2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250: Higher Profile, Higher Price


When the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class goes on sale in the coming weeks, its starting price will rise by about $2,000. Mercedes announced today that the redesigned SUV, set to hit dealers in “mid-2020,” would start at $37,280 (all prices include $1,050 destination charge) for a front-wheel-drive GLA250, while all-wheel-drive models start at $39,280. Both represent a $2,035 increase over the 2020 GLA250, and they land a stone’s throw from the GLA’s related SUV sibling, the new GLB-Class.
Related: 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class: L’il Fella of the Fam Gets More SUV Swag
- ${price_badge()}
- ${battery_badge()}${ev_report_link()}
- ${hot_car_badge()}
- ${award_badge()}
- ${cpo_badge()}
${price_badge_description}
The EV Battery Rating is based on this vehicle's current expected range relative to the vehicles expected range when new. ${battery_badge_text}
Certified cars are manufacturer warrantied and typically go through a rigorous multi-point inspection.
This car is likely to sell soon based on the price, features, and condition.
${award_blurb}
${award_two_blurb}
Shop the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 near you


The redesign sports styling changes and an overhauled interior that align the GLA with its new or redesigned platform siblings — not just the GLB, but also the A-Class and CLA-Class sedans. The GLA also gains 3.6 inches of badly needed height over the prior generation’s jacked-up-hatchback profile. Inside, twin dashboard screens combine to form a long, horizontal surface.
Standard features on the GLA250 include:
- A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder (221 horsepower, 258 pounds-feet of torque) and eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, good for 0-60 mph in a manufacturer-estimated 6.8 seconds (6.6 seconds with AWD)
- 18-inch wheels
- Power-adjustable front seats
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- Dual 7-inch dashboard screens
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Four USB ports
- Vinyl (leatherette) upholstery
- Power liftgate
- Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Blind spot warning system
- Driver attention monitor
- Rain-sensing wipers
Options include:
- 10.25-inch dashboard screens
- Wireless phone charging and near-field communication pairing
- Head-up display
- Burmester premium audio
- Navigation system with augmented-reality forward view
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Leather upholstery
- Keyless access
- Adaptive shock absorbers
- Variable-ratio steering
- AMG ground effects
- Panoramic moonroof
- Sport seats, sport steering wheel
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane-centering steering
Mercedes groups many of its options into packages that range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, so it’s easy to envision a factory-loaded GLA250 running well into the $50,000s. Still, the SUV’s starting price is right in the thick of a crowded class that includes the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Cadillac XT4 and Volvo XC40.
Mercedes has yet to reveal pricing for the GLA’s AMG variants, the GLA35 (302 hp, 0-60 mph in an estimated 5.0 seconds) and GLA45 (382 hp, 4.3 seconds); both go on sale later in 2020. Separately, an all-electric version of the GLA-Class, dubbed the EQA, is also coming.
More From Cars.com:
- 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class Sparks All-Electric Incarnation in EQA
- 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB: A Baby Benz With a Postadolescent Price
- 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Ably Relieves CLA of Entry-Level Duty
- 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Review: Fancy But Flawed
- Research the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.

Former Assistant Managing Editor-News Kelsey Mays likes quality, reliability, safety and practicality. But he also likes a fair price.
Featured stories



