2023 Lucid Air Sedan

　　

2023 Lucid Air Review

byBrian WongSenior Reviews Editor

　　Brian Wong has worked in the automotive industry since 2010, writing over 1,000 car-related articles and testing and reviewing hundreds of vehicles over the course of career. Brian is a senior reviews editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Cars.com, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports. Brian has also been featured on MotorWeek as an expert for several car comparisons. He loves convertibles (the smaller the better) and hates paying for parking, so Los Angeles is both the right and wrong city for him.

　　, rating written byBrian WongVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　The Lucid Air is the first vehicle from this new American electric vehicle manufacturer. It debuted last year and generated plenty of hype. First, there's the power: potentially more than 1,000 horsepower. Then there's the maximum potential range: more than 500 miles on a full charge. Oh, and did we mention that it's a spacious luxury sedan packed with technology features, too?

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below

　　

Lucid Air EV Insights

Trim:Air Pure

　　Pure 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD) - $82,400 MSRPTouring 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD) (Most Popular) - $95,000 MSRPGrand Touring 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD) - $125,000 MSRPGrand Touring Performance 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD) - $179,000 MSRP

　　

Range

　　410 miles

　　EPA Estimated Range

　　EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 349 miles after 8 years.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.

　　Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Rutland, North Dakota. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © Recurrent contributors | Recurrent

　　from 58067

　　

EV Battery Warranty

　　8 yrs or 100,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.

　　

Charging at Home

　　10 hours

　　Total Charging Time (240V outlet)

　　SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.

　　Plug Type

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　$300

　　Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

　　Complimentary Charging Offer

　　$300

　　Restrictions: Home Charging Bonus is available towards the purchase of the high capacity Lucid 80 Amp Home Charger to customer who purchase or lease a new Lucid Air. See dealer for details.

　　

Cost to Drive

　　$51/mo

　　Air

　　vs

　　$198/mo

　　Car Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

　　EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　For 2023, Lucid is adding to the Air lineup with the Air Sapphire, a performance-oriented variant that targets the Model S Plaid's drag-strip crown. Complete details on the Sapphire have yet to be released by Lucid, but the company says this three-motor, torque-vectoring version of the Air will produce more than 1,200 horsepower. On a drag strip, that will potentially enable the Air Sapphire to rip from 0 to 60 mph in fewer than 2 seconds and clear the quarter mile in fewer than 9 seconds. Lucid also equips the Sapphire with high-performance suspension, brakes and tires to complement the extra power.

　　Of course, not everyone needs (or can afford) a 1,200-hp luxury EV. That's why we're actually more interested in the lower-cost Air models that are finally being delivered for the 2023 model year. The Air Pure and Air Touring are the ones we think you'd want to consider as rivaling the BMW i7, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S to be your next luxury EV. Check out our Expert Rating below to get our test team's in-depth report on the Air's performance, comfort, real-world range and more.

　　

What's it like to live with?

It's an interesting experience, to be sure. Our test team bought a $140,000 Lucid Air Grand Touring to join our long-term test fleet. Check out our Recurrent to read what our car experts like (and don't like) about driving an Air for a year and 20,000 miles. You can also see a few videos starring our Lucid Air on zzdcar' YouTube channel.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Good

　　7.8

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.0/10

　　How does the Air drive? We've tested a few Air versions, including the 2022 Air Dream Edition Range and a Grand Touring. In zzdcar' testing, the 933-hp Dream Edition went from 0 to 60 mph in blindingly quick 2.8 seconds. That's quicker than most vehicles we've tested. The Air's quarter-mile time, in case you're interested, was 10.3 seconds at 132.2 mph. The Grand Touring we tested was slower but still outrageously quick by most measures, needing 3.2 seconds to sprint to 60 mph.

　　The major performance-limiting factor: the Air's relatively narrow all-season tires. These are great for efficiency and allow the Lucid to go 500 miles on a single charge, but they have nowhere near the grip needed to perform at a dynamic level, especially considering the car's considerable weight. Grippier summer tires, which are a no-cost option for this model, would improve the Lucid's braking and handling. It otherwise failed to impress against class standards, at least at our test track.

　　But the Air is plenty quick and smooth around town. Various levels of power are available depending on your selected drive mode, and even the base Smooth setting provides more than enough power for the street. The Air also offers excellent one-pedal driving, which allows you to accelerate and slow using just the accelerator pedal. You can also adjust the amount of regenerative braking to suit your preference.

　　

Comfort

8.0/10

　　How comfortable is the Air? The Lucid Air's interior is pleasing, but we expect more than that from a luxury vehicle at this price point. For example, the seats offer a lot of adjustment and are comfortable on long drives, but overall support is a bit lacking. Wind and road noise is minimal on the highway, but that made some creaks from some ill-fitting parts on the doors and steering wheel in our test car even more noticeable. The ride quality is generally smooth but can get a bit busy on bumpy roads.

　　Unlike many manufacturers that have gone to full touchscreen control for climate systems, Lucid has dedicated buttons for the temperature and fan speed, making it easy to make adjustments without taking your eyes off the road. You can also adjust the vents manually rather than having to interact with an often overcomplicated touchscreen interface like you do in a Tesla. However, we've found the Air's air conditioning struggles to keep the cabin cool on hot summer days. The car's all-glass roof might look cool but it lets in a lot of solar heat.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below