German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has confirmed the high efficiency of the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, built on the MMA platform developed for electric vehicles. According to the tests, energy consumption came to just 12.22 kWh per 100 km—an outcome that aligns with the manufacturer’s laboratory figures and sets a high bar for efficiency.

The evaluations were overseen by former Federal Environment Agency employee Axel Friedrich, who reported that the CLA even surpassed the Tesla Model 3 and considered it the best electric car he has driven. Taken together, the results read as a clear endorsement of the car’s focus on economy.

Despite the strong findings, DUH chose not to publish the full report to avoid being used in Mercedes marketing.

Mercedes, for its part, said that a production-spec vehicle was tested.

Looking ahead, the 2026 CLA is promised to deliver up to 792 km on a single charge and is expected to be among the most economical offerings in its class. If these expectations carry over to real roads, the model could well become a reference point for efficiency.