New Mercedes CLA 45 claims 'ring record

680hp EV is the fastest car in its segment, apparently - whatever that segment actually is...

By Matt Bird / Tuesday, 4 August 2026 / Loading comments

Nobody could accuse AMG of not giving its all when it comes to EV performance cars. Already on sale is a 1,169hp flagship GT, and soon to follow is the second car using its axial flux motor technology, the new CLA 45. Recently revealed at the Festival of Speed, the latest AMG has already been making a name for itself on the Nordschleife in prototype form; the car you see here is now the fastest vehicle in its segment, with a notarised lap time on the 20.832km of 7:32.070.

Fast, for sure, if not extraordinarily so given both a) people’s expectations these days, and b) the 680hp produced by its three motors. That’ll be the kerbweight, presumably, because there was certainly no faulting the spec or the effort: the lap took place last week, with the temperatures at 24 degrees ambient, and the car wearing super sticky Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres. Driver Kevin Berger, part of the AMG Vehicle Dynamic Development team, clearly knows his way around the track. He had Race mode on and everything.

But there’s no escaping the fact that, for a relatively small four-door, this lap time doesn’t move the game on very far. The CLA may well be the fastest compact EV - it currently sits at the bottom of the pre-production and prototype table for the ‘ring, showing just how crazy times have become - though it isn’t much faster than less powerful (and less expensive) combustion cars. Frank Stippler lapped a 400hp RS3 in 2024, wearing similar Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres, in 7:33.123. Little more than a second over 13 miles is close enough to be identical, really. An M2 isn’t a million miles away, at 7:38.706, and the CS, remember, went around in 7:25. At least the AMG ought to undercut the £115k BMW…

Chairman of the AMG board Dr Stefan Weckbach said: “AMG was born on the racetrack. Over the past nearly 60 years, we have proven with numerous vehicles that this DNA remains as strong as ever. The CLA 45 now writes the next chapter of that story. It is the fastest car in its class on the world’s most demanding racetrack. My sincere thanks go to all the colleagues whose dedication and expertise made this record possible. And I am certain of one thing: this will not be the last AMG record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.” Maybe the next one will have some obvious lap time rivals, too…