Didier, a 71-year-old retired engineer who lives near Auray in France’s Morbihan department, and his wife, Marie-Christine, drive about 25,000 km a year. In June 2026, they took delivery of the Mercedes CLA 200 with its smaller battery and began tracking its use, including weather conditions and energy consumption. Their account was published by Bevolt.
Didier’s priorities were low consumption, a battery no larger than about 60 kWh, and charging from 15% to 80% in roughly 20 minutes. He defines useful range as being able to drive for at least two hours on the motorway—around 240 km or 65% of the battery—rather than relying on the maximum range advertised. The CLA 200 has a 58 kWh LFP battery.
After four months and 8,000 km, the car had averaged 12.4 kWh per 100 km in mixed driving, slightly above its homologated figure of 12.3 kWh per 100 km. Didier says he keeps a 15% reserve, leaving about 50 kWh available and enough for approximately 400 km. With an average of 40 km driven per day, he estimates that he charges about three times a month.
The couple’s longest recorded test was a round trip from Auray to Nay, near Pau. The outbound leg covered 712 km on October 6, with an average speed of 95 km/h and consumption of 14.1 kWh per 100 km. The return on October 12 covered 715 km at an average of 90 km/h, using 13.7 kWh per 100 km. Across the 1,427 km trip, consumption averaged 13.9 kWh per 100 km.
They made three stops, two of them for charging. Charging from 25% to 90% took 26 and 27 minutes, without preparing the battery in advance. Didier also noted the effect of conditions: a 20 km/h southerly wind between Niort and Bordeaux coincided with consumption of 14.6 kWh per 100 km on that section.
Didier reports motorway consumption of 14.7 kWh per 100 km, below Bevolt’s 17.0 kWh per 100 km in its own 500 km test of the same version between Lyon and Paris. He attributes the difference to a more moderate average speed and gentle driving. The October records were made in temperatures between 17°C and 29°C, so the couple has not yet tested the car in winter. He says cold weather, a strong headwind, Sport mode, towing, or carrying bicycles outside the car could increase consumption.
The couple also encountered charging stations away from motorways that did not recognise their charging card, so Marie-Christine prefers to arrive with some battery remaining rather than risk running low. Didier says he would also have considered a new Renault Mégane with an LFP battery had it been available when they bought the CLA.
Sources: Pplware.