CHECKMATE, TESLA?

On paper, Mercedes' CLA Mk2 looks set to deliver the goods in the electric company-car sector. Has the big-selling Tesla Model 3 finally met its match?

- 

Big players in today's company-car market battle for class honours

THE company-car segment has long been a pivotal part of the new-car market, but these days, business drivers have more premium tastes than in the past.

Mercedes' A-Class hatchback and its swoopy four-door CLA relative have been very popular. But with neither offering a fully electric variant, and with EVs incentivised on current Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax ratings - the brand has missed out on a chunk of the market.

Now the Mk2 CLA is here, and while ICE options will follow, it is launching with an EV powertrain. Its on-paper specs look promising beyond the BiK numbers, too, including the prospect of a WLTP range as high as 484 miles, plus a changing speed of 320kW.

With numbers like that, there's only one rival. The Tesla Model 3 has always topped its class on pure figures; performance, efficiency and charging speeds have always been its thing. But in more recent times, the firm has focused on the things that are harder to measure, such as comfort and refinement.

So with Tesla moving towards the subjective and Mercedes focusing on the measurables, which brand has produced the best car - be it for company-car drivers or anyone else?

CONTENDERS

Mercedes CLA

BASED on the second-generation CLA's specs alone, it has the potential to give the Model 3 a serious run for its money. There are four trim levels to choose from, with the base Sport Edition starting at £45,615.