2027 Mercedes-Benz GLA Coming to Australia: Electric Confirmed, a Hybrid Reported, and What Mercedes Has Actually Said

Image credit: Mercedes-Benz Australia. Overseas model shown; Mercedes-Benz Australia says images on its page are a preview based on overseas models.

The third-generation Mercedes-Benz GLA is on its way to Australia. Mercedes-Benz Australia now carries two "coming soon" pages for it, one for the all new GLA and one for the all new electric GLA, each with a register-your-interest form and the same warning: "This vehicle is not yet available in Australia." Mercedes adds that the information and images on those pages are a preview based on overseas models and features, and that vehicle specifications are yet to be confirmed.

So this is not a price-and-specs story. There is no price, no variant list and no launch date from Mercedes-Benz Australia yet. What there is, is enough to see the shape of the thing: Mercedes' smallest SUV is going electric-first, the separate EQA badge is on its way out, and the car expected here next year could sit very close to a couple of tax lines that decide what it really costs a lot of its buyers. That is worth knowing before you sign for a run-out GLA or EQA, so here is what is confirmed, what is only reported, and what it means.

What Mercedes-Benz Australia Has Confirmed

Everything in this table comes from Mercedes-Benz Australia's two coming-soon pages, and every line carries the same caveat Mercedes puts on them: a preview, based on overseas cars, with specifications still to be confirmed and some features possibly not available locally.

The non-electric GLA page is thinner still. It shows the MBUX Superscreen, a head-up display, Burmester 3D sound, sports seats, a transparent-bonnet camera view, the EASY-PACK tailgate, an AMG Line Plus styling pack, Terrain Mode as an option on 4MATIC models and a boot of "up to 400 L", but it never says what drives the car. Mercedes-Benz Australia has not described that powertrain anywhere we could find.

One line on the electric page needs flagging. It pairs the 320kW charging figure with a claim of "adding up to 655 kilometres of WLTP range in just 10 minutes". That reads like an error: overseas, the longest-range electric GLA is reported at up to 657km for a whole battery, and Mercedes' overseas charging claim is reported as roughly 270km in 10 minutes. We have not repeated the 655km figure as a charging claim, and you should not plan around it either.

What Is Only Reported So Far

The new GLA has been revealed overseas, and Australian outlets have covered the global details at length. The figures below are Mercedes' overseas numbers as reported. None of them is confirmed for an Australian car, and the Australian variant list could be shorter, differently named or differently equipped.

Also reported: a fourth electric version with a 71kWh battery due overseas in early 2027, a boot of 410 litres (Mercedes-Benz Australia's non-electric GLA page shows up to 400 litres), 2,000kg braked towing for 4MATIC versions, and a 22kW electric motor built into the hybrid's eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox that can move the car on electricity alone for short stretches. Some Australian reports put the front boot at 107 litres; Mercedes-Benz Australia's page says 88 litres to ISO 3832, and that is the figure we use.

Timing is the loosest part of the story. Outlets report the car will be here during 2027, but their estimates of when range from early 2027 to mid-2027, and at least one reports the electric cars arriving first with the hybrid in the second half of the year. Mercedes' own pages say only "coming soon". If you are deciding whether to wait, assume 2027 and nothing more precise until Mercedes publishes a date.

The EQA Goes, and the CLA Is the Clue

The biggest change is structural rather than technical. Today Mercedes sells a petrol GLA and a separate electric EQA that shares its body. The new generation is reported to fold both into one GLA badge, with electric and petrol versions side by side. That is exactly what Mercedes has just done with the GLB, where the electric versions now replace the EQB (our GLB story covers that range).

The more useful clue for anyone trying to guess where the GLA lands is the new CLA. The GLA is reported to sit on the same new platform, and the reported GLA outputs line up with the CLA electric cars we list: the CLA 200 Electric with 165kW, 335Nm and a 58kWh battery, and the CLA 350 4MATIC Electric with 260kW, 515Nm and 85kWh. We list those two at $72,200 and $91,300 before on-road costs, checked against Mercedes-Benz Australia, and the petrol CLA 180 at $66,500.

That does not tell you the GLA's price. An SUV can be priced above the sedan it shares parts with, and Mercedes may equip the GLA differently. It does tell you the rough neighbourhood the hardware lives in, and it is why the tax lines below are worth understanding now rather than after the price is announced.

Why the Price Matters More Than Usual: LCT and FBT

As general information for the 2026-27 financial year, the luxury car tax threshold is $91,661 for fuel-efficient vehicles and $80,809 for everything else. An electric car counts as fuel-efficient. That $91,661 line also matters for novated leasing, because an electric car can only qualify for the fringe benefits tax exemption if its value sits under it.

Look at the CLA 350 4MATIC Electric we list at $91,300 and you can see how tight this gets: it is only a few hundred dollars under the line before any options. If a GLA 350 4MATIC electric comes in above the CLA equivalent, it could land on the wrong side of it. The cheaper electric versions have more room. We are not going to predict which side of the line any GLA sits on until Mercedes publishes a price, but if you are planning a novated lease, that single number is the one to wait for.

Timing adds a second wrinkle. The government has announced that from 1 April 2027 the full EV FBT exemption will be limited to cheaper cars, with a reduced benefit above that. With the GLA reported for some time in 2027, a car ordered now and delivered after that date may be treated under the new rules. Ask your lease provider how the date the car is first provided affects you before you commit.

The mild-hybrid GLA is a different case. Plug-in hybrids lost the EV FBT exemption for cars first held on or after 1 April 2025, and a mild hybrid that cannot be plugged in never had it. For luxury car tax, a non-electric car only gets the higher threshold if its official combined fuel use is 3.5L/100km or less. Mercedes has not published a figure for the new hybrid, so we cannot say which threshold it would use.

Charging: What 320kW Means Here

The 800-volt system is the most important technical change Mercedes-Benz Australia has actually confirmed, and it is worth understanding what it does and does not buy you. A higher-voltage car can take more power from a charger that supports it, which is where the 320kW peak comes from. Australian outlets point out that many public DC chargers here are built around 400-volt cars, and a charger has to be able to deliver both the power and the voltage for the car to see its peak rate. Mercedes has not yet said how the Australian car handles a 400-volt charger, or which variants get the 320kW rate.

At home, Mercedes-Benz Australia's charging footnote refers to 22kW charging on three-phase power and a maximum of 7.2kW on single-phase. Most Australian houses are single-phase, so plan on the lower figure for overnight charging unless you know your supply. Mercedes has not yet said whether 22kW AC is standard or optional on Australian cars.

On range, the gap between the reported GLA 250+ figure and the outgoing car is real on paper. We list the EQA250+ with a 66.5kWh usable battery, 496km of WLTP range and 100kW DC charging. The reported GLA 250+ has an 85kWh battery, up to 657km and more than three times the peak DC rate. WLTP is a lab figure, so run whatever Mercedes eventually confirms through our range estimator for the way you actually drive.

What It Will Be Up Against

The new GLA is not in the comparison below, because we only hold coming-soon rows for it and the tool shows cars that are on sale. What is in it: the outgoing GLA250 4MATIC and EQA250+, the CLA 200 Electric that shares the GLA's reported entry hardware, and three small SUVs a GLA shopper is likely to be cross-shopping. Pick any two.

Among the rivals, the BMW iX1 xDrive30 is listed at $77,900 before on-road costs, checked against BMW Australia, and we list it with 230kW, a 64.8kWh battery, 417km of WLTP range and 130kW DC charging. The Volvo EX40 Ultra Single Motor Extended Range is listed at $69,990, with 185kW, a 78kWh battery, 520km and 200kW DC charging on our figures. On the reported overseas numbers, a GLA 250+ would out-range and out-charge both. Whether it is better value depends entirely on a price Mercedes has not set.

For the hybrid GLA, the natural cross-shop is a petrol small premium SUV. The Audi Q3 TFSI 110kW is a drive-away-priced car in our listings, at $68,868 drive-away in Victoria from Audi Australia's configurator. The outgoing GLA250 4MATIC is in the comparison for reference; we have not quoted its price here because we have not yet re-checked it against Mercedes-Benz Australia.

Safety

We hold no ANCAP rating for the new GLA, electric or hybrid. A new generation has to be assessed in its own right, and a result for the outgoing GLA or EQA does not carry across. Mercedes-Benz Australia's pages describe driver assistance that helps with steering, braking and distance, and a Digital Extra called MB.DRIVE PARKING ASSIST 360, but it has not published an Australian safety equipment list. Digital Extras are Mercedes' connected features, and its terms say availability varies by vehicle and some are free only for a period, so check which ones are included when you get a quote.

What Mercedes-Benz Australia Has Not Told Us Yet

• Price for any version, and whether it will be quoted before on-road costs, drive-away, or both.
• The Australian variant list: which of the overseas electric versions come here, and the outputs of the hybrid.
• Battery sizes and range for Australian cars, and whether the 71kWh version is coming.
• How the car charges on a 400-volt DC charger, and whether 22kW AC is standard.
• Launch timing. Outlets report 2027; Mercedes' pages say coming soon.
• Towing, boot space and weights for Australian cars.
• Fuel use for the hybrid, which decides its luxury car tax threshold.
• Warranty terms, including the battery warranty for the electric car.

Should You Wait?

Wait if you want an electric Mercedes this size and range or charging speed matter to you. On the reported overseas figures, the new electric GLA is a much bigger step over the EQA than a normal model change, and Mercedes-Benz Australia has at least confirmed the 800-volt charging part. Also wait if a novated lease is the plan, because the price and delivery date will decide the FBT position, and neither is known.

Waiting makes less sense if you need a car in the next few months, or you are happy with a petrol GLA. The hybrid is reported to come later than the electric car, so it could be a long wait for a powertrain Mercedes has not yet described in Australia. And if you are offered a strong run-out deal on a current GLA or EQA, that is a real alternative, provided you go in knowing the new car is coming.

We will add both new GLAs to the CarSorted directory with full specifications as Mercedes-Benz Australia publishes them. Until then, our electric SUV guide covers what is on sale now, and the FBT exemption guide explains the novated lease rules in more detail.