, with most main controls available on the home screen including a section at the base for climate functions with a few shortcut tiles in the centre. For deeper functionality there is a comprehensive menu system, including embedded apps Tesla-style that have Spotify, Apple Music or any podcast apps placed right into the system. We’ll have to wait to use it while on the road to get a sense of whether it feels like a step in the right direction in terms of usability, but it felt responsive and fairly easy to get your head around at first glance. 

How practical is the Mercedes CLA and how big is the boot space?

Fitting the CLA’s sleek body over a package designed to fit batteries under the floor has been a tricky exercise, though, leading to some strange proportions. The result is that while the new cabin looks similar to the last car’s, it feels quite different thanks to a high floor. Merc’s engineers have tried to salvage some headroom over the previous generation with a little less of an inward curve to the windows, so there’s more space for three passengers across the back seat – but there’s not a huge amount of legroom, although the floor is flat. However, there is a glass roof fitted as standard, helping keep the cabin light. 

The boot is a reasonable size at 405 litres and offers some underfloor storage, but there’s also a very useful front boot with an additional 101 litres under the bonnet that’s both weathertight and carpeted. This makes for a particularly useful space to keep the charge cable without getting anything in the main boot dirty. 

What safety tech does the Mercedes CLA have?

Like all new Mercedes models, there’s a proverbial kitchen sink of driver assistance and passive safety tech on the new CLA including MB.Drive assist that brings with it level 2 autonomous driving functions. This includes a lane change funtion, but an optional MB.Drive Plus system will integrate automatic overtaking in later models. 

What will the Mercedes CLA price be?

Mercedes has not confirmed UK prices and specifications yet, but the hybrid models will probably start at around £35-40,000, similar to today’s CLA. Where the EQ variants sit, however, is a little harder to predict, but we suspect that they’ll have cars like the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3 in its crosshairs. Although it remains to be seen if the CLA is able to match their opening pricepoints of around £45,000.

The new model will be available to order in the next few months, with customer deliveries starting in the third quarter of this year. 

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