The Mercedes-Benz CLA, Car of the Year in Europe (COTY) 2026

The German model, initially powered exclusively by battery electric power, has been crowned clear winner, with 320 points, 100 more than the runner-up, the Skoda Elroq. In third place came the Kia EV4, with 208 points. Both the winner and the next two finalists are sold exclusively in 100% electric versions, although Mercedes has already announced hybrid variants for the CLA.

Following the ceremony held at the opening of the Brussels International Motor Show, in true Eurovision style, the 59 jury members of The Car Of The Year award from 23 European countries (one of them from Highmotor) issued their verdict, choosing the best car on the European market.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA was crowned Car of the Year 2026, beating six tough contenders in the final: Citroën C5 Aircross, Dacia Bigster, Fiat Grande Panda, Kia EV4, Renault 4 E-Tech and Skoda Elroq. This year’s edition was very open, with all the finalists featuring electrified powertrains and most of them 100% electric.

Once the verdict of the 23 countries was known, the Mercedes-Benz CLA was the most voted, with 320 points, since 22 of the 59 journalists gave it their maximum score, beating the Skoda by 100 points, with 8 journalists awarding their top mark to the Czech model, which earned 220 points, followed by the Kia EV4, with 208 points. Fourth place went to the Citroën C5 Aircross, with 15 maximum scores (207 points), fifth to the Fiat Grande Panda, just seven points behind the Citroën (200 points), sixth to the Dacia Bigster (170 points) and seventh to the Renault 4, with 150 points.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA, high-tech electric

This is the second win for the star brand in the Car of the Year trophy, which has been held without interruption for 63 editions in Europe, since in 1974 the Mercedes-Benz 450 SE/SEL took the title. Now, 52 years later, the brand is once again savouring victory.

For the time being, the Mercedes-Benz CLA is offered only as a saloon (the new Shooting Brake has already been shown), all versions in 100% electric configuration: CLA 200 EQ with 224 CV, CLA 250+ EQ with 272 and CLA 350 4Matic with 354 CV, the latter with all-wheel drive system, while the first two have rear-wheel drive.

Meanwhile, the batteries it features are 58 kWh for the 200 EQ version and 85 kWh for the CLA 250+ EQ and CLA 350 4Matic EQ.

One of the model’s main features, which measures 4.72 m long, 1.86 m wide and 1.47 m high, is its efficiency. Besides good aerodynamics and low energy consumption, the model features an advanced 800-volt charging system.

The model promises consumption of 12.3 and 12.6 kWh/100 km, charging at 22 kW in direct current and DC charging powers of 200 and 320 kW. Meanwhile, the announced ranges go from 541 km to 790 km (WLTP).