Follow the leader

Mercedes does. But can its new CLA really match Elon Musk’s phenomenally successful Model 3?

ESSENTIALS Mercedes CLA 250+ AMG Line Premium Price: £51,770 Powertrain: 85.5kWh battery, 1x e-motor, 268bhp 0-62mph: 6.7 seconds Test efficiency: 4.1 miles/kWh Official range: 462 miles Annual VED: £

FANCY A SUPERCOMPUTER with wheels? Buy a new Mercedes-Benz CLA, then. Its onboard computer apparently runs up to 280 million functions per second – qualifying it as a supercomputer, according to Merce

List price £39,990 Best price £39,990 Range 318 miles Battery size 57.5kWh For Class-leading efficiency; fast charging via Tesla’s own network; surprisingly practical; well priced Against Some fiddly

List price £26,995 Best price £24,895 Range 253 miles Battery size 52kWh For Attractive pricing; smart and well-equipped interior; fine ride and handling balance; slick infotainment Against Rear leg r

PANDA AND INSTER TOO TITCHY for you? Similar money can bag you a 4.3m long SUV with electric power too. Vauxhall’s entire car lineup offers an EV powertrain, all of which get the £1,500 government gra