2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA Can Use a Tesla Supercharger Without an Adapter

The new CLA will have NACS and Level 2 ports side by side

written by Clint Simone^{Senior Reviews Editor
Clint Simone has worked in the automotive industry since 2015. He has tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Before joining Edmunds as a senior reviews editor, Clint contributed to Motor1.com and InsideEVs, evaluating mostly electric cars. Clint loves hot hatchbacks more than any other type of vehicle but secretly enjoys driving big trucks when he gets the chance. He would never admit to that.}
edited by Steven Ewing^{Director, Editorial Content
Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.}
3/13/2025
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The 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA will have a Tesla Supercharger port installed from the factory.
The port will be located on the back of the car, and a standard Level 2 port will be placed to the side.
The CLA EV goes on sale later this year, with a gas-powered CLA to follow.

When the 2026 Mercede-Benz CLA goes on sale later this year, it will represent a big reset for the company. The CLA wipes the slate clean, bringing new technology inside and out — including baked-in access to the Tesla Supercharger network, no adapter required.

The CLA will be the first Mercedes-Benz model to have a NACS charging port standard from the factory, according to Christoph Starzynski, head of vehicle integration for Mercedes-Benz. The brand's current products, like the EQS and EQE, require an adapter.

As you can see in the photo above, the CLA's charging door is located on the passenger side of the car at the rear, making it easy to back into Supercharger stations. It will house not only the NACS port for fast charging but also a J1772 Level 2 port side-by-side. This is a great solution, however, if you want to continue to fast-charge at stations with the J1772 CCS combo — like Electrify America or EVgo — you will need an adapter.

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Charging itself sees an improvement in the new CLA thanks to 800-volt electrical architecture. DC fast charging maxes out at 320 kW, which is quick enough to add 186 miles of range in about 10 minutes, according to Mercedes-Benz. Final range numbers are still TBD, but Mercedes-Benz says the CLA managed 492 miles on the European WLTP cycle, though that number will drop significantly under the United States' EPA testing regimen.

Our Edmunds EV Range Test has shown on numerous occasions that Mercedes EVs beat their EPA estimates in the real world. When we asked Starzynski if he thinks it will be the same case for the CLA, he laughed, replying, “We will see. We like to undersell and overdeliver.”

Mercedes hasn’t shared pricing information on the new CLA EV just yet, but if the company can keep the car below $60,000 to start, that should make it a compelling entry-level electric product. The gains in range and charging speed, coupled with the easier access to Tesla Superchargers, are good news for the CLA. We’ll just have to see if buyers like the rest of what this small sedan has to offer.

by Clint Simone

Clint Simone has worked in the automotive industry since 2015. He has tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Before joining Edmunds as a senior reviews editor, Clint contributed to Motor1.com and InsideEVs, evaluating mostly electric cars. Clint loves hot hatchbacks more than any other type of vehicle but secretly enjoys driving big trucks when he gets the chance. He would never admit to that.

edited by Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.

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2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA Can Use a Tesla Supercharger Without an Adapter

The new CLA will have NACS and Level 2 ports side by side

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