Mercedes-Benz CLA running costs and reliability

• Petrol range to come first
• Similar figures across the board
• AWD car the worst, diesel the best

Mercedes-Benz promises fuel economy in the 40s at the upper end for all of its five petrol variants, depending on wheel size and driving style.

Here’s the range as things stand:

• CLA 180 – 42.8-47.9mpg
• CLA 200 – 42.8-47.9mpg
• CLA 220 – 38.7-41.5mpg
• CLA 220 4Matic – 36.7-40.4mpg
• CLA 250 – 38.7-41.5mpg
• CLA 250e – 177-202mpg
• AMG CLA 35 4Matic – 34.9-37.2mpg
• AMG CLA 45 S 4Matic – 33.2-34.5mpg
• CLA 220 d – 53.3-57.7mpg

The newest version – the plug-in hybrid CLA 250e – is not on sale yet, but order books opened in April 2020. No CO2 figures are quoted yet, but with between 177-202mpg claimed (with a charged battery) and a battery-only range of 37-43 miles, it looks very promising. We’ll report back when we’ve tested one.

Clearly, the diesel is by far the most economical of the traditional cars on paper, but we’ve found the petrols can return some impressive economy figures if the car’s onboard computer can be trusted, with over 50mpg managed for the CLA 200 in particular. On the other hand, it’ll be very easy to see far lower figures on the AMG models if you make the most of the power on tap. 

In terms of CO2 emissions, there’s not a huge divergence across the majority of the regular range. Here’s what Mercedes-Benz claims:

• CLA 180 – 126g/km of CO2
• CLA 200 – 124g/km of CO2
• CLA 220 – 138g/km of CO2
• CLA 220 4Matic – 148g/km of CO2
• CLA 250 – 138g/km of CO2
• CLA 250e – TBC
• AMG CLA 35 4Matic – 164g/km of CO2
• AMG CLA 45 S 4Matic – 189g/km of CO2
• CLA 220 d – 114g/km of CO2

Is it reliable?

• Based on an all-new platform
• Previous car subjected to recalls
• Should be pretty solid, however

Like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback, the CLA Coupe is an all-new car, so it’s hard to say exactly how reliable it will be longer-term. There were several recalls for the previous-generation car, although this isn’t a solid marker for reliability, more how proactive the manufacturer is about fixing minor issues.

With a pessimistic outlook we’d point towards all the futuristic gadgets in the interior and autonomous driving tech as potential weak points, given their lack of prevalence. That said, there’s a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty for a bit of peace of mind.