Best Electric Vehicle of 2024
2024 Lucid Air: Finalist
- Starting price range: $78,900-$250,500
- Estimated electric driving range: 394-419 miles (2024); 410-516 miles (2023; includes Touring and Grand Touring trims)
- Estimated combined efficiency: 105-137 mpg-e
However you slice it, the Lucid Air is a breathtaking luxury sedan, especially when you consider it’s the first vehicle from a startup automaker. The Air debuted for the 2022 model year with a futuristic, clean-sheet design that looks like nothing else on the road. Its specs are world-class nearly across the board: Even the RWD Pure boasts 430 hp and 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds. All other Airs are AWD and can rocket from 0-60 in less than four seconds. The ultra-performance Sapphire variant has a certifiably bonkers 1,234 hp and is capable of 0-60 in 1.89 seconds(!), according to Lucid.
Even the Air models with the least range are EPA-rated at 394 miles, which tops every other currently available EV save for the Tesla Model S. The Air Grand Touring could achieve a truly remarkable 516 miles of range for 2023 (model-year ‘24 EPA figures are not yet available) — no other EV even comes close. The Air’s charging speeds also stack up well whether you’re using a Level 2 charger or a DC fast charger. Most Airs offer 250 kW of max charging capacity; the Grand Touring and Sapphire offer 300 kW.
Ride quality is nicely composed overall but on the taut side with the available 20- or 21-inch wheels. As is the case with most EVs, those upsize wheels also significantly decrease driving range, so if you want the best range and ride quality, you’re best off with the standard 19s. Not surprisingly, the Air is plenty spendy, but the RWD Pure trim brings its starting price down below $80,000. And in any of its trim levels, the Air compares favorably to rival flagship sedans on the market, EV or otherwise.
2024 Lucid Air Specs and Reviews Find a 2024 Lucid Air Near You
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning: Finalist
- Price range: $57,090-$95,090
- Estimated electric driving range: 240-320 miles (2023)
- Estimated combined efficiency: 66-70 mpg-e (2023)
The all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning backs up its two 2023 podium finishes — in our Best Pickup Truck and Best EV categories — with another Best EV finalist honor for 2024. The F-150 Lightning full-size pickup truck sees minor updates this year, including an updated version of Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving system, a new Flash trim and a blackout-look Platinum Black edition of the top trim level.
Beyond that, the F-150 Lightning remains largely the same truck that impressed us on a number of fronts when we first tested it. Its ride quality is better than what you get in a regular gas-powered F-150, and the electric powertrain doesn’t impinge on the F-150’s cavernous cabin space. The F-150 Lightning’s hauling and towing manners are also laudable: We loaded the bed with around 1,200 pounds of sandbags and, separately, hitched a 5,900-pound Airstream travel trailer to it. The truck handled both tests with confidence.
What’s more, the F-150 Lightning is also something of a performance pickup. With the available extended-range battery, the Lightning makes 580 hp and 775 pounds-feet of torque — and despite a hefty curb weight, it’s seriously quick: We clocked 0-60 mph in 4.19 seconds and did the quarter-mile in 12.53 seconds at 107.3 mph.
We wish the F-150 Lightning had quicker DC fast-charging performance, though even if it did, this isn’t the truck to get for a cross-country towing adventure because EV technology and infrastructure just isn’t there yet; we observed just 163 miles of maximum predicted driving range while towing. But if you need a truck for short towing trips or in-town work where you can plug in at the same place day in and day out, the F-150 Lightning is a credible alternative to conventionally powered pickups.
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Specs and Reviews Find a 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Near You