The 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class is sold in the U.S. as an electric, hybrid and gas compact sedan with 7 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the CLA250 Plus with EQ Tech (R22), is EPA-rated at 374 miles with 126 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 1 complaint, most often about the forward collision avoidance. Manufacturer pricing runs from $47,250 to $49,800 across 2 trims.
MSRP excludes destination. Open a trim for the complete spec sheet and standard/optional equipment. Have the car in front of you? Decode its VIN to see which of these trims it is and what it was priced at.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
Configuration
Powertrain
Drive
Engine / motor
City
Hwy
Comb
Range
kWh/100mi
Charge (240V)
Annual fuel*
CLA250 Plus with EQ Tech (R22)
Electric
RWD
200 kW ACPM 3-Phase
127
124
126 MPGe
374 mi
27
8.8 h
$600
CLA350 4matic with EQ Tech
Electric
AWD
81 and 210 kW ACPM 3-Phase
120
115
118 MPGe
312 mi
29
8.8 h
$650
CLA250 Plus with EQ Tech
Electric
RWD
200 kW ACPM 3-Phase
112
105
109 MPGe
317 mi
31
8.8 h
$700
CLA250
Hybrid
FWD
2.0L 4-cyl turbo
26
36
30
—
—
—
$2,750
CLA250 4matic
Hybrid
AWD
2.0L 4-cyl turbo
25
34
29
—
—
—
$2,850
AMG CLA35 4matic
Hybrid
AWD
2.0L 4-cyl turbo
22
29
25
—
—
—
$3,300
AMG CLA45 S 4matic
Gas
AWD
2.0L 4-cyl turbo
20
28
23
—
—
—
$3,550
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 50031, 50032, 50030, 49263, 49262, 49802, 49261.
Insurers price the 2026 CLA-Class very differently, and the gap between the best and worst quote on the same car and driver is usually larger than any option you are weighing on this page.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (1)
Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high
Seat Belts
15 vehiclesbuilt Nov 11, 2024 – Nov 10, 2025Electric only
ProblemMercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2026 CLA 350 4MATIC (EV) and CLA 250+ (EV) vehicles.The front passenger seat belt retractor may have been manufactured with a defect that prevents the deactivation of the child seat safety function (Automatic Locking Retractor). As a result, the seat belt may remain in a locked position and cannot be extended.RiskA passenger who is unable to fasten their seat belt is not properly restrained, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.FixDealers will replace the front passenger seat belt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2026. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 8, 2026.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Whether any of this applies to one specific CLA-Class
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2026 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Mercedes-Benz publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
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Parts & accessories for the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported
3.3 per 10,000 built · Mercedes-Benz reported 3,009 CLA-Class built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2026: 1
Most-cited components
Forward Collision Avoidance3
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
While driving at 50mph, the vehicle came to a full stop in 2 seconds by auto breaking (to avoid collision) when there was no object or vehicle in front of the car. I almost got rear-ended as stopping from 50mph to 0 mph on a highway was extremely dangerous but luckily the car behind me was able to use the lane to my right to avoid the…
Forward Collision AvoidanceAug 20, 2026NHTSA owner report · ODI 11758250
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP
NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Driver-assist crash reports (1)
Source: NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01
1report filed
1 no injury reported
May 2026 to May 2026 · 0 with an air bag deployment · 1 towed
What was engaged, and what was hit
System named: not named in the filings
Crash partner: Passenger Car 1
Filed by: NVIDIA CORP
Incident
System
Struck
Injury alleged
State
Speed
Report
May 2026
Level 2
Passenger Car
no injury reported
TX
35 mph
30571-15825
From the manufacturer’s own filing
The reporting entity’s narrative as NHTSA published it, with anything identifying removed and nothing added. A narrative is a notice, written before the entity had verified what happened.
The Mercedes-Benz vehicle was traveling eastbound on [redacted] with the Level 2 ADAS system engaged less than one second prior to contact when a black Honda Civic entered the roadway from [redacted], an adjacent street to the right, and crossed into the path of the Mercedes-Benz vehicle.
A report under the General Order is a notice the manufacturer or operator must file within days of hearing of a crash in which a Level 2 driver-assist or automated-driving system was engaged within 30 seconds of impact. It is filed before anything is verified, and entities with telematics hear of far more crashes than entities that rely on complaints, so counts say as much about the reporting as about the car and are not comparable across makes. Nothing is normalised by fleet size. Every report on file, by make and year → · NHTSA’s page and files
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications
Communicationsfiled with NHTSA358
Most recentmanufacturer date2026-10-07
Kindsas classified by NHTSA347 service bulletins, 7 service campaigns, 4 others
Most often about: Electrical System, Structure, Visibility/Wiper, Steering, Power Train.
Complaint 174 with MB. OS 2.1.3 ‑ Driver Assistance System Limited in Instrument Cluster and Does Not Self‑Extinguish. When vehicle is shut off, instrument cluster message appears for "Driver Assistance Systems Available". Cause Under Determination. Remedy Perform initial startup of the head unit (A26/17) and the intelligent drive controller (N62/5).
Complaint The vehicle pulls to the left or right. Cause In vehicles with Car Package Release "CPR" 2.1.0 or prior, the calibration value for the straight‑line stability of the electric power steering is not fully calibrated. Remedy Install Car Package Release 2.1.1 or later. Straight‑line normalization is then relearned during normal driving followed by a bus sleep. After the update, fault code P0
Complaint Slight creaking noises when steering. Cause Noises may come from one or more sleeves of the horn contact plate. Remedy Remove the horn contact plate and check the sleeves for noise; see attached video. If necessary, apply lubricant to the sleeves.
Complaint 174 with MB. OS 2.1.3 ‑ Driver Assistance System Limited in Instrument Cluster and Does Not Self‑Extinguish. When vehicle is shut off, instrument cluster message appears for "Driver Assistance Systems Available". Cause Under Determination. Remedy Perform initial startup of the head unit (A26/17) and the intelligent drive controller (N62/5).
Complaint Repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60MPH. NOTE: Although the symptom is similar to a tire or wheel vibration, it is usually readily noticeable that it is distinctly different if it happens at all times or only while braking. Cause Although the cause of the vibration is most likely due to excessive lateral runout on the rotor or hub/wheel bearing, the system as
Complaint Radio station cover art does not refresh when switching stations. The UI continues to show the old station’s artwork instead of updating to the new one. Cause When a new station change request is triggered, a temporary glitch is causing the Head Unit application to fail to overwrite the previous request. This glitch is causing the cover art mismatch in the Radio application. Remedy Pleas
Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary, create a TIPS case with an informative video as an attachment. Note: Please refer to this document i
Complaint Display message in the instrument cluster for "Active Brake Assist Inoperative" or "DISTRONIC inoperative". AND Fault code C1100FC or C1100FD is Active or Active and Stored in MRR_F_Gen6 (B29/20). Cause The holder for the MRR_F_Gen6 (B29/20) front radar sensor may no longer have the correct alignment (angular position). Remedy Confirm whether the instrument cluster message was already pr
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
How much does the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class cost?
Manufacturer pricing runs from $47,250 for the CLA 250+ with EQ Technology RWD to $49,800 for the CLA 350 4MATIC with EQ Technology AWD, across 2 trims. Those are MSRPs from the manufacturer's own press material; they exclude destination, options, taxes and whatever the dealer adds. Every trim and price is listed above.
Does the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class. The most serious on file is 26V278000, covering Seat Belts. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class?
NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (92/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class?
Across the 7 EPA-rated configurations of the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, the best EPA combined figure is 30 mpg (MPGe on the electrified versions) and the longest EPA range is 374 miles on a charge. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What do owners complain about on the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class?
Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA about the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, most often about forward collision avoidance. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
Are there service bulletins for the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class?
The manufacturer has filed 358 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, most often covering electrical system, structure, visibility/wiper. The most recent is dated 2026-10-07. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
Which 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class trim is the best value?
$2,550 separates the cheapest of the 2 trims from the most expensive, so the answer depends on which of the differences you would actually use. Every trim has its own page here with the manufacturer's full specification and equipment list, plus a short summary of exactly what it adds over the base trim — worth reading before a dealer frames the walk-up for you.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
Data
Held
Source
What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations
7 configurations
EPA certification records
Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates
none
EPA emission certificates
The EPA published no certificate we could match to a configuration on this page.
Recalls
1
NHTSA recall campaigns
A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints
1
NHTSA complaint database
Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings
none
NHTSA NCAP
NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins
358
NHTSA manufacturer communications
Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations
none
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports
1
NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01
Crashes the manufacturer or operator reported with a Level 2 or automated-driving system engaged. Notices, filed before verification; not comparable across makes.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
none
NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns
We had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable.
Trims, pricing & equipment
2 trims
Manufacturer press kit
Transcribed from the manufacturer's own press material, every value carrying the document it came from.
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly. Trim-level specifications and pricing are transcribed from the manufacturer's official press kit; every value carries its source in the data file.
