Mercedes-Benz A 250 e: how much does it cost and what does the best-selling plug-in hybrid in Spain offer?

Mercedes led the ranking of plug-in hybrid vehicles in Spain last year, selling a total of 4,563 units. Specifically, in the last month of the year, the star brand placed three of its PHEV models at the top: the A-Class, the GLC and the GLA.

Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to plug-in hybrid technology, which the company calls EQ Power, has allowed the brand to offer 22 models that enjoy the DGT zero-emissions label without having to rely on 100% electric propulsion and depend on a plug, with a presence in virtually every market segment.

Moreover, Mercedes-Benz is the only manufacturer that seems to have solved the compatibility problems between plug-in hybrid technology and the particulate filters of turbodiesel engines, and it also offers interesting PHEV versions with diesel engines.

Mercedes A 250 e: the best-selling PHEV

The absolute sales leader among plug-in hybrids in 2020 was the A 250 e. The PHEV propulsion system for compact vehicles from Mercedes is used in the A-Class, the A-Class Saloon, the B-Class, the CLA Coupé and the CLA Shooting Brake and in the brand’s compact SUV, the GLA.

It uses a 1.33-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with turbocharger supercharging that delivers 160 CV (used in the A 200), and a 75 kW electric motor integrated into the housing of the 8G-DCT dual-clutch gearbox. Combined power is 160 kW (218 CV), with a maximum torque of 450 Nm. The contribution of the electric motor allows the A 250 e to offer sporty performance, with an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.6 seconds.

The lithium-ion battery with liquid cooling offers a capacity of 15.6 kWh and is placed in the A-Class PHEV under the rear seats, which forces the fuel tank – whose capacity is reduced by 8 litres – to be moved rearwards. For this reason, PHEV versions lose boot capacity, around 50 litres compared with the combustion versions, depending on the body style.

These are the prices of the different versions of the A-Class and CLA with the 250 e plug-in hybrid engine:

• A-Class 250 e 5-door: 39,350 euros
• A-Class Saloon 250 e: 40,150 euros
• CLA Coupé 250 e: 44,850 euros
• CLA Shooting Brake 205 e: 46,000 euros

The 250 e versions are the only ones in the A-Class range that carry an environmental label, in this case the DGT zero-emissions label, as there are no variants with mild hybridisation and the ECO label.

Hybrid versus petrol and diesel

The price is high compared with the variants without hybridisation, although there are no comparable versions by power either. An A 200 of 163 CV with DCT gearbox is around 6,000 euros cheaper than the 250 e, but it does not have the aforementioned ECO label nor come close to the performance and driving comfort of the plug-in hybrid.

The closest in the range in terms of the balance between performance and consumption would be the A 220 d 8G-DCT, with the 190 CV turbodiesel engine, which is priced 100 euros above the plug-in hybrid.

On the road with the Mercedes A 250e

With a full battery charge, the A-Class plug-in hybrid is homologated for an electric-mode range of up to 75 km on the WLTP cycle, one of the best among its possible rivals. The Audi A3 Sportback TFSIe, available in two power versions, follows closely behind.

During a first drive at the Mercedes Test Days organised for the press, we were able to try a CLA 250 e, and we found that, driving normally, it is easy to reach and even exceed 50 real-world km in fully electric mode. Performance is more than sufficient to move through traffic with good acceleration; the top speed in this mode is limited to 140 km/h.

Average consumption is very low in hybrid mode, below 6.5 l/100 km. And it does not spike when the battery runs out, as happens in other larger and more powerful PHEVs. There are three driving modes: the purely electric one, the so-called Comfort and ECO modes (which combine both motors), and an additional mode for reserving the battery charge.

Electric-mode range and charging times

In electric mode, the steering-wheel paddles can be used to manually switch between the four levels of regenerative braking intensity, which can also be selected in automatic mode. In the latter case, the car adjusts the level of regeneration when the driver lifts off the accelerator, taking into account factors such as the terrain, the sat-nav route or the presence of a vehicle ahead.

The battery can be charged to 100% in 1 hour and 45 minutes at a Wallbox with a 7.4 kW AC charger, or in just 25 minutes to 80% using DC charging with a maximum power of 24 kW.