Mercedes-Benz CLA250
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,600a year, fuel only
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 is EPA-rated at 30 MPG combined (26 city / 36 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 500 gallons, $1600 a year in fuel, or $0.107 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2014–2026 run it averages 29.4 MPG, essentially flat across 13 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 30 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the compact cars average, 26.6.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,600 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.107
- Per kilometre
- $0.066
- Gallons burned/yr
- 500
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
Test figure — not a road resultSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.083 | $833 | $1250 | $1667 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.100 | $1000 | $1500 | $2000 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.107 | $1067 | $1600 | $2133 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.117 | $1167 | $1750 | $2333 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.133 | $1333 | $2000 | $2667 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.150 | $1500 | $2250 | $3000 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.167 | $1667 | $2500 | $3333 |
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
13 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 MPG | 26 | 36 | $2550 | 298 | 1 |
| 2025 | 30 MPG | 26 | 36 | $2550 | 298 | 1 |
| 2024 | 30 MPG | 26 | 36 | $2550 | 296 | 1 |
| 2023 | 29 MPG | 25 | 36 | $2650 | 309 | 1 |
| 2022 | 29 MPG | 25 | 36 | $2650 | 309 | 1 |
| 2021 | 29 MPG | 25 | 35 | $2650 | 306 | 1 |
| 2020 | 28 MPG | 25 | 35 | $2750 | 310 | 1 |
| 2019 | 29 MPG | 24 | 37 | $2650 | 310 | 1 |
| 2018 | 29 MPG | 24 | 37 | $2650 | 310 | 1 |
| 2017 | 29 MPG | 24 | 36 | $2650 | 311 | 1 |
| 2016 | 30 MPG | 26 | 37 | $2550 | 299 | 1 |
| 2015 | 30 MPG | 26 | 37 | $2550 | 299 | 1 |
| 2014 | 30 MPG | 26 | 37 | $2550 | 299 | 1 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the compact cars bay
Among the 227 compact cars models tracked here, the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 ranks 35 on current figures, against a class average of 26.6 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Mazda 3 4-Door (30.3), Ford Focus FWD (30.4), BMW 330i Sedan (31), Kia Rio Eco (31), Mazda CX-3 2WD (31).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 298 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 4.5 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 get?
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 is rated at 30 MPG combined by the EPA — 26 city and 36 highway. Across all 13 model years in the database it averages 29.4 MPG, ranging from 28 to 30 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mercedes-Benz CLA250 cost in fuel per year?
At 30 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 500 gallons — roughly $1600 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.107 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2026 model is $2550.
Has the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 30 MPG today against 30 in 2014 — essentially flat across 13 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 efficient for its class?
It ranks 35 of 227 in the Compact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 26.6 MPG. That is 3.4 better than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
