Mercedes-Benz CLA crowned Europe's Car of the Year 2026
Michael McAleer
The new Mercedes-Benz CLA is Europe’s car of the year 2026.Offered as an all-electric version or with a mild-hybrid petrol engine, the CLA was lauded for its handling prowess and the exceptional range of its EV version, with up to 792km claimed under official WLTP testing.
Votes were cast by 59 jury members from 23 countries, each assigning 25 points, with a maximum of 10 points available for any one car and at least five finalists required to receive a score.
Mercedes-Benz secured a commanding lead from the start, and finished on 320 points, ahead of the Skoda Elroq on 220, Kia EV4 on 208, Citroen's C5 Aircross on 207 and the Fiat Grande Panda on 200. The Dacia Bigster scored 170, while the Renault 4 secured 150 points.
The criteria for judging comprise a wide mix of innovation, price, driving pleasure and the usual array of practicality, energy economy, plus a healthy dose of gut instinct. Alongside local tests, the models are tested at organised jury events during the year, where they are put through their paces across motorways, gravel tracks, city streets, potholed back roads, race circuits and even runways.
The chief engineer for Mercedes-Benz compact cars says people opt for CLA over C-Class because of its styling, but it's on the road that this Mercedes really shines.
The range is exceptional, and while many cars promise lengthy range, our own test drives have shown the CLA largely lives up to its claims. During our latest test drive in the car, we found it still had 109km left when the battery pack was down to 15 per cent and we were running at energy consumption of 22.3kWh/100km.
This leggy range sits alongside taut handling and wonderfully punchy acceleration, to make it a properly fun car to drive.
Inside, it’s all a bit too bling, but the tech stands up to scrutiny, and it offers AI-supported voice activation. Using both ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, the voice assistant can help wile away the journey by guiding you through World Cup winners over the last 20 years, or whatever conversational cul-de-sac you wish to go down with your car.
Fast, agile and full of range, the biggest hurdle to overcome with the EV version is price. It starts at €53,425 for the CLA 200, with a 165kW battery pack and range of 540km, rising to €63,525 for the larger 272kW battery pack, which delivers that headline range of close to 800km.
