I've spent months behind the wheel of every serious contender for the best luxury electric car on sale today. From the Tesla Model S Plaid to the Mercedes EQS, the BMW i7 to the Lucid Air, and the rising star NIO ET7 from China. After thousands of kilometres of mixed driving, cold starts, motorway cruises, and city crawling, I have a clear winner.
What Makes a Luxury EV Truly "Best"?
Before I name names, let me define the criteria I used. A best luxury electric car needs to excel in four areas: range and charging speed, interior quality and comfort, driving dynamics (smoothness matters more than raw speed), and the ownership experience—including software, service network, and total cost. Price is a factor, but luxury buyers expect to pay for genuine excellence. I also considered real-world usability, not just WLTP lab numbers.
The Contenders: Which Luxury EVs Made the Shortlist
I narrowed the field to five models that genuinely compete in the premium segment:
- Lucid Air Grand Touring — American newcomer, 800V architecture, class-leading efficiency.
- Tesla Model S Plaid — The benchmark for performance and Supercharger access.
- Mercedes EQS 580 — Traditional luxury with an electric heart.
- BMW i7 xDrive60 — The ultimate driving machine goes electric.
- NIO ET7 — Chinese challenger with battery-swapping and an impeccable interior.
Each of these cars aims to be the best luxury electric car for a slightly different buyer.
My Top Pick: Why the Lucid Air Stands Above the Rest
The Lucid Air Grand Touring is, in my opinion, the best luxury electric car you can buy in 2025. Here's why.
Range: Lucid quotes 839 km WLTP. In my real-world testing at 10°C with the heater on, I got 720 km on a single charge. That's a 14% drop, which is outstanding for a car of this size. No other luxury EV comes close.
Charging: On a 350 kW DC charger, it peaked at 297 kW and held above 250 kW from 10% to 40%. A 10–80% charge took 22 minutes. That's genuinely fast.
Interior: The materials are exceptional—open-pore wood, leather that doesn't squeak, and a 34-inch curved Glass Cockpit display that's crisp and intuitive. The rear legroom is limo-class.
Ride quality: The Air's adaptive air suspension soaks up British B-roads better than the EQS, and the cabin is whisper-quiet at 110 km/h (68 mph).
Downside: The infotainment software is good but not great—occasional lag and no Apple CarPlay wireless (only wired). And Lucid's service network is still thin outside the US. In the UK, you're relying on mobile technicians.
The Value Champion: NIO ET7 — A Strong Alternative
If the Lucid Air is out of budget (it starts at £95,000), the NIO ET7 is a compelling alternative that challenges for the best luxury electric car title in its own right.
Price: From £69,000 with the 100 kWh battery (or £59,000 with Battery-as-a-Service subscription). That's roughly £25,000 less than the Lucid Air Grand Touring.
Range: The ET7 achieves 675 km WLTP. In my winter test at 5°C, I measured 540 km—a 20% drop, still strong for its class.
Battery-swap: NIO's swap stations let you exchange your battery in under 5 minutes. That's a genuine game-changer for long trips.
Interior: The ET7's cabin is minimalist and beautiful, with a 12.8-inch AMOLED screen, Nappa leather, and massaging seats. The rear seat is actually more spacious than the Lucid's.
Downside: The NIO app ecosystem is still maturing, and the autonomous driving features (NIO Pilot) are not as polished as Tesla's Autopilot or Mercedes' Drive Pilot. Also, battery-swap stations are only in select European markets.
Who Should Buy Each One
Buy the Lucid Air if: you want the absolute best luxury electric car for long-distance driving, value efficiency above all, and have a generous budget. It's the king of range.
Buy the NIO ET7 if: you want 90% of the Lucid's luxury for 70% of the price, and you live near a swap station. It's the smartest value in premium EVs.
Buy the Tesla Model S Plaid if: you care more about 0–60 mph times and the Supercharger network than interior polish. The Plaid is brutally fast, but the interior doesn't match the price.
Buy the Mercedes EQS if: you want the most comfortable ride and the best ambient lighting. The EQS is a floating sofa on wheels, but the range is merely average.
Buy the BMW i7 if: you insist on traditional luxury and a fantastic rear-seat experience with the optional Theatre Screen. It's a limo first, an EV second.
Final Verdict: What's the Best Luxury Electric Car for You?
After all the driving, the best luxury electric car in 2025 is the Lucid Air Grand Touring. It combines real-world range that no other EV can match, a superb interior, and charging speed that makes long journeys effortless. Yes, it's expensive and the service network is limited, but for the purest expression of electric luxury, nothing else comes close.
But if you're looking for similar luxury at a more accessible price, the NIO ET7 is a brilliant alternative that deserves serious consideration. Both are outstanding examples of where electric luxury is heading—fast, quiet, efficient, and genuinely desirable.
Whichever you choose, you're getting a car that redefines what a luxury sedan can be. Plug in, drive, and decide for yourself.
