The Mercedes-Benz CLA has today been named European Car of the Year 2026. It is the first time a Mercedes-Benz has won the award since the 450 SE/SEL in 1974.
Voted on by the jury of 59 members, the CLA claimed the top prize over the Citroen C5 Aircross, Dacia Bigster, Fiat Grande Panda, Kia EV4, Renault 4 and Skoda Elroq.
The CLA was the most voted model with 320 points, beating the Skoda Elroq, which scored 220 points, followed by the Kia EV4 with 208 points. Fourth place went to the Citroen C5 Aircross with 207 points, followed by the Fiat Grande Panda with 200 points. Sixth place went to the Dacia Bigster with 170 points and seventh to the Renault 4 with 150 points.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA was the model that received the most first places from the judges, with 22, while the Citroen C5 Aircross was the favourite of 15 journalists on the jury. The third most popular model was the Fiat Grande Panda, with nine first places, followed by the Skoda Elroq with eight. The Kia EV4 was the car that received the highest ratings from two jurors, while none of them chose the Renault 4 this year..
With this victory, the CLA takes over from the Renault 5 E-Tech, which won the top continental award last year. The award ceremony took place today at the Brussels International Motor Show.
