Mercedes-Benz CLA Named Best Car in Europe (8 photos)

The third-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan, which debuted in March 2025 in both electric and hybrid versions, has been named the best car in Europe. It received a total of 320 points from a jury of 59 automotive journalists representing 23 countries across the continent. The German electric car outscored its competitors by an unexpectedly large margin.





Other electrified models were left far behind, which is rare in the competition. Thus, the Škoda Elroq scored 220 points, the Kia EV4 208, the Citroën C5 Aircross 207, the Fiat Grande Panda 200, the Dacia Bigster 170, and the Renault 4 150.

It's worth noting that the last time Mercedes-Benz won "Car of the Year" was a long time ago, in 1974, with the flagship 450 SE/SEL.

The electric CLA itself is a 4.7-meter sedan with a nearly 2.8-meter wheelbase, built on the MMA platform with an 800-volt onboard powertrain. The base CLA 250+ has a single engine producing 272 hp (335 Nm) and can travel up to 792 km on a single charge thanks to an 85-kWh battery. The all-wheel-drive version with a 354-horsepower (515 Nm) engine combination reduces the range to 771 km.

In addition to winning the European competition, the Mercedes-Benz CLA was named one of the top ten finalists for the World Car of the Year award, where it will compete against the BMW iX3, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Kia EV4, Nissan Leaf, Toyota RAV4, and Audi Q5/SQ5. The results will be announced in April.

Mercedes-Benz CLA



Škoda Elroq





Kia EV4



Citroen C5 Aircross



Fiat Grande Panda



Dacia Bigster



Renault 4