Say hello to…
…the Mercedes CLA, the brand’s latest battery electric saloon, that’s very nearly the same size as the current C-class. The 85kWh battery provides a claimed range well in excess of 400 miles and, charge point permitting, can gain power at up to 320kW. The car has also just scooped the European Car of the Year. The CLA is available in three trim levels:
- Sport
- AMG Line
- AMG Line Premium
Equipment as standard on the Sport includes infotainment screen, satnav, heated front seats with 4-way lumbar support, panoramic glass roof, blind spot assist, 18-inch alloys, heart pump, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, USB sockets and climate control.
AMG Line adds keyless go, wireless phone charging, sports seats, AMG bodykit and Parktronic.
AMG Line Premium adds Multibeam LED headlights and 19-inch alloys.
Is The Mercedes CLA Suitable For My Fleet
Mercedes has ticked a huge number of company car boxes with the new CLA. For starters an electric car with an official range of more than 450 miles is quite the offer. Even in a week of freezing temperatures we saw a real-world range of 280 miles without any effort to drive economically. This is likely to be a worst-case scenario which would mean a reliable 350 miles in most conditions. Alongside the range, the CLA is also roomy and similar in size to a C-class, so is capable of being a family saloon.
It’s also got both a decent boot and a large front, under-bonnet storage area with more than enough room for charging cables.
Leasing A Mercedes CLA
Forecast maintenance costs are very competitive at £43 a month, according to Gensen Reports. And due to the low benefit-in-kind tax band the Class 1A NIC figure is less than £21 a month, thanks to a P11D price of £51,705.
Driving A Mercedes CLA
Use the Mercedes CLA for a few hours and it becomes clear there’s a difference between the new entrant brands claiming to offer a premium experience and a traditional brand actually delivering a premium experience.
Mercedes clearly realises that not only do you have to offer serious levels of the latest technology – in this case the standout feature is the huge cross dashboard digital display – but also a maturity to the way the car drives.
Yes, the interior is superbly constructed and the materials used feel expensive, but when you drive the CLA on typical British roads, local and motorway. The car doesn’t have any oddities. The steering is direct and precise, the suspension quiet and cushioning yet the body is controlled so there’s no wallow or harshness. The brakes do exactly what you’d expect – they’re progressive and easy to modulate when you come to a stop (not always a given on new entrant electric cars).
All this shows the CLA is worth the higher price that some rivals.
The main downside to the new CLA is the infotainment screen and the touch-sensitive ‘buttons’ on the steering wheel.
Chasing the Chinese brands’ approach to putting everything in a touchscreen isn’t the right way to go about things. This makes functions harder to find and distracting while you’re driving. One particular problem is trying to skip on a song or podcast while you’re on the move. Traditionally this would be a button on the steering wheel. The only way we found to do this was by using the main infotainment screen to tap out of navigation, into music and then tap to advance. Not ideal.
The other issue to the advanced tech is the Mercedes’ keyless start system. Like some other cars, all you have to do to set off in the CLA is to have the key in your pocket and then select Drive; there’s no start/ignition button. Sounds great, but because it’s not easy to turn off the annoying ADAS systems for speed and lane-keeping, whenever you select Park, even if you’ve not got out of the car, then Drive and move off, you’ll need to turn the unwanted ADAS functions off again. It’s maddening for anyone who drops their kids at school or is sat in traffic for any length of time.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Mercedes CLA
Irritating infotainment controls aside, this is an excellent fleet car.
Mercedes CLA
- Model: CLA 250+ AMG Line Premium
- Power: 272hp
- Torque: 335Nm
- Max speed: 130mph
- 0-62mph: 6.7s
- Official range: 464 miles
- Test range: 280 miles *
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2025/26: 3%
* ambient temperature at 0degC
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