The Mercedes CLA has better autonomy than expected on long journeys: the pleasant surprise

Range is undoubtedly one of the most important points when buying an electric car, along with the price. Car manufacturers are obviously well aware of this, and are doing everything they can to improve this point.

This is particularly the case of Mercedes, which hit very hard with its new CLA. Unveiled in the spring of 2025, the compact quickly won acclaim, to the point of being voted “Car of the Year 2026”. And this in particular for its fast charging and energy management.

For the record, it is available in several two- or four-wheel drive versions, with a maximum range announced of up to 792 kilometers WLTP on the most enduring 250+ version. But American journalists had a very pleasant surprise. In the United States, the new CLA is available in two variants, 350 4MATIC and 250+.

They can travel 502 and 601 kilometers respectively. Values ​​expressed according to the EPA cycle, much stricter than our European approval. But a road test in real conditions revealed a very pleasant surprise.

Journalists from the Edmunds site tried to see what the sedan had in its belly. And we can say that they were not disappointed, quite the contrary. To do this, they took the wheel of the 350 variant, equipped with all-wheel drive. And it ultimately did better than the official approval, since it managed to travel 620 kilometers in a single charge. That is to say approximately 117 kilometers more than what the German manufacturer announces.

There remains one point that this American test does not say: it concerns the EPA cycle and not our more optimistic WLTP approval. Clearly, the 620 kilometers measured by Edmunds are to be compared to the 502 km EPA of the American version, not to the European WLTP figures, which are structurally more generous. The lesson to be learned remains valid on both sides of the Atlantic: on this protocol mixing city and motorway, the CLA does better than its technical sheet.

Very good performance

The star sedan did better than the standard Tesla Model Y with its 545 kilometers and the BMW i4 eDrive40, which covered 470 kilometers. But that's not all, because the Mercedes CLA also did very well on recharging. Indeed, the latter was once again ultimately faster than the manufacturer's approval. The latter indicates that the car can absorb a maximum power of 320 kW in direct current. But it was finally able to go further and receive up to 349 kW.

Thus, only 9 minutes and 11 seconds were needed to recover 160 kilometers. And that's not all, because consumption was also lower than the official figures. Mercedes had indicated that its car achieves 29 kWh per 100 miles. Ultimately, that figure came to just 25.7 kWh/100 miles. That is almost 13% less than the official estimate. Here again, this is very good news for future customers who are still a little cautious.

For the record, the test carried out by the American media is carried out in conditions similar to real life. It includes 60% city driving and 40% highway driving, at an average speed of around 64 km/h. All vehicles are tested in the most economical driving mode, with the air conditioning set at 22 degrees. Finally, the Mercedes CLA is priced in France from 48,050 euros and is not eligible for the CEE bonus.