Mercedes CLA Edges Two Teslas to Become Europe’s Safest Car of 2025

Mercedes-Benz unveiled the all-new CLA last year in electric form, and this was later followed by a hybrid version. A Tesla Model 3 rival, the new CLA has been racking up multiple awards since its launch. It was recently announced as Europe’s 2026 Car of the Year, ending an almost unbelievable drought of over 50 years for Mercedes-Benz for this prestigious award. And now, the CLA has been named as the safest car tested by Euro NCAP throughout 2025. That’s a huge achievement, given rapidly rising standards in vehicle safety. The CLA follows the E-Class, which was the highest-scoring car tested by the safety authority in 2024.

Related: Mercedes Bet Everything on the CLA and Europe Just Named It Car of the Year

Near-Perfect Safety Scores

Not only was the CLA named the overall Best Performer by Euro NCAP, but it also earned the title for Best-in-Class Small Family Car. Despite being one of the smaller Merc models on sale, the CLA earned a 94% score for adult occupant protection. For child occupants, its safety score was 89%, and it also achieved 93% for vulnerable road user safety and 85% for safety assist technologies. Naturally, these superb scores earned the CLA a five-star overall rating. 

“Mercedes has a long-standing belief in investing in vehicle safety, so it feels appropriate for the CLA to earn the title of 2025’s Best Performer, as well as Best Small Family Car,” said Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP. “It was a close-run competition, however. Tesla was only fractionally behind, and new entrants like firefly and Leapmotor show how global competition continues to grow, which can only be a good thing for consumers who value safety as much as style, practicality, driving performance, and running costs from their next car.”

Tesla continued its excellent reputation for safety, with the Model 3 and Model Y winning the Large Family Car and Small SUV categories, respectively. Both actually performed better than the CLA for child occupant safety and safety assist, but the CLA was better for adults and vulnerable road users.

Related: Next-Gen Mercedes CLA EV Starts at $47k With Tesla-Beating Range

CLA Packed With Safety Gear

The fully electric CLA 250+ with EQ Technology starts at $47,250 in the United States. Its safety specification is generous, even on the base model. Highlights include eight airbags (including a rare front center airbag), Distronic adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, blind-spot warning, and lane-keep assist. Even the much more expensive E-Class has one fewer airbag and requires an extra charge for evasive steering assist and Distronic.

The CLA will also debut the new MB.Drive Assist Pro system in America, a Level 2 system that allows for point-to-point driving in urban areas. This system directly rivals the capabilities of Tesla’s advanced Full Self-Driving suite, but Merc charges just $3,950 for its Level 2 system, whereas FSD currently costs $8,000.

Other than its top-notch safety credentials, the CLA features an impressive range of up to 374 miles on a full charge, and the 800-volt architecture allows you to add 100 miles of range in a mere five minutes.

After Mercedes lost out to BMW in annual sales again, can the baby CLA be the car to turn things around for Mercedes-Benz? The newer hybrid will help it accomplish that, but as the CLA isn’t a crossover, it still has its work cut out for it.