Electric Mercedes-Benz CLA undercuts the hybrid at $82,000

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA has arrived in New Zealand, and the fully electric version is $11,900 cheaper than the petrol hybrid.

The CLA 200 electric is priced at $82,000 and the CLA 220 4MATIC hybrid at $93,900. Both are drive-away prices including GST and on-road costs, excluding government fees at registration. It is the first time the CLA has been offered here as an EV. Orders are open now, with test drives from December.

Electric CLA 200

The CLA 200 electric drives the rear wheels through a two-speed transmission. In New Zealand spec it makes 165kW and 335Nm, with 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds. A lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with 58kWh of usable capacity gives a WLTP range of 470km. Mercedes quotes energy use of 14.4kWh/100km, helped by a 0.21 drag coefficient.

It runs on an 800V system with DC charging of up to 320kW. NZ cars come with a DC converter as standard so they can also use 400V chargers. Recuperation is rated at up to 200kW, and Mercedes says most braking is handled by regeneration.

The electric CLA was the top-scoring car in Euro NCAP’s 2025 tests, with a five-star rating.

The electric version has an illuminated grille made up of 142 LED stars, while the hybrid gets a chrome star-pattern grille.

Hybrid CLA 220 4MATIC

The hybrid uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 48V lithium-ion battery of up to 1.3kWh and an electric motor built into an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. It is all-wheel drive, makes 140kW and 300Nm, and does 0-100km/h in 7.1 seconds with combined fuel use of 5.7L/100km. It can drive on electric power alone at urban speeds when less than 20kW is needed.

Equipment

Both models get a fixed panoramic glass roof, heated front seats, ambient lighting, wireless phone charging, facial recognition, a 360-degree camera with parking assist and a centre airbag between the front seats. The dashboard has a 10.25-inch driver display and a 14-inch touchscreen, with a 14-inch passenger screen optional.

The CLA is the first Mercedes to run fully on the company’s own MB.OS operating system, which supports over-the-air updates. Its voice assistant draws on ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Bing.

The hybrid comes with AMG Line styling, sports seats, 19-inch wheels, a head-up display, MULTIBEAM LED headlights, hands-free keyless entry and a 16-speaker Burmester sound system as standard. On the electric car, which rides on 18-inch wheels, those features come in a $2100 Premium Package.