The premium and luxury full-size electric car segment is becoming an increasingly contested one here in the U.S. Several new and established brands are filling the arena with compelling and competitive options that offer a pleasant combination of speed, comfort, and efficiency. This is a result of millions of dollars worth of investments and developments that brands have made in a bid to capitalize on the current global electric car gold rush. Luxury EVs are some of the most abundant variations that you can find in the new market, with most American and European brands offering some form of a

flagship full-size sedan EV
offering the highest levels of opulence and refinement.

As you can expect, luxury EVs come at a very substantial cost, as they feature the best materials, while still having to bear the high production and development costs. This is partly why you’ll find these types of

vehicles depreciating faster than anything else
on the market. This has a lot of consumers asking which is the best luxury EV that you can consider at the lowest price. As we’ve mentioned, there are a lot of compelling options currently available, but only one stands out as a truly viable option if you are looking to balance luxury and affordability. It’s a full-size EV sedan produced by a relatively young American manufacturer that has already made a solid mark in the industry, despite it only offering one very niche vehicle option.

Model Overview

2024 Lucid Air

The Lucid Air is one of the most impressive all-electric cars on the market and this comprehensive guide dives into every little detail.

The Lucid Air Pure Is An EV Luxury Bargain

Despite some quality control concerns from existing owners, the Lucid Air Pure is one of the most luxurious electric car options you can enjoy in today’s market. The base trim offers exceptional value, with its $69,990 starting price, but there are some extra options you’ll need to add if you want to enjoy a more comprehensive ownership experience. This may seem like a steep price, but when you compare it to its main rivals, it is a considerably less expensive luxury full-size sedan that you can consider.

Lucid offers several high-end color options, which add $800 to the final price. It recently made the Stealth package available to the Pure trim, resulting in increasing the price by $1,750. The larger 20-inch Aero Light wheels cost $1,200, but this will negatively impact your overall energy consumption figures.

If you want to upholster the seats and surfaces in real Santa Cruz leather, this will increase your car’s price by $3,000. Lucid makes its comfort, convenience, and entertainment features available via a series of packages. These include a $2,900 Surreal Sound Pro audio system, featuring a series of speakers that Lucid developed completely in-house. There’s also a $3,750 20-way luxury electrically adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seating package, while the $2,500 comfort and convenience package adds soft-closing doors, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, four-zone climate control, and power rear and rear side window sunshades.

The last cost you have to factor in is the optional Dream Drive Pro semi-autonomous advanced driver assist system package, increasing the final price by a whopping $6,750. There is a less comprehensive Dream Drive Premium package for $2,000. With the $1,500 destination fee included, you can expect to pay $90,300 for a fully loaded Pure trim. This derivative’s lower price means that you do benefit from a $3,750 cash credit.

Review

The Queen Of EVs Is Still Very Much The Lucid Air

Take away all of its industry-leading electric car capabilities, and the Lucid Air remains a delightful luxury sedan.

The Pure’s Sports Car-Rivaling Power Outputs

This is the only model in Lucid’s luxury sedan range that features a single permanent-magnet-synchronous motor mounted to the rear axle. Despite this, the base trim model still delivers some impressive performance figures, thanks to the unit’s 430 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque output. As per the brand’s claims, you can expect it to sprint from 0-60 MPH in just 4.5 seconds. Lucid limits the top speed to a relatively low 124 MPH figure.

Lucid Air Pure Performance Specifications

According to real-world tests conducted by Edmunds, the Pure derivative covers a quarter mile in around 12.8 seconds at 111 MPH and covers the 0-60 MPH sprint in around 4.6 seconds, which is pretty much close enough to Lucid’s claimed figure. These are exceptional figures when you consider that the entire vehicle weighs in at a rather lofty 4,586 pounds.

Related

Hot Take: I’m Finally Living With A Lucid Air

And, I’ll be driving it in frigid cold conditions, too.

The Lucid Air Pure Returns 23 kWh Per 100 Miles

420 Miles Of Range On A Full Charge

The EPA estimates that the base Lucid Air Pure rear-wheel drive model returns 149/142/146 MPGe on the city/highway/combined cycle with the standard 19-inch wheels equipped. The combined result equates to a 23 kWh per 100 miles result. The base 88 kWh net lithium-ion battery pack also covers the model for around 420 miles in between recharging, making it a very accommodating and practical daily driver option.

It’s also a fairly competent long-distance traveler, provided you appropriately plan your charging stops. The EPA estimates that you can expect to save as much as $6,000 in fuel over the course of five years and spend $500 on electricity to keep the battery charged in one year. This will cost you 87 cents to drive 25 miles.

Upgrading to the more premium 20-inch wheels worsens these estimates quite a bit, with the EPA stating a 132/125/129 MPGe energy consumption estimate and a 372-mile range claim. You can expect to save up to $5,500 on fuel over five years and spend $600 on electricity every year. This derivative will cost you 98 cents to drive 25 miles.

Related

Why The Lucid Air Is The Must-Have Electric Car Of The Decade

There is no dearth of EVs in the market, and if we were to pick one must-have EV of the decade, we’d choose the Lucid Air over everything else.

How Does The Market Respond To The Lucid Air

The Lucid Air is a relative newcomer to the market, which means that it doesn’t benefit from the same time to build a solid reputation. According to 2024’s sales report, the brand was able to sell 10,241 individual units of the entire Air range, making it one of the most popular models in its segment. For reference, Tesla was able to sell 12,426 Model S units during the same period, which reflects a considerably tight sales gap.

Consumer Reports issues the entire 2025 Air range with a 50/100 overall score. This consists of a 94/100 road test score, which is one of the highest grades the publication has issued for an EV. Unfortunately, a staggeringly low 7/100 predicted reliability and mediocre 3/5 predicted owner satisfaction mark hurts its viability. The Air also benefits from being one of the safest luxury EVs that you can consider today, with the NHTSA awarding it a full five stars for all segments in its crash test.

Lucid also includes a fairly comprehensive warranty package with all Air models. The most important aspect is the eight-year or 100,000-mile coverage for all powertrain or battery pack-related faults , which aligns with the industry standard. Lucid will also exchange the Air’s battery pack if it loses 70 percent of its capacity within this period. Additional coverage includes a 48-month or 50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year corrosion warranty without any mileage cap. Body and paint defects also don’t have a mileage limit, but this is just limited to 48 months.

If you do happen to get stranded on the side of the road, Lucid will assist with its 48-month or 50,000-mile roadside assistance coverage. You also benefit from the Lucid Care package, which includes 48 months or 50,000 miles worth of scheduled services, which is one of the most lengthy coverages in its class.

Pros

• Impressive performance abilities
• Concise handling prowess
• High-quality fit and finish

Cons

• Loud electric motor
• Poor wind noise
• Unintuitive cabin controls