► Mercedes customers to pay if they want 400V rapid charging
► DC to DC converter won’t be included
► It’s an £850 option on the CLA
As impressive as the new Mercedes CLA may be, it had one glaring omission when it launched – it wasn’t compatible with 400V chargers, meaning many of the UK’s more commonplace older and slower chargers are off limits.
It’s down to the 800-volt architecture of the new CLA, and because it’s not supplied with a DC-DC converter that enables 400V rapid charging. Mercedes promised it would supply the converter for models ordered from a future date, but we now know that there will be a big catch: customers will have to pay if they want it. It was initially thought it would be included for free, not least because the CLA starts from £45,615.
Quietly announced as part of orders opening for the new Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake, one of the options listed is the £850 direct current charging system (DCCS), required if owners want to charge their cars at 400-volt DC rapid charging stations.
It’s safe to assume the same likely to apply to CLA Saloons ordered from Spring 2026. We also know it won’t be able to retrofit to cars already produced.
Mercedes says that through its in-built navigation system it will only locate 800-volt chargers, but their availability is still limited in large portions of the UK. Some 400-volt chargers are also still capable of delivering up to 250kW, not far off the CLA’s maximum 320kW DC rapid charging speeds, although the number of 800-volt chargers continues to increase.
Other electric cars built around an 800-volt architecture, such as the Porsche Taycan and Kia EV9, incorporate this DC converter in order to change the voltage of electricity so that it’s compatible with the car’s battery to enable correct charging.
New cars editor, car reviewer, news hound, avid car detailer
By Ted Welford
New cars editor for CAR and Parkers. Loves a car auction. Enjoys making things shiny
