Mercedes-Benz CLA running costs and mpg

15 April 2020 by Adam Binnie

Parkers overall rating: 4.1 out of 5 4.1

Miles per pound (mpp)

Petrol engines	6.8 - 10.2 mpp
Diesel engines	11.2 - 11.4 mpp
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines	54.8 - 60.3 mpp

Low figures relate to the least economical version; high to the most economical. Based on WLTP combined fuel economy for versions of this car made since September 2017 only, and typical current fuel or electricity costs.

Based on "Weighted" mpg; figures depend on the proportion of miles driven in pure electric mode and may vary widely

Fuel economy

Petrol engines	31.7 - 47.9 mpg
Diesel engines	55.4 - 56.5 mpg
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines	256.8 - 282.5 mpg

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

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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

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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.