THE all-electric Mercedes-Benz CLA has been awarded Car of the Year 2026 by the European CaroftheYear jury at a ceremony at the Brussels Motor Show in Belgium.

On sale in Europe since mid-2025, and arriving in the USA and many other countries soon, the CLA has already proved incredibly successful with order books full until the second half of 2026.

At the start of a jubilee year celebrating 140 years of innovation since Carl Benz invented the automobile in 1886, this award is the first highlight in what will be a full calendar of events.

"The new CLA was named Car of the Year 2026 - a proud moment for MercedesâBenz. Jurors from across Europe have confirmed what our customers have been telling us: the CLA is a game-changer, delivering outstanding efficiency and effortless intelligence," said Mercedes chairman Ola Kallenius.

With a range of almost 500 miles on a full charge the CLA can travel, for example, from Berlin to Brussels without stopping.

This international recognition by 60 leading automotive journalists from 23 countries saw the CLA prevail against 34 other new models and six finalists scoring 320 points.