If you're interested in an electric pickup truck, your choices as we close out 2024 really aren't bad anymore—albeit still on the expensive side. There's the stalwart Ford F-150 Lightning, which is currently selling with some of the best deals we've ever seen; the newcomers Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, which pack big range with big batteries but also big charging times; and the Tesla Cybertruck, which is equal parts science experiment and avant-garde art project. 

So lately, I've been wondering if the Rivian R1T is the sweet spot between all of those varied electric pickup choices. And over the next few days, I intend to find out. What should I do with it, and what do you want to know about it?

I (wisely) left frosty upstate New York for my native Texas this Christmas, and I'm glad I did because the highs down here have been around 70 degrees. Pleasant? Yes. Concerning? Also yes. But this is pretty optimal weather for what I have in mind: a drive from San Antonio to the West Texas desert, about 400 miles one way, and into a part of the country that's not exactly replete with DC fast chargers.

2025 Rivian R1T Road Trip

Yet the R1T should be up for the task. This is a 2025 R1T, the one with all of the physical updates and several recent software ones too. In Rivian Blue, this truck is a Dual Motor model with the 149-kWh Max Pack battery good for an EPA-estimated 420 miles of range, perhaps aided by the ultra-aerodynamic Range Wheels. With options, including the Performance Upgrade and Ocean Coast + Dark Ash Wood interior, and this truck goes for around $96,000.

No, not cheap. But I do feel like I'm getting a lot with this truck—more than with other Rivians I've experienced in the past.

2025 Rivian R1T Road Trip

Thanks in part to the various software updates, every Rivian I drive ends up being better than the last. Yet I've never fallen completely in love with the R1S; maybe it's because the "big electric SUV" thing has been done so much, albeit almost never with Rivian's off-roading prowess. But this electric pickup truck? It feels more novel, more interesting than another big family-hauler. It's less conventional than an F-150 Lightning, more pleasant (in every conceivable way) than a Cybertruck and with a less thirsty battery pack than the General Motors electric trucks. 

So, yes. Sweet spot. But other road trip tests have been less kind to the R1T's long-distance prowess. Maybe I can do better? We'll soon find out.

What's Good So Far

This is actually the first time I've had a lengthy go with the R1T. It's utterly charming, giving off that optimistic vibe that Rivian designers like to say is part of the company's DNA. Inside, the cabin is airy and comfortable while the software setup is whimsical, colorful and quite easy to read.

It's a very maneuverable truck for its size, which is more than a foot longer than the R1S. The steering is light but precise and navigating tight spaces and parking lots has been generally quite easy; more so than the oddly-proportioned Cybertruck. It's quite quick, too, albeit heavy. 

Rivian R1T Gear Tunnel

Two words: gear tunnel. This is just a fantastic stroke of EV packaging. Two panels on either side of the truck open up to reveal a 65-inch hollow tunnel that can fit two medium-checked suitcases (provided they're zipped tight) and lots of other gear. I was slightly worried all our travel gear wouldn't fit in a pickup truck, but this thing has it handled. 

Finally, Rivian's software game really is getting better and better. The smartphone app, phone-as-key, charger finder, over-the-air feature additions and other touches are increasingly putting Rivian on even footing with Tesla. It's not quite as polished as that company's setup, but it outclasses a lot of other options out there.

2025 Rivian R1T Road Trip

What's Not So Good So Far

The biggest challenge has been one that's common to big EVs: efficiency. At most, I'm seeing about 2.7 or so miles per kWh, and often quite a bit less at sustained highway speeds. That isn't surprising. It's big, it's heavy and it's aerodynamic as a brick (although it looks great.) We'll be in a good position to test its 70 mph range, but it's not the distance king the Tesla Model 3 I just rented was. 

2025 Rivian R1T Road Trip

Also, Rivian's no-buttons approach to everything has its downsides. I have yet to be convinced that fiddling with a touchscreen to adjust my air conditioning to be a superior experience to having actual air vents. 

Finally, can it really do up to 220 kW on a DC fast charger? I juiced it up tonight on a 350 kW EVGo station (battery preconditioned and all) at 30% and never saw speeds above 190 kW. We'll see how it fares out on the road. 

But I'm excited to see what it can do out there. I like this truck so far. Got questions? Ask away.

2025 Rivian R1T Road Trip

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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Try and think of a two-seat electric roadster. Once you’ve come up with ‘Tesla Roadster’ and realized that it hasn’t been on sale for years, and that Musk’s delayed flying-machine sequel may never happen, I’d like to direct you to a real car that currently exists: The MG Cyberster.

MG, in case you didn’t know, isn’t the same company that used to make the MGB your dad coos over. It’s owned by the Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation (SAIC), and it’s doing quite well. The MG4 EV is a common sight on European roads, and the firm’s various hybrids and EVs can be found in most cities without looking too hard. Most of the cars are affordable, sensible affairs, and all the better for it. But this is MG, the king of the Brit sports car manufacturers (for a bit in the '60s and ‘70s, anyway), and the lineup wouldn’t be complete without something a little bit racy. Enter stage left: The Cyberster.

(Full disclosure: MG loaned me a Cyberster for this review.)

On sale in European and other international markets, the Cyberster is in a class of one. It’s the only ragtop two-seater EV out there, and while some may use that as an excuse to rest on their laurels and phone the job in, MG has put a lot of effort into this one.

It’s available either as an all-wheel-drive, dual-motor 503-horsepower GT, or rear-wheel-drive single-motor 335-hp Trophy. Each boasts a 77kWh (74.4kWh usable) battery to deliver a WLTP range of 276 or 316 miles, respectively. I tested the dual motor GT in silver, with a ‘please don’t wear new jeans’ light gray interior.  

There’s a respectable 8.8 cubic-foot trunk in the back, too, so you can put plenty of stuff in there, and the cabin’s got enough storage to fit your day-to-day knick-knacks. The cabin is festooned with screens: three in front of the driver and one in the center console. The two that flank the instrument panel are touch-sensitive and control various aspects of the car, as does the one lower in the cabin, which gives the whole thing a Star Trek-y vibe. 

It’s a long car, at nearly 15 feet, which is needed because of the whacking great battery, and at 6 feet, 3 inches, it’s pretty wide. Sitting 4 feet, 4 inches high, it’s not the squattest of things, but a black cowl around the window line helps hide its visual weight and draws your eye lower. 

Every sports car, whether it’s in a class of one or not, needs to have some theater about it. The Cyberster’s party piece is fancy doors. They both open upwards, and you can open them by prodding the button on the door… or you use the key. Press the key for the left or right door on the fob and it’ll gracefully rise as you approach. It’s a neat touch, and made me smile every time I hopped in for a drive.

Inside you’ll find big, comfy seats, and a spacious cabin. It's tech heavy, but there are still buttons to press should the mood take you. The paddles behind the wheel either shift regen levels, or switch the car between comfort, sport or custom drive modes. You’ll spy a big red button on there as well: the ‘Super Sport’ button. That’s for moments of silliness, effectively equivalent to a “Sport Plus” or Track mode.

Once you’re on the move it’s a quiet, slick affair. Comfort mode keeps the GT’s silly power in check, allowing you to glide up to speed briskly, but not uncomfortably. Being a heavy car, the Cyberster does bounce around a bit over rough city asphalt. London’s roads are a patchwork of awful repairs, so I let plenty of grunts and groans fly over my time with the Cyberster. 

With the roof up, the MG keeps you nearly insulated from the world outside, though it can get a bit creaky when the car’s disturbed by uneven tarmac. While it takes the shine off the experience a touch, there’s little you can do about physics. If you want to drop it, the whole process happens quietly and quickly with no fuss. Plus, the GT’s heated seats took the edge off a chilly London evening.

Sports cars are often used to pose around town, sure, but they should also be capable on twisty roads. On country lanes in comfort mode, the powertrain’s briskness is wonderful. Numbers build, fall and build again with ease. Sport mode makes the Cyberster a far more angry car. The pace becomes frantic to the point where your stomach starts making interesting shapes every time you press the throttle.

Far more extreme is ‘Super Sport.’ It’s out-and-out hooliganism, and unless you’ve got your wits about you I can see how you might end up getting yourself into trouble. The world gets VERY blurry when you mash your foot down. It’s a neat party piece, but not one you’ll want to use too often if you want to keep police away from your doorstep. 

Twisty roads reveal one of the Cyberster’s weaknesses, though. It’s heavy. If you’re pressing on, enjoying the power, and generally being a hooligan, the car feels awfully bouncy. Being a bit of a chonker, undulations and anything other than mirror smooth roads upset it enough that it stops being fun and starts being a bit ‘cling on and see what happens.’

If you want a composed ride when you’re giving it some, you won’t find it here. This is a swift cruiser. Dial the pace back a bit and it settles neatly. 10/10ths is for straight lines. It steers smoothly enough, and MG’s rightfully proud of the Brembo brakes at each corner. When you can hit 62mph from rest in 3.2 seconds, chunky stoppers are a blessing.

The GT with its silly power and all-wheel drive promises to manage 3.7mi/kWh on a run, which I guess could be possible if you drove like a saint. I managed to get an average of 3.1kWh in mixed driving—a lot of highway, a decent chunk of town and some time on bendy roads I know well. 

Being a modern car, there are touch screens. They fit well here, but they can be fiddly. To adjust maps, music or to flick through menus you need to look quite closely. This wouldn’t be a problem, but MG has a suite of advanced and intrusive active safety systems fitted to the car. I figured out how to turn most of them off, but I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the sensor on the wheel that tracks your eyes. If the car doesn’t feel you’re paying close enough attention to the road ahead it’ll scream at you. Loudly. This wouldn’t be a problem if I didn’t need to go into the car’s various screens to do things, but I did. The car itself created the issue, and then yells at you for dealing with it. How irritating.

So if you’re looking for an MG sports car just like the cars of old, this… isn’t it. It’s too heavy, its ride too compromised. The MG Cyberster is a cruiser. It’s perfect for gently gliding along at a steady pace, taking the world in as you go. It’s a start for the ‘affordable’ EV sports car category, and it’s a damn good one. Just take it easy out there.

Alex Goy is a freelance journalist based in London. He likes British sports cars, tea, and the feeling of the mild peril that only owning a British sports car can bring to your day.

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It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since the ‘new’ Mini came onto the scene. BMW’s take on a British classic mixed, and continues to mix, retro and modern with a ‘cheeky’ attitude and a charming drive. Over the years, it’s evolved to the point where ‘Mini’ isn’t simply a hatch but a brand all of its own with sporty, economical, practical, and, in the years gone by, one that looked oddly like a cycling helmet. 

2024 saw a Mini reinvention. The hatch is simply ‘Cooper,’ the lineup’s chunky Countryman SUV sits at the biggest end of the range, and, as the year faded, a new sibling arrived: the Aceman. 

What Is It?

Electric only, the Aceman fits neatly below the Countryman and snugly above the Cooper. Europe’s voracity for small SUVs is seemingly unending, and as Mini remains a manufacturer that no one seems to hate, it makes sense for the German/English firm to enter the fray so we can all buy ever more of them. 

Starting at around £31,000 (around $40,000), it’s a smidge spendier than the three-door Cooper. For your extra cash, you get rear doors, an easier-to-access cabin, a new (if slightly froggy) face, and some extra usable space. While it’s an SUV in shape, it’s not a load lugger - the trunk can fit 10.6 cubic feet of stuff with the seats up and 35.5 with them down. You also get Mini’s new rather smart cloth-clad interior look - a big ‘ol disc screen to sort infotainment, nav, CarPlay/Android Auto, your speed, and all the things you expect, with a small row of physical buttons down below to turn the car on, select gears, and choose your ‘Experiences.’ The rest of the cabin is fairly minimalist. It does look good, but it follows the lead of others in keeping costs down. Fewer physical touch points and a big central screen to do all the heavy lifting means Mini didn’t need to spend too much on the rest of the interior - saving cash for batteries. 

Mini Aceman

How Much Range Does It Have?

Short of the upcoming hot JCW Aceman, there are two versions on sale right now. The Aceman E gets a 42.5 kWh battery, 181 bhp, a 0-62 mph time of 7.9 seconds, and a top speed of 99 mph. A bit more money will net you the perkier Aceman SE, which gets a 54.2 kWh battery, 215 bhp, 0-62 mph in 7.1 seconds, and 105 mph on the top end. Mini says they’ll manage 192 and 252 miles (WLTP) on a full battery while taking up 70 and 95 kW DC charging, respectively. Those recharge speeds won’t set your world alight, but they’re enough to get you from 10-80% SOC in around 30 minutes. 

There’ll be people moaning that the range isn’t enough to immediately jump in the car and drive at breakneck speed to another continent, but this isn’t that sort of car. It’s a small family car for the city and occasional trips further afield. You could well manage a longer drive, sure, but if that’s your jam, those numbers suggest you’re better off looking elsewhere. 

Mini Aceman

How Does It Drive?

Driving both the E and SE, if you ARE part of a small family, you’ll either love it or end up being annoyed by its quirks. One such quirk? The ‘Experiences.’ Flipping a switch, fiddling with the screen, or asking the car’s excellent ‘hey Mini’ voice command system to change which one you’re in. There are eight to choose from, all of which change the look of the infotainment screen, but only three do anything meaningful to the car. The core is the standard driving mode, Go Kart is Mini-ese for sport, and Green is, well, green. Swiping through all of them is a pain, especially when so few of them have a discernible effect on the car, though if you like the aesthetics one or the other offers… who am I to begrudge you?

Mini Aceman

You can, rather helpfully, use Mini’s excellent voice assistant (represented on screen by a cartoon dog called Spike) to flip between them with relative ease—it only dropped the ball once. It’ll do more than just swap modes, taking plenty of contextual commands to change radio stations, turn up heating, and other things. The days of naff voice control are long gone. The car’s navigation software is accurate, too, though the voice used on Mini UK’s test cars is a touch down in the dumps. Poor chap sounded like he’d just caught his wife sleeping with his best mate. Cheer up, nav man! There’s plenty more fish in the sea; just don’t, y’know, navigate yourself into it in a fit of ennui. 

The E, while brisk on paper, doesn’t feel super quick. If you’re after more grunt, the SE genuinely feels more hot-hatchy thanks to its extra power. Power delivery is predictably smooth, and the car is quiet when you’re on the move. Of course, it makes wibbly, wobbly noises to match what you’re doing with the throttle, which is a nice touch and makes you feel like there’s something approaching an engine under the hood. The various drive modes play with throttle mapping in the ways you’d expect - eco is soft ‘n floppy, core feels normal, and go-kart makes things a touch more brisk. 

The Aceman E will, apparently, manage 4.2-4.4 mi/kWh, but mixed driving saw a maximum of 3.8. The perkier SE promises 4.2-4.5 m/kWh on the WLTP cycle, but I only managed 3.0. I was enjoying its power, though. 

Mini Aceman

Mini’s steering is always a highlight. It changes with the drive modes, too, but it’s never too heavy or too light and offers feedback that keen drivers would appreciate while not being so driver-focused that normal humans would find it a bit much. It’s as much fun to hurl it around as it is to gently bimble around town. 

No matter which you go for, there’s a problem that’s hard to overlook: the ride is not great. I found the SE to be slightly better than the E, but the car’s 3792-3935lb (E:SE) weight puts a hell of a stress on the springs ‘and dampers, which means every lump in the road (and in the UK there are MANY) seems to upset the car. It can get rather tiresome. That said, it’s a fun thing to throw around. Smooth power, good steering, and a strong chassis are a great combo. While it’s all-electric, it’s still very much a MINI at heart.

More Aceman Info

Early Verdict

America’s hesitance to adopt smaller cars means it’ll miss out on a charming if occasionally lumpy, little SUV. It packs all the Mini charm you’d expect into a marginally more practical and rather good-looking little package. The Aceman is, well, Ace. 

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is one of the most unique electric vehicles available today, and it may just be most fun EV on sale. However, it's driving range isn't its strongest selling point, with an EPA combined range rating of only 221 miles.

We recently charged one up to 100 percent and headed out onto the highway to find out how far it would go at a constant 70 miles per hour in the InsideEVs 70 mph highway range test.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

The Ioniq 5 N is a wonderfully engineered high-performance EV. Hyundai did an amazing job incorporating artificial gears and exhaust noise into the vehicle, and it works much better than I expected it would. I'm not usually one for fake engine sounds, as I really appreciate the quiet hum of the electric motors and usually turn off the fake sounds that some EVs have. But the 5 N was different, it all really worked for me. It felt real. 

However, I couldn't really enjoy any of that while I was doing the 70 mph range test, which is perhaps the least fun you could have with the 5 N. But that was the task at hand, so like all of the range tests we do, I charged the vehicle up to 100% on a DC fast charger to heat up the battery as much as possible, made sure the tire pressure was set to the manufacturer's recommendation, put the vehicle in its most efficient driving mode and set the climate control to 69°F with the lowest fan setting.

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The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has a combined EPA range rating of 221 miles. That's 39 miles less than the AWD Ioniq 5 Long Range (260 miles) and 82 miles less than the RWD Long Range version (303 miles).

However, since this is a highway range test, I looked up the EPA documents and found that the Ioniq 5 N's highway rating is 202 miles, so I was personally expecting to finish up somewhere between that and its combined EPA range rating. The EPA test isn't a constant-speed test, and it's done at lower speeds than 70 mph,. It's not a perfect comparison, but it's all we have to compare our range test results to. 

Hyundai Ioniq 5 EPA range ratings

In exchange for the range left on the table, the Ioniq 5 N has a combined power output of 641 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque with its "N Grin Boost" feature activated, which provides a temporary 10-second power boost. Without the N Grin boost, the combined power is around 601 hp. The massive 275/35 ZR21 Pirelli P-Zero tires also account for some of the range loss. 

On our test day, the weather was very accommodating. The temperature was unusually warm; over 80°F and with very little wind. I squeezed every bit of energy out of the Ioniq 5 N's 84 kWh battery pack and ended up driving it about 7 miles after the state of charge and the estimated remaining miles read zero.

However, much of that was due to my mistake of allowing the navigation system to lead me to the wrong Walmart. I had intended to go to a different Walmart about 6 miles away because that one has an Electrify America charging station in the parking lot, but I selected the wrong one in the navigation system. 

Hyundai Ioniq 5N

That meant I had to limp at low speeds to the other Walmart in reduced power mode for the final 6 miles. I finished up the test having driven 230 miles, 9 miles more than the combined EPA range rating for the 5 N, and 28 miles farther than its highway range rating. But the final 6 miles were driven at low speeds, so we can't really count them in the 70 mph range test.

I think I was at about 224 miles when I slowed down under 70 mph. The vehicle did have enough left in the patch to go another 6 miles at low speeds, so it probably could have done at least 2 or 3 more at 70 mph. We could safely say the vehicle would have done 226 or 227 miles before it would have shut down if we continued driving at 70 mph until the end. 

About our 70 mph highway range tests:

We always like to mention that these range tests aren't perfect. There are variables out of our control, like wind, traffic, topography, and weather. However, we do our best to control what we can and set all the vehicles we test up to the same standards so we can compare them as fairly as possible.

We conduct these 70-mph range tests to provide another data point for potential customers who are looking for as much information on the driving range of a particular EV as possible.

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The new Charger Daytona’s synthetic “Fratzonic” exhaust note is a skeuomorph. It was created by Dodge for its first electric muscle car to lead combustive fanatics along a path toward a petroleum-free future, one in which such hotrods do not rumble at stop lights, scream a pistonic symphony upon acceleration, and shoot flames from their exhaust pipes.  

But unlike other technologies that imitate archaic artifacts—the dripping candle bulb sockets on electric chandeliers, the stone-carving bevels etched into mass-produced cast-iron building facades—this pseudo-soundtrack is defeatable. Its volume is automatically enhanced in the bulky coupe’s Sport Mode, cranked up toward hair metal concert levels in its Track/Drift/Donut settings, and eased slightly when one chooses the Auto or Wet/Snow position from the squircular steering wheel’s selector arrows, but with a couple of prods of the driver-canted 12.3-inch central infotainment screen, it can be eliminated.

I turned it off every time I drove. 

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

I’m 55 years old and I’ve enjoyed my smattering of Hemi-powered doofiness. But while I brought an IBM Selectric to my first year of college, I don’t somehow still require that my phone broadcast typewriter sounds whenever I press a digital key. Likewise, I don’t need a growling ersatz V8 to white cane me into our futuristic, electric-powered present.

Dodge CEO Matt MacAlear bragged to me that the Daytona’s growly electronic exhaust is “Just as loud as the outgoing Charger Hellcat Widebody.”

To me, that’s like boasting that the robot arm that builds the new car cheers the Detroit Lions just as loudly as the union members who work alongside it. To whom is this a relevant metric? I think the most interesting thing about the Charger Daytona EV is the fact that it is electric, and can capitalize on the unique capacities of this powertrain: immediate torque, wild horsepower, quiet operation, and zero tailpipe emissions.  

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

(Full Disclosure: Dodge covered my travel to Phoenix and covered my lodging ahead of a day of on-track driving at the Radford Racing School.)

What Is It?

For those of you without a Hellcat in this fight, the all-new Charger Daytona EV is the first vehicle to arrive on Stellantis’ new STLA Large electric platform. Undergirded by a 400-volt 100.5 kWh battery pack, the front and rear motors are jointly capable of 670 hp in the Scat Pack version, or 496 hp in the “R/T” iteration. Though a four-door model will follow, the initial offering is a big coupe, like those from the peak muscle car era in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

To this end, the Charger Daytona is over 17 feet long—5 inches longer than the outgoing Dodge Challenger. Nearly all that added length is given to rear passenger legroom, which is so sizable that my 6’4” driving partner could sit comfortably behind himself.

With all this power and grip at both ends, the Scat Pack, with its 305/35/20 front and 325/35/20 rear tires, is capable of accelerating to from 0-60 in a claimed 3.3 seconds. The milder R/T, with four 275 mm tires over 18” wheels, will complete the same task in under five.  

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Performance as an EV is less scorching. Dodge says the maximum charge rate is a curious 183 kW, and it can go from 20% to 80% in a little over 24 minutes on a 350 kW fast charger. Range is estimated at 241 miles for the Scat Pack model—not mind-blowing, but besting another high-performance EV, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, by a good 20 miles. The R/T version fares better at 308 miles.

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

The Charger Daytona uses a prismatic battery for what Dodge says is better thermal performance, and you can tell how hard they’re trying to establish street cred with the Mopar crowd from some of the official Dodge press materials which compare the energy density of the nickel cobalt aluminum battery to “high-octane fuel.”

How Does It Look And Feel?

Both cars sport excellent sightlines, though the rear view is a bit crimped. And, with the optional glass roof letting the sun shine in, the interior feels vastly improved compared with the cave-like feeling of its progenitors. In addition, the rear windshield, along with its lengthy and creased surround, pops up, hatchback-like. This affords a cargo area that is, with the rear seats folded, 133% larger than the outgoing car. It’s a lot of room: like, lie-down scale. 

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

This thing is like a big electric shooting brake. Though performing routine tasks—like folding down the 60/40 split seats, or grabbing at the contents of some of the trunk’s deeper reaches—can be awkward. There’s also a 1.5 cubic-foot frunk under the hood.

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

The Daytona’s other significant downside is its interior materials. I appreciated the textured and faceted door panels, and the ribbed vintage-inspired dashboard superstructure surround, especially given the fact that I could adjust the ambient light that emanated from them to any of 64 hues and a range of intensities. And I know that muscle cars are meant to prioritize performance over piddling things like ambiance.

But there is no getting away from the fact that the plastic on these trim pieces, while well aligned and mounted, looks Wal-Mart cheap, particularly galling given the Scat Pack’s $80,000 price tag.

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

How Does It Drive?

While the outgoing Challenger floated over the road on some 30-year-old bits cribbed from the Mercedes parts bin during the failed 1990s Daimler-Chrysler merger, this beast is built on all-new underpinnings. The high-test models receive adaptive dampers, but even the basic model’s springs absorb impacts and directional changes without its forebears’ often nauseating leans, rolls, or rebounds. A giant, center-of-gravity-lowering battery pack in the floor certainly helps flatten things out.

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

This makes the Charger Daytona easy to place on sweeping curves, delightfully obeying inputs from the big steering wheel. And the brakes, especially the six-piston (front) and four-piston (rear) Brembos on the Scat Pack, are highly capable of hauling it down from highway speeds, which, in the Arizona exurbs, reliably approach the triple-digits, speeds at which the mammoth two-door feels as stable and unperturbable as the surrounding red rocks. 

Though it won’t do a rear-wheel burnout from a standstill, it will chirp its front tires. Moreover, if given the space and proper infotainment screen inputs, it will–as I experienced first-hand from the right seat, with a pro driver at the wheel, and again while standing outside the car–unlock its front motor and disable its stability control, and drift. For those of you who require noise, smoke, rubber particles, and nausea to feel whole (hole?), this big beast will make donuts like Dunkin’.   

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Things get quite a bit harrier when the curves tighten. This isn’t really the fault of the steering or the brakes. It’s just physics. With an occupant on board, this thing crests three tons. I took the big-tired up-suspensioned Scat Pack into a 90-degree right a wee bit hot, and it snapped free with a toboggan-like glissade. The recovery was predictable, but the event surprised me. If I owned one, I’d stick a Post-It reminder on the dash: Car Is Heavy.   

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Not at all harried is the Uconnect 5 system, which maintains its reputation as among the most user-friendly in-car software systems. Hard and/or dedicated buttons now exist for entertainment volume and tuning, and HVAC and seat and steering wheel heating (and seat cooling) features, and the nav and media interfaces are straightforward, for those of you who stubbornly refuse to just give everything over the familiar cellphone-mirroring embrace of AndroidAuto or AppleCarPlay. Personally, I surrendered years ago. 

A head-up display obviates the need to attend to the standard 10.25” or optional 16” instrument panel, though the vintage-style digital gauges—one of three available graphic options (a limited “focused” and a direction-heavy “navigation” layout complete the trio)—are quite fun.

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Early Verdict

Dodge has created a new EV category: the electric muscle car. And it succeeded! The Charger Daytona is a thoughtful and practical reimagining of a moribund vehicular genre, and it performs, responds, grips, hauls, and coddles in ways its anachronistic ancestors never could, while maintaining a distinctly American big car feel. This is a unique offering in an increasingly crowded marketplace, it accomplishes what it set out to do, and it should be celebrated. 

2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Whether it farts or roasts like a duck is, to me, irrelevant to its authenticity. As with so many other issues fueling our current longing for “nostalgia” or “greatness” the longer we insist on abiding by retrograde templates, the longer it will take for us to recognize that we’ve already evolved beyond them.

Brett Berk is a freelance automotive writer based in New York. He has driven and reviewed thousands of cars for Car and Driver and Road & Track, where he is a contributing editor. He has also written for Architectural Digest, Billboard, ELLE Decor, Esquire, GQ, Travel + Leisure and Vanity Fair.   

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Since about 2019, every time an automaker or tech company showed off an electric vehicle even vaguely crossover-shaped, it would be deemed a “Tesla Model Y Killer” in the headline. The copy then went out of its way to convince us why this particular car would be the complete undoing of Tesla itself. Why did anyone do that? Was it SEO? Was it contempt and jealousy for the success of the Tesla Model Y and Elon Musk? Was it just the natural tendency of an auto writer to boost up an underdog without any real thought as to whether it truly has the stuff to dethrone the best-selling car in its segment? 

I don’t know which reason it is for sure, but dozens of EVs have been dubbed “Tesla Model Y Killers.” Yet none have done much to deter the Model Y. It’s still the best-selling EV in the world.

But things are changing, and changing fast. Nowhere is that more true than in China, where the EV market is accelerating well beyond Tesla these days. So, when it came time for one of China’s biggest EV manufacturers to finally try and dethrone the Tesla Model Y, its attempt was more credible than most.

Nio, the world’s battery-swapping king, made a whole new brand and low-cost platform and benchmarked the Tesla Model Y for its new model: the Onvo L60.

I drove it around Shanghai for a full day, experienced it on freeways, and crowded city streets, and even used its semi-autonomous Level 2 camera-based system. Out of all the “Tesla Model Y killers” on the market, this car might just do it—if Nio can get out of its own way. 

Onvo L60

(Full Disclosure: Nio flew me to Shanghai in order to get acquainted with it's latest products and chat about its business operations.)

What's An Onvo L60?

The introduction of electric powertrains has made consumers, marketers and writers alike forget the intent of distinct market segments. Some people consider any EV crossover to be a direct competitor to the rest despite huge differences in range, refinement, and price. 

For example, in markets where the BYD Atto 3/Yuan Plus exists outside of China, like Australia and many European countries, it is often dubbed a Tesla Model Y competitor despite its much smaller battery and physical size. Similarly, some have said that Nio’s compact crossover, the ES6 (or EL6 in Europe) would also be analogous to the Model Y, despite being way more expensive. 

To be fair, the Model Y is kind of a nebulous vehicle; it’s a compact crossover, but some would consider it an entry-level luxury car, while others would probably figure out a way to drone-strike your house for insinuating that. I think Chinese drivers saw the Model Y as relatively premium when it was first introduced to China, but nowadays it’s lost its luster and is now a mainstream brand.

Thus, Nio’s aspirational positioning as an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz contemporary would have been too upmarket for a direct Tesla Model Y competitor. It needed a new brand if it wanted to go toe to toe with Tesla’s volume-chasing success. 

Onvo L60 vs Tesla Model Y

So to create the Onvo L60, Nio crafted a new platform called NT 3.0—something that should help Nio chase higher profit margins without skimping too much on tech features. But there are some compromises. Namely, while all Nio vehicles are dual-motor, all-wheel-drive, the Onvo is available in single-motor rear-wheel-drive form.

Onvo retains the same swapping ability as its more expensive sister brand, but the batteries aren’t interchangeable between the two model lines. Onvo’s batteries are made by BYD and come in 60 and 85-kWh form, compared to the 75, 100, or 150 kWh units in Nio cars. The battery packs themselves are also slimmer—part of why there’s no real way to interchange them.

Onvo L60 Profile Live Photo

Nio and Onvo are pretty honest about the fact that the Tesla Model Y was this car’s main source of inspiration and its biggest benchmark. I mean, just look at the damn thing; it’s got the same coupe-crossover silhouette as the Tesla Model Y, although I think calling Onvo’s design a “clone” is intellectually lazy. Onvo wanted to take the things that people liked about the Model Y, but streamline it for Chinese tastes in ways that the one-size-fits-all Tesla hadn’t. But, what does that mean, exactly?

For example, the L60 is slightly bigger than the Model Y; nearly identical in a lot of dimensions, the L60 is three inches longer, to be exact. But, it looks like all of that length went to the wheelbase of the L60, boosting its rear seat legroom. This is very important; Onvo’s representatives see the L60 explicitly as a family-oriented vehicle, and the extra inches are meant to more comfort to the extended family (parents, grandparents, and one child) arrangement common in China. Despite being commonly kitted out in light-colored faux leather, Onvo representatives say they’re easy to clean and hypoallergenic. 

The streamlining goes beyond just interior space or a more refined interior catered to a more specific clientele. No, Onvo engineers threw a 900-volt architecture underneath the thing, and a lighting-fast single-wire CANBUS setup, similar to what we’ve seen on the Tesla Cybertruck. It adds up, the L60’s measured CLTC efficiency of 12.1 kWh per 100 km edges out the Tesla Model Y’s 12.5 kWh per 100 km. Yeah, I know that would translate to a staggering 8.26 miles per kWh, but keep in mind that China’s CLTC test is notoriously easy and not all that grounded in reality. 

Currently, the L60 is a China-only product, but Nio’s CEO William Li has been clear that he plans to eventually market the Onvo brand in European markets alongside Firefly—another Nio brand focused on small cars. 

Gallery: Onvo L60

Onvo L60: Driving Impressions

In a word, the L60 is solid. True, some of the L60’s interactions feel directly cribbed from the Model Y. The turn signal and gear selector stalks, two click balls on the steering wheel, and big, singular screen are super familiar.  But once again, the L60 feels like it fixes a lot of problems with the Model Y – there’s no gauge cluster, but the L60 has a heads-up display.

Everything in this car’s interior comes together in a way that feels so much nicer and better put together than the Tesla Model Y. The L60’s fit and finish are tight, and all of the materials feel pleasing to the touch.. The Model Y sometimes feels a bit amateurish; the addition of its USB-C ports of 12-volt power outlets feels haphazardly placed in the car at random with no bezels, labeling or lighting.

The L60’s interior feels like it was made by a real car company that understands why that little bit of finishing and attention to detail can make a car feel that much more presentable and poised. The whole L60 is just so much more poised than the Model Y; The car’s color-coded interior pieces, like the center armrest, seats, lower dash portion and door inserts elevate the car’s interior ambiance. One YouTuber described it as “premium economy,” which I think is the perfect way to describe the L60’s interior. It feels special for such a reasonably priced car, but I wouldn’t say it’s a threat to any true premium brand.

That’s okay, though. The Onvo is barely $21,000 under certain conditions.

It's Silky Smooth—And That's OK

I’m really glad I was able to drive the L60 on Chinese roads because, in context, so much about what I’ve noticed on Chinese cars made so much more sense when experiencing them on Chinese roads. See, China’s roads (or at least Shanghai’s) feel far more similar to what we’ve got here in the United States than Asia or Europe. The roads are wide, and drivers tend to be aggressive (if somewhat nonsensical.)

Yet, traffic is bad and sometimes the quality of the roads themselves is a little suspect. Thus, many Chinese drivers want something that’s isolated from the road in all aspects: soft handling, a smooth ride and a quiet cabin. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but Onvo’s representatives went out of their way to remind me that the L60 is designed for families who are in search of that experience.

With that in mind, the L60 won’t be a secret star at the track, clipping apexes and doing four-wheel drifts after you’ve dropped off the extended family at the mall for the day. No, the L60’s steering is too light and the suspension is just too soft. Its driving manners are confident, but not entertaining; even in sport mode, most Europeans or Americans would probably wouldn’t have their hair lit on fire by the L60’s driving dynamics. 

The L60’s smoothness isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though; it’s better resolved than its Tesla contemporary. Yes, the crossover is very soft, but it is properly damped. There’s no excessive bouncing, pitching or rolling, indicative of a brand that put the softest, cheapest springs underneath the car and did no tuning to ensure the structure and shocks can rein it all in. I found it to be pleasantly butter smooth, especially compared to the Tesla Model Y, a car notorious for its overly firm and bouncy ride. Add in the Onvo’s whisper-quiet interior, and well-sorted one-pedal driving and the L60 feels like an oasis from the intense and constant commotion of Shanghai life. 

The unit Onvo let me drive was a single motor, RWD model with the 60 kWh battery installed. I get the gist that this is the most common trim of the L60, and for good reason. The L60 feels swift; I can’t imagine needing an extra motor, but Onvo will happily sell you an AWD model if needed. Power comes from a 322 horsepower motor at the back. Onvo says the car is good for 555 kilometers (345 miles) of range, which is one kilometer more than an equivalent Tesla Model Y. The L60 has a slight weight and power advantage over the Model Y, but both claim a 0-62 mph time of 5.9 seconds. 

How's The Tech?

I don’t know Mandarin and I cannot read Chinese. And unlike the Nio, Zeekr, or Huawei cars I’ve had experience with, there’s no English language setting on the Onvo’s infotainment so my comments are somewhat limited to what I can ascertain via context clues and poking around the car’s screen.

Unlike other manufacturers in China that have opted to just let one of China’s big tech companies take care of its EV software, Nio’s developed its own. This new system is called Coconut, and Nio plans for it to be the backbone of all of its products for at least the next ten years. The car’s infotainment screen is powered by a Qualcomm chip. Like any Tesla product or most other Chinese EVs I've fooled around with, there’s nearly no latency. The user experience design is pretty familiar to anyone who has used a Model Y. Maybe a little too familiar, but I digress.

Similarly, Nvidia’s Orin system-on-a-chip powers Onvo’s camera-only level 2 autonomous driving system. It works about on par with Tesla’s Autopilot or GM’s Super Cruise. I was impressed at how gracefully it handled super crowded Chinese roads. It will cut off if there’s too much going on, on the roads, though.

What Does The Onvo L60 Mean For Us?

A lot of people want to see the Model Y fail for one reason or another. Yet, even in China, Tesla’s so-called demise is more complicated than it seems.

Yes, I agree the L60 is a better Model Y for most people. It retains the same overall style as the Model Y, but it’s smoother, has better quality, is better finished, and is more convenient. Sure, Tesla has supercharging, but an Onvo can replace a flat battery with a full one in as little as three minutes. The L60 is cheaper too; with the battery installed it is only about $28,300; cheaper than the $34,200 of a similar Model Y. If the buyer opts to enroll in Onvo’s battery-as-a-service program, the price drops to $20,500, albeit with roughly an $85 per month battery rental fee. That’s a screaming deal, even in China where EV prices feel fantastically cheap. I see why there was so much hype in China for this model.

Still, I’m not sure if the L60 will dethrone the Model Y, for two big reasons.

First, Nio and Onvo have had trouble scaling L60 production upward. In a huge market like China, not nailing it on the first try will make potential customers go elsewhere. While touring Nio’s Anhui factory, our guide admitted that there have been some pain points with getting the Onvo up and out of the door. Similarly, there has been some reporting in China that the L60’s larger battery hasn’t consistently made its way to customers with some claiming that they’ve been delivered a 60 kWh model and given a promise that the 85 kWh battery will show up soon. Others have expressed concern that Nio isn’t moving fast enough to convert or build out Onvo-capable battery swap stations. 

Those concerns seem secondary to the real issue I have with the premise that the Onvo L60 will straight-up kill the Tesla Model Y. The Onvo L60 is a great car, but the market has matured past seeing one singular make or model being the winner-take-all in any EV segment. Back in 2020 when the Model Y was released, there weren’t too many EV crossovers like it.

If you’re in the market for an EV crossover it kind of was the only one worth a damn. Now, there are dozens of entries that are above, below, or adjacent to the Model Y—all-encompassing a large number of buyers.

“I think it’ll be more like death from a thousand cuts,” said Will Sundin, owner of the YouTube channel ChinaDriven. The L60 likely will continue to have healthy sales, but other models from BYD, Nio, Geely, and even European and American brands will continue to eat away at the Tesla Model Y’s sales. Especially if the Model Y Highland’s update fails to be something groundbreaking, as was the case with the Model 3.

The Onvo L60 still puts Tesla on notice, though. And that’s no mean feat. If Nio and Onvo ever figured out a way to bring this car here to North America, I think they’d have a real hit on their hands.

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com

More EV Reviews From China And Beyond

Is it worth it?

That’s the only question when a car costs $200,000. Nothing else could matter. It’s an absurd amount of money, a price tag that can only be attached to an absurd vehicle. When the Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV arrived with its absurd name, absurd $199,250 sticker price and absurd two-tone paint, reason demanded an answer.

With “Is. It. Worth. It?” ringing in my ears, I set out to find one. But in the end, that wasn’t the question that mattered. The real question isn’t about the car, it’s about you.

How much would you pay to feel better than everyone else?

The Problem

Pre-war cars were cantankerous things. They belched soot. “Sound deadening” was whatever you could stuff in your ears. They shook your bones like a tuning fork. Selling luxury was a matter of solving problems: Dampen the thunderous exhaust, put something squishy between you and the road and build it out of more exotic materials than wood and iron. This is how Rolls-Royce and Maybach found their way—by being better than those cars, for a price. And that worked quite well for about a century.

But there’s a problem that’s getting worse for ultra-luxury automakers. Modern cars are really quite pleasant. That’s doubly true in the electric era. A base-model Chevy EV has a smoother and quieter powertrain than anything Rolls was building 30 years ago. It still has its problems: Bargain seats, none of the gizmos you associate with bliss, none of the interior trappings. But the luxury market attacks these genuine problems well. A Cadillac Lyriq or Mercedes EQE or any one of a dozen $80,000 cars will give you plush thrones, sophisticated supervised autonomous driving assistance features, great sound systems and utterly serene driving experiences. 

I can't say it's stunning in profile, but it's certainly noticeable.

That leaves the ultra-luxury space with less room to run. The Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV is, as the name implies, a plusher version of the standard Mercedes EQS SUV. That model already starts at $105,000 and offers massaging seats, “4D Surround Sound” that vibrates your buttocks, massaging seats, heated armrests, zero powertrain noise, the Hyperscreen, air suspension and a hundred other gadgets I don’t care to name. It is serene. It is stuffed to the gills. It is expensive.

It is free of problems to solve. 

No one in their right mind would get out of an EQS SUV and demand more comfort, or more technology. You can’t say the seats aren’t comfortable, because they’re better than any seat you’ve ever sat in. You can’t demand anything specific, because it’s already got two dozen features you’d never have thought to ask for, including a perfume dispenser and a camera that scans the road ahead for bumps, allowing it to prepare the suspension.

All of that is available for under $150,000. It’s fair to ask why anyone would pony up another 50 large. I’m afraid that here is where we must depart the realm of the practical and send our rational thoughts packing. Because if you know anything about luxury, you know it’s not just about being good. It’s about being better. 

Better Than The Rest

Having considered the pressing conundrum ultra-luxury automakers may face in an EV world, it would seem reasonable to conclude that they’ll go away. But one week in a Maybach EQS is a reminder that they won’t. There’s a simple fact behind that.

As long as there are cars, there will be people who want the best car.

Not one that’s comfortable enough; not one that solves their problems. People want something elevated, something that elevates them. The foundation of the Maybach EQS is not that the EQS isn’t good enough. It’s that it could be even better. And that those with the taste and wealth to understand that demand to set themselves apart. 

That is why the Maybach arrived in a two-tone gold-and-black paint scheme, itself a $15,000 option. It’s why almost every Maybach EQS SUV or GLS you’ll see will have one, too. Step one is looking the part, and there the underlying Mercedes SUVs get off to a bad start. The EQS SUV is at best middling and on balance quite frumpy. Its smoothed-off shape avoids the soap-bar problem that plagues the EQ sedans, but replaces it with something with even less personality. There’s very little character on a base EQS SUV, which means you probably won’t notice one passing.

The Maybach EQS does not suffer that fate. With its golden halo, upright faux grille, proud hood ornament and gargantuan wheels, it demands your attention. It is not pretty, per se, in the same way that much of what goes down the runway during fashion week isn’t “nice.” It’s not here to seduce you with its beauty. It is a statement: I have arrived. 

Really, you're paying for this ultra-luxury interior. It feels incredible.

This despite the fact that, underneath, it is very much still an EQS SUV. It still has an EPA range of around 280 miles from its 118 kWh pack. Charging still peaks at 200 kW, with a meaty charge curve good for a 10-80 sprint in 31 minutes. It still has a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system with plenty of power on tap. The power upgrade is the only real appreciable difference. The Maybach makes 649 horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque, up from 546 hp and 633 lb-ft of torque in the EQS 580. So you are not spending tens of thousands more to upgrade the EV experience. You’re paying for the best interior Mercedes can make, and an exterior that demands attention.

People notice. Over seven years into this business, I still haven’t gotten used to the way people treat you when you’re in a $200,000 car. In San Diego, where I live, there’s a begrudging deference, a side eye glance quickly darted away, a desire to observe without giving you the attention you so clearly desire. In New York, it was apathy. In Ohio, where I’m from, it was often wide-eyed respect. But a $200,000 car offers at least this guarantee: You must be considered. 

Despite the added quilting, though, the front half of the cabin looks largely similar to the standard EQS.

It’s a weird feeling behind the wheel, especially if you—like me—did not actually earn it, do not own it. But it is one of the two reason people buy Rolls-Royces over S-Classes, Maybachs over Cadillacs, Bentleys over Jags. And with its unapologetic posture, its over-the-top paint and its interlocking M’s patterned over the fog lamp inserts, the Maybach announces your arrival as well as anything else.

What It’s Like

Yet that covers only half of the worth. The other reason people buy these is that the experience is genuinely better, if often in silly, unnecessary ways. Yet the silliness of opulence has its own charm. There’s no need for a champagne fridge in the second row—it’s not legal to use in many states—but the mere insinuation that the buyer may need it provides a sense of true occasion.

So too do the rear seats, cavernous lounge chairs that will lie nearly flat while they massage you. There’s a screen, too, for each rear passenger, and one to control all of the window shades and power seats and climate functions and sound system and who-can-remember what else. 

You won't get champagne flute storage in your family-hauler EQS, that's for sure. That's Maybach's game.

There’s a display for the front passenger, too, along with a meaty center screen, a giant driver information cluster and one of the best head-up displays in the industry. There’s multicolor lighting everywhere, providing a bit of cognitive dissonance when it lights up the refined, stately cabin in bright purple LED light. But there’s the whimsy again. Make it blue, or multicolor, or rainbow. Or turn it off.

Enjoy, instead, the feeling of craftsmanship, of the things you touch all being soft and expensive. Enjoy whatever upholstery color, or wood trim or carpet you option. Enjoy the heavy, bunker doors and the perfectly weighted experience. Enjoy the feeling that everything is made well, made for you, made for a seamless experience.

Enjoy 649 all-electric horsepower, catapulting you onto the highway on one sustained wave of bottomless torque. Technically there is a limit there: 700 lb-ft, not that you’ll find it. Nobody takes an ultra-luxury SUV to 60 in 4.1 seconds, but you can do that in the Maybach if you’d like. Once you’ve caught your breath, notice the sound, or the lack of it. Notice the way it glides over bumps. Let it steer and accelerate on its own terms, executing its own lane-changes when it sees fit. Soak in the 15-speaker sound system. Relax. You’re worth it. 

There’s the crux. Neither Maybach nor Rolls-Royce nor Bentley can convince you that the car is worth it on its own. Their marketing materials all emphasize the personalization options, the serenity you’ll feel driving and the sophistication of their respective buyer groups. It’s not that the car is worth it. You’re worth it.

Conclusion

I’m not sure I buy it, not least of which because I can’t buy it. I don’t have $200,000 to spend on a car. Most people don’t. So I can’t fathom ever seeing the value here myself. I’ve driven too many of these things for the mystery to remain compelling.

They are, after all, cars. That means you drive them on broken-down roads and park them in narrow garages. Their value is fleeting, an investment that only ever goes down. And because they are complicated machines made of thousands of parts all feeding information into ever-more computers, they are not perfect. 

This is both cool looking and a little over-the-top for a stately vehicle. But "a little over the top" is the strategy here, I suppose.

Like all modern Mercedes vehicles, the Maybach EQS is too eager to yell at you, to interrupt your serenity with its own cleverness. “Don’t forget your phone,” it says after I’ve already started reaching for my phone. “Put your hands on the wheel” it says while my hands are on the wheel. “Let me beep loudly about that car next to you in traffic,” it decides like all overly paranoid modern cars. The Maybach EQS is in many ways just as annoying as a regular Mercedes, and in no way a better EV. That last point probably doesn’t matter to the ultra-wealthy buyer, but I bet it matters to you. You may expect perfection at this price. But you won’t find it. 

The truth is that the desire for the perfect experience is futile. A Rolls-Royce is less annoying, but twice the price. A Mercedes EQS SUV or Range Rover is 90% as good, but it won’t get you noticed—not like this, anyway. A Bentley Bentayga has a bit more old-world charm without so many screens blaring in your face, but it’s internal-combustion powertrain isn’t as seamless as the all-electric wonder underpinning the EQS. 

How much would you pay to be noticed?

So the answer to whether it’s worth it comes back to what you value. If you want an electric SUV that feels good, there are a half-dozen options at half the price. If you want to be better than those other buyers, to feel better, then $200,000 is merely the price of admission. Only you can answer whether that’s worth it.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideeevs.com. 

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Everyone is waiting for electric cars to become cheaper and have longer driving ranges. But the truth is, they’re already here–you just have to know where to look.

The Kia EV3 is one of those cars. As are the Skoda Elroq and Mini Aceman. They’re all part of the subcompact crossover segment, one of the most crowded markets where names like the Volvo EX30 and Toyota Urban Cruiser also want to make names for themselves.

And while neither of these are currently available in the United States, the Kia EV3 will likely come stateside soon. But how does it compare to some of its main competitors in Europe? Rather well, as the good people from What Car found out.

More Stuff Like This

You can watch their United Kingdom-to-Belgium road trip video embedded below, but I’ll give you a quick summary here.

The Kia EV3 has the longest official range rating when compared to the Skoda Elroq and Mini Aceman–367 miles on the WLTP testing procedure. Meanwhile, the Elroq’s maximum rated range is 360 miles and the Mini Aceman SE’s is 251 miles.

The Aceman is also the smallest of the group in terms of size, while the Elroq is the largest. When it comes to pricing, they all start under $35,000 in the UK, but it’s a different story once you reach for the top trims where the price tags can reach $45,000.

Both the Kia EV3 and the Skoda Elroq were comfortable on the rather lousy British motorways at the beginning of the trip. All the cars left with a full battery and after about 100 miles into the journey, the Elroq had 190 miles left and the EV3 estimated it had 165 miles left. However, things were noticeably worse in the Mini. The reviewer said that the car wasn’t particularly comfortable on bumpy roads and, to make matters worse, the indicated range left was just 88 miles.

Things went from bad to worse after hitting the French highways, which have a higher speed limit of 80 mph compared to the 70 mph limit in the UK. Here, the Mini needed a top-up along the way, whereas the Kia and the Skoda reached the destination with range to spare.

Comfort-wise, the Kia EV3 is the most comfortable out of the group, followed by the Skoda Elroq and the Mini Aceman, according to What Car. In terms of rear passenger space, the Skoda is the most generous, followed by the Kia and the Mini.

In the end, the efficiency figures were as follows: The Kia EV3 with the big battery pack used 115.8 kWh of energy over 330 miles and averaged 3.1 miles/kWh. It needed two charging stops, both made at Tesla Superchargers, which in Europe have CCS2 plugs. The Skoda Elroq averaged 3.3 miles/kWh, as indicated by the trip computer.

The Mini Aceman SE reported an average efficiency of 3.5 miles/kWh, so the best of the group, but it needed three charging stops and the total charging cost was higher than the other two.

Here's something I never expected to get from owning an electric vehicle: a newfound appreciation for Walmart. 

I had no particular apathy toward America's biggest brand of superstores. But when you're an EV owner and you're off the beaten path, Walmart can be a godsend. The stores have been adding Electrify America DC fast chargers to parking lots all over the country at a rate that far surpasses other retailers. When you're on the road, and you're low on juice, look for a Walmart—it may just save you from disaster. (Plus, they have bathrooms inside.) 

A Walmart—the same one twice, unintentionally—was a godsend when I decided to drive my Kia EV6 from upstate New York to visit an old friend in Richmond, Virginia in November. And as with road-tripping any car, I learned what my EV6 is really made of on that 800-mile round-trip voyage. 

E-GMP party at the Walmart

To recap, I acquired a 2024 Kia EV6 Wind AWD back in July. Officially rated at 282 miles of range, I had been seeing over 300 miles on warm days, and I've been consistently impressed with the car's fast-charging prowess, style and everyday performance. I've been less impressed with its software and app integration, however, and I'm slightly envious that the updated Kia EV6 will have a Tesla-style NACS port from the factory and native Supercharger access.

That will surely make EV6 owners' road trips much easier. For now, this is what I've got, and I was overdue on both seeing that old friend and putting this car through its proper long-distance paces. (Also, thanks to Breakthrough Awards testing, I hadn't been driving my own car all that much in recent weeks and started to miss it.) 

I'll also be brutally honest and say I don't really like the "I did an electric road trip" story. I go out of my way not to commission them here at InsideEVs. They usually go the same way: A clueless person (even brainy ones at ostensibly prestigious publications) gets an EV, often as a rental, then does minimal planning or none whatsoever and writes a very predictable piece about how America's EV charging network is "just not there yet." Sure, any EV driver will tell you that, but charging is also getting better all the time. Those stories are boring. More importantly, the vast majority of Americans really do only drive 40 miles or less every day; we over-index on the importance of long-distance driving when we buy cars. 

2024 Kia EV6 November-December Update

What I'd rather do is tell you what I got right, and what I got wrong, on my own journey. I was fortunate enough to do this before the East Coast got really cold so winter-weather range losses weren't too much of an issue. (They are now; our next installment will cover that.) And the EV6 ultimately did great on its trip. 

I still made some mistakes here, even doing what I do for a living. I learned a lot about my car. And there's a lot I'd do differently next time. Here's what I'd recommend you do next time you set off on an EV trip. 

Tip: Plan Your Route (Yes, Really) 

Between the EV6's excellent range, ability to charge from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes on a 350 kW fast-charger, the car's route-planning software and my own EV experience, I figured I would have no problems at all. That was my first mistake.

See, the top half of the Eastern Seaboard is pretty good these days when it comes to finding public fast-chargers. I figured if I went between New York City and Washington D.C., then south on to Richmond, I'd have no trouble at all finding some decent plugs. Except that I failed to account for where I live now, and that the fastest route to Virginia sent me through rural Pennsylvania first.

2024 Kia EV6 November-December Update

No offense to our pals and readers in the Keystone State, but that's not exactly the most robust part of America for fast-charging plugs. And like many EVs, my Kia will find slow and fast chargers along the way, yet it hardly takes into account where they are or what's nearby. The car also kept wanting to send me to slower chargers along the way, which would've meant an inordinate amount of time spent on the plug and not on the road. So after fiddling with the charger-finder function on my nav system, I ended up at a "fast" 30 kW charger at a closed Honda dealership at 9 p.m.

Naturally, a Honda dealer is hardly the best place to juice up when you're hungry, tired and could use a bathroom break. I quickly realized that wasn't a viable option and diverted to an EVGo station in Harrisburg, got some electrons, then grabbed a hotel for the night. I was hoping to be at least near D.C. that evening, and while the juiced-up EV6 was probably ready for more driving, I was not. I had left after a late day at work—the day Trump announced he was killing the tax credit—and I needed a break.

Still a fast-charging champ, this Kia.

What I wish I had done instead was modify my route a bit to hook closer east to Philadelphia, where there were more 350-kW stations and I wouldn't have to make multiple stops or deal with uncertainty. This is what I mean by "plan your route." Even the best EV out there doesn't think the way you do, as a person who knows the lay of the land, needs to eat food from time to time and doesn't want to sit in a parked car for hours waiting to charge. 

Another thing I should have done is set individual destinations—say, a fast-charger here and then another one on my way to my final stop—as route points along the way. I was wrong to think that navigating directly to Richmond would give me the best and fastest experience. That isn't always the case. 

Tip 2: Trust But Verify

Here's another issue. As good as the EV6 is, the navigation system is an absolute pain in the ass. It's just not on par with a lot of other modern cars, gas or otherwise. It makes strange decisions, it sends me way off the beaten path and never seems to be all that expedient. (Let's just say that Hyundai's switch to Android Automotive and native Google Maps can't happen soon enough.) 

Maybe your EV is better at this, like the Chevy Equinox EV, Honda Prologue or Volvo XC40 that all come equipped with Google Maps already. Maybe it's a Tesla, in which case it'll always route you to good chargers. If not, I do recommend getting a second opinion on route planning. I downloaded A Better Route Planner (ABRP) while I was on the road, which let me put in my car's specs and destination to find what it thinks is the most optimal route. I also ran my trip through Google Maps on my phone, because that app is also good for finding EV chargers.  

EV6 ABRP Route

Lo and behold, when I set out the next morning from Harrisburg, ABRP did in fact find me a faster route and a faster charger than my EV6's navigation system did. I set that as my destination and arrived at my friend's house an hour sooner than the car originally projected. 

Different EVs also have different risk tolerances, you might say. I have found the Kia to be pretty conservative with its estimates. It really doesn't want you to run out of range, so it will really err on the side of diverting you to a charger even if you can stretch your range more than what's projected. Use your best judgment, have a good idea of where your fast-charging options will be along the way and remember to engage battery preconditioning if it doesn't happen automatically. 

I took all this advice and hit up the Electrify America station at a Walmart near Frederick, Maryland. I charged to 80% and it took care of a lot of my car's computerized range anxiety. And I got to use the restrooms there. 

Tip 3: Use Eco Mode, If You Have It

On this trip, I also came to love the EV6's Eco Mode. I never thought much about this driving mode (the others are Normal, Sport and Snow.) Switching to it bumps my range estimate up just a little bit, but it never felt very meaningful. And on gas-powered cars, Eco Mode is often useless, just cutting back a bit of throttle response for no major gain.

I was wrong again there, too. On the Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP cars, Eco Mode minimizes the use of the front electric motor (if it has one), dials down the overall power output and drives up the overall efficiency. Granted, this does sacrifice some power, but I still had enough of it to pass easily on the highway.

Eco Mode is your friend

Yet the longer I kept Eco Mode on, the more I saw my overall efficiency counting up—along with my range estimate as well. Even with slightly colder weather and all those highway speeds, I went from 2.8 miles per kWh to 3.6 miles per kWh in Eco Mode—and ended up at my friend's place with 23% charge instead of the originally projected 13%. I'd have to do some more controlled testing to find out whether that improvement is repeatable, but it's clear that Eco Mode has an effect.

It further substantiates my theory that while the E-GMP cars could definitely use better software, their powertrains are among the best around—better than Tesla, on par with maybe Porsche and not as good as Lucid. That's some great company to be in. 

Not every EV has an Eco Mode function. Yours might; check your owner's manual and play with it on your next road trip. It could make a bigger difference than you think. 

After a few days in Richmond, my way home was even easier. I hit up that same Walmart as before, charged to 80% from 13% in a mere 17 minutes, took a slightly better route home, and used Eco Mode to arrive back at my house earlier than expected on Sunday with 69 miles of range left. Not bad at all.

Some Numbers

Assuming minimal traffic and no incidents, you can drive from my upstate New York town to Richmond in a little over seven hours. Including stops for gas, food and restrooms, let's say that's about eight hours. On my trip home—where I put all these lessons together and fast-charged twice for less than 20 minutes each time—I did the drive in eight hours and 42 minutes. 

2024 Kia EV6 November-December Update

Really not bad. And a nice counter to the "EV road trips take forever!" criticism. Not if your car charges quickly enough and you know what you're doing. 

In total, I would have spent a combined $58.40 at those two Walmart EA stations. But both were completely free because the EV6 comes with up to 1,000 kWh in free charging (I now have 863 kWh to go.) I spent $58.88 at three different EVGo stations across the whole trip, and that I did pay for; that'd be roughly equivalent to two tanks of gas on my Mazda 3. And I'm nearly certain I would've had to fill up more than twice on that trip. 

In other words—and thanks in large part to the Kia's Electrify America deal—I actually saved money on "fuel" with this trip compared to a gas car, even if the drive was slightly longer. Not bad at all. Neither was the fact that I just didn't have the road-trip fatigue that comes with a car full of engine noises and vibrations. 

Kia EV6 Wind AWD

If you read this and think that EVs just aren't worth it for these moments, well, I feel you. I really do. I don't want us here at InsideEVs to sugarcoat the experience of owning a car that doesn't run on gas; for many people, this extra planning requires time and energy they simply do not have. And I respect that.

But it is getting better all of the time. We're long past the days when EV drivers had to carry extension cords in their trunks for emergency wall charging. I know that it will get even better and faster the next time I go see my friend—especially once Kia deigns to sell me a Tesla Supercharger adapter.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More Kia EV6

Making really impressive, stylish cars has never been Lucid Motors’ problem. Finding people to actually buy them has been the real challenge. 

No matter how amazingly efficient or long-range the Air is, Lucid’s debut model has always been a sedan in an SUV’s world. As such, sales have never really taken off; the startup sold just 6,001 units last year, compared to fellow upstart Rivian’s 50,000. Lucid’s second act, the Gravity, has just arrived with a mission to turn things around. 

Lucid hopes the three-row family SUV will have much wider appeal than its slinky sedan and drive its sales to new heights. After a brief test drive this month, we think the Gravity has big potential, even if the pre-production vehicle we tested still needed some fine-tuning. 

(Full Disclosure: Lucid covered my travel to Malibu, Calif. for a brief test of the new Gravity.)

2025 Lucid Gravity: The Basics

The Gravity is Lucid’s take on the three-row SUV and will compete with EVs like the Rivian R1S and forthcoming Cadillac Escalade IQ. But unlike either of those vehicles, the Gravity doesn’t resemble a conventionally boxy SUV. Its short hood, swept-back windshield and Lucid-signature light bars give it a uniquely striking look—like a minivan from the future. 

Lucid is kicking things off with the Grand Touring trim, which starts at $94,900 and is the version I experienced in person. A lower-tier Touring model will go on sale in late 2025 with a starting price of $79,900. 

Here are the specs we know so far, including, notably, a stunning EPA-rated range of 450 miles from a modest 120 kilowatt-hour battery pack: 

The Gravity just started production in December at Lucid’s factory in Arizona, where the company also makes the Air. The company has been tight-lipped about when customer deliveries will start, but it's safe to assume it'll be in the first half of next year. 

Driving The Lucid Gravity

We’ll have to wait for a true first-drive opportunity. What I experienced last week in Malibu, California was more of a first taste. My 30 minutes behind the wheel of a pre-production Gravity left a lot of questions unanswered, but were enlightening nonetheless. I learned a bit about how the SUV handles, about its redesigned user interface and about how that weird “squircular” steering wheel works in practice. 

With a Lucid dynamics engineer as my minder, I started out in the Gravity’s comfiest setting, meant for everyday driving. Just like the Air, the Gravity offers three drive modes: Smooth, Swift and Sprint. Even in its softest setting, the Gravity felt more confident and easy to place around corners than other big, lumbering SUVs. Forward visibility was excellent—owing to that stubby hood and cab-forward design—and the ride was supple. The real fun began when the roads got twistier and my copilot switched the Gravity into Sprint mode. 

That makes the steering feel heavier, the accelerator more responsive and the suspension stiffer. Using its adjustable air suspension, the Gravity squatted down low to aid handling. The results were seriously impressive. I chucked the Gravity around extraordinarily sharp corners, and it felt far more agile and surefooted than a big SUV has any right to. There was barely any body roll whatsoever, and the whole experience felt bizarrely similar to driving an Air despite the Gravity being about twice as big. As you might expect, it was devilishly quick too. It was a good time.

It’s worth noting that my tester had the optional handling package, which includes fancier suspension and rear-wheel steering with up to 3 degrees of rotation. The latter probably helped make the Gravity feel like a much smaller vehicle on those twisty mountain roads. The regenerative braking system, meanwhile, was predictable and capable. I barely touched the brake pedal throughout my drive. 

Lucid set out to make an SUV that can do it all: carry tons of stuff, go off-road and hang with the sportiest SUVs on the racetrack. I suspect most Gravity buyers will be way more focused on comfort and hauling capability than driving dynamics. So I’m eager to spend more time with the Gravity soon and get a better sense of how it performs in more mundane driving conditions. 

Oh, and what about that squircle? I’m neutral on it. It’s round enough that it’s still straightforward to use, which can’t be said of, say, the yoke you find on some Teslas. Yet the angular shape does take a bit of getting used to. It’s not as natural to rest one hand on top of the steering wheel, for example. But resting one's hands at 9 and 3 feels perfectly ergonomic. 

The main benefit—and the reason Lucid went this quirky direction in the first place—is to provide a clear view of the large, curved screen behind the steering wheel. And in that sense, it works well. In many, many vehicles, including the Air, the steering wheel always obscures some part of the digital gauge cluster. In the Gravity, though, you can see every inch of that screen, which is refreshing. Plus, the shape of the steering wheel and those expansive screens lend the Gravity a futuristic ambiance. 

A Whole New User Experience

While that revamped user interface wasn’t 100% fleshed out yet in the Gravity I tested, it looks promising. It’s just as attractive and crisp as what you’d find in the Air but has been reworked to be a lot more straightforward to use. 

The digital interface consists of a huge, curved display behind the steering wheel and a second screen just below it. In the Air, that secondary screen was too low and oriented vertically. In the Gravity, it’s significantly easier to reach and read at a glance. Plus, the layout on it is way simpler than what’s currently in the Air. Dave Flynt, Lucid’s head of UX/UI, told InsideEVs it will get even more streamlined before customer deliveries begin. 

“We didn't just sort of start with Air and then just kind of repackage it,” he said. “We want to simplify. We want to make it easier for people to find things."

One big upgrade: In the Gravity, drivers will be able to multitask by running a different application on each screen—like, say, the maps and music. That’s something you can’t do in the Air right now, though it is coming to that car, Flynt said. All in all, the system seems to be a lot more functional and less confusing than what's in the Air right now. 

Another interesting addition: The Gravity’s steering wheel comes equipped with left and right touchpads, which respond to both swipes and clicks. You can use them to cycle through menus or swipe away notifications, for example, mimicking the gestures of using a smartphone. It’s too early to levy a verdict there, but we look forward to seeing how intuitive those novel controls are when we have a bit more time with a fully fleshed-out Gravity. All I can say so far is that they did work and could probably use some haptic feedback.

A Huge Interior

Taking a step back from the screens for a moment, the Gravity’s interior feels large and high-end. All three rows had tons of room, even for someone like me, who's just over six feet. Surprisingly enough, I had plenty of space for my knees and head when I crawled into the third row. 

An enormous glass roof—plus a windshield that stretches over the driver’s head—helps make things feel airy. But it’s Lucid’s relentless focus on packaging that really seals the deal. The startup tries to make its motors and other electronics as compact as possible. Plus, it works hard on efficiency, ensuring that its vehicles need less battery capacity than rivals to travel just as far or farther. All of that gives Lucid more room to play around with for passenger and cargo space. 

“We are packaging nerds,” said Eric Bach, Lucid’s chief engineer, referring to himself and Peter Rawlinson, the firm’s CEO. That’s palpable when you poke around a Gravity. There’s a large frunk up front, plus an under-floor storage area behind the rear seats. 

Early Verdict

We can't draw any definitive conclusions from a half-hour test drive and some time poking around the Gravity’s interior. But first impressions were positive. The Gravity is ridiculously fun to drive, pleasant to spend time in and has extremely impressive specs across the board.

Is it enough to launch Lucid’s sales into the stratosphere? We’ll have to get some more time behind the wheel to tell you that.

Contact the author: tim.levin@insideevs.com 

More Lucid Stories

It’s impossible to do any sort of electric vehicle coverage without mentioning Tesla. Yet, Editor-in-Chief Patrick George and I both realized something recently that astounded us both: InsideEVs doesn't have any recent, homegrown reviews of the Tesla Model Y. Odd.

This is the best-selling EV in the world—last year, the best-selling car in the world—and it is not inconceivable that a sizable chunk of our readership have one in their driveways. You can see a Model Y on just about every street corner in America these days, and even if you live in a tiny town or a rural area, if there's any EVs out that way, there's a very good chance they're Model Ys. 

People read this publication not just for news, but also for buying advice. I found that out when I learned that a college friend bought Volkswagen ID.4 in part based on our review here.

Yet, we didn’t have a review of the Tesla Model Y. That’s unacceptable, so we’re fixing that now.

Of course, Tesla doesn’t have a formal PR department in the United States anymore, so we’re limited to what we can find in rental fleets. Weirdly, this wasn’t easy, because most local rental agencies have been mass purging any Tesla-branded product.

Here in Ohio, my local Hertz replaced every EV it had with a fleet of Polestar 2s, while the Avis and Budget EV rentals are now full of Kia EV6s and Hyundai Ioniq 5s. We had to actually reach out to Hertz’s corporate PR line to ensure that we could get our hands on one. And even still, I had to drive two hours to Kentucky to get one.

An odd amount of steps to drive the world's best-selling car, but life takes you to interesting places sometimes.

But, we got it. In my hands, we’ve got a dula-motor, non-performance, five-passenger Model Y. White paint, black wheels. As typical as any Model Y out there and probably close to what most folks get when they buy one. 

I’ve been driving it for a few days, and I’m eager to share my thoughts. This crossover is the best-selling EV in the world; Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe recently said that it’s the best EV on the market under $50,000. Is he right? Plenty of automakers have claimed to be “Tesla Model Y killers,” yet most have failed to touch this crossover’s sales numbers. What secret sauce does the Tesla Model Y have, that the other competitors don’t? Is this car’s sales numbers just based on momentum, or is it truly better than others in the segment? Why haven’t other brands outdone this car? Looks like I've got a week to find out some of the answers to these questions.

So, I’m asking you: what do you want to know about the Tesla Model Y? Comment below or find me or InsideEVs on Instagram, Bluesky, X or Threads. 

Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com 

More EV News

Here in the United States, our selection of small, affordable electric vehicles is pretty small. (I'd argue that our selection of small, affordable cars period is small too and that's a big part of the problem.) It's likely to improve in the next few years with the rebooted Chevrolet Bolt EUV, Kia EV3 and a few others. But in Europe and the United Kingdom, buyers have a better range of choices right now than ever before. 

But which one is the best choice? The folks at the UK's What Car? put three promising examples to the test and besides being valuable for any consumer looking to break up with gas and not go bankrupt in the process, their evaluation also says a lot about how the European automakers are squaring up against ones from China these days. 

The conders are the MG MG4, which is from a historically British brand now owned by China's SAIC and a surprising sales hit in Europe; the BYD Dolphin, which is even cheaper than the MG4 and probably needs no introduction given BYD's huge success in the EV world lately; and the Citroën e-C3, which I think is the most interesting car in this showdown.

Why? Because the first two are from China and built with Chinese EV tech, while the Citroën is from Stellantis, made in Europe (Slovakia, if you're curious) and it's cheaper than the other two.

We've spent a lot of internet ink this year on how hard Europe's automakers, Stellantis and Volkswagen in particular, are getting rocked by competition from Chinese newcomers. Generally, China's EV and battery tech is far beyond the West and until tariffs get in the way they can be sold at far lower prices. So the e-C3's inclusion in this video is a test of whether Stellantis can adequately hit back or not. 

First, let's talk specs. The MG4 here is an entry-level SE model that starts at £26,995 (about $35,000 U.S. at current exchange rates) and it's got a 50.8 kWh battery with up to 218 miles of range. The BYD Dolphin they test is £26,195 and uses the smaller available 44.9 kWh battery to get up to 211 miles of range.

Citroen e-C3

Then there's the Citroën, which undercuts the other two at £21,990 (about $28,000 U.S.) and this range-topping Max model has a 47.3 kWh battery good for 199 miles of range. All range figures are on Europe's WLTP testing cycle. While those range figures aren't super impressive to us road-trip-loving Americans, they fit the use case for many—if not most—European drivers whose primary goals are city driving and short trips. "Most of these cars will spend their lives puttering around towns and making short journeys," one presenter even says after the spec rundown. 

European EV Road Trip

But the best way to put them through their paces was still a 200-mile road trip. They do so under the same weather conditions, with the air conditioner on and all settings on automatic. The differences between the three become readily apparent. For starters, the MG and the BYD are built on dedicated EV platforms, while the Citroën uses a flexible "do-it-all" platform that can also accommodate internal combustion; this means it's a bit more awkward in terms of packaging and cargo space.

The BYD seems to be the clear winner on software and infotainment with a bright, rotating screen, but it curiously only works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in landscape mode. The Citroën is a bit more cramped and old-school-feeling than the others but it has a nice, upright driving position. Its software is "not particularly great," however. The MG4 is the one to beat because it's the current sales champ—inside it's "acceptable but not special" and has some confounding climate control issues. But it's probably the athlete of the trio, while the Citroën feels "lazy" and "gutless" by comparison. 

The Citroën is also the first to drop off to charge on the motorway, while the MG and the BYD are able to go the distance a bit longer before plugging in at 20%, as they agreed at the outset. 

MG4 EV Road Trip

During charging, the Citroën went from 17% to 80% in 38 minutes. The MG4 boasts a faster charging speed so it went from 4% to 80% in the same timeframe. And then BYD Dolphin in that spec isn't a very fast-charging EV; it took a disappointing 52 minutes to go from 4% to 80%. However, the Dolphin was also the cheapest to charge and most efficient overall. 

WhatCar? EV Road Trip

So which one does WhatCar? recommend most? In the end, it's the MG4—a car that's received considerable praise in the automotive press and is proving to be a super-popular electric choice in the UK. It's the best balance of price, range, running costs and charging here. They said at the outset that the MG would be the benchmark here, and in the end, it showed us why. 

But as they note in closing, the test was very close; it's also proof that European automakers do have a shot at outpricing and outgunning their Chinese competition. And that's a story we'll be watching closely in 2025 and beyond.

Check out What Car?'s full test above for even more insights. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More EV News

This year has been full of surprises on the electric vehicle beat. But one of the biggest and most pleasant ones to see has been the unexpected success of the 2024 Honda Prologue. I'll be brutally candid and say that I didn't expect Honda's white-labeling of the General Motors Ultium EV platform to be anything more than a glorified compliance vehicle, but I was wrong—the Prologue continues to be a sales success month after month.

Another surprise: the Prologue itself is actually quite good. In fact, you could make the case that it's the best overall Ultium car this side of the luxury stuff like the Cadillac Lyriq. I'm not completely convinced of that case, but I get why it's a hit. 

If you're curious about the Honda Prologue, you've come to the right place. I'm driving one for the next few days. What do you want to know about it?

The Prologue in question (and please pardon the approximately six inches of snow that's hit my corner of upstate New York) is an AWD Elite model, sitting at the very top of the lineup that's loaded with standard features. All-in, this example is $59,750 before any tax credits and such. I balked at that price tag too, but press-tester cars are almost always loaded with options and features. A quick search of AutoTrader reveals many can be had for under $50,000. The Prologue also fully qualifies for the $7,500 EV tax credits to knock that down even further. It's built in Mexico alongside its platform-mates the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Equinox EV. 

2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite Review

I'd argue that like those cars, you do get a lot here, especially if tax credits bring you down to the low- or mid-$40,000 range. This dual-motor all-wheel-drive Prologue packs an 85 kWh battery good for up to 273 miles of range. If you can live without AWD, the front-drive versions do better at up to 296 miles of range. You also get DC fast-charging at speeds of up to 155 kW and Honda will even throw in a Level 2 home charger and offset installation costs, or offer you a 120-volt portable charger or credits at EVgo stations. Not a bad deal at all; for an EV newcomer, Honda's doing better than most at getting you hooked up with charging options.

What's Good So Far?

I know that more than a few folks were upset that Honda's first modern EV offering was their take on GM's batteries and hardware, but while the Prologue doesn't feel as full-blown Honda-ish as a homegrown effort could, it does have its own vibe. The software is skinned to resemble Honda's other cars, and while it still benefits from the Google-based Android Automotive system we've been impressed with on the GM cars, unlike them, it has Apple CarPlay. That alone may be reason for many people to spring for one of these over a comparable Chevy product. 

But overall, the vibe is normal. At times, I've almost forgotten I was driving an electric car. It doesn't look like a spaceship, it's got a power on/off button, and while it's quick enough, it'll hardly tear your face off like a Tesla Model Y Performance. If you want a Honda Passport that doesn't use gasoline, this is pretty darn close. And I think that's why it's resonating with people right now.

Finally, I'm massively impressed with how the dual-motor AWD has handled all this snow, even with all-season tires. EVs have huge traction advantages over gas cars in bad weather and the Prologue probably kept me out of trouble a few times over the past few days—including when I had to do a mid-blizzard Home Depot run to fix a busted kitchen sink.

2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite Review

What's Not So Great?

To me, the best Hondas are the ones with a good degree of athleticism—the Civic Si that's eminently capable in the corners but is still a superb daily-driver, or the Accord or CR-V that's far more engaging than a comparable Toyota. And the 5,200-pound Prologue isn't really that car. Most of GM's EVs are on the heavy and unwieldy side, so while Honda's engineers stuned the suspension here they could clearly only do so much.

The Prologue also isn't as feature-loaded as other EVs, including Ultium ones. There's no Snow Mode, for example, and the charging speeds still lag a lot of rivals (just like the GM cars.) I've also had some connectivity issues with Apple CarPlay; sometimes it comes on when the car starts, sometimes it's totally unresponsive. Maybe the GM-derived software is being passive-aggressive here. I can't say.

There's just a lot more good than bad with the Prologue. I know I've used the word "normal" before here, but with the conventional array of buttons, easy-to-navigate menus, straightforward driving manners and everyday capability, it just seems like any other Honda—only a bit heavier and sans gasoline. And I think a lot of buyers are after exactly that right now.

I'll have more to say in a full review of the Prologue soon. In the meantime, what do you want to know about it? Ask away in the comments or shoot me an email.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More Honda Prologue News

Jaguar clearly pushed some wrong buttons with the ad campaign announcing its rebranding—it became an instant meme subjected to harsh ridicule on social media. The concept it unveiled was met with far more nuanced views, and those who have seen it in person say it’s quite special to behold.

That’s exciting because the production vehicle it previews will stay very true to the study, which looks like a futuristic 1930s Art Deco coupe with a chop top, butterfly doors and an almost obscenely long hood. The production car will keep that style but add two more doors, but it will hardly be conventional.

Jaguar Type 00 Concept

It will likely not have a back window, like the Polestar 4 and 5. Its hood will remain almost as long in relation to the greenhouse, which itself will keep the chopped top look for production. Between the concept and the camouflaged prototype that Jaguar showed last month, we were able to piece everything together and we made a rendering that shows a pretty accurate depiction of what the side of the production car will look like.

With a body this low-slung and unusual retro-futuristic design, it will be like no other EV currently on sale. It will also be able to back up its bold exterior with competitive performance and range figures, which will be vital statistics for the kinds of buyers that Jaguar wants to attract with the new car. Most, Jaguar says, will be new to the brand.

Design

2026 Jaguar Electric Fastback

Say what you will about the style of the ad campaign, but the Jaguar Type 00 looks like nothing else. It seems to draw inspiration from the Art Deco design of the 1930s (just like a modern Rolls Royce), and it does a great job of conveying the image of luxury and opulence.

The production car will have slightly more toned-down proportions (with a longer front overhang and a higher body), but most of the design elements of the study should make an appearance in one form or another.

Expect to see streaks like the ones on the front and back of the Type 00. They are a feature of the new Jaguar design language, so they will appear in different forms. Even the revised “Leaper” logo is shown in streaks on the concept, and the motif may also be present inside.

2026 Jaguar Electric Fastback

To create the rendering, I started with the side profile of the Type 00, and I overlaid a photo of the camouflaged prototype. It’s not an exact science, but I was able to adjust the shape of the body to closely match the prototype.

The outline of the huge charge port door (of which there appears to be one on each side of the car) really stuck out on the prototype. Is Jaguar hiding more than one charging port under there like Mercedes did with the new CLA? We know the new Jag EV is getting a NACS port when it comes to America, allowing users to charge via the Tesla Supercharger network.

Platform

Jaguar Type 00 Concept top-down perspective

The fancy fastback will be built on a new bespoke EV platform called Jaguar Electrified Architecture (JEA), which isn’t shared with Land Rover and will be used to underpin two more new models from the brand. Jaguar hasn’t shared much about the platform, but it likely features an 800-volt architecture, which would explain its ability to replenish 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes—800 volts or more is also the key to outstanding EV efficiency. The manufacturer is targeting an EPA range of 430 miles or 478 miles WLTP.

We don’t know the specifics yet, like how efficient the car will be, but to achieve a range like that, it will surely have a battery with over 100 kilowatt-hours of capacity. We do know that it will feature a dual-motor all-wheel drive configuration and that the car will feature rear-wheel steering, but not much more than that.

Price

Redesigned Jaguar "Leaper"

Jaguar will sell its new electric fastback, which is expected to arrive in 2026, at around $120,000, matching what a well-equipped example of its XJ sedan would have cost before it was discontinued in 2019. However, at least one of the two models to follow the new Jag EV will be a crossover of some sort, so it will command a higher price.

The current global dealer network will be trimmed and adjusted to meet the new focus and scope of the brand. Jaguar will open its own boutique showrooms (called “Jaguar houses”) in big cities like London, Paris and Shanghai, and it will offer customers a car-buying experience that is closer to configuring a Rolls Royce, Bentley or a Cadillac Celestiq.

More On Jaguar

Before I found myself covering heavier matters like the meteoric rise of China in the electric space, I foolishly fantasized about being a full-time reviews guy. Teenage Kevin saw himself as a midwestern Top Gear presenter, without the British-ishms. No, my mom purged those from me and forbade me from talking about Top Gear in her presence after I called something “spot on,” and she went on a tirade about how the proper term in the United States is “right on,” and that we were not British. Tangent aside, what I later learned doing this professionally is that writing a car review is actually one of the hardest, most time-consuming parts of this job. At least for me, it’s a balance of being informative and entertaining, while balancing that against objectivity and respect for the reader’s time. Yet, it’s easy for a car to slip through the cracks, and the Dodge Hornet R/T was one of them. For weeks, I’ve pretended not to notice the “Dodge Hornet PHEV” to-do item glaring back at me on my list of tasks. I flew to China twice and Japan once before I ever finished my review on Dodge’s littlest crossover.

But rather than scrap the whole review and pretend like Stellantis never sent me a crossover, I had to think. Why did it slip through the cracks in the first place? The answer was more complicated than simple office procrastinating. I, along with the American automotive market have ignored the Dodge Hornet, it’s a solid dud. Why?

So, with weeks of clarity and new comparison points from driving other EV, plug-in hybrid, and even internal combustion crossovers on the market, I went back to my notes from when I had the Hornet. I remembered my driving impressions and instantly understood why the crossover didn’t resonate with me, and why it did not resonate with the general public. 

It’s because the Dodge Hornet R/T is annoying. And it’s too expensive to be this annoying. 

Driving The Dodge Hornet R/T

Stellantis might be one of the best in the biz at teaching an old dog new tricks. The Dodge Charger and Challenger only recently went out of production, and both used a basic vehicle platform that was introduced when I was in fourth grade.

I am now 31. 

Yet, it worked. I’d argue that the LX platform that underpinned its iconic once retro-inspired Hellcat sedan and coupe was at the top of its game. They could have eked at least another five years before people complained that the chassis was old, and even then, it still probably would’ve printed money. 

Similarly, the Dodge Hornet uses a very heavily modified variant of the old FCA Small-Wide platform that we first saw on the Fiat 500L. This old-as-hell platform sees service on a lot of tiny (but disappearing) runabouts like the Jeep Compass, Jeep Renegade, and Fiat 500X. Most famously, the Hornet in Alfa Romeo Tonale with a few stylistic and mechanical tweaks, much to the chagrin of the folks at Alfa. 

Yet, to Dodge’s credit, the Hornet R/T feels nothing like the kind of dopey Jeep and Fiat crossovers it shares its basic guts. 

At the front of the car sits a variant of Stellantis’s 1.3-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine. It feeds its power solely through the front wheels via a six-speed torque converter automatic. To give the Hornet R/T both AWD and its PHEV capabilities, a lithium-ion battery pack feeds a rear-mounted 121 horsepower e-Axle that turns the rear wheels. So yes, when Hornet R/T is in its electric-only mode, it is a rear-wheel drive car. It’s unique, but if you’re a too-online weirdo who continued to watch British car shows, you may know this is pretty similar to the Peugeot Hybrid4 system it used on the first generation Peugeot 3008. Together, Dodge claims 288 horsepower and up to 383 ft/lbs of torque. 

Anyways, the Hornet R/T also comes with a “Powershot” mode that can add a boost of about 25 horsepower for 10 seconds, allowing the crossover to rocket to 60 mph in as little as 5.5 seconds. My R/T Plus also came with the Plus Pack that added fancy Koni adjustable suspension, sporty tires and a few other appearance-related goodies.

In some contexts, the Hornet can be a stellar on-road driving experience, especially for folks like me who enjoy a sporty feel in a small package. Flip the driving mode into Sport, and the Hornet’s Italian DNA shines through. The candor of the character of the crossover in sport mode is reminiscent of the Fiat 500 Abarth I’ve got at home in my driveway. The 1.3-liter turbo is raspy and charmingly lumpen with respect to its power delivery, familiar to anyone who loved the 1.4-liter MultiAir unit in Fiat’s sporty cars from a few years ago. The Hornet’s electric rear axle interjects quickly to fill in the gaps from the gas engine, making the car feel downright quick. The suspension and steering are probably the quickest and most communicative in the compact crossover class, with fairly high levels of grip and a composed chassis for being such a tall and not-so-light thing. It’s a treat to drive.

Only in sport mode, though. The whole point of a PHEV is to use the car’s gas engine as little as possible. In theory, the car should facilitate this, with a hybrid system and drive modes that make full EV miles, easy. Yet, when the Hornet is used in its engine-off EV mode, the Hornet’s assets that make it a sporty drive could make it frustrating instead. 

In EV mode, the Hornet is rear-wheel-drive. But, the Hornet has little to no traction management on its rear axle. If the car senses any sort of rear-wheel slip, the car will turn its gas engine on and power the front wheels to correct the problem. It sounds simple enough, but in practice, this meant that a snowy and rainy week with the Hornet R/T meant the car was constantly starting its engine, and placing itself into hybrid mode when I didn’t want it to. It’s not a smooth process either, a winter drive (albeit made worse by the car’s not-winter-ready tires) meant a lot of starts from a stop made for the car fishtailing to the left only to snap forward after an uncomfortable delay from the car starting it’s engine to get moving forward. The car would continue on in hybrid mode with its engine running unless I navigated through drive menus to manually put it back in electric-only mode. That’s really annoying.

In fact, even when I didn’t have traction issues the Hornet would randomly start its engine. During one PHEV range test, the Hornet’s indicated range randomly dropped from four miles left, to zero miles, prompting the car to start its engine. Another time, I entered a driveway too fast, and the Hornet’s super stiff suspension may have caused a wheel to be a little more unladen than normal. This triggered the car’s traction control, which made the car start the engine. 

Add in the terribly stiff ride, and the Hornet R/T is an annoying car to live with. 

Range, Battery Size, Observed Efficiency

The Dodge Hornet R/T has a 15.5 kWh battery pack (12 kWh usable), rated for 32 miles of range. On my roughly 50/50 city and highway test loop, I got 36.4 miles of range before the engine started. That’s an average of 3.03 miles per kWh, not counting charging losses. Not bad, especially since this car was driven during freezing temps, which will hurt efficiency. A warmer day would have likely produced better results. 

When out of EV range, the Hornet R/T is rated for 29 MPG mixed. I beat that, averaging 31 mpg mixed. I guess that isn’t bad, but these numbers are nearly identical to the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid which is a much, much larger car. I suppose just leaving the car in “auto” mode would have increased the car’s fuel economy rating, but my goal with any PHEV would be to do as much engine-off driving as possible. 

Charging Experience

Like other PHEVs, the Dodge Hornet PHEV can’t DC fast charge. However, its 7.4 kW onboard charger and small battery capacity means Level 2 charging events will likely be short. Dodge claims the Hornet will go from flat to full in as little as 2.5 hours. I’d wager that most Hornet R/T drivers will use 110-volt Level 1 charging. Go that route and Dodge says it will recharge fully in 7.5 hours.

In practice, the Hornet R/T worked well. Generally, it played nicely with public level 2 charging options. Using Level 1 at my house, the crossover recharged from flat to full in the indicated 7.5 hours. 

Interior

It’s clear that the Dodge Hornet R/T has inherited most of its interior from its upscale twin, the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Of course, the Dodge Hornet doesn’t have as many soft-touch plastic pieces or the Tonale’s color-coded interior pieces. But, the rest of the design, switches, and knobs are the same as what you’d get in the Alfa Romeo.

That’s not a bad thing, though. The Hornet’s touchpoints feel surprisingly nice. The shifter moves around with a solid thunk, the window switches feel nice, and the plastics all fit together nicely even if they’re all hard, black plastic. My tester’s Alcantara seats were well-bolstered, but the addition of the track pack removed the ventilated option. 

However, although Dodge bills the Hornet R/T as a compact crossover, its interior dimensions feel as if its a class behind. Families may find the Hornet’s cabin to be a bit narrow and a bit snug compared to industry stalwarts like the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4. The rear seat feels somewhat tight, made worse by the car’s high beltline and lack of interior glass. It’s a real cave back there, folks.

Tech, Infotainment & UX

Like its hybrid minivan corporate sibling, the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, the Hornet R/T’s tech features are somewhat limited. There are some built-in charging scheduling features, a 4G LTE hotspot and Amazon Alexa, but that’s about it.

The Hornet R/T uses the same U Connect system making its way across most of the Stellantis lineup. In a word, it’s pretty good – I personally would appreciate more style and differentiation between Stellantis’s brands that use the system, but as a whole, it is one of the best in the business. It’s reliable, snappy, and easy to navigate. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

However, the screen itself is dinky. I didn’t mind it too much, but the icons can be annoying to see and use since they’re a little bit small. 

Safety and ADAS

The Dodge Hornet R/T is about average for the class these days. It comes with Active Driving Assist, which isn’t quite the Level 2 semi-autonomous system but it does include a few things to make driving easier. There’s a rear cross-traffic alert, a blind spot monitoring system, and lane keep assist, but it has pedestrian and traffic avoidance systems that will apply the brakes if needed. But, it’s an optional feature. Drivers who want those safety items must buy the $2,245 Tech Pack Plus kit.

Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has tested the Dodge Hornet R/T.

Pricing and Trims

To get the PHEV Dodge Hornet, buyers must buy the R/T model. This starts at $42,995 including the car’s $1,595 destination fee. The R/T Plus trim is $48,340, also including the $1,595 destination fee. 

But, like most Stellantis vehicles, this car’s optional features are annoyingly embedded in surprisingly pricy pay-to-play option packages. To get the swanky blacked-out badges and gloss black wheels, you’ll have to opt for the Blacktop package, which is $1,595. If you’re in search of an adjustable suspension, you’ll need the track pack which is $2,595, but Dodge does offer a discounted Blacktop and Track Pack combo for $3,590. If you want basic ADAS features, you’ll need the tech package, which costs $2,245. If you wanted the adjustable suspension and ventilated seats, well that’s too bad because the track package’s Alcantara seats aren’t ventilated. That’s annoying.

So, to get a Hornet R/T identical to mine, which has the Track Pack, Blacktop package, tech package, and the optional Hot Tamale Red color, you’ll need to give a Dodge dealer $52,920. (Our tester had a $615 sunroof delete credit bringing the price down to $52,305). Also, since the car is made in Italy, it does not qualify for any purchase-level IRA plug-in tax credits. Now, you can get a $7,500 tax credit if the Hornet R/T is leased, but I’m skeptical many buyers will go that route.

Verdict

When the Dodge Hornet R/T showed up in my driveway, I didn’t look at the sticker right away. “Oh, yeah, it’s like $35,000 I think,” I told a friend who was in the market for a new plug-in vehicle. Imagine my shock to learn the car was more than $50,000. 

And that’s the big problem: the Dodge is a very, very bad deal.  At $52,305, the Hornet R/T, in this specification, is competing with cars from BMW, Audi, and Mini. The new Mini Countryman, whether it be the gas-powered Countryman S, or electric Countryman SE is roughly the same price as this Hornet R/T. And unlike the Hornet, I don’t think the Mini would have a frustrating driving experience where its range calculator is wrong or it refuses to remain in engine-off EV driving. For this price, I need a better-executed product. 

If Dodge were to cut the price, and they are, as evidenced by reports of staggering on-the-lot discounts, I could understand why some could be taken in by the Hornet’s stylish body and charming driving dynamics. However, at its current price with no incentives, just about any other SUV from any other brand would be a better deal.

And that’s really, really annoying.

Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com

More EV Reviews

The exit road at the BMW Performance Center parking lot in Spartanburg, South Carolina, was narrow and dotted with tightly spaced orange cones. I carefully guided the 5.5-metre (215.5 inches) long Rolls-Royce Spectre out of this lot before turning onto the highway entry ramp. I sat near the rear axle, with an expansive hood stretching ahead of me. The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine stood at the car’s distant front end.

I merged onto the highway and planted my right foot. A wave of torque pushed me into the backrest as I heard a faint whisper of the wind, but the cabin remained eerily quiet, with no sensation of the road or vibration from underneath. The scenery around me faded away as I sat inside this rolling meditation room.

The Spectre is the first battery-powered model in Rolls-Royce’s gilded 118-year-old history. The sleek two-door coupe ditches the 6.75-liter V-12 engine on the Cullinan SUV and Phantom limousine for a pair of electric motors, marking a seismic shift for the brand. Even as it embraces electrification, the Spectre remains unmistakably Rolls-Royce: opulent, imposing and obsessively refined.

But all Rolls-Royces powered by combustion engines merit that definition. What’s the Spectre’s raison d'être? Does an electric powertrain make it any better? Would owners even care what’s under the hood? I wanted to find out. So when BMW Group—Rolls-Royce’s parent company—invited InsideEVs to sample one, I didn't walk; I ran.

(Full Disclosure: BMW Group invited me to South Carolina for an all-expenses paid trip to check out its next-generation technology and drive some of its existing cars.)

The British marque went all in to use electrification to its advantage.

It begins with the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy ornament, which is now more athletic, with one leg forward and a bent knee. Combined with the slippery body panels and a flat floor, the automaker says it contributes to the car’s 0.25 coefficient of drag, making this the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever. For reference, the Phantom Coupe, of which the Spectre is a spiritual successor, had a 0.35 Cd.

With fewer mechanical components than the V12 engines, the electric Spectre is also roomier than the Phantom Coupe. The experience of ingress and egress imbues a special sense of occasion. Its rear-hinged doors are so heavy with sound-deadening materials that they're electrically assisted. They close automatically with the press of a button on the center console.

Manual doors would feel vulgar in a car that costs $420,000.

Inside, my dirty sneakers sank into thick “Lambswool Footmats,” part of a $22,500 launch package. That option also included things like the RR monogram engraved on the seat headrests and illuminated treadplates spelling the car’s name. The driver’s seat was the most comfortable throne I’ve been in—not just in a car, but anywhere. The roof was adorned with thousands of illuminated starlights that occasionally mimicked shooting stars.

What truly stood out was the cabin’s refreshing departure from the typical EV minimalism. Unlike most EVs, where screens corrupt the cabin experience, the Spectre is festooned with high-quality, chrome-embellished physical buttons and knurled knobs. It even has the iconic analog clock dial, neatly juxtaposed next to the infotainment screen and metal air vents whose tactile feel may live on my fingers forever. It's a whole Architectural Digest episode, this interior.

It's easy to get carried away in the material finesse, but the real indulgence began when I started driving. The Spectre doesn’t use the BMW i7’s Cluster Architecture (CLAR). It rides instead on a heavily tweaked version of the all-aluminum space frame that underpins the Cullinan SUV. But at 5.5-metres long, or 215.5 inches, it’s 3.3-inches longer than the i7. Which makes it foolishly long, given that it’s primarily a two-seater. (Technically, it’s a two-plus-two, but the rear seats seemed cramped.)

The e-motors, one on each axle, are borrowed from the i7. They produce a combined 584 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough to get this 6,371-pound mass to move with verve. They draw power from a 120-kilowatt-hour battery pack that also doubles up as 1,543 pounds of sound-deadening material. That makes the cabin an isolation chamber, helping deliver that revered floating-on-a-cloud ride quality. 

Going electric is a natural progression for the brand. Electric powertrains are far quieter and infinitely more refined. No noise, no gear shifts, just one seamless wave of torque. The pedal is tuned for a smooth, gradual buildup of speed. It’s always been elegance over theatrics. But don’t mistake this initial restraint for a lack of power. Plant the right foot firmly and the hood elevates as the car squats on its rear wheels to charge ahead. It will deliver this addictive torque all day.

Rolls-Royce’s proprietary “planar” suspension works brilliantly. It features self-leveling air springs and active stabilizers. On straight roads, the system automatically decouples the anti-roll bars, which means each wheel deals with road undulations independently, minimizing their ripple effect across the car. When the system detects a corner, the anti-roll bars recouple and the air springs stiffen up for better cornering stability. 

That translates into an immaculate ride quality. The Spectre wafts and wallows over undulations with an uncanny coexistence of motion and stillness. Even over larger bumps, there was no perceptible lateral sway or vertical jolt—as if the car wasn’t reacting to road imperfections but rather preempting them entirely. It was by far the best ride quality I’ve experienced in any car I’ve driven, including the Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV that I took out for a spin back during my time with Evo India magazine. And frankly I never thought I’d say this, but that car doesn’t even come close. 

Admittedly, at slower speeds, the bumps were slightly more pronounced in the Spectre, but I’m being nitpicky here. That very quickly fades into insignificance with the build-up of speed.

The Spectre commands a starting price of $420,000 before taxes, fees and options. The one I drove had $80,000 worth of options, bringing its total to $500,000. Yet, it doesn’t feature the latest EV tech. It still uses an older generation of BMW’s iDrive infotainment unit. With a 400-volt architecture, it has an underwhelming maximum charging speed of 190 kilowatts—enough for a 10-80% charge in about 34 minutes. 

The maximum driving range of 291 miles on 22-inch wheels isn’t great, either. The trim I drove had 266 miles of range with larger 23-inch rims.

A Hyundai Ioniq 5, priced at one-tenth of the Spectre, charges faster and drives farther. The Lucid Air costs half as much and offers double the range. But in a world fixated on range and kilowatts—things that are undeniably important for the masses—the Spectre gets to rewrite the rulebook. It remains unapologetically Rolls-Royce, leveraging its electric powertrain to become roomier, faster, more efficient and ultimately, better. It’s not like you buy a V-12 Rolls for the fuel economy either.

Spectre owners will likely have other cars. If they want to travel over 300 miles, they might as well take their jet. They’ll likely have home charging, too. With plenty of range for around-town drives and day trips, they won’t think much about charging at all.

After the drive, it wasn’t the instant torque that left me smitten—it was the craftsmanship and the obsessive attention to detail. It was the drama of the starlit headliner, the flawless wooden door trims, the pop-out umbrella, the electric doors and the soft leather. And that really proves a simple point: even the world’s most traditional brands can embrace change without sacrificing what makes them special. The Spectre has embraced battery power but on its own terms.

Have a tip? Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com

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Rivian knows customers care about range, which is why the company offers a Max Pack with 420 miles of EPA-rated endurance. But one thing we've learned repeatedly is that EPA figures don't tell the whole story. That's confirmed yet again in an Out Of Spec range test between the second-generation Rivian R1T Dual Max and the Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive.

The result should be a clobbering. The Tesla's 325-mile range is nearly 100 miles shy of the Rivian's, and the Rivian has roughly 25 more usable kWh's of energy in its pack. Both vehicles were tested at the same time, on the same day, at the same speed on the same highway. Yet the Rivian barely eked out a victory over the Tesla.  

Both vehicles struggled significantly due to cold conditions and high winds. Neither got close to its EPA rating. We've noted many times that EPA ratings assume a 55% city, 45% highway mix, so you should expect many vehicles to not hit their EPA figures on a highway-only test. That's extra true in the cold, when EV batteries are less efficient. High winds also push numbers down, as EV motors are so efficient that overcoming wind resistance accounts for a larger proportion of their overall energy expenditure than in a gas vehicle. But still, the numbers here are bad.

The Cybertruck only covered 252 miles, 73 miles short of its EPA range. The Rivian did far, far worse. It covered just 266 miles before going into low-battery limp mode. That's a whopping 154 miles short of its EPA figure. We expect some drop-off on the highway and in the cold, but that's a brutal showing. 

It's especially bad because it takes a much bigger hit than the Cybertruck. Despite an EPA difference of 95 miles, Out Of Spec's observed range delta was just 16 miles in identical conditions. Host Kyle Conner speculates that the squarer Rivian could take a larger hit from the wind, but it's hard to explain why a vehicle with a much bigger battery fared only marginally better in range. The Tesla appears to be considerably more efficient in these conditions, delivering 2.1 miles per kWh to the Rivian's 1.89 mi/kWh. 

Perhaps Rivian's heat bumps and battery thermal management system just isn't as effective at dealing with cold weather as the Cybertruck's. It could also be that Tesla is underrating the Cybertruck, though not many tests suggest that. This may just be a good lesson to us all: Range is an extremely variable figure, and two vehicles can react wildly differently to changes in conditions. If you plan to use your vehicle in the cold, or purely on the highway, or in outside-the-norm conditions, you should make sure the vehicle you want is up to the task. Check here for more range tests, and stay warm out there.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com. 

More Range Tests

We're now entering our second year of iX ownership, which means the beginning of our second winter with the car. Last year, we got through the winter without issue, but the car just never felt particularly comfortable in low-grip conditions. So, that's been high on my list of things to address before the snow starts flying this year.

The iX has all-wheel drive standard thanks to its dual-motor configuration. That’s a huge asset when the roads are covered in snow, but the BMW still has some substantial things working against it for low-grip driving. The biggest issue? Weight. The iX weighs somewhere around 5,700 pounds, and event the most advanced stability control and braking systems can't compensate for mass. 

The other big issue was tires. The all-season Goodyear Eagle Touring tires provide a good blend of grip, low noise and low rolling resistance for everyday driving. However, in more challenging conditions, they proved consistent but less than stellar. I wanted something a little more confidence-inspiring.

I dealt with a similar situation with our previous EV, a Tesla Model Y, by going to a dedicated set of snow tires for the winter months. With the iX, I was hoping to avoid the hassle of swapping wheels and tires twice a year.

When I learned of the Nokian Remedy WRG5, it seemed like a perfect solution. Nokian dubs this an "all-weather" tire, something perfectly happy driving all year long on roads wet or dry. But it offers a more aggressive tire compound and tread pattern to deal with the sorts of low-grip conditions that Nokian's winter tires are known for. 

The company was kind enough to offer a set for testing, but there was a problem: Nokian doesn't make a Remedy WRG5 in the 235/60R20 size that the iX xDrive50 rolls on by default. The closest they had was 255/55R20, substantially wider and slightly shorter.

Knowing the iX was designed for tires as wide as 275 for the M60 trim, I knew that fitting 255-section-width tires would be no issue in the fenders. There's also the concern that a wider tire might actually be worse for winter grip, as the conventional belief is that narrow tires are better. However, I've been assured in the past by tire engineers that—in most non-race situations—wider is still better, even in a low-grip environment.

So I put in the order, and indeed, the tires fit on the iX with no issue. What was surprising was how much tire wear had already taken place on the stock Goodyear tires. The rear two were noticeably more worn than the fronts, not to the point where they needed replacing, but certainly to the point where much of their finer tread was gone. My tire tread gauge shows they had about 1/4 of an inch of tread remaining after 12,500.  Most experts recommend replacing tires once they get below 4/32 of an inch for rainy or winter conditions, so it's not great to see them this worn after only a year of driving.

That's despite this thing mostly being driven for casual commuting and relaxed road-tripping. BMW actually doesn't have a recommended tire rotation interval, but if you have a jack and the requisite tools, I might suggest doing it every 5,000 miles or so.

Regardless, given the reduction of tread on those two tires, I was happy to be swapping on the more aggressive Nokians before the snow started flying.

Noise and Range

Beyond the size concerns, I was also worried that those additional sipes would result in more noise on dry asphalt, so I took some in-car recordings of the car on the old tires before swapping them out. On the same stretch of dry asphalt, the Nokians measured consistently within a decibel of Goodyears.

And then there's the range question. Surely a more winter-friendly tread and tire compound will result in lower efficiency, right? Initial tests actually indicate the contrary. On a 220-mile highway test loop, the iX actually used slightly less energy than it did when running on the Goodyears on days with similar temperatures (between 40 and 50 degrees F), averaging 2.7 miles per kWh on the Nokians and 2.6 on the Goodyears. 

More Owner Stories About The iX

Range testing like this in the real world is fickle at best, so I'm not going to say the Nokians are actually more efficient. However, that put to rest my concern that I'd see something approaching the 10 to 15 percent range decrease I've seen in the past when running a dedicated snow tire.

Finally, I was also a bit worried about how far off the speedometer would be, given the outer diameter of the new tires is slightly smaller than the old one. I'd done the math using online calculators but was very glad to see that the GPS-measured difference at highway speeds was less than 1 mph. 

Reboot

As we were executing all this testing, we noticed something was amiss with the iX: The hands-off Driving Assistance Professional system wasn't working. It didn't give any errors or throw any alerts, it simply didn't work on the highway.

We also noticed that the car refused to acknowledge any remote commands. The iX had already proven fickle in dealing with preconditioning requests or serving up information about charge status and the like. But now the thing was dead to the world as far as the MyBMW app was concerned. 

The iX's software experience is mostly good, but it isn't perfect.

I was a bit worried that there was something wrong with the car's onboard modem, but after some Googling, my wife read of other people solving similar situations by forcing the SUV to reboot itself. The process isn't quite as simple as the ol' three-finger salute that Windows users will be familiar with for rebooting, but it's not far off: Tap the engine start/stop button three times to enter diagnostic mode, then hold down the volume button for 30 seconds.

A few moments later, the car was back online and happily cruising up the highway hands-free.

Now it's time to see how the new tires cope with the white stuff – assuming we get some this year.

The Porsche GTS formula is a winner for a reason. Take all of the high-end performance goodies from the top-trim Turbos and GT-cars, apply them to something with a more reasonable power output, and sell it as an enthusiast special. Most of the goodies you want from the top-shelf stuff in a more balanced package with a slightly more accessible price tag.

There’s just one problem when you apply it to the all-electric Taycan. The “more reasonable” power output, in this case, is 690 horsepower with overboost enabled. That is still "I didn't know I was going that fast, officer" fast.

You may be short on bail money, too, with a starting price of $149,895. So the electric take on the GTS isn’t quite reasonable and isn’t quite a bargain. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just not the Taycan I’d recommend to most buyers. 

(Full Disclosure: Porsche covered my travel to Atlanta and lodging to drive the Taycan GTS and Carrera T, the latter of which you can read about on Motor1 soon.) 

What Is It? Range, Charging, Specs

The Taycan received a substantial refresh for 2025, with improvements enabling faster charging, better efficiency and more range. The standard Taycan with the extended-range battery is one of the best road-trip EVs on sale, and like all Taycans consistently outperforms its EPA range on the highway. Despite being rated for 318 miles of combined city-highway driving, the base 2025 Porsche Taycan went 367 miles in an Out Of Spec Range test.

But if range and efficiency are what you’re here for, you’ve climbed the wrong peak in the Taycan Range. Porsche hasn’t even announced a range figure for this model. Still, expect it to blitz from 10-80% in around 16 minutes. 

The GTS is for enthusiasts, which means you get Porsche’s air suspension with active dampers and GTS-specific tuning standard. You also get an electronically controlled limited-slip differential—Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus in the official parlance—and Bose surround sound. The GTS can be had as a conventional sedan or a “Sport Turismo” wagon.

More 2025 Taycan Stories

Porsche’s mind-bending Porsche Active Ride system from the Taycan Turbo GT is available as an option. The system uses dampers with a motorized pump in them, allowing them to directly counteract roll, dive and pitch forces. This means there’s no anti-roll bar. More importantly, it means that the Taycan stays almost completely flat in every corner, regardless of what you do. 

This is the GTS Sport Turismo, the wagon variant.

That’s useful when you have 690 hp available via a 10-second overboost function. Sustained power caps at 596 hp. You’ll need that overboost power in Launch Mode to pull off a 0-60 run in 3.1 seconds, down from 3.5 seconds. These numbers are all roughly in line with the original Taycan Turbo and nip at the heels of the original Taycan Turbo S. If you think you need more power than this, you’re delusional, know a good attorney, or both. 

What It’s Like To Drive

I drove the 2025 Taycan GTS in the rain. Since I’m quite attached to being alive, I wasn’t able to exploit all 596 hp. I didn’t dare reach for the overboost function on North Georgia’s wet, leaf-covered roads. But the Taycan was still charming, with direct, feelsome steering and effortless power. I’ve always found that Taycans corner quite flat, but the Active Ride system takes that to its natural conclusion. There’s no roll to notice. It’s been perfected out. 

2025 Porsche Taycan GTS.

But I find it hard to advocate for the GTS on a back road. It’s too fast to reasonably explore its limits on a public road. While a 911 GT3 solves this problem by offering an engine that’s more charming and characterful than the stock car, that’s not possible with an electric motor. They’re already perfect. Porsche adds some flavor with a specific-to-GTS version of the Porsche Sports Sound, but it was loud and charmless. It was neat that I could hear the vehicle’s real two-speed transmission shift up around 50 mpg, but Hyundai’s fake shifting and “engine noise” is much more engaging. I left the Porsche’s system off.

What It’s Like To Be In

Otherwise, the GTS feels like a Taycan. It rides well. The seating position is excellent, as are the interior materials. Rear seat room remains relatively weak for those cross-shopping this with bigger, similarly priced cars. But you can certainly make it work. There’s a bit of a cargo space bump for the Sport Turismo, but it’s not cavernous (15.8 cubic feet vs. 12.9 cubes for the sedan). Go with whatever design you like better. I’ll take the sedan. 

The 2025 Porsche Taycan GTS' interior.

I also love Porsche’s simple gauges and the company’s very clean visual language. I continue to doubt the relevance or long-term value of a passenger-side display screen, but it’s available here. It’s certainly impressive that the driver can’t see it at all, but the functionality basically mirrors the larger display set directly to its left. But if you’re buying something that starts at $149,895, you probably won’t sweat the extra $1,490. Still, these options add up. My Taycan GTS Sport Turismo was $199,935 after options, a princely sum for the fourth-fastest Taycan, supposedly the more approachable enthusiast model. 

No wonder the average Taycan buyer takes home $752,000 a year. You’d need it. 

Is It Worth It?

I don’t think so. I think a Porsche Taycan is absolutely worth the money. It is great to drive, great for road trips, efficient and great looking. But a GTS adds excess on top of excess. Its benefits surely pay off when you’re at the edge of its performance envelope, but if you haven’t spent a few dozen days at a race track I promise you’ll have your hands full enough with a base Taycan, or a 536-hp Taycan 4S.

You also don’t really need the Porsche Active Ride system. It’s quite clever, but it’s also a $7,150 way to get from “corners nearly flat” to “corners flat.” I’m not sold on the Sport Sound, either. If you do want it, you can get it on a base Taycan, too. Ditto PTV Plus, which I do recommend.

The GTS, then, is an odd proposition. It’s too quick for those who prefer to feel a car’s handling limits, and not quite the solution for those seeking the max dosage of gut-punching EV acceleration. If you find yourself somewhere in the middle, it’s a charming package. Just keep in mind that the Taycan GTS you really want will cost you nearly $200,000.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com.

More Taycan News

Updated on November 27, 2024, to add the Hyundai Ioniq 9.

With the introduction of the all-new Cadillac Vistiq and Hyundai Ioniq 9, the number of electric three-row SUVs got just a little bit bigger. Caddy’s latest EV slots between the Lyriq and the upcoming Escalade IQ, and rounds out the luxury American automaker’s battery-powered SUV portfolio nicely. Meanwhile, the Ioniq 9 is Hyundai's largest electric SUV to date.

But how do the new Vistiq and Ioniq 9 compare to some of our favorite American-made three-row electric SUVs? Well, you’ve come to the right place because that’s exactly what you’re going to find out after reading this comparison

We’ll look at how the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq and 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 stack up against the Rivian R1S and Kia EV9 in terms of dimensions, powertrain options, battery size, standout features and pricing. We’ve also included some handy tables to make it easier to follow along. So, let’s get started

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Size and weight

Hyundai Ioniq 9

All the cars on this list are considered large electric SUVs. The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 has the longest wheelbase of all the cars on this list, 123.22 inches. This means interior space should be plentiful for all seven passengers and slightly better than its main competitors. When we checked out the Ioniq 9 in person, we found the third-row seats to be plenty comfortable, even for people over six feet tall.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9

Meanwhile, the Ioniq 9's 199.21-inch length places it between the Rivian R1S and its platform stablemate, the Kia EV9. Hyundai did not say how much the Ioniq 9 weighs but mentioned a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds.

Cadillac Vistiq

The 2026 Vistiq’s wheelbase measures 121.81 inches; it’s also 205.59 inches long, 86.73 inches wide (with mirrors) and 71.02 inches tall. The Cadillac Vistiq weighs a minimum of 6,326 pounds and has a cargo volume of 15.2 cubic feet behind the third row. Folding the third row increases the cargo area to 43 cubic feet. 

2026 Cadillac Vistiq

There’s no word on whether the Vistiq has a front trunk or not. We also don’t know what the maximum payload is. What we do know is the maximum trailering capacity: 5,000 pounds.

Rivian R1S

Rivian’s updated seven-seater SUV has a wheelbase of 121.1 inches, so marginally smaller than that of the Vistiq. Furthermore, the R1S measures 200.8 inches long (4.79 inches shorter than the Vistiq), 82 inches wide (with the side mirrors folded) and has a maximum height of 77.3 inches (6.28 inches taller than the Vistiq).

2025 Rivian R1S

The R1S weighs an estimated 6,700 to 7,200 pounds and can tow 7,700 pounds. The maximum payload is 2,161 pounds and there’s a frunk under the hood.

Kia EV9

Kia’s first all-electric three-row SUV, the EV9, is 197.2 inches long (8.39 inches shorter than the Vistiq), 77.9 inches wide and 68.9 inches tall (2.12 inches lower than the Vistiq). The wheelbase is 122 inches, so one-fifth of an inch longer than the Cadillac.

2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line

The EV9 tips the scales at around 5,000 pounds. It can tow between 1,000 to 5,000 pounds depending on the powertrain and has a maximum luggage capacity of 20.2 cubic feet behind the third row and 42.5 cubic feet behind the second row. There’s also a 3.2 cubic feet frunk.

Battery, range and charging

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9

Hyundai Ioniq 9

Hyundai said the only battery available for the new Ioniq 9 would be a 110.3-kilowatt-hour unit, at least at the beginning. The standard-range models should be capable of covering at least 300 miles on a full charge, while the long-range trims should reach 335 miles.

Speaking of charging, the Ioniq 9 comes from the factory with Tesla's NACS charge port, which makes it easier to top up at Tesla Superchargers across the United States and Canada without an adapter. Hyundai did not disclose the maximum charging speed of the Ioniq 9 but said that a 10% to 80% recharge should take just 24 minutes at a 350 kW DC fast charger.

The power of the on-board AC charger hasn't been disclosed yet.

2026 Cadillac Vistiq

Cadillac Vistiq

According to Cadillac, the Vistiq will only be available with a single battery option, a 102-kilowatt-hour pack (usable) that enables a GM-estimated range of 300 miles. 

The automaker didn’t say how many kilowatts the Vistiq can accept from a DC fast charger but said a high-powered stall can add up to 79 miles of range in about 10 minutes. On AC power the electric SUV can be recharged at up to 11.7 kilowatts. When hooked up to a 7.7-kW home charger, the EV’s range can be replenished by up to 20.5 miles per hour. Upgrading to an 11.5-kW unit ups the figure to 28.5 miles per hour, while a 19.2-kW charger can add up to 46.7 miles of range per hour.

2025 Rivian R1S charging

Rivian R1S

The 2025 Rivian R1S SUV can be ordered with one of three battery packs. The Standard pack has a usable capacity of 92.5 kWh and offers an estimated range of 270 miles. Next is the Large battery pack with 108.5 kWh and an estimated range of 329 miles, followed by the 141.5-kWh Max battery pack that can deliver up to 410 miles in the R1S.

Rivian’s entry-level battery can accept up to 200 kW of power from a DC fast charger, while the Large and Max packs can take in up to 220 kW. The company claims a top-up from 10% to 80% state of charge on a fast charger should take anywhere from 30 to 41 minutes, depending on the battery size. Another metric used by Rivian says the R1S can get up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes when hooked up to a DC stall.

On AC power, the American-made seven-seater can accept up to 11.5 kW, adding up to 25 miles of range per hour of charging.

2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line charging port

Kia EV9

Kia offers two battery options for its electric family hauler. The entry-level Light model packs a 76.1-kWh battery that’s good for an EPA-estimated range of 230 miles. All the other trims come with a larger 99.8-kWh pack that can deliver up to 304 miles of range.

The EV9 uses Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform rated at 800 volts, so fast charging is … fast. It can accept up to 235 kW from a compatible dispenser, adding 100 miles of range in just 13 minutes. On a Level 2 charger, the EV9 can accept up to 11 kW 

Powertrain options

Hyundai Ioniq 9

The flagship 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 will be offered in three powertrain configurations. The long-range rear-wheel drive trim comes with a single, rear-mounted motor that's good for 215 horsepower. Then, there's a long-range all-wheel drive version with a total of 303 hp, followed by a Performance AWD trim with 422 hp.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9

We don't know the torque figures yet, but we know how fast the Ioniq 9 can get to 60 mph from a standstill. The single-motor EV needs 8.4 seconds to reach 60 mph, the long-range AWD trim cuts that down to 6.2 seconds, while the Performance version needs 4.9 seconds.

Cadillac Vistiq

GM’s latest electric offering is available with a single drivetrain configuration, at least for now: a dual-motor setup with a permanent magnet unit in the front and an induction motor at the rear. The power output is 615 horsepower and the maximum torque is rated at 650 pound-feet.

2026 Cadillac Vistiq

The Vistiq can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds. Cadillac has not disclosed the maximum speed.

Rivian R1S

After this year’s update, the R1S has three powertrain options. The entry-level version comes with a dual-motor setup with up to 665 hp and a 0 to 60 time as fast as 3.4 seconds.

2025 Rivian R1S

If that’s somehow not enough power, there’s also a tri-motor configuration with 850 hp and a 2.9-second sprint to 60. A quad-motor version will join the range in 2025 with 1,025 hp and a 0-to-60 sprint in just 2.6 seconds.

Kia EV9

Kia’s electric three-row SUV is available with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The least powerful variant, the Light Long Range, has 201 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, followed by the standard-range Light trim with 215 hp and 258 lb-ft. Both are rear-wheel drive with a single motor.

2024 Kia EV9

The dual-motor, all-wheel drive versions of the Kia EV9 offer a maximum output of 379 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, except for the top-tier GT-Line which ups the torque figure to 516 lb-ft.

Speaking of the GT-Line, it can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 5 seconds. The other AWD versions need 5.7 seconds to reach 60 mph, but the top speed is the same–124 mph. Meanwhile, the entry-level Light trim accelerates to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds and has a top speed of 118 mph. The Light Long Range needs 8.8 seconds to reach 60 mph and has a top speed of 115 mph.

Features

Hyundai Ioniq 9

The newly introduced Ioniq 9 comes as standard with a pair of curved 12-inch displays for the instrument cluster and infotainment screen. High-output, 100-watt USB-C ports are also part of the conversation, as well as vehicle-to-load and a sliding center console that can be opened by either the front-row occupants or the second-row passengers.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 with six seats

The Ioniq 9 can be ordered with either a three-seat bench or reclining captain's chairs for the second row. 19-inch wheels are standard, along with an eight-speaker sound system, 10 airbags and a very long list of advanced driver assistance systems.

Cadilac Vistiq

Cadillac’s three-row EV comes as standard with a 33-inch diagonal high-resolution LED screen, 21-inch wheels and a 23-speaker AKG Studio Audio system with Dolby Atmos. GM’s Super Cruise hands-free advanced driving assistance system is also standard.

2026 Cadillac Vistiq

On the options list, Cadillac offers adaptive air suspension, rear-wheel steering and 23-inch wheels, among other things.

Rivian R1S

The Rivian R1S comes with air suspension on all trim levels. Two screens are also included, one of which measures 15.6 inches diagonal, along with 20-inch wheels. Optionally, customers can add an air compressor, a huge panoramic glass roof and an all-terrain pack that comes with reinforced underbody shielding, 20-inch all-terrain tires and a compact spare tire. Bigger wheels are also available.

2025 Rivian R1S

The standard kit also includes the Rivian Autonomy Platform, which comes with 11 cameras, five radars and AI prediction tech to help the car “see” further even in poor weather conditions and low light. It offers automatic steering, braking and acceleration on select highways, as well as adaptive cruise control and a lane-changing assistant, among other features.

The R1S is the only car on this list that doesn’t support vehicle-to-load (V2L).

Kia EV9

The EV9 comes with a pair of 12.3-inch scenes, one for the instrument cluster and the other for the infotainment. A bunch of safety features are also included as standard, like automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control with hands-free driving.

2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line

19-inch wheels come with the base trim, along with automatic headlight control, high-beam assist, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, as well as Bluetooth connectivity.

Pricing and availability

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9

Hyundai Ioniq 9

The Ioniq 9 is quite fresh, so we don't know how much it will cost yet. We expect it to be priced slightly higher than its Kia EV9 cousin, but we'll know more when Hyundai makes up its mind. The Ioniq 9 will go on sale in early 2025 as a 2026 model. It will be manufactured at Hyundai’s Georgia plant.

2026 Cadillac Vistiq

Cadillac Vistiq

The 2026 Vistiq starts at $78,790 including destination. Three trim levels will be available: Luxury, Sport and Premium Luxury. The Cadillac Vistiq will be manufactured at GM’s Spring Hill facility in Tennessee starting in early 2025.

2025 Rivian R1S

Rivian R1S

The base R1S with the Standard battery pack and dual-motor powertrain starts at $75,900 without destination. Upgrading to the Large battery will set you back $82,900 while the Max battery increases the dual motor vehicle’s price tag to $89,900. The tri-motor variant is only available with the Max battery and starts at $105,900. The quad-motor version is not yet on sale.

Kia EV9

Kia EV9

The entry-level Kia EV9 Light starts at $56,395 including destination. The Light Long Range, which is rear-wheel drive, ups the MSRP to $60,696. The cheapest dual-motor all-wheel drive version, the Wind, starts at $65,395, while the Land trim costs $71,395. The most expensive Kia EV9, the GT-Line, starts at $75,395.

The least expensive model on this list is the Kia EV9, but going for the top-tier GT-Line gets very close to the Cadillac Vistiq’s price tag. However, the Vistiq is more powerful than the EV9 GT-Line and has a longer driving range–300 miles versus the GT-Line’s 270 miles. That said, the EV9 Light Long Range RWD can go 304 miles and is roughly $20,000 cheaper than the Vistiq.

The Rivian R1S, meanwhile, is the most expensive of the bunch but also the most powerful and most capable when going off-road.