There has been considerable debate online claiming that the electric Mercedes CLA 250 uses the same 85 kWh battery as the Mercedes CLA 250+, with the usable capacity simply being limited through software. But what is the truth?
According to Mercedes’ price lists, the CLA 250 starts at €52,872, while the CLA 250+ costs €55,728—a difference of almost €3,000.
The same price lists state that the CLA 250 has a 71 kWh net battery with a WLTP range of 673 km, whereas the CLA 250+ features an 85 kWh net battery with a WLTP range of 791 km. Mercedes uses this battery capacity difference to justify the price gap, since both models share the same 272 PS rear-mounted electric motor and the same standard equipment.
Normally, a battery that is 14 kWh larger would also make the CLA 250+ noticeably heavier than the CLA 250. But here’s the surprise: the battery in both models weighs exactly 496 kg, and both cars have the same curb weight of 2,055 kg. It is therefore logical to conclude that the two models are equipped with the same physical battery pack, with the usable capacity most likely being software-limited from 85 kWh to 71 kWh in the CLA 250. In theory, this also means that the “smaller” 71 kWh version has a larger energy buffer, which could be beneficial for the battery’s long-term durability.
There is another clue. The “smaller” battery supports DC fast charging at up to 250 kW, compared with 320 kW for the 85 kWh version. Mercedes appears to have done this to ensure that both versions require the same 22 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%. In this way, Mercedes justifies the nearly €3,000 premium for the CLA 250+ through its 14 kWh higher usable battery capacity and 70 kW higher maximum charging power.
But this raises an interesting question: Will someone eventually develop a way to access the battery software and unlock the 14 kWh that is unavailable in the 71 kWh version? If so, owners of a CLA 250 could theoretically end up with the same 85 kWh usable capacity as the CLA 250+.
