Over the past few years, British motorists have been encouraged to switch away from petrol and move to battery-powered vehicles instead. Ditching a gas-guzzling engine has made some sense with EVs being much cheaper to run, along with getting perks such as exemption from London’s Congestion Charge. However, some may now be questioning the decision to buy a battery-powered car after the latest budget confirmed that EV and plug-in hybrid owners will begin paying a fee for each mile they drive.

From 2028, plug-in hybrid owners will face a charge of 1.5p per mile, while EV users will have to stump up 3p for every mile they travel. It’s unclear how the system will work, but it appears set to significantly increase the costs of owning an eco-friendly car. For example, an EV owner doing 10,000 miles per year will face a bill of £300.

If paying the UK government that extra fee is putting off going electric, then there is another option.

Mercedes has just let me drive its new CLA hybrid, and those buying one won’t have the hassle of filling in forms or reporting to the authorities exactly how far they have driven each year, so a mileage bill can be generated.

This new saloon – which will arrive on UK roads next year – now features mild hybrid technology, which beats the Government’s upcoming charge.

Mercedes isn’t the only car maker offering this engine system, but it does mark a major change from the German firm. Its previous CLA hybrid featured a full plug-in battery for electric driving along with a petrol engine. That’s now been replaced by a self-charging option instead.

Having driven the new CLA along the roads and mountains of Austria, I can see how this car makes so much sense. Blast along the motorway and the CLA’s 1.5L 4-cylinder petrol engine roars into life, but hit the slower city streets, and the battery then automatically kicks in.

So-called electric cruising is even possible at speeds of up to around 60mph. What’s clever is that this all happens without you ever really noticing – the only way you know is by glancing at the rev counter, which drops to zero when being driven by the battery. There’s also a special feature of the combustion engine with its ability to recuperate in all eight gears, recovering up to 25 kW of energy.

Thanks to this dual power, the CLA hybrid can achieve a fuel economy of nearly 60mpg, which is quite impressive for a family car.

It’s not just under the bonnet where things are smart.

Hop inside, and you’ll be treated to a plush cabin that features a huge glass roof and an abundance of tech. Big screens dominate the entire dashboard, and passengers can even have a third display if they fancy a Disney+ box set binge.

Just like its fully electric sibling, the CLA hybrid gets the latest Mercedes-designed MBUX interface and MB.OS operating system. This not only offers an improved user experience and more apps to choose from but also access to ChatGPT plus Google.

I asked this car endless questions – such as, ‘Where’s a good place for Pizza?’ and ‘How much is €50 in pounds?’ – and got a detailed response every time. It really is very smart, and you can even wind the windows down, set the climate, turn on the heated seats and change the ambient lighting just by asking.

Navigation is powered by Google Maps, which means there are real-time traffic alerts along with warnings about roadworks, speed cameras and accidents up ahead.

Having spent plenty of time in the CLA hybrid, it’s clear this is a very good car that offers some effortless and comfortable motoring. It’s also packed with plenty of gadgets to tinker with and gets the new look on the outside, which adds some cleaner lines and light bars at the front and back. 

There are a few niggles, though. Put your foot down, and the power seems three steps behind your right leg, with it feeling like an endless wait to get moving. You can change gears manually, but this is now done via pushes and pulls on the indicator stalk rather than steering wheel paddles, which all feels slightly odd.

Whilst the third screen for passengers (an optional extra) looks really flash, it’s pretty pointless, and Mercedes needs to add some more useful applications to make it worth the extra expense. Right now, you can play a few games, look at the weather reports and watch Disney+, but that’s about it.

Finally, there’s the all-electric CLA, which is almost identical in price and offers some truly mighty range.

Yes, owners will have to pay the upcoming fee per mile if they opt for this fully battery-powered vehicle, but charging at home – via smart platforms such as Ohme – can now be so affordable that it will still save money in the long run.

UK drivers now have a tough choice to make, and there’s no question that Mercedes is launching this CLA hybrid model at just the right time. It offers battery-powered motoring without handing over a single extra penny to the Government.

Numerous options are coming soon, including a standard Sport model and a fully loaded Premium Plus version.

Prices start from £38,700.