Mercedes CLA: electric or hybrid? Just £435 apart, and the EV is the better car

The Mercedes CLA gives UK buyers a rare chance to compare electric and petrol power in the same car at almost the same price. The CLA Hybrid starts from £38,715 and the fully electric CLA from £39,150, a difference of just £435, according to a UK drive by PA Motoring published in The Irish News. PA’s verdict was clear: the electric version is the better car.

With diesel near £2 a litre and petrol over £1.70, the running cost argument is stronger than ever, as long as you can charge at home. Here is how the two compare, plus the new CLA Shooting Brake estate, Mercedes’ first electric estate car.

How do the electric and hybrid CLA compare?

Mercedes CLA saloon	Electric (CLA 250+)	Hybrid (CLA 200)
UK starting price	£39,150	£38,715
Powertrain	Electric motor, 800-volt system	1.5-litre turbo petrol with a small motor in the gearbox
Power	Varies by version	161bhp, 250Nm
0-60mph	Varies by version	Just under 8 seconds
Official range or economy	Up to 483 miles WLTP	54.3mpg combined
Boot	Not stated here	405 litres

The electric range figure comes from evo, which notes that the CLA 250+ claims up to 483 miles, more than the bigger C-Class Electric. That makes it one of the longest-range EVs on sale at any price.

What is the CLA Hybrid like to drive?

Smooth on the motorway, less convincing elsewhere. PA Motoring said the hybrid “chops along very pleasantly” at a cruise and is “very efficient”, beating its claimed 54.3mpg on a long motorway run.

But the powertrain “feels as though it’s spoiling the party slightly. It’s sluggish in terms of responsiveness and when you do eventually get the engine to react, acceleration is introduced alongside quite a racket, without a huge amount of forward progress.” The engine is designed by Mercedes but built in China. PA concluded that the hybrid’s “sluggish responsiveness and noisy engine take away that high level of refinement that was one of the standout features in the electric car”.

What is the electric CLA like?

PA described the electric CLA as “great to drive” and “a real step forward in terms of electric performance”, praising its “excellent smoothness” and “effortless refinement”. It is already a more common sight on UK roads.

Both versions share the same cabin, including the optional “Superscreen” that spans the dashboard with a physical row of controls underneath, and the illuminated star-pattern grille.

What does it cost to run?

This is where the gap opens up. The figures below are rough guides for 10,000 miles a year:

• Electric, charged at home on an off-peak tariff. At around 2p a mile, as ChargeUK and YouGov estimate for off-peak home charging, that is roughly £200 a year in electricity.
• Hybrid at 54mpg on petrol. 10,000 miles needs about 840 litres, or roughly £1,450 a year with petrol at about £1.74 a litre, the RAC average on 21 October.

So an electric CLA charged at home could save well over £1,000 a year in fuel alone, more than enough to cover the £435 price difference in a few months. If you rely on public rapid charging, which ChargeUK puts at around 22p a mile on average, the saving largely disappears. Our home charging cost calculator can work out your own figures.

There are other costs to weigh. From April 2028, EVs will pay 3p a mile under the pay-per-mile eVED tax, about £300 a year at 10,000 miles, as we explain in our eVED guide. The fuel duty rise due from January would add to the hybrid’s costs.

What about the CLA Shooting Brake?

The CLA Shooting Brake is the estate version and Mercedes’ first electric estate. According to a separate PA Motoring UK drive:

CLA Shooting Brake 350 4Matic	Figure
Battery	85.5kWh
Power	344bhp, 515Nm, all-wheel drive
0-60mph	4.8 seconds
Top speed	130mph
WLTP range	Up to 418 miles
Peak charging	320kW; 10% to 80% in 22 minutes
Boot	455 litres, 1,290 litres seats folded, plus a 101-litre front boot
UK prices	From £47,750; the 350 AMG Line Premium Plus tested costs £58,915

PA praised its handling, steering and ride comfort, and described the 101-litre front boot as class-leading. Its criticisms were the letterbox-style rear window, a fake diffuser and exhaust tips on an electric car, some hard plastics low down, and a high rear floor that makes the back seats less comfortable. It noted the entry price is £3,150 more than a BMW 3 Series Touring plug-in hybrid.

Hybrid versions of the Shooting Brake are also planned.

Which should you buy?

The electric CLA is the better choice for most buyers, if:

• You can charge at home, ideally on an off-peak tariff.
• You drive a reasonable mileage, where the fuel savings add up quickly.
• You value refinement, which is where the EV shines.

The hybrid makes sense if you cannot charge at home and do long motorway trips, where it is economical and smooth. Our electric versus hybrid guide helps you decide.

As a company car, the electric CLA is far cheaper in benefit-in-kind tax than the hybrid, which pays a much higher rate. Our company car tax guide explains the difference.

How does the hybrid system actually work?

The CLA Hybrid is a mild-to-full hybrid rather than a plug-in. Its 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine is paired with a compact electric motor built into the eight-speed automatic gearbox, linked to a small battery. The motor helps the engine when accelerating, recovers energy when slowing and can drive the car on electric power alone for short periods, but you cannot plug it in.

That means its economy depends on the petrol engine. PA Motoring found it very efficient on the motorway, beating its 54.3mpg claim, but the engine had to work hard and became noisy when accelerating. For drivers who do mostly long motorway runs, that may be acceptable. For town driving, where an EV is at its best, the hybrid’s advantages are smaller.

What makes the electric CLA so efficient?

Mercedes has focused heavily on aerodynamics and efficiency with its new MMA platform, which underpins the electric CLA saloon and Shooting Brake. The CLA uses an 800-volt electrical system, which allows fast charging and helps efficiency. The result is one of the longest official ranges of any EV at its price, with the CLA 250+ quoted at up to 483 miles WLTP.

In the real world, expect less, especially on cold days and at motorway speeds, but a car with a WLTP figure that high should still manage well over 300 miles in most conditions.

What about charging on a trip?

The electric CLA’s 800-volt system means fast charging on suitable public chargers. The Shooting Brake, for example, charges at up to 320kW and goes from 10% to 80% in about 22 minutes. On a long trip, that means short stops rather than long waits.

If you cannot charge at home, though, those public charging costs add up. ChargeUK and YouGov estimate public charging at about 22p a mile on average, which would make the electric CLA cost roughly the same per mile as the hybrid on petrol. Our report on the public charging VAT gap explains why public charging costs so much more.

What about resale values?

Used EV values fell sharply in 2024 and 2025, but they are now rising again as fuel prices bite, while used diesel values fall. Hybrids have also held their value well. Our used EV values report has the latest figures.

For a premium car like the CLA, leasing or a PCP with a guaranteed future value removes the resale risk either way. If you buy outright, the electric version’s lower running costs need to outweigh any difference in depreciation, which they comfortably should for a home charger.

Which trims are available?

Mercedes offers the CLA in Sport, Sport Executive, AMG Line Executive, AMG Line and AMG Line Premium Plus trims, with the Shooting Brake also offering AMG Line Premium. Even entry-level Sport models get a panoramic roof, the MBUX infotainment system and the illuminated front grille. Higher trims add the full-width “Superscreen”, a Burmester sound system and AMG styling.

Whichever you choose, check the specific model’s insurance group and tyre sizes, as larger wheels on higher trims can cut range and raise running costs.

Our view

The CLA is one of the clearest examples yet of electric versions overtaking their petrol siblings on almost every measure. With just £435 between them, the electric CLA offers more refinement, a very long range and much lower running costs for anyone who can charge at home. The hybrid is a decent fallback, but UK testers are right: the EV is the CLA to have.