Official Mercedes-Benz CLA Pricing, Range Aimed Squarely At Tesla Model 3

Mercedes-Benz has announced pricing and official EPA range estimates for its all-new 2026 CLA electric car, and there’s one company in particular that should be worried. The new CLA will start from $47,250 and have an EPA-rated range of 374 miles when it begins arriving at dealerships in early 2026. Those figures make the new CLA a direct competitor of the second most popular electric car sold in the U.S., the Tesla Model 3.

Those figures are for the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) CLA 250+ that makes 268 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. A more powerful CLA 350 4MATIC with all-wheel drive (AWD) is priced slightly higher at $49,800. For a few extra thousand dollars you get 349 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque, but your EPA-estimated range falls to a still-respectable 312 miles. Both cars are fitted with the same battery pack that has 85 kWh of usable power and can charge at a fast rate of 320 kW.

The CLA Wants To Outdo The Model 3

The new electric CLA is launching with two models, the CLA 250+ and CLA 350 4MATIC, whereas the Tesla Model 3 has four models that include the Standard (RWD), Premium (RWD), Premium (AWD), and Performance (AWD). Mercedes is aiming its CLA directly at the heart of the Model 3’s lineup, the two Premium models, which are by far the best-selling of the four.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA Versus 2025 Tesla Model 3

On cost, Tesla wins with a starting price of $42,490 for its long-range Model 3 with RWD. The CLA 250+ with RWD, meanwhile, starts at $47,250. The Mercedes wins, however, on range and charging speed. It has up to 374 miles of EPA-certified range and can charge at speeds up to 320 kW, while the Model 3 manages 363 miles of range and charging speeds up to 250 kW. And while it’s technically too early to say which car will be built better and feel more luxurious, based on the reputations of these two companies, we’d assume the CLA will enjoy that honor.

The contest changes a bit when you step up to the AWD versions of these cars. The CLA 350 4MATIC starts at $49,800 compared to $47,490 for the Model 3 Premium (AWD). The Mercedes also suffers a greater fall in range than the Tesla with the switch to AWD – the former scoring 312 miles from the EPA and the latter managing to retain up to 346 miles of range. That said, the Mercedes still has its much faster charging speed. It is true, as well, that the Teslas have more horsepower and are quicker than both CLAs, but the Mercs boast a higher top speed of 130 miles per hour compared to 125 mph for the Teslas.

TopSpeed’s Take

Tesla has a stranglehold on electric car sales in the U.S. Even with falling interest due to the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, and his political exploits, the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 still captured 43 percent of EV sales in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2025. No other EVs come close, and the new Mercedes-Benz CLA probably won’t threaten the Model 3’s sales either. But it doesn’t have to by itself. The new CLA is one of many next-generation EVs hitting the market that together will chip away at Tesla’s dominance.

Vehicles such as the BMW iX3, the third-generation Nissan Leaf, the revived Chevrolet Bolt, the quirky Kia EV4, and the much-improved Toyota bz and Subaru Solterra are all coming to eat Tesla’s lunch. They’ll join the new Mercedes-Benz CLA in that pursuit, and we suspect that, by the end of 2026, the sales dominance that Tesla has enjoyed for so many years will be under full attack.