- The 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 EV drove nearly 400 miles in Edmunds’ real-world range and efficiency test.
- The German electric sedan squeezed 73 extra miles from its battery compared to what the EPA said it could do.
- It also beat the official efficiency estimate by nearly 13%.
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 EV, the most powerful version of the German automaker’s newest electric sedan, just blew past its official EPA range estimate in Edmunds’ real-world EV Range Test.
The dual-motor CLA 350 has an EPA-estimated 312 miles of range and an official energy consumption of 29 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles, but in Edmunds’ hands, the sleek four-door sedan managed an impressive 385 miles on a full charge, leading to an equally impressive 25.7 kWh/100 miles consumption figure. In other words, the compact EV delivered 73 more miles than it says on the window sticker.
2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA (U.S. Spec)
Photo by: Patrick George
When it comes to charging, the CLA went above the advertised figures once again, scoring a 349 kW peak, 29 kW more than what Mercedes claims.
This is not the first time the new Mercedes CLA shines. Late last year, Edmunds tested the lower-spec CLA 250+ EV, which has a single rear electric motor, on the same course and found that it could drive a stunning 434 miles before conking out, 60 more miles than the EPA figure. This result made the entry-level CLA EV the cheapest electric car tested by the American publication that broke the 400-mile barrier.
All of this means that Mercedes did its homework, and CLA EV owners can rest assured that their new car can get them to their destination. All this being said, there is one important thing to note.
Edmunds’ EV range test is different from the EPA procedure, and it’s the reason behind these big differences. The publication’s route is split 60/40, with 60% of the car’s driving happening in the city and 40% on the highway, with an average speed of 40 miles per hour for the entire course. According to Edmunds, this way of testing better represents today’s driving habits, whereas the EPA procedure has 55% city driving and 45% highway driving.
Compared to other EVs tested by Edmunds, the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 4Matic drove further than the Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive (339 miles), the BMW i4 eDrive40 (292 miles), and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 RWD (343 miles).
Both the CLA 250+ and the CLA350 4Matic are powered by the same 85-kWh battery pack, but their powertrains differ when it comes to the number of electric motors. The 250+ has a single, rear-mounted drive unit that makes 268 horsepower, while the 350 4Matic adds a second, front-mounted motor that ups the total output to 349 hp.
73
Source: Patrick George