Mercedes CLA US price and EPA range are official and Lucid is still the efficiency champion

Mercedes has revealed the price and range of its new CLA electric sedan that will go on sale in December. The new Mercedes CLA generation sports an EPA range estimate of 374 miles on a charge, beating the Tesla Model 3 with the longest range in the process.

What Mercedes couldn't beat, though, is Lucid's unmatched powertrain efficiency. With an 85 kWh battery, which is about the size of the Air Pure's pack, the Lucid can cover 420 miles despite being a larger car with a way more spacious interior. Lucid's marketing head didn't hesitate to gloat that the Air Pure only consumes 23 kWh per 100 miles, while the smaller CLA takes 27 kWh.

Still, the CLA is cheaper than the Lucid and offers faster charging than the Model 3, with an 800V architecture delivering up to 320 kW of speed for 202 miles of range added in just 10 minutes on a suitable V4 Supercharger.

2026 Mercedes CLA price and specs

• $47,250 (RWD)
• 374-mile EPA range from an 85 kWh battery
• 268 HP (RWD) or 349 HP (AWD)
• 320 kW charging speed for 100 miles added in 5 mins, 200 miles in 10 minutes
• 4.8s acceleration (AWD)
• Mercedes Hyperscreen with 10" driver, 14" central and 14" passenger displays
• 850-watt audio with 16 speakers

The all-electric 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan starts from $47,250 for the RWD version, or about five grand more than the long-range Model 3 RWD that is priced from $42,490. Needless to say, the Mercedes offers a premium design with a grille consisting of 142 star-shaped lights to celebrate being the first electric Benz based on the new Mercedes Modular Architecture platform.

The AWD CLA trim starts at $49,800, just two grand more than the respective Model 3 version. The RWD Mercedes CLA offers 268 horsepower output, while the AWD model is rated for 349 hp and comes with 4.8 seconds 0-60 mph acceleration.

Mercedes is using the Disconnect Unit (DCU) it uses for the first time on a car in its C-class, so the 107 hp front motor goes into play only when traction or rapid acceleration are needed, which "reduces parasitic losses at the front axle by up to 90 percent and increases electric range."

The CLA can be equipped with up to three screens, as well as a head-up display, and is the first to run the new Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS) that controls the infotainment and self-driving options. The 2026 Mercedes CLA will have an official release event in December and will start shipping to customers soon afterward as the electric sedan with one of the longest ranges in its class available in the US.

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