Compare the2025 Kia K5VS 2024 Mercedes CLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia K5 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes CLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the K5 and CLA have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The K5 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The CLA’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the K5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The K5 EX/GT1 has standard Parking Collision Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The CLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The K5’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the CLA.

Both the K5 and the CLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The K5 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The CLA’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the K5 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the CLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CLA ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the K5’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the K5 has a standard 150-amp alternator. The CLA’s 115-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 21st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 19 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The K5 GT’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 69 more horsepower (290 vs. 221) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 258) than the CLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the K5 GT 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mercedes CLA:

On the EPA test cycle the K5 LXS gets better fuel mileage than the CLA 250 FWD (26 city/37 hwy vs. 26 city/36 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia K5 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CLA requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The K5 has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the CLA (15.8 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The K5 GT’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The CLA doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the K5 GT’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the CLA:

For better traction, the K5 GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CLA (245/40R19 vs. 225/45R18).

The K5 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the CLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the CLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the K5’s wheelbase is 4.8 inches longer than on the CLA (112.2 inches vs. 107.4 inches).

The Kia K5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Mercedes CLA.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the K5 a Large car, while the CLA is rated a Compact.

The K5 has 16.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CLA (105.3 vs. 89).

The K5 has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 4.3 inches more front legroom, 2.9 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the CLA.

The K5 has a much larger trunk than the CLA (15.6 vs. 11.6 cubic feet).

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the K5 has standard extendable sun visors. The CLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the K5 EX/GT1 keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The CLA doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Kia K5 outsold the Mercedes CLA by almost seven to one during 2023.