The Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe has secured a 5-star ANCAP safety rating, with the sleek two-door model delivering strong protection across all key crash categories and offering a comprehensive range of advanced driver-assistance technologies as standard. The rating applies to all variants sold in Australia and New Zealand, including the CLE 200 and CLE 300 4MATIC.
Introduced locally in January 2024, the Mercedes CLE Coupe was assessed under ANCAP’s latest 2023–2025 testing protocols. Testing showed the medium passenger car performed strongly across adult and child occupant protection, vulnerable road user protection, and safety assist categories, underlining Mercedes-Benz’s focus on safety and technology in its latest-generation models.
Breaking down the scores
Adult Occupant Protection – 93%
ANCAP testing showed the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe provides excellent protection for adult occupants, with a stable passenger compartment recorded during the frontal offset crash test. Protection for all critical body regions was rated ‘Good’, with ‘Adequate’ results recorded for the driver’s chest and lower legs.
In the full-width frontal test, chest protection for the driver was assessed as ‘Adequate’, while all other body regions for both the driver and rear passenger achieved ‘Good’ scores. Side-impact and oblique pole testing delivered maximum points, with ‘Good’ protection recorded across all critical areas.
The centre airbag, fitted between the front seats, further enhanced protection by reducing the risk of head injury in far-side impacts. A minor penalty was applied for vehicle compatibility in frontal offset testing, but overall performance remained strong, resulting in a total score of 37.38 points out of a possible 40.
Child Occupant Protection – 86%
The Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe demonstrated high levels of protection for younger passengers, scoring maximum points in both frontal offset and side-impact dynamic tests using 6-year-old and 10-year-old child dummies.
ISOFIX anchorages and top-tether points are fitted to the rear outboard seats, allowing secure installation of a wide range of child restraints. Most child restraints were able to be fitted safely, although some installation limitations were noted when using seatbelts alone.
An indirect child presence detection system is fitted as standard, but it did not meet ANCAP’s performance requirements and therefore did not receive points. Overall, the CLE Coupe scored 42.43 points out of a possible 49.
Vulnerable Road User Protection – 87%
The CLE Coupe is equipped with an active bonnet system, which lifts during a collision to reduce injury severity for pedestrians. In pedestrian impact testing, good head protection was recorded across most of the bonnet and windscreen area, though weaker results were seen around the stiff windscreen pillars. Lower-body protection for the pelvis, femurs and lower legs was rated ‘Good’.
The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system delivered ‘Good’ performance across most pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist scenarios, including turning and backover tests. Cyclist detection performance was particularly strong, while motorcyclist detection showed good results overall, with some points lost in emergency lane-keeping scenarios. Overall, the CLE Coupe achieved 55.27 points out of a possible 63 in this category.
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Safety Assist – 84%
The Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe is fitted with a comprehensive suite of standard active safety technologies, including autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, emergency lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring, intelligent adaptive cruise control, and speed sign recognition.
ANCAP testing recorded ‘Good’ performance across most AEB and lane-support scenarios, including junction and head-on crash avoidance. Seatbelt reminders are fitted to all seating positions, while a driver monitoring system is standard, though it did not meet ANCAP’s full intervention criteria, resulting in a small points deduction.
The Safety Assist systems achieved 15.24 points out of a possible 18, highlighting strong real-world crash prevention capability.
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Standard safety equipment
The Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe is fitted with an extensive list of safety technologies as standard across all variants, including:
- Airbags: Dual frontal, side chest-protecting, side curtain, centre airbag, and driver knee airbag
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB): Car-to-car, pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist, junction, crossing and backover detection
- Lane support systems: Lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and emergency lane keeping
- Blind spot monitoring
- Speed assistance: Intelligent adaptive cruise control with speed sign recognition
- Driver monitoring system
- Intelligent seatbelt reminders for all seating positions
- Multi-collision braking system
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What does ANCAP say about this result?
ANCAP says the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe’s 5-star rating reflects the strong safety performance expected of a modern premium passenger car. The organisation highlighted the vehicle’s excellent adult occupant protection, robust child occupant results, and effective crash-avoidance technologies.
ANCAP noted that while vulnerable road user protection performance was generally strong, improvements in cyclist dooring alerts and emergency lane-keeping performance for motorcyclist detection could further enhance safety outcomes.
According to ANCAP, the CLE Coupe provides buyers with confidence that the vehicle offers high levels of protection for occupants, as well as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Final thoughts
The Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe’s 5-star ANCAP rating confirms it as one of the safest premium two-door models currently available in Australia and New Zealand. Its strong structural integrity, impressive adult and child occupant protection, and comprehensive safety technology suite highlight Mercedes-Benz’s ongoing commitment to safety.
While minor deductions were recorded in vulnerable road user and driver monitoring performance, the overall result ensures the CLE Coupe meets ANCAP’s toughest safety standards, delivering peace of mind for drivers seeking both performance and protection.
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