Mercedes is preparing a significant 2026, and the third-generation GLA is one of the key launches. It arrives in both hybrid and fully electric form, with the long-range electric version expected to offer around 640 km.
The car keeps the design language of its predecessors but takes a clearer position in the range. The new MMA architecture separates it from the A-Class, which stays in production — making the GLA the entry point into the next generation of Mercedes models, priced below the CLA at an estimated €52,000 at manufacturer level.
What changes underneath
The generational shift is substantial: powertrains, interior technology and driver assistance systems all change.
The headline is the move to an 800-volt electrical architecture alongside a new digital platform that turns the GLA into what Mercedes calls a software-defined vehicle. In practice that means faster charging and over-the-air updates that reach the whole car rather than just the infotainment.
The electric range
Three variants are planned. The entry model is the GLA 250+ with the extended range, followed by the all-wheel-drive GLA 350. Both use an 85 kWh battery — the 250+ with a single rear motor producing 262 hp, the 350 with two motors for a combined 348 hp.
A later GLA 250 will use a smaller 58 kWh battery to bring the entry price down.
Final figures are unconfirmed, but the GLA 250+ is expected to deliver roughly 640 to 675 km. That sits below the CLA's 779 km, a difference explained by the GLA's taller, less aerodynamic body.
It still compares well in its class. The BMW iX1 offers around 515 km and the Audi Q4 e-tron approximately 560 km. The current EQA, which is based on the outgoing GLA, manages up to 555 km — dropping to about 505 km in AMG Line trim.
The hybrid, and AMG
For buyers not ready for a full EV, a hybrid arrives with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine shared with the new CLA and GLB, paired with a 48-volt mild hybrid system in front- or all-wheel drive. Output runs from 160 to 190 hp, the higher figure reserved for the 4Matic.
AMG versions are expected, mirroring the previous GLA 35 and GLA 45 but moving to dual-motor electric drivetrains. Diesel does not feature on the MMA platform at all.
Inside, the screen layout follows the CLA and GLB — a 10.25-inch instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch central display, with an optional passenger screen, running a fully online MBUX with a new generation of voice control.
What this means for a buyer in Cyprus
640 km of range is roughly four crossings of the island. Limassol to Nicosia is about 85 km, Limassol to Paphos around 65. For most owners here, a GLA 250+ would need charging once or twice a week rather than daily — and the practical constraint shifts from range to whether you can charge where you park.
The CO₂ figure decides the annual cost. A fully electric GLA sits in the lowest road tax band in Cyprus, while the mild-hybrid petrol version does not. Over a typical ownership period that difference compounds. Both versions are worth running through the road tax calculator before choosing.
Right-hand drive determines the import route. Cyprus drives on the left. Mercedes builds right-hand-drive variants for the UK and Ireland, which makes a UK import the practical path, and affects which trim levels and options are actually obtainable.
The 800-volt system is faster than Cyprus can currently feed it. The architecture supports high charging rates, but the island's public network is not built around them yet as current maximum public charger output in Cyprus is 200 kW. That is not an argument against the car; it does mean the fast-charging figures in the brochure are theoretical here, and home charging is what will matter day to day.
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