Mercedes-Benz CLE Leasing

Your Mercedes-Benz CLE leasing decision

Intelligent Vehicle Finance helps you compare Mercedes-Benz CLE leasing in Coupe and Cabriolet form, including the distinct CLE 53 AMG enquiry. Choose the roof, passenger access and powertrain before comparing contract hire. The live route also lists CLE 300e Coupe plug-in hybrid entries, which need their own specification and tax checks.

Mercedes CLE lease: Coupe, Cabriolet or CLE 53?

The CLE is a choice about the experience of travelling as well as the destination. We would start with whether you genuinely want an opening roof, then consider the powertrain and equipment. A Cabriolet makes sense when open-top use is part of your intended enjoyment. A Coupe is the more direct starting point when the fixed-roof format already answers the brief.

The CLE 53 AMG enquiry is distinct from that roof decision. It identifies a performance derivative, while AMG Line wording can describe equipment on other CLE versions. Decide whether you want the performance model itself or the styling and equipment of another version, then ask for the exact body and derivative. Similar words in a catalogue should not create an accidental change of car.

A two-door car can work very well for someone travelling mainly alone or as a couple with occasional rear passengers. It is a more considered choice when child-seat access or frequent adult use of the back seats dominates the week. Test those movements before deciding that the number of seats settles suitability.

Mercedes-Benz CLE leasing: key facts

• Mercedes UK’s current CLE 200 Coupe reference has four seats and two doors; the rear-seat access check matters even where passenger numbers fit.
• The same CLE 200 Coupe reference is 4,850 mm long with a stated 420-litre boot. This is not a luggage figure for a Cabriolet or plug-in hybrid.
• The current UK CLE 200 and CLE 220 d Coupe references are mild hybrids, with petrol and diesel engines respectively. Mild hybrid does not mean externally rechargeable.
• Mercedes’ current AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet reference uses a 2,999 cc six-cylinder petrol engine and all-wheel drive; its specification is separate from AMG Line trim.
• IVF’s September route includes Coupe and Convertible descriptions, plus CLE 300e PHEV entries labelled Coupe. No 300e Cabriolet is inferred from them.
• GOV.UK: the maximum company-car BiK band is 37% in 2026/27 and 39% in 2029/30; the exact car can fall in a lower band.

Compare the Mercedes-Benz CLE options

The live CLE route has more than petrol AMG Line entries

The September capture contains Coupe and Convertible descriptions for several petrol and diesel versions. CLE 200, CLE 220d, CLE 300 4MATIC and CLE 450 4MATIC appear in the broader list, with different AMG Line, Premium, Premium Plus and edition wording. CLE 53 descriptions appear for both bodies. Availability and exact equipment require confirmation rather than inference from the list.

The route also lists CLE 300e plug-in hybrid Coupe descriptions in Premium, Premium Plus and Premier Edition form. That matters because a mild-hybrid CLE 200 and a plug-in hybrid CLE 300e do not answer the same charging or tax question. The captured entries do not establish a plug-in hybrid Cabriolet, and none is assumed here.

Mercedes UK’s current Coupe overview presents CLE 200 petrol and CLE 220 d diesel references as mild hybrids. It is narrower than the complete IVF catalogue capture. A manufacturer overview and a catalogue can represent different model years or selection states; match the offered car’s documentation rather than choosing whichever page has the more appealing figure.

Ask IVF for body style, model year, complete derivative and the equipment schedule. Check whether a feature is standard, optional or part of an edition on that car. If your enquiry is specifically for CLE 53 AMG, keep that wording intact all the way through to the written vehicle proposal.

Try the roof and rear seats as part of normal use

For a Cabriolet, assess the car with the roof both closed and open. Check the luggage arrangement in the configuration you intend to use for a trip, and ask about the operating conditions for the roof. Do not assume that a boot volume quoted for a fixed-roof Coupe applies to the open car or remains available in every roof position.

For either body, try rear entry in a realistic parking space. The space to open a long front door can matter as much as the seat itself. If you use child seats, test installation and the repeated movement of helping a child in and out. If adults travel behind you, check their position with the front seat adjusted for its real occupant.

Separate mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and AMG priorities

A mild-hybrid CLE uses an electrified assistance system alongside its combustion engine; it does not ask you to organise external charging. The 300e catalogue entries identify a plug-in hybrid, which needs its own assessment of charging access and journey pattern. Do not treat the word hybrid as evidence that the two arrangements have the same energy routine.

For the 300e, establish the supplied vehicle’s certified emissions, electric range and charging equipment before relying on a tax band or planning electric travel. No numerical driving-range promise is made here because the offered model-year match remains to be established. A PHEV can be useful when it is plugged in regularly, but an unread specification is not a sound basis for a company-car decision.

For CLE 53, look beyond the powertrain headline to tyres, seats, ride and insurance. Assess the exact body you would lease. The manufacturer reference used in the facts panel is the Cabriolet, so its figures and load-space information should not be transferred casually to a Coupe quotation.

A comparable CLE quotation needs the same roof and engine

A CLE lease-price comparison should name Coupe or Cabriolet, the exact engine and equipment, then use the same term, mileage, initial rental basis and maintenance assumptions. A CLE 53 and an AMG Line CLE 200 are different vehicle propositions. Their payments cannot usefully be compared as though only the funder changed.

Consider the full cost of the selected version, including insurance and any running items outside the agreement. For company-car use, obtain the P11D value and certified emissions rather than estimating tax from a model badge. A 300e quotation needs separate hybrid checks, while mild-hybrid wording does not qualify the car for the zero-emission percentage.

Mercedes-Benz CLE company-car tax across the lease

CLE company-car taxation cannot be inferred from AMG Line or mild-hybrid wording. The 300e plug-in hybrid needs its own documentation, while petrol and diesel versions follow their applicable certified-emission bands. The maximum row below is a benchmark, not a rate assigned to every CLE.

Private-use tax generally starts with P11D value multiplied by the annual BiK percentage, then your income tax rate. That percentage does not apply to the rental. Sole-trader business use follows different rules.

These are conditional tax bands, not assigned rates for every Mercedes-Benz CLE. Confirm the supplied car’s P11D, certified CO2, fuel type and registration date. Diesel supplements can apply where the required emissions certification is absent, subject to the annual maximum.

The electric-mile figures above are HMRC band thresholds, not promises of this car’s driving range. Newer plug-in hybrid certification can show more than 50 g/km. A temporary company-car easement may treat an eligible car as 1 g/km where the registration date, electric range and Euro-status conditions are met; it is not automatic and must not be transferred to lease-rental deductions. Check the vehicle documents and HMRC’s plug-in hybrid conditions with your accountant.

Use our company-car BiK guide alongside HMRC’s 2026/27 and 2027/28 tables and the published 2028/29 and 2029/30 changes. Tax information checked 24 September 2026 against the C1 ledger and its primary sources. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change; consult your accountant.

Road tax and costs across the term

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). CLE first-year VED varies with CO2 and registration rules. The standard annual rate after that is £200 in 2026/27, before supplements. Later cash rates are not projected here. Check the exact body and powertrain and the funder’s approach to increases.

Expensive Car Supplement. The CLE’s petrol, diesel and PHEV choices use the more-than-£40,000 list-price threshold, including relevant options before discounts. In 2026/27 the supplement is £440 annually for five years from the second licence. The plug-in hybrid does not receive the higher electric-car threshold. Check GOV.UK’s VED rules.

Planned eVED. The proposed April 2028 eVED starting rate for a PHEV is 1.5p per mile, additional to VED, with CPI uprating proposed from 2029/30. It is relevant to a confirmed 300e, not ordinary mild-hybrid CLEs. The plan is not currently charged and remains subject to legislation and implementation; confirm contractual treatment. Read the eVED consultation response.

VAT and the business accounts

VAT-registered businesses can normally reclaim 50% of the VAT on qualifying car rentals where private use is available, depending on circumstances and the normal VAT rules. Full rental-VAT recovery requires exclusive business use with no private availability. Maintenance can fall outside the rental block when it is genuinely optional, separately described in the contract and separately quantified on the invoice; recovery remains subject to normal VAT rules. Read HMRC’s motoring VAT guidance.

The hire-cost rules normally disallow 15% of otherwise deductible rentals for cars above 50 g/km, subject to their scope and exceptions. A company-car BiK easement does not establish relief from this restriction. Check HMRC’s car-hire deduction rules.

For accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026, revised FRS 102 generally requires a right-of-use asset and lease liability for lessees, including small companies using Section 1A. FRS 105 lease accounting for eligible micro-entities was not changed in the same way. Contract hire therefore does not universally keep a car off the balance sheet. Ask your accountant to apply the right framework; HMRC summarises the accounting standards.

Build the quotation around the way you will use it

Tell IVF your annual mileage, regular passengers, essential equipment, charging access where relevant and preferred timing. Ask for the precise model year, derivative, options and registration status to be written into the quotation. The catalogue is a starting point; the offered vehicle and funder terms need confirmation.

Business Contract Hire is taken by the business; Personal Contract Hire is taken by the private individual. Both are subject to status and individual funder criteria. Compare the initial rental, term, mileage, maintenance and applicable fees on the same basis. An initial rental is part of the hire cost, not refundable security or ownership equity.

A manufacturer warranty starts under the supplied car’s warranty terms, normally from first registration. Its time and mileage limits may finish before your lease does. It is separate from optional servicing and tyre cover. Confirm maintenance inclusions, insurance responsibilities, tax provisions and early-termination terms before signing.

At the end of contract hire, return the vehicle; there is no contractual purchase option. Excess mileage, damage beyond the funder’s fair wear and tear standard, missing equipment or other contractual charges may still be payable. Check the return process before choosing your agreement.

Useful next steps

Use Mercedes-Benz leasing, Mercedes-Benz C-Class leasing, BMW 4 Series leasing, company-car tax guide, contact IVF to narrow your choice or discuss a quotation.

Mercedes-Benz CLE leasing questions

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Intelligent Vehicle Finance is a trading name of XLCR Vehicle Management Ltd. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 315268. We are a credit broker, not a lender, and we may receive a commission from lenders for introducing you to them. All vehicle finance is subject to status and individual funder criteria.

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Editorial responsibility: Stacey Smith, Brand Director, Intelligent Vehicle Finance.

Last updated: September 2026