Introduction to the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
The Mercedes CLA, a compact and slinky four-door (referred to as a coupe by its maker), has been around since 2013. But for the third iteration, Mercedes for the first time offered an array of all-electric variants. The resulting CLA Electric (the wishy-washy "with EQ Technology" badge is no more) is therefore one of the few premium-badged, pure EVs in this sector and it's even more intriguing as the Shooting Brake estate version, as tested here.
Pros & cons of the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
Pros:
• Slinky wagon styling
• More than 700km of range
• Rapid with two motors
Cons:
• Expensive to buy
• Compact boot
• Sensible driving experience
Exterior & design of the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
• Sleek roofline
• Lights influenced by EQ models
• 17-19-inch wheels available
We've always thought the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake has been a handsome thing, ever since it first appeared as part of the CLA family in 2015. And, to a degree, the current one is no different, with its swoopy roofline, steeply angled tailgate and elegant glasshouse design.
Unsurprisingly, with wheel sizes ranging from 17 to 19 inches in diameter, it looks its very best in sportier AMG Line trim with a set of 19s in its arches.
But we're not quite sure about the German company's decision to make its three-pointed-star emblem such a prominent part of the aesthetics on all its latest cars; it's almost like the marque is over-compensating for something.
So not only do three-pointed stars feature heavily in the light signatures of the CLA Shooting Brake Electric fore and aft, but the entire blanked-off 'radiator grille' in the nose is studded with rows of the things, which in turn frame a gigantic form of the emblem proper, as it were, echoed by yet another star badge just in front of the bonnet's shut line.
Also, if you're wondering why we're not calling this electric Mercedes estate a 'CLA with EQ Technology', or even an 'EQA Shooting Brake', that's because the German firm is rowing back from the whole 'EQ' era, and simply gravitating to the word 'Electric' - mainly because the EVs in any given Mercedes-Benz range now look almost identical to the ones with hybridised drivetrains.
Anyway, the CLA Shooting Brake is certainly what we'd call striking, but maybe not out-and-out beautiful.
Dimensions of the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
Length: 4,731mm
Width: 1,855mm (excluding mirrors)
Height: 1,471mm
Wheelbase: 2,790mm
Paint colours for the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
Curiously, of the six body colours available for the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake, three of them are black. There's non-metallic Night Black, Cosmos Black metallic and the more exclusive Manufaktur Cosmos Black Magno.
Alongside these, and assuming you don't want something so dark, your remaining choices are solid Polar White, High-Tech Silver metallic and the only non-monochrome shade of Manufaktur Patagonia Red metallic.
Interior, practicality, tech & comfort of the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
• Massive slab of digital tech
• Material quality is pretty good
• Not the most practical wagon
Those who don't like touchscreens and minimal button counts, look away now - the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake's cabin features one of the biggest digital interfaces we've ever seen.
Also bear in mind that the CLA Shooting Brake has always been an estate that majors on style over substantial space, so it's not the most practical wagon in the world.
Getting comfortable in the driver's seat
Our range-topping AMG Line Plus test car had electrically adjustable sports seats, along with a manually extendable thigh support, but on lower grades of the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake, the chairs are manually adjusted.
Despite this, there's a good range of movement to both the front seats and the steering column, and once adjusted a nice, low driving position can be attained which enhances the sportiness of the CLA's nature.
Other observations here are that the tailgate glass presents quite a narrow view through the interior mirror for the driver, while the tapering rear three-quarter windows are also not the best for visibility.
Infotainment and technology
There are various equipment and tech highlights, including ambient interior lighting, a fixed-pane panoramic sunroof up top and wireless smartphone charging (on mid-grade cars and up) we could talk about here, but the undoubted centrepiece of the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake is the utterly gigantic main interface and dashboard design.
All models have a 10.25-inch instrument cluster and 14-inch 'MBUX' infotainment screen, mounted in one vertical slab of trim that spans the entire front fascia in the CLA.
But there's an optional passenger screen of 14 inches across the diagonal too if you want it, this layout christened the 'MBUX Superscreen' by Mercedes - and representing almost 40 inches of digital real estate in the Shooting Brake.
As if that wasn't enough, the driver then has a head-up display with an effective view of 12.2 inches. It's quite the sensory overload the first time you see it all.
To be fair to the system, graphically it is pin-sharp, we didn't experience any lag with it whatsoever, and the German company has set up the menu layouts, icons and control systems for it as sensibly as you can imagine, so operating the infotainment is not a baffling disaster.
But there's little doubt that, as consumer pushback against too much reliance on in-car screens intensifies (forcing some other manufacturers to admit that physical buttons are best), Mercedes' decision to make all this technology such an integral focal point of the CLA's cabin could be construed as a risk.
And then, there's a good argument to be made which posits that a honking great cliff-face of trim, studded by two round air vents flanking all the digital displays like a pair of weird circular sentinels, is actually a bit ugly. Personal preference, and all that.
Practicality around the cabin
Aside from the lack of proper switchgear, Mercedes has made a decent fist of turning the cabin of the CLA Shooting Brake into a useful space.
Up front are large door pockets with recesses for drinks bottles, a fair glovebox, an under-dash storage areas complete with a couple of wide-mounted USB-C ports (so they're a little more accessible than they can be when centrally positioned), two longitudinally sited cupholders and then a shallow tray for the wireless smartphone charging pad.
One minor black mark is that the lidded central cubby is not as deep and wide in the CLA as it is in some other electric cars.
Rear-seat passenger space
Legroom and headroom in the back of the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake are fine for people of average height, although taller passengers might not be too comfortable back there.
In terms of other appointments, the door pockets aren't as big as they are in the front, but they're still quite deep, while there are cargo-net pockets on the backs of the front seats.
The floor is completely flat through the footwell, as you'd expect of an EV, while there's a centre-rear armrest which folds down to reveal three cupholders (two larger recesses and a smaller third, central item) plus a lateral slot for the storage of smart devices.
Finally, two USB-C ports and a pair of air vents are found on the back of the CLA's centre console.
Fitting child seats to the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
The Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake has two ISOFIX points in the back and wide-opening rear doors, but it's not the most spacious vehicle in row two so the largest, bulkiest child seats might be tricky to install. Furthermore, those back doors aren't massive in the first place, so the aperture into the back of the CLA's passenger cabin isn't enormous.
Boot space in the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
The CLA Shooting Brake has always been an estate that has prioritised rakish exterior looks ahead of boxy great wardrobe-swallowing cargo capacity, and despite the fact it has grown in every conceivable exterior dimension over its predecessor, form over function continues to be the case.
Its boot measures 455 litres with all seats in use, while dropping the 40:20:40 split-folding rear bench liberates up to 1,290 litres of volume - not much more than a Volkswagen Golf hatchback, for example.
By way of compensation, Mercedes utilises the CLA's EV nature to provide a handy 101 litres of 'frunk' stowage space, but don't go expecting the Shooting Brake to swallow a load of big suitcases if you're heading to the airport on holiday with the car four-up.
Also, obviously don't expect the forthcoming hybrid versions of the Shooting Brake to have the frunk, because they'll have to accommodate a petrol engine under the bonnet instead.
There is some versatility engineered into the main cargo area of the CLA estate, as the side mouldings of the boot feature two hooks and a 12-volt socket, while there's a set of four lashing eyes, a cargo-net-fronted pocket formed in the recess and a little bit of underfloor storage for items like the puncture repair kit (as with most modern cars, the Mercedes does not have a spare wheel).
Also, the boot floor does not have height-adjustable functionality and there's a significant step down from the loading lip to the base of the cargo bay with the boot open, meaning heavy items have to be hefted 'up and over' to be loaded in and out of the car.
Safety in the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
When tested by Euro NCAP in 2025, the Mercedes CLA picked up the top five-star rating along with some superb subdiscipline scores - 94, 89, 93 and 85 per cent for protection of adult occupant, child occupant, vulnerable road users and safety assist accordingly. Read the full report on the Benz right here.
Performance of the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
• Single- or dual-motor formats
• CLA 350 4Matic has plenty of power
• Fuss-free but uninvolving driving experience
Starting with the CLA 200 Electric, it has a single 165kW motor on the back axle for rear-wheel drive, with peak power of 224hp accompanied by 335Nm of torque. With its less-capacious battery pack, weight is kept down to 2,065kg and so the 0-100km/h time is pegged at 7.6 seconds.
Moving up, the CLA 250+ has a 200kW electric motor on the rear axle, giving the Mercedes a meatier 272hp to go with the same 335Nm of torque as the 200. The CLA Shooting Brake Electric 250+ can do 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds and weighs 2,138kg.
Moving up to the CLA 350 4Matic, it deploys twin electric motors delivering a combined 260kW, although it can disconnect its front motor when required to save on energy consumption. Its peak outputs are 354hp and 515Nm, enough to trim its 0-100km/h time down to five seconds on the button, despite an increase in weight to 2,188kg.
All CLA Shooting Brake Electrics use conventional springs and dampers, with no adjustable shocks or air suspension on the menu. Curiously, they also use a two-speed reduction gear transmission, rather than a single-speed item, with a short lower 'gear' for efficient urban driving, towing duties and rapid step-off acceleration, and then a longer ratio for motorway driving.
It is also in the second of these only that the CLA can reach its top speed of 210km/h, which is the same for all Electric models. And yes, we know that's not so relevant to Irish buyers as it is to those in Germany.
Driving the CLA 350 4Matic AMG Line Plus on UK roads
Words by Matt Robinson on 27 April 2026
Despite their racy looks and promise of a more dynamic character than a comparable A-Class Saloon, no Mercedes CLA which has come before this Electric model - save for the bonkers AMG 45 variants - has ever been that thrilling to drive. And the same is true of this 350 4Matic.
Which is not to say that it's a dynamic failure. In fact, it's a super-composed, quiet and comfortable car, capable of masking the unsprung mass of its 19-inch alloys wheels and the sheer bulk of its overall 2.2-tonne form with some serious aplomb when on the move.
It's also properly quick, with little reason to doubt the quoted acceleration stat. Its effortless access to massive torque when already rolling at 70km/h and more makes it a great cross-country car.
Via the medium of clicking the drive selector on the steering column either away or towards the driver, you can cycle through three stages of regenerative braking: full coast, a sort of pleasant halfway-house setting called standard and then a full-on one-pedal mode under the strong setting.
If we have any concerns with the Mercedes' performance, it's that there are a few occasions where you can sense that two-speed reduction-gear transmission switching between its ratios. Typically, this is under full acceleration and somewhere north of 110km/h, but it's unusual to be able to pinpoint the brief pause in power delivery when similar set-ups in grander EVs (e.g., the Porsche Taycan) make the change from gear to gear more or less seamless.
Additionally, for all the Shooting Brake's assured nature, it never really engages its driver in any meaningful way. The steering is accurate, and has a marvellous sense of weighting, but it is also bereft of significant feedback.
Similarly, the body and wheel control are pretty good, all things considered, but there are moments of float and vertical movements in the shell of the CLA that take the gloss off its dynamic finish.
And in the corners, it's a resolutely four-square, hyper-grippy car, with no discernible poise or adjustability in the underpinnings.
Also, while we will say it is a quiet car with an excellent ride quality, it's by no means perfect on either score. Sometimes, there's a little more road noise coming up through the floor of the Mercedes than is desirable, while the outright lack of control in the suspension does mean a handful of larger lumps and bumps in the road aren't as effectively smothered out as they should be in a premium product like this.
Range, battery, charging and running costs of the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
• 800-volt architecture
• Choice of battery sizes
• Rapid recharging times
One of the Mercedes CLA's chief strengths and points of appeal is that it has an advanced 800-volt electric architecture plus a large battery pack at the top of the tree, so that not only does it have some truly eye-catching WLTP range numbers, but it also won't take it an age to replenish its power cells when you need to recharge the car at a DC charger.
Battery options and official range
For the upper two models of the Electric branch of the CLA Shooting Brake, Mercedes deploys a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion battery of 85kWh usable capacity. That gives the CLA 250+ a range of up to 761km to a charge, while even the CLA 350 4Matic isn't too far behind, with up to 730km in one hit.
However, the CLA 200 Electric has a smaller battery of 58kWh usable capacity, with the lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry. The maximum range of this variant isn't nearly as impressive as its two 85kWh relations, as it tops out at 525km according to the official numbers.
Real-world range and efficiency of the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
We drove the CLA Shooting Brake Electric 350 4Matic for around 25km on a warm (19 degrees C) day for the efficiency evaluation, so the climate control was running constantly. We were also using plenty of the Mercedes estate's prodigious power, although the test route we were on was largely flat and traversed a few towns, meaning there was some beneficial (to electrical economy) stop-start driving involved.
The indicated return from this test was 17.6kWh/100km, a little way off the car's official consumption bracket, and so we'd have drained the CLA's battery pack in about 483km if we'd continued like this for a prolonged period.
That said, more careful real-world driving should push the year-round range to somewhere nearer 600km at the very least, we'd reckon.
Charging up the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
The 800-volt platform of the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake Electric means that, if you find the right DC charger, then it shouldn't take you long to recharge it.
The peak rate of DC the CLA can take is 320kW, at which speed it would perform a 10-80 per cent top-up in just 22 minutes. For a mere 10 minutes of hook-up at the same speed, Mercedes reckons you would add 310km of driving range.
For the CLA 200 Electric, it peaks at 200kW on DC and can garner 200km of range for every 10 minutes of charge at that speed, while its smaller 58kWh capacity means that its best 10-80 per cent charging time is quicker than that of the 250+ and 350 4Matic models - such a top-up stands at 20 minutes.
The AC speeds are, optionally, up to 22kW, although 11kW is the standard maximum on three-phase chargers, and that counts for all three models.
At 11kW for the 250+ and 350 4Matic versions, it would take nine hours to do a full 0-100 per cent charge in the Mercedes CLA Electric, although on a more typical 7.4kW domestic wallbox you'd be looking at something in excess of 12 hours of connection to perform the same task.
If you can get to a 22kW charger, a complete top-up of the battery here would need four-and-three-quarter hours only.
Meanwhile for the CLA 200 Electric, at 22kW it would perform a 0-100 per cent charge in 3.5 hours, at 11kW that time extends to 6.5 hours and on a 7.4kW wallbox it'd be something beyond eight hours to complete the same task.
Servicing the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
The accepted service schedule for a Mercedes is typically every 12 months or 16,000km, and despite its electric status there is no indication that the CLA will deviate from that pattern.
Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake warranty
Mercedes' standard warranty is unlimited distance, but it only applies for two years, rather than the industry-wide accepted level of at least three. There is, however, an eight-year, 160,000km level of cover on the high-voltage battery of a Mercedes EV.
Irish pricing & rivals to the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
• Few electric estates at any price
• Pricey as specified
• Reasonable equipment levels
At €65,000 for a CLA 250+ and more than €74,000 for the CLA 350 4Matic AMG Line Plus, the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake Electric is clearly not a cheap car, especially as EVs go. The CLA 200 is a little more affordable at a shade beyond €59,500, but even at that level it's hardly a conspicuous bargain.
Equipment on an entry-level Progressive model includes 17-inch alloys, heated front seats, LED headlights, automatic climate control and the twin-screen array within, among more.
Stepping up to an AMG Line brings in 18-inch wheels, keyless entry and go, AMG exterior body styling, 64-colour interior ambient lighting, sports seats and a wireless smartphone charging pad as well.
An AMG Line Plus features 19-inch wheels, electrically adjustable front seats and a 'digital extra' package for the MBUX infotainment on top of all the above.
Playing in the CLA's favour is that electric estates are thin on the ground, and certainly electric estates from acknowledged premium manufacturers like Mercedes are ever rarer - at the time of writing, none of Audi, BMW, Volvo or Lexus, to name but a few, has anything similar.
There are some more rivals to the Mercedes if you think a bit outside the box, but perhaps one of the CLA Shooting Brake's main forms of allure is its lack of direct, price-comparable rivals with the right sort of badge credibility.
Verdict - should you buy the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake?
A solid, stylish and high-quality take on the compact estate format, Mercedes has performed a particularly impressive execution of the CLA Shooting Brake in zero-emission guise. Yes, the car is expensive and no, despite its racier appearance, the Mercedes isn't quite as sharp to drive as the kerbside 'wow' factor initially promises, but its refined manners, its excellent range capabilities and its ultra-rapid charging speeds will all make the CLA Shooting Brake Electric a tempting proposition to many EV buyers - especially those who are partial to some high-tech showmanship in the passenger compartment, a characteristic the Mercedes has in abundance.
FAQs about the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
Is the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake all-wheel drive?
It is if you choose the flagship CLA 350 4Matic model, which is a dual-motor EV, but the entry-level CLA 200 and the mid-grade CLA 250+ cars have just one electric motor on their rear axle, so both are rear-wheel drive. It is not known yet whether 4Matic will be offered on the hybrid CLA variants still to come.
Is the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake rated to tow anything?
The two-wheel-drive models can haul up to 1,500kg of braked trailer, whereas the extra power, torque and traction of the CLA 350 4Matic increases its capability to 1,800kg.
How many child seats can I fit in my Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake?
There are two ISOFIX locations in the outer rear-seat positions of the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake.
Precisely how many stars are there on the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake?
Well, the front grille area has 142 of them, either side of the huge main emblem in a circle, and these all light up at night. So too do the 158 three-pointed logos embedded into the glass of the panoramic roof of the Mercedes CLA, with these matching whatever colour of ambient interior lighting has been selected by the car's occupants.
You probably won't be able to get all the light-up stars on the nose of the hybrid CLAs, though, because they will have proper radiator grilles to channel cooling air to the engine under the bonnet; on the Electric versions, it's a smooth panel instead.
Mercedes CLA history
The first Mercedes CLA launched in 2013 as a four-door 'coupe' based on the A-Class platform, and its badging indicated that, from a market positioning point-of-view, it sat between the A-Class and the larger C-Class. In this respect, and in the swoopy way it looked, the CLA copied its big brother, the CLS, which arrived ten years earlier to plug a small gap between the E-Class and S-Class lines.
In 2015, the original body style was joined by the Shooting Brake, the sleek wagon becoming the smallest estate car Mercedes produced. Inherently, the CLA family was front-wheel drive, although higher-output models - including the flagship AMG 45, first with 360hp and later taken out to 381hp - had 4Matic all-wheel drive fitted.
The second-generation CLA arrived in 2019 and continued much where the Mk1 had left off, smoothing off the styling somewhat, and updating tech and drivetrains, but not tinkering with the successful formula too much.
The big talking points in this generation were a 'lower' AMG performance model to go with the 45, this newcomer called the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35, plus an S derivative of the AMG 45 that went beyond the 400hp barrier.
Mercedes also introduced a plug-in-hybrid CLA in this generation - the 250 e was the first notably electrified car in its history.
Want to know more about the 2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake?
If there's anything about the new Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake we've not covered, or you'd like help in choosing between it and other cars, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.
