Back in 2023, Volkswagen showed off the U.S. version of the electric van meant to pay homage to the classic Type-2 Volkswagen Bus of the 1960s. With it came marketing materials that conjured up ideas of surfing on the beach and living a free-spirit lifestyle. In reality, man of these vans will serve commuter duty in a not-so-pretty (or warm) city. Sure, driving up and down Route 1 listening to John Lennon at full blast may sound cool, but listening to NPR quietly on I-75 is probably closer to what real life is like for them. Well, that's my life, at least. 

Okay, maybe I’m being a little too negative. I get why I-75 isn't what they show in the ads. Anyway, Volkswagen has given me an ID. Buzz for the next week. The unit Volkswagen has sent me is a Pro S Plus model, which sits smack in the middle of the range, above the Pro S, but below the AWD Pro S 4Motion trim. The only option my tester has is the $995 Mahi Green and Candy White two-tone exterior. If you want an ID. Buzz identical to my tester, and they expect to pay $66,040 after destination fees.

Since it’s not an all-wheel-drive dual motor model, my rear-wheel-drive ID. Buzz is powered by a 282 horsepower motor fed by a 91 kWh battery. This combination is rated for 234 miles of range, slightly more than the AWD Buzz' 231-mile range figure. 

Of course, my colleague and InsideEV's deputy editor Mack Hogan did drive the ID. Buzz at its launch event last year. However, his time with the van was limited to a few hours, and it was driven in Northern Calfornia. I will be driving the ID. Buzz around my home of Central Ohio during the tail end of winter for a full week. The weather is predicted to be around freezing for much of my time, but temperatures are expected to be 60-degree springtime weather before the ID. Buzz is returned.

These aren’t ideal conditions for any electric car, let alone one as big as the ID. Buzz. Yet, we all can’t live in California; my experience might be more representative to buyers who live in the rest of the country.

So, what do you want to know about the 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz? Sound off in the comments, or feel free to send me an e-mail at kevin.williams@insideevs.com

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About a week into driving the $96,900 2025 Rivian R1T, I had a problem. The truck got so much right. But after hours on Texas interstates, I couldn't shake the feeling that its driver-assistance tech was behind the curve. For a software-defined company, its software couldn't hold up to the best that General Motors or Ford can offer.

I underestimated Rivian. Two months later, its CEO announced that hands-free driving was coming within a couple of weeks. Eyes-off highway driving is planned for next year.

This is why the software-defined vehicle is such a game-changer. Every Rivian I've driven has been markedly better than the one before. This constant cycle of improvements means a great product has only gotten better over time. It's the key reason why I believe that, though it may be on a tough road in 2025, Rivian is going to pull this off.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

(Full Disclosure: Rivian loaned me an R1T for a road trip over the 2024 winter holidays.) 

Over-the-air updates are nothing new in the automotive world. Tesla pioneered this approach and has been refining it for a dozen years now. Yet nearly every other automaker that sells cars in the U.S. is way behind on that front. OTA updates for most models are few and far between. At most, your car may get a navigation system update or some general bug fixes. 

But major updates with completely new features that make the car better over time and dramatically change your ownership experience? Only two companies are truly doing that. Tesla is one. Now, Rivian is another. (A third might be the Polestar 3, but we don’t know for sure because it’s so new.)

2025 Rivian R1T Review

This has happened every time I’ve borrowed a Rivian for testing. Sometimes those updates are small, like the holiday-themed sounds and graphics or improvements to the efficiency graphs. Sometimes they include features an expensive luxury car should’ve always had, like SiriusXM satellite radio.

But other times they’re bigger, like shorter charging times, the addition of YouTube streaming, improvements to the parking assistance system, adding new networks of fast charging, even changing which battery runs the security-focused “Gear Guard” feature. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

That tech experience is a big part of the appeal of owning a Rivian. It’s why the mighty Volkswagen Group is seeking help from the scrappy California startup. And it’s one reason of many that despite some shortcomings, the R1T may be the strongest choice among EV trucks right now. 

What Is It?

2025 Rivian R1T Review

The Rivian R1T launched in September of 2021 as the upstart automaker’s first product, followed in August 2022 by the closely related R1S SUV. For the 2025 model year, both EVs received significant under-the-skin updates, emphasizing the kind of tech-focused “less is more” approach to car manufacturing that every automaker is going for right now. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

That approach brought a new zonal electrical architecture with fewer but more powerful ECUs. Rivian cut 1.6 miles of wiring out of the R1, contributing to 44 pounds of weight reduction. They got new 4K HDR cameras, Nvidia Drive Orin processors with 10 times the processing capacity of the old vehicles and an entirely new infotainment system. (Oh, and the so-called Gen1 R1 models are still getting significant wireless software updates too.) 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Aside from the tech stuff, the R1T is a compelling choice in the still-limited field of electric trucks. For 2025, it comes in two-, three- and four-motor configurations, with the middle one being entirely new to the family. They start at $69,900 in base form (though you’ll probably have to order that) and can go well over $110,000 with options on the highest trims. Electric range spans 270 miles (434 km) to up to 420 miles (675 km.) 

My Rivian tester was built to go the distance and do it quickly. This was a dual-motor model with the Max Pack battery rated at up to 420 miles of range. With the Performance Upgrade add-on, it boasted 665 horsepower and 829 lb-ft of torque. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

That range and power combo handily trumps the Tesla Cybertruck and Ford F-150 Lightning, but not some configurations of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. However, Rivian provides all that range and power with a significantly smaller battery than the one in GM’s EV trucks—a maximum of 149 kWh here—so it’s better for charging and overall efficiency. 

This R1T also came with the lovely Rivian Blue paint—which sometimes looked light navy or turquoise depending on the lighting—as well as the black-and-white Ocean Coast + Dark Ash Wood interior offset by the flat-looking “range” wheels. A pretty tasteful combination, overall. 

Driving Experience

2025 Rivian R1T Review

The 400-mile (644 km) trip between San Antonio and Marfa, Texas is lonely but beautiful. Stretches of U.S. Interstate 10 have 80 mph speed limits, some of the highest in the country. You’ll easily get blitzed by cars doing 10 mph over that. You need to call your shots carefully; miss a rest stop and you may not see another for 30 or 40 miles. For a trip like that, you want power, comfort and range. Luckily for me, the R1T delivered on all fronts.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

The R1T is smooth and powerful in nearly all situations. It’s less bulky than the GM EV trucks, has a more refined ride than the F-150 Lightning and feels more rugged and off-road capable than the Tesla Cybertruck, all while avoiding that vehicle’s awkward proportions.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

For its 7,000-pound curb weight, the R1T is also remarkably agile. I can’t be disingenuous and call it sports car-like handling, but it has maneuverability and a lightness to it that I haven’t really experienced in any other pickup truck. 

Credit its trick hydraulic suspension, which replaces the standard anti-roll bar you’d find in most trucks. Rivian’s Hydraulic Roll Control allows the R1T to resist body roll in corners like a sports car while offering the comfortable, easy-going ride you expect in a truck. The only other car company offering a suspension setup like this is McLaren, which perhaps explains why Rivian has poached top talent from the British supercar firm.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Like the R1S, you get three driving modes: All Purpose, All-Terrain and Snow. The Performance Upgrade adds Sport and Soft Sand. (The tri- and quad-motor trucks add even more settings.) In Sport mode, unleashing the full power and torque is still a gradual experience rather than a shove-you-into-your-seat hit of speed, but it’ll get to highway speeds with zero drama. This one will do 0-60 in 3.4 seconds.

I continue to think Rivian’s regenerative braking calibrating is a bit too aggressive, so I kept the R1T in its lowest setting. The customization there is nice and it remains fully capable of true one-pedal driving. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Interestingly, the truck switches to front-wheel drive—deactivating the rear motor—in optimal conditions to maximize range. This is such a seamless experience that you’d never know it was happening if the central screen didn’t tell you. 

More control over that would be even better. I wish the dual-motor R1T models offered the option to keep it in that setting all of the time, like the Conserve Model on the quad-motor trucks or my Kia EV6’s efficiency-boosting Eco Mode. Hey Rivian: There’s a free software update idea.

Range, Efficiency, Charging

2025 Rivian R1T Review

The R1T made an electric road trip easy. The truck always projected around 420 miles of range at 100%. On the way out to Marfa, at speeds between 70 and 75 mph and on a very windy day, I was averaging about 2.25 miles per kWh—not especially great, but indicative of the R1T’s size, weight and brick-like aerodynamics. The R1T does lower its ride height at highway speeds to maximize efficiency, but you can only do so much about physics.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

I dropped as low as 1.8 miles per kWh at times. Frankly, none of these electric trucks are great in this department. On the return trip, with less wind and more cautious driving, I got it up to 2.4 miles per kWh. Around town, I got closer to 3.0 miles per kWh. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

I left San Antonio with 411 miles (661 km) of range at 98% and reached a Tesla Supercharger station in Ozona 205 miles (329 km) away with 101 miles (162 km) of range and 23% battery left. In other words, the Rivian burned 310 miles of range over 172 miles of highway travel.

Knowing the next DC fast charger was 106 miles away, I had no choice but to stop there, and my bladder was about to explode anyway. But Rivian hooked me up with a Tesla NACS adapter and it was a godsend for this trip. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

An R1T can pull speeds of up to 220 kW on a DC fast charger (now faster than before thanks to  a software update.) On a Tesla plug, the truck hit 204 kW charging speeds right away and juiced to 80% in 26 minutes—enough time for lunch and a bathroom break. In another instance in Austin, I charged from 30% to 80% in 23 minutes on a 350 kW EVGo station. On the way back from Marfa we only had to stop to charge once, at that Ozona Tesla station again. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

On one hand, the R1T burned more range than, say, a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or a Tesla Model 3 would have on the same drive. On the other hand, it had more than enough juice to get it all done. Route planning on a Rivian is also generally excellent, showing you the different networks available (including Tesla chargers), available stalls and how long you need to spend at each station to reach your destination. 

Interior And Comfort

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Inside, the R1 series apes the Tesla playbook. The touchscreen is everything and buttons are as scarce as they can be, but the Rivian feels nicer and more upscale than any Tesla. The R1T eschews the Cybertruck’s techno-brutalist vibes for a pleasant, airy and modern experience. The seats are extremely comfortable as well, though the cabin could use a “grab bar” for easier entry and exit, as some trucks have. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

There are some very nice materials inside but also a few that feel cheaper than they should at this price, like the steering wheel and its buttons. I also had a nagging dash rattle throughout our whole trip. On the plus side, I never felt cooked by that panoramic glass roof in the Texas sun, which can happen even in December.

My biggest gripe was the lack of physical air vents, ostensibly another cost-cutting measure. Like a Tesla, you adjust the direction and volume of the airflow with the central touchscreen, which is a delicate, frustrating operation that requires taking your eyes off the road. 

Tech And Infotainment 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Rivian will never win its war on buttons until its voice controls get better. They significantly lag behind many other competitors, including Hyundai and Kia. A better AI-powered voice assistant is supposedly coming this year. That’s great, because the Amazon Alexa system I tested never seemed to understand much and didn’t display what I asked on the screen. It borders on useless.

As for the ADAS tech, my experience was fine, but not class-leading. My tester could do automatic lane changes when I hit the turn signal, but won't do it on its own, like GM's Super Cruise. Not only did it not feel as confident as that, I still had to keep my hands on the wheel at times. I'm eager to test the improvements coming to the Rivian Autonomy Platform soon.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Aside from that, the tech is pretty robust. The screen graphics, animations and the system’s overall speed outclass most competitors I can think of, aside from Tesla. The Rivian smartphone app is one of the best around as well, offering charging management, phone-as-key recognition, the ability to add users and route-planning that can be sent to the vehicle on the fly. My Kia EV6 is a great electric car but it feels 10 years behind all of that. The native Spotify integration was nice, it could use some tweaking; glitches and freezes meant a few restarts for that app.

I’ve written before about how much I love the central screen’s graphics, but I wish it was easier to find the various menus and functions I wanted. Some of them, like Car Wash mode, are buried in obscure places. Here’s another free update idea, Rivian: make this stuff searchable from wherever you’re at in the menus. 

How Is It As A Truck? 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Pick your tradeoffs in the EV truck world. The F-150 Lightning offers capability that lives up to its name, but sacrifices range and efficiency. The GM EV trucks take a lot of power or time to juice up. And the Cybertruck I’ve tested feels more “cyber” than “truck.” 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

The R1T’s ostensible biggest downside is the bed size, just 4.5 feet (137 cm) with the tailgate up. That’s a little shorter than the Ford and a lot shorter than the Tesla or the GM trucks. It’s even shorter than the bed in a crew-cab Toyota Tacoma or Ford Ranger. You make that up with tons of storage space, including the 11-cubic-foot frunk and innovative Gear Tunnel feature. Still, hauling lengthy items isn’t the R1T’s strong suit.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

It’s among the best electric trucks for towing, however, with a class-leading 11,000-pound (4,990 kg) max towing capacity. However, the Cybertruck has a higher payload capacity. I haven’t towed with either so I can’t say for such which is best there.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

But capability with the R1T also includes three “wall socket” style 120-volt outlets, including two in the bed itself. Ford, Tesla and GM all offer 240-volt power outlets in addition to their 120-volt plugs, though, so if you want to power industrial tools those may be better options. I recommend adding the power tonneau cover option that my tester didn’t have, although it’s another $2,000 for that. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

Between the air suspension with controllable ride height, the solid approach/departure angles, its trick hydraulic anti-roll system and its various drive modes, the R1T may be the best all-around electric off-roader, however. I lacked the All-Terrain Package with A/T tires to truly try and crawl rocks (it also cuts your range down to 370 miles in dual-motor form) but I had zero problems taking the R1T across dirt roads and rocky desert terrain that would’ve been trickier for most cars.

2025 Rivian R1T Review

All in all, it’s a very capable lifestyle truck, adventure rig and gear-hauler, but it won’t outpace a Jeep Wrangler or a Toyota Tacoma in the most extreme of situations. Then again, for most Rivian owners, it will hardly ever need to. 

Pricing And Verdict 

Since I spent time in the R1T, I’ve been telling people that the next time I have $96,900 to spend on an electric truck, this is the one I’d want. 

2025 Rivian R1T Review

That’s certainly not a position I’ll be in anytime soon. That’s a lot, even in a world where trucks have become so expensive across the board. But for those with the money to spend, the 2025 R1T is both a truly remarkable everyday vehicle and piece of technology. If you do buy one, it’s an investment in a product that has continual improvement baked in. Who else can say that right now, besides Tesla? No wonder other automakers besides Volkswagen are “knocking on the door” these days. 

If you want a taste of the future, Rivian offers it right now—and it’s gotten too good at this stuff to not be around for that future. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More Rivian News

It's not easy to find a good three-row family EV. The Rivian R1S, Tesla Model X, Mercedes EQS SUV and Cadillac Escalade IQ are all pretty pricey, and some of their third rows are pretty dinky. The Volkswagen ID. Buzz isn't cheap either, and it doesn't have the range for a long-haul family road trip. The trims of the Kia EV9 do, but get pricey as well.

So for shoppers on a budget, the answer may be a plug-in hybrid, like the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Volvo XC90 or the car I'm driving this week, the Mazda CX-90 PHEV.

Now, "cheaper than a three-row EV" does not mean cheap. The Mazda CX90 PHEV Premium Plus I've got outside stickers for $59,405 after the requisite destination charge, about $10,000 north of the average car sold in America right now.

But if you skimp on the options, you can get a CX-90 PHEV Preferred for $51,995, which ain't half bad for a three-row PHEV in today's market. It's still over $12,000 more expensive than the base, $39,300 CX-90 with the inline-six, though. The federal tax credit—which the CX-90 only qualifies for if you lease, rather than buy, it—can trim some of that down, but you're still paying a premium here. 

For the extra change, you get an SUV with a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine and a 17.8kWh battery powering a 68 kw (91 horsepower) electric motor. Power flows to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Mazda says the combo is good for 323 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, with an all-electric range of 26 miles. Yet high torque demands may still require internal combustion assistance before then.

The CX-90 also has a two-row twin, the CX-70 PHEV, which I just sampled as well. I already have opinions on that car—which I'll rope into the CX-90 review—but suffice to say that if you want this powertrain, body and interior, you can get it with your choice of two or three rows. Even if you do opt for the three-row version, though, don't expect anything too ginormous. While the CX-90 may be Mazda's biggest car, Mazdas tend to be smaller than their segment mates. And the CX-90's move to a rear-wheel-drive-based platform hasn't helped its hauling capacity. 

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It's got 14.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row and 74.2 cubes available with both rear rows folded flat. That may sound like a lot, but it's dwarfed by the amount of cargo space offered by the Toyota Highlander, Grand Highlander, Honda Pilot, Chevy Traverse, Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride and even the all-electric Kia EV9. The CX-90's cargo volume puts it closer in line with smaller three-rows like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, but it beats out the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

So what else do you want to know about this Mazda? I'll have a full report of how it drives and what sort of efficiency it gets, but do you have any lingering questions?

One thing I'm keeping an eye on its its powertrain calibration and operation, as Mazda's PHEV system is off to a rocky start. Consumer Reports listed the CX-90 PHEV as one of the least reliable new SUVs of 2025, partially due to issues with the PHEV battery and the car's eight-speed transmission. But what else do you want me to focus on? Let me know in the comments below.

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

As cliché as it sounds, it feels like barely a week goes past without a new brand from China either announcing its entry to the U.K. or bringing out a handful of cars for the masses to enjoy. Each comes with tales of huge numbers, plans for dealers in every corner of the country and promises of the sort of tech you’d only normally see attached to Tony Stark’s face.

Leapmotor has landed in the U.K. and Europe, with it comes the T03 city car, and the C10 SUV, though more are on the way. It used to be the case that Chinese cars were a bit cack, but as time’s gone on quite the opposite has become the norm. BYD and MG, for example, make cars that steal sales, rightfully, from the establishment. Those two come with some history, whereas Leapmotor seems to have come out of nowhere. The company has proven it can make a compelling cheap car in the T03. But in the high-stakes electric SUV game, is it good enough to scare VW and the rest?

(Full disclosure: Leapmotor invited me down to drive the new T03 at the launch event. The company gave me a charged-up C10 to drive and provided lunch when I got back.)

More Leapmotor News

Leapmotor as a company has only been around for a decade. Like a fair few Chinese car firms, it started out as a tech business before moving into cars. In 2023 its work caught the eye of Stellantis, which bought a 21% stake in its Chinese business. In 2024, Stellantis and Leapmotor formed Leapmotor International, a way to get Leapmotor’s cars out to the rest of the world. Now, in early 2025, it has cars all over Europe, and is launching in the U.K. The big win here is that Leapmotor’s cars won’t be sold via soem cobbled-together dealer network, but in Stellantis showrooms all over the place. And, according to the man from Leapmotor, parts won’t be an issue as they’ve got loads in stock. You can buy with confidence, then.

The C10 is, currently, the biggest car in the range. It’s a D Segment SUV, but is priced at £36,500 ($46,000)—C segment money. How the price is that low is somewhat baffling because it comes with… everything. Voice assistant, CarPlay, Android Auto, a 14.6-inch touch screen, heated seats, as much ADAS as you can handle, a respectable 15 cubic foot trunk, interior design that would make Volvo raise an eyebrow and more besides. It’s not the most exciting car to look at, but it does look good in green. There are no options barring your choice of color. You pay your money, you get your car. You get a lot of stuff for that money, and that’s before you get to the drivetrain.

Under the floor is a 70 kWh battery that feeds power to a 218-horsepower, 236-lb-ft rear-mounted motor that flings the C10 from 0-62 mph in 7.5 seconds and up to 106 mph. Leapmotor says it’ll do 263 miles (or 423 km, WLTP combined) on a charge, too, which means it can theoretically manage 3.8 miles per kWh. Unfortunately, WLTP estimates are usually optimistic. Fast charging doesn’t appear to be the C10’s forte, either. DC charging is capped at 84kW, netting you 30-80% SOC in 30 minutes, the company claims. 

It's got the sort of minimalist, screen-centric interior you expect in the electric crossover segment. 

The price and toys will have a lot of consumers licking their lips. The drive is a different matter. Its steering works in that when you turn the wheel the car will change direction, but there’s little feedback communicating what’s going on under the front wheels. If you push the C10 a touch harder than usual it’ll lean like a 90s SUV in a terrible cop show, and then, if you push further, understeer like hell. Of course, it’s not a sports car, but even middle-of-the-road competitors do that sort of stuff better. The ride either doesn’t like the UK’s roads or is simply awful. It feels OK to start with, but the moment things get a little uneven you feel everything through your skeleton. It’d be fine on a Spanish motorway, but in England? It leaves a lot to be desired.

The C10’s ADAS systems are many, and… irritating. Intrusive active safety systems aren’t uncommon, of course, and you can go into a menu to turn them (and their associated bongs) off. However, the car’s Lane Keep Assist decided to stay on for quite a bit, even after I had deactivated it. In doing so, it was a touch aggressive in moving the wheel to put you where it thought you should be.  

There are drive modes, of course, and with them comes various levels of energy regen and powertrain ferocity. When the C10 wants to recoup a lot of energy it doesn’t do so smoothly, seemingly grabbing the car to slow it down. You won’t want to try and change the modes on the move, as getting to them requires lots of stabs at the touch screen when you should be looking at the road. There’s no haptic feedback through it to let you know you’ve hit your mark either, so you either look at the screen, or at what’s ahead. Similarly, things like changing wing mirror angles, adjusting the temperature, and putting fog lights on is done via the screen.

On the upside, it feels decently brisk, so you can easily make an escape at the lights when someone asks ‘what’s that then?’ Leapmotor’s claimed efficiency wasn’t quite on the money on a cold winter day, though. It managed better than expected: A more than respectable 3.9 miles per kWh. The whole experience may not have been the best, but at least it didn’t use too much electricity in mixed driving.

Sadly, the drive being underwhelming wasn’t the most disappointing thing about the car. There’s a not very small list of pain points. Using voice commands was hit and miss. Activating it via a button on the wheel prompted the car to loudly proclaim “I’m coming,” which isn’t exactly what you’d expect as you’re cruising up the highway. Perhaps there are still some translation quirks going on, or perhaps an engineer found it funny. 

The software looks pretty, but it can be a tad frustrating.

Once it had, erm, arrived, it couldn’t get the hang of natural-language commands. “Change to sport mode” didn’t register, but “change the drive mode to sport” hit the mark. That sort of clunkiness is reminiscent of cars built a decade ago, not today.

Driving on a cold day meant the cabin needed to be warmed up, but for the majority of the time the vents burped out cold air despite the screen promising 26 degrees centigrade (79 degrees Fahrenheit). I suppose that’s one way to improve efficiency. Thankfully the heated seats worked nicely. Oh, and at one point, no matter how insistently it was pushed, the passenger door took some convincing to open. It took a few goes to work out that it was, in fact, a door. The homegrown GPS froze, too, refusing to update the remaining distance, though it did still give directions. Leapmotor’s interior looks very nice, but the materials all feel a bit odd. Not cheap, but not as premium as presented. 

There are some neat surprises in there though. There’s a programmable switch in the roof to adjust various features in the car and a ‘nap’ function that’ll play calming sound effects for a spell. You can set routines to activate when certain parameters are met in the car to make your journeys easier, and the wonderfully HD touchscreen comes with a range of pretty backgrounds.

So you can see what they’re going for. Leapmotor is keen to position itself as a brand of great value. You get lots for your money—space, tech and range. But, as it stands, you won’t enjoy much of it. It all looks great, but when you start driving it, the whole experience falls apart. At $46,0000 it may well be an enticing proposition for some, but the same money can be spent on a car from an established brand that’s far more mature. 

There may well be a huge network, and plenty of parts available, but as a product, it would be kind to call the C10 average. Maybe given time the company will update it, but right now it’s hard to recommend. Leapmotor may know a thing or two about cheap cars, but its only mainstream crossover leaves a lot to be desired. VW and co don’t have to worry about their moneymakers just yet.

Over the past few years, one car in particular has emerged as perhaps the strongest pound-for-pound Tesla Model Y alternative in the U.S. market: the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The car’s retro-futuristic looks, high range, class-leading charging speeds, affordable lease deals and high-performance N variant have all helped it rack up acclaim, awards and sales. 

It just got even better. The slew of 2025 upgrades range from the “thank you for fixing that annoying quirk” sort, like including a long-awaited rear windshield wiper, to the more revolutionary kind. The updated Ioniq 5 is the first non-Tesla EV to come with a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) port right from the factory, meaning it can natively charge at any Tesla Supercharger station without using an adapter. That’s a huge deal. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

If you’re eyeing a new EV in 2025, is this the one to get? After driving it around California, I'm convinced that for most people, the answer is yes.

(Full Disclosure: Hyundai covered my travel and lodging to California for this test.) 

What Is It? 

This is the first major update the Ioniq 5 has had since its launch in 2021. Hyundai has sold more than 100,000 Ioniq 5s since then in the U.S. alone—an impressive feat in this still-growing space. When the Hyundai Motor Group’s combined brands came in second to Tesla in U.S. electric sales last year, it was the Ioniq 5 that led the charge. The car has served another important role for Hyundai: helping it reset its brand identity, going from a budget player to a world leader in electrification, style and technology. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

The updated 2025 Ioniq 5 goes even further with bigger battery choices, more range across all trim levels, upgraded software, an improved interior with more physical controls and a new XRT off-road-focused trim. (Read my take on that variant here.)

Those are some hearty upgrades. But if you can tell the difference between this new Ioniq 5 and the previous one, you have better eyesight than I do. Besides the obvious Subaru Crosstrek vibes of the XRT or the telltale NACS plug, the only major visual differences between the two are slightly different front and rear bumpers. Yet I’d argue that the Ioniq 5 didn’t need any help in that department. It’s one of the most visually compelling EVs on sale, raiding Hyundai’s own archives and the Giorgetto Giugiaro lookbook to great effect. Four years and all those sales later, and I’m still not sick of how the Ioniq 5 looks.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Inside, the “floating” center console and wireless smartphone charging pad have been redesigned, but can still be moved fore and aft to maximize interior space. The steering wheel now includes light-up “pixels” that glow in sequence to show your charging progress. And at a time when other automakers are desperate to get rid of buttons to cut costs, Hyundai added more for often-used functions like the heated seats and heated steering wheel. 

The Ioniq 5 comes in SE Standard Range, SE, SEL, XRT and top Limited trims. Two battery packs are available. The SE Standard Range gets a 63 kWh battery, up from 58 kWh. The rest of the trims come with an 84 kWh unit, up from 77.4 kWh.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

The lineup runs a pretty good price range from $42,500 (excluding destination fees) for 245 miles of range, up to $54,000 for the Limited with 318 miles of range if you get single-motor rear-wheel drive or 269 miles of range if you prefer dual-motor all-wheel drive. 

Hyundai also says the Ioniq 5 is now capable of end-to-end over-the-air (OTA) software updates, meaning it can add bug fixes and new features to the whole car and not just navigation system updates. We’ll see how that goes, as Hyundai’s OTA game has been fairly weak so far in my own experience, and many automakers have over-promised and under-delivered on meaningful software updates. 

All in all, the progress is remarkable for a car that didn’t even really need it. Other automakers are also using this uncertain moment of EV growth to slow down and maybe coast a bit until the market “really” heats up at the end of this decade. Not Hyundai. The company is pressing its early advantage. All told, these are among the most significant upgrades we’ve seen yet to any EV on the market, and proof that the Korean automaker has no plans to slow down. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

How Does It Drive? 

In my experience owning the Ioniq 5’s close cousin, the Kia EV6, these cars tend to easily beat their stated range amounts in good conditions. But when it’s cold out, they tend to offer artificially low estimates and then overperform in actual driving. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Hyundai has solved that issue with the 2025 Ioniq 5. The car now gives you your standard estimate, plus a “maximum” and “minimum” reading above and below that one. That’s a useful and welcome feature. The Ioniq 5s we drove on the pavement were AWD SEL models rated at up to 290 miles of range. When we started our drive on a desert-chilly Palm Springs morning in the high-50 degree F (10 degrees C) range, my car read 193 miles at 91% charge but also had a “maximum” reading of 207 miles. I think that’s a good way to give you a comprehensive look at how far you can probably go.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT

If you’ve never driven an Ioniq 5, you’d probably be shocked at how normal it feels. It’s always felt especially aimed at first-time EV drivers coming in from other gas-powered midsize crossovers. It’s quicker than any mainstream gas crossover, but not tear-your-face off fast. Handling is tight and predictable, with flat cornering performance. Yet a run in the mountain twisties around Palm Springs offered little of the confidence you’d get in the Ioniq 5 N; that model has been so worked over that it feels like a wholly different car. So while the N, the Kia EV6 GT and Genesis GV60 Performance tend to be the more athletic members of the E-GMP family, the Ioniq 5 is more than enough to sell nonbelievers on EV performance. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

It’s also an extremely comfortable place for a long drive—it has better seats than my Kia does. Just subjectively, this feels like a nicer, more tightly-built Ioniq 5 than the last one I spent time in. It’s hard to qualify how, exactly, but it does feel like Hyundai is upping its quality game with each generation of its newest cars. It’s also refreshing in the EV space to get things like physical buttons and air vents, to not have to do everything through a central screen. Oh, and with all of that Palm Desert dust, I can tell you the rear wiper is a very welcome addition to this car. 

What Could Be Better?

While the Ioniq 5 is a superb all-rounder, a few annoyances from the first-generation car (and other E-GMP models) persist here. That black touch panel below the row of buttons that operates the temperature controls can still be awfully hard to see in the daytime, and even more so if you have sunglasses on. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT

Hyundai’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) game lags a lot of the competition too. The new Ioniq 5 includes an updated version of the Highway Driving Assist 2.0 feature. It’s the best version of this I’ve used yet, with big improvements to things like lane-centering. Unlike Ford’s BlueCruise or General Motors’ Super Cruise, however, it will ask you to put your hands on the steering wheel after a few minutes away, and it struggled to detect my eyes and face with my sunglasses on. (What’s with this car and sunglasses?)

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

That speaks to the other area where Hyundai isn’t yet a tech leader: software. In terms of graphics, speed and overall features, this Hyundai is just a Hyundai, not a direct competitor to a Tesla or a Rivian. The updated infotainment system skin is nice and the various functions are generally easy to use, but the experience isn’t as polished as in a true software-defined vehicle. The only way to get to the main charging settings seemed to be via an icon on the home screen. Oh, and Hyundai-Kia’s navigation system is as frustrating as ever, dumping us twice at spots that were actually blocks or more from our “destination.” 

Hyundai officials at the car’s launch also didn’t have any information about any updates to the car’s smartphone app, and I haven’t been dazzled by the one on my Kia EV6. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

How Is It As An EV?

Whatever ground Hyundai loses in software, it more than makes up for in the excellence of its electric powertrains. I’m convinced the E-GMP platform is the best EV architecture on this side of a Porsche Taycan or a Lucid Air (excepting any stuff from China that we can’t buy).

Like the rest of the family, the Ioniq 5 continues to offer four customizable levels of regenerative braking controlled by paddles behind the steering wheel. This lets you toggle between no regenerative braking at all or full one-pedal driving, which Hyundai says is designed to fit your own experience with driving EVs. Regenerative braking is available when the battery charge drops below 90%. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT

I like this system a lot for the customization it offers; one driver in the family may like one level better than someone else does, and it’s more elegant than the clunky “on/off” switches found on most EVs. Unfortunately, the Ioniq 5 doesn’t offer the new Kia EV3’s trick i-Pedal 3.0 setup, which also incorporates ADAS tech for traffic navigation. 

And then there’s charging, which has long been the Ioniq 5’s superpower. The NACS port hasn’t changed that but merely added to it. On a 350 kW fast-charger—namely a CCS one like an Electrify America station, which will now require an adapter Hyundai gives you for free—the Ioniq 5 can go from a 10% charge to 80% in 20 minutes or less. Hyundai now claims that equates to 178 miles of range in 15 minutes, making it faster than anything in its class—including any Tesla.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

The story’s a bit different for now when using a Tesla Supercharger. As I’ll explain in this more in-depth review, for now, the Ioniq 5 is limited to just 126 kW on those older V3 stations, which is about half what a Tesla Model 3 can do on the same. Yet the charging curve is much flatter overall, so the Hyundai still outperforms the Tesla in terms of charge time. Our tester went from 24% to 80% in about 28 minutes, which is a drop from what Ioniq 5 owners are certainly used to. 

Hyundai claims faster performance is coming soon with updates to the car and the planned voltage upgrades to Tesla’s own network. Unfortunately, the car offers no plug-and-charge options at present, but Hyundai says it’s working on this. But we don’t have a timeline for either of these improvements, so Hyundai is asking you to take its word for it. If faster Supercharger speeds or plug-and-charge support are important to you, you may want to wait for more information, as we never recommend buying a car based on what the manufacturer promises to do later.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

By the way, even after a day of mixed around-town, back-road (with liberal use of Sport Mode) and highway driving, I still had to run this thing down hard at speeds California law enforcement would’ve frowned upon in order to get the battery low enough for a fast-charge. Despite mildly cold weather, I still finished the day averaging around 3.3 miles per kWh. That’s seriously impressive efficiency given the drive cycle. The Ioniq 5 hasn’t lost its touch there at all. 

Hyundai makes it easy for you to switch to EVs, too. The Ioniq 5 also includes a complimentary ChargePoint Level 2 home charger or $400 in fast-charging credits. 

Pricing And Early Verdict

Our Ioniq 5 SEL AWD testers came in at $54,475 before destination fees. The car doesn’t qualify for tax credits yet, but Hyundai expects it to soon, and for now it will include those discounts when it’s sold or leased. That brings our effective price to $46,975, which is actually slightly below the average new car price in America right now. Between its size, range, style, performance and charging speeds, there aren’t many compromises involved here. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

In 2025, it’s easy for us to spot which automakers are serious about a future for electric vehicles and which ones are not. Lots of them think that they can “catch up” when the “market is right,” even if that’s a perpetually moving and intentionally nebulous target.

I’d argue that the ones who got in early, and got good early, will see the biggest payoffs one day. And Hyundai is seeing those right now. The new Ioniq 5 is a very hard vehicle to argue with, improving in areas where it was already strong and now adding native access to more than 17,000 Supercharger plugs across the country. I want to see Hyundai finally put its supposed OTA improvements to work by enhancing the Ioniq 5’s software and navigation with new features. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

But at a time when rivals are backing off and I can’t go a week without fielding emails from EV shoppers seeking an alternative to a certain direct competitor, I think the new Ioniq 5 is going to have another good few years—and make a lot of drivers very happy. 

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the Ioniq 5's charging time on a Tesla Supercharger. It took 28 minutes, not 20. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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There are huge swaths of these United States where you can pick up a rock, throw it in any direction, and you will have a decent chance of it landing on a Subaru Crosstrek.

Its raging success isn’t because it’s a great and compelling automobile. It’s because the playbook is so effective: Take an ordinary hatchback—an Impreza, in Subaru’s case—add extra ground clearance and rugged looks, and maybe toss in some all-terrain tires. Then you sell it to folks who live in snowy states, frequently use unpaved roads or just love outdoor adventures. Step three is just counting your cash.

I’m convinced this is the playbook Hyundai is trying to bring to the electric vehicle world with the all-new Ioniq 5 XRT. And after sliding one around some dirt roads outside of Palm Desert, CA, I’m also convinced the idea has legs. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

(Full Disclosure: Hyundai covered my travel and lodging to California for this test.) 

What Is It?

Hyundai has been adding more rugged XRT trims to its crossovers and the Santa Cruz truck for a while, but this is the first one that’s electric. On the Ioniq 5, the XRT is a U.S.-specific trim that slots in right below the top Limited spec. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT Interior

It adds an extra 0.9 inches (23 mm) of ground clearance for seven inches total, as well as unique suspension tuning. The extra ground clearance contributes to steeper maximum approach (19.8° vs. 17.5°) and departure (30° vs. 25.4°) angles, which means you should be able to handle bigger ruts and obstacles. The most obvious visual difference is the new front and rear fascia with  “Digital Camo” all-black pattern cladding and two bright red tow hooks up front. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq XRT

Arguably most important is the rubber: You get 235/60R-18 Continental CrossContact ATR all-terrain tires. To top it all off, the XRT offers additional drive modes, all toggled with a “TERRAIN MODE” button on the steering wheel: Snow, Mud and Sand. A standard Ioniq 5 only gets the first mode, and it does without these camo pattern flourishes in the interior. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT

Admittedly, it’s a bit silly, and not for everyone. “Does it look less embarrassing in person than it does in photos?”, Deputy Editor and resident IEVs off-roader Mack Hogan asked me. Why yes, Mack, it does; I’d argue that it’s an interesting look while being far more subtle than your average Jeep Wrangler Cry for Help Edition that’s about to hit the same trail. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

The concept here isn’t entirely new. Even Hyundai admits that the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally plays in the same sandbox, and I’d add the Rivian R3 to that list too (although it’s a ways off.) Yet as much as Americans love going off-pavement, this is still such a white space in the EV world. I’m surprised no one’s done this sooner. At least one Hyundai product planner told me they expect it to be reasonably popular, but specialized; about 10% to 15% of new Ioniq 5s sold are anticipated to be XRT models.

In my experience with off-roading, the most important thing I’ve learned is to know your limitations. Make no mistake: this set of enhancements sets the Ioniq 5 up for light off-roading, not extreme rock-crawling. Those front hooks may function just fine, but in the rear, the only recovery option is your standard tow hook. It doesn’t have height-adjustable suspension, or differential locks or anything you’d get on a dedicated off-roader. There isn’t even a spare tire.

Let’s just say the Rivian R1S won’t lose any sleep over this thing. Again, think Crosstrek, not 4Runner.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

Still, Hyundai did make some sacrifices to improve its off-road capability. Those tires and the extra ride height come with a range penalty. The XRT’s sole configuration is dual-motor all-wheel-drive with the larger 84-kWh battery. It’s EPA-rated for just 259 miles of range, down more than 30 miles from the Ioniq 5 SEL and 10 miles from the loaded AWD Limited model. (If you need two motors and want a range king Ioniq 5, the SE and SEL trims are for you.)

Most Hyundai EVs I’ve tested outperform their stated ranges in real-world driving, but that’s still on the lower end of things these days. You may want to consider if the extra capability is worth it or not. At 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) my car read 190 miles of range at 85% charge—not unlike my Kia EV6 on a very cold day. 

On the plus side, like all non-N Ioniq 5s, it’s made in America and gets a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug with native Supercharger compatibility from the factory. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT

How Does It Drive?

I’ll admit that I was skeptical of the Ioniq 5 XRT at first. I thought it to be a faux-SUV, a cynical branding exercise aimed at making it feel extra American, much as European wagons always seem to get extra ride height and body cladding when they arrive stateside.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

How foolish of me! The truth is that the Ioniq 5 XRT is a blast to drive. While I only got to take it out on a kind of free-form dirt course that involved some reasonably steep hills to climb, and zero time on the street, I found this trim to be quite delightful. 

I recently wrote a story about why EVs are surprisingly effective in the snow. It’s a few things, from a lower center of gravity, more even weight distribution and traction control that can act far more quickly than a gas car can.

On the dirt, the same principles apply. The XRT proved itself to be very stable and predictable when the asphalt ended, and fun to boot. I put it into Sand Mode and made my way around the course for a bit, amazed at how well the immediate power delivery of a dual-motor EV and seamless traction control let me hit quicker speeds—with more control—than I expected. I flung the XRT hard but never felt it lose confidence or slip. 

You get the same 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque as any AWD Ioniq 5 here, and when the asphalt ends it's plenty of juice to have some fun with. 

It’s certainly possible to get the rear end out into a kind of controllable slide on the dirt, but that takes effort or outright foolishness. It’s quick, the steering has a decent amount of feel and the ride quality didn’t seem to suffer much with those tires, although a test on the pavement will be needed to render a final verdict.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

One area where I do wish the Ioniq 5 XRT had more off-road chops is its camera. These cars have a good setup there for parking, but when we were climbing some of the steeper hills, it would’ve been nice to keep the cameras fully on to see my surroundings or know how close I was to brush on either side. Instead, the cameras click off at a certain speed, just like the ones on the regular Ioniq 5. Hey, Hyundai: If you’re serious about your over-the-air software updates, there’s a free idea that everyone will love.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

I’ll add that there’s something utterly charming about seeing all of these Ioniq 5s flying across a dirt course, like some sort of retro-futurist rally. Since the Ioniq 5 is inspired by the works of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the sight evoked the old Audi Quattros or Lancia Deltas, just bigger and in electric form.

At the end of it all, I was a little sad to give it back and switch to the regular Ioniq 5. I want more time in the XRT.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

Pricing And Verdict

The Ioniq 5 XRT trim comes in at $55,400 before destination fees, a healthy $6,000 boost from the SEL AWD I drove at the same event. That’s the trim I suspect most people will end up buying. An XRT is a little pricey, but also about $3,500 cheaper than the aforementioned Mach-E Rally. I’m not entirely sure how directly comparable those two are, since the Ford gets you 160 more horsepower and is marketed much more as a high-performance car; think WRX STI vs. Crosstrek. Then again, Hyundai brought it up, not me.

If your weekend hobby is crawling rocks, the Rivian R1S is still your best bet on the EV side—and a stripped-out old Jeep or Toyota 4Runner is an arguably better one. But that’s not the ideal use case for the Ioniq 5 XRT.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT: First Drive Photos

If you live along a lengthy dirt road, or you frequently deal with bad storms and rough terrain, or you frequently find yourself buried in snow, this is a superb electric option. I actually find myself in the latter category here in upstate New York. This winter we have dealt with the most snow we’ve had in several years, and I could really see where extra ground clearance and dedicated AT tires would give me a big edge.

Case in point: A week after coming home from Palm Springs, I took my Kia EV6 along a winding, mixed asphalt-and-gravel road near my house that happened to be covered in a decent layer of snow. Between the car’s inherent strengths in snow and the fact that I know what I’m doing behind the wheel, the EV6 did fine. 

The Ioniq 5 XRT would’ve done a lot better. And even if it doesn’t put up Crosstrek sales numbers, that alone will make it appealing to a lot of people.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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Few small cars have made such a big impact on me at first sight as the Mini Aceman. It’s about as cute as electric crossovers get with its flat pug-like snout, blistered fenders and generally good proportions. When I saw it in photos, I didn’t think much of it, but in person I quite liked it.

For someone in Europe, like me, it's a strong contender in the quickly growing field of more compact EVs: cars like the Volvo EX30, Dacia Spring, upcoming Kia EV2 and so on. For any EV (or Mini) fans in the U.S., there's just one big problem: the Aceman isn't confirmed to be coming your way. Blame the fact that it's made in China or uncertainty over other potential tariffs or other factors, but Mini's official launch plans for many of its newer EVs in America can best be described as "TBD." 

That's a shame, because it may have proven more popular than you think.

(Full Disclosure: Mini loaned me an Aceman to review in Romania for a few days.) 

What Is It?

The Mini Aceman gets the typical crossover exterior treatment with unpainted plastic around the entire lower part of the car. But at just 59.6 inches (1.51 meters) tall, it’s not fooling anyone: this is a hatchback pretending to be an SUV, and the look is completed by subtle roof rails that add a bit of ruggedness. My tester’s 19-inch wheels sat nicely in the arches and it didn’t look like its suspension was lifted.

Measuring just 160.6 inches (4.08 meters) in length, the Aceman is on the smaller side of what Americans might buy. It’s nine inches (23 centimeters) shorter than a Chevrolet Bolt EUV, but I was surprised to discover its interior is quite roomy. It can just about accommodate four six-footers such as myself, and I had no trouble fitting behind my driving position.

The floor is also not unnaturally high in the rear, so you don’t feel like your knees are being pushed too far up, and headroom is decent. With just 10.6 cubic feet (300 liters) of maximum load volume in the trunk, it is also on the small side and there’s no frunk. If you require additional space, you can utilize the roof rails and install a roof box on the car. If you get one in black to match the contrasting roof, it will look great.

Inside, it is virtually identical to its three-door brother. The focal point of the interior is still the 9.5-inch circular OLED display, which runs Mini’s Android Automotive-based operating system. This is one of the coolest-looking infotainment screens in the industry, and there’s nothing quite like it in another car.

Mini Aceman SE Review

The same knitted plastic material that we saw in the three-door electric Cooper is present on the dashboard and door cards of the Aceman. It has several patterns that differ depending on the trim level, and my Flavoured tester had an orange pattern running across the dash, varying the pattern from one side to the other. I really liked the knitted piping along the sides of the front seats.

What I didn’t like that much is the tiny central storage cubby, which looks like a tall designer sunglasses holder and it doesn’t offer a whole lot more space than one. The nearby cupholders are quite shallow and taller drinks may fly out if you accelerate hard, which you just might given the Aceman’s fun-loving character, stiff and sporty ride and plenty of poke from its single front-mounted electric motor.

How Does It Drive?

The base Aceman E has a 38.5 kilowatt-hour battery pack and a 184 horsepower electric motor. My Aceman SE tester has a more powerful 218 hp drive unit that draws from a 54.2 kWh battery with a usable capacity of 49.2 kWh. It offers up to 252 miles (406 km) of WLTP range on one charge, but in sub-freezing temperatures and snowy roads, it never showed more than 150 miles (245 km) fully charged.

You can precondition the battery on the way to the charger, which should allow you to get close to the maximum charging power of 95 kilowatts, which is pretty low for a modern EV, but it does the 10 to 80% dash in just under half an hour. When I plugged the car in after preconditioning the battery for around 10 minutes on the way to a 150 kW charger, it never pulled more than 45 kW.

The observed efficiency over the weekend I had the car was quite far off the claimed 4.4 miles/kWh. I was getting closer to 2.8 miles/kWh, but it was constantly below freezing and the roads were covered with snow and ice, so I wasn't hoping to come close to the manufacturer's efficiency claims this time. I also had the cabin heating set to nice and toasty and the heated seat and steering wheel on almost constantly.

The Aceman is one of the few EVs where I could feel the battery thermal management turning on and off. There was a slight vibration going through the entire car, like in a combustion engine car but more subdued. It’s not something to detract from the experience, but it makes the Aceman unusual in this respect.

I didn’t get to drive it on dry roads the second time, but this isn’t the first time that I’ve had this car to review. I first picked it up in January, drove it around for a few hours, but when I wanted to set off after taking some photos, it wouldn’t go into drive, and whenever you turned the car on, it turned itself off.

More On This

After keeping buttons pressed for 30 seconds or more, as per instructions from BMW, I performed a hard reset, and it seemed to fix the problem, but I decided to take the car back as it was apparently overdue for a software update.

When I had the car the first time, before the heavens opened unleashing heavy snowfall, I loved the way it drove and found it fun and planted just like the three-door hatch. In fact, it didn’t feel too different at all, right down to its suspension, which is quite bouncy and sacrifices some comfort in favor of Mini’s legendary go kart handling.

As I said at the start, the Aceman is a slightly tall hatchback masquerading as an all-terrain vehicle. Mini has tried to drive that point home by installing the front seats quite high, and I couldn’t get the driver’s seat low enough to really feel connected to the car. This isn’t an issue in the three-door hatch, but it is in the Aceman and I'm pretty sure it was a choice on Mini's part.

With the seat all the way down and the steering wheel pulled all the way up and toward me, I still felt like I was sitting on the car rather than in it. Sure, this age-old car journalist cliché is overused, but that’s exactly how I felt in the Aceman, especially comparing it to the three-door Cooper and other Mini models.

The driving position was my biggest gripe with the Mini Aceman, and maybe the ride could have been just that little bit more cossetting. But it’s a fun EV that puts a smile on your face, and it’s just the right size to keep it feeling nimble and maneuverable while not compromising massively on interior space.

The Verdict

For American buyers who typically favor larger crossovers and SUVs (and Mini sells the new Countryman in the U.S.), the Aceman's absence may not seem like a significant loss, but it seems like a missed opportunity—regardless of whose fault that is. 

The Aceman blends Mini’s signature driving fun with the practicality of a (tall) five-door hatch, offering a characterful alternative to more generic small EVs. For now, tariffs and production localization issues mean this quirky, fun-sized electric Mini will likely remain a forbidden fruit in the States for some time.

Whether or not buyers would have embraced it, we’ll never know, but if you ask me, it deserved a shot.

Amid a flood of software-defined cars packed with screens and automation, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid feels rudimentary.

As I got behind its wheel for the first time, the seat squab and backrest felt narrow. Touching the non-heated steering wheel when it was 16 degrees F (-9 degrees C) outside sent an icy jolt across my body. I had to roll the front windows down and stick my hand out to push open the manually folding mirrors.

Yet, when the hybrid powertrain fired up, it started in pure EV mode, silent and vibration-free. It then drove on battery power at slow speeds in the city and while coasting on the highway, the engine seamlessly kicked in with the build-up of speed. This formula of being frugal, simple and efficient, resonates with tens of thousands of American buyers. Toyota sold 35,289 Corolla Cross Hybrids in 2024, an impressive 128% growth over the year before.

It’s not a sales champ; that accolade still belongs to the bigger and roomier RAV4 Hybrid, which found over 200,000 buyers last year. However, the electrified Corolla SUV is a core piece of Toyota’s “multi-pathway” strategy, where ICE cars, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell vehicles and pure EVs coexist. After selling over a million electrified vehicles in the U.S. last year—the vast majority of them hybrids—Toyota’s approach has proven effective, even if it has come at the cost of a sluggish transition to EVs.

So, should the Corolla Cross Hybrid be on your radar if you’re car shopping? I put it through its paces in various conditions—including a nighttime drive through a brutal snowstorm—and found that its hybrid powertrain is both an asset and a limitation. Its shortcomings can be resolved if and when Toyota finally decides to fully electrify the Corolla moniker, something that has been long overdue.  

(Full Disclosure: Toyota loaned me a Corolla Cross Hybrid for one week in New York City. It arrived with a full tank of fuel and I returned it likewise.)

Design And Dimensions

The Corolla Cross Hybrid’s design has remained unchanged since it began reaching dealers in 2023. It has only seen minor model year upgrades since, like the darkened Nightshade Edition. It bears little resemblance to its sedan namesake and there’s no cohesive family design language at play here.

Up front, an oversized grille dominates, flanked by chunky wraparound LED headlights that look disproportionately large for a small SUV. The profile gets a dose of ruggedness from black cladding, but that fizzles out at the rear, which is bland. It blends into the swarm of nondescript crossovers on the road and nothing here really is head-turning.

The blacked-out 18-inch alloys and dual-tone paint are the only elements adding some flair to an otherwise forgettable design.

It measures 176.1 inches long, 71.9 inches wide and 64.9 inches tall, with an 8.0-inch ground clearance. The RAV4 Hybrid is bigger on all those fronts, measuring 180.9 inches long, 73.3 inches wide, and 67 inches tall with a ground clearance of up to 8.6 inches. After dozens of Uber and Lyft rides in the RAV4 Hybrid which is ubiquitous in New York City, I can safely say that it’s a roomier and comfier option.

Cabin And The Tech

Sitting in the rear, with the driver’s seat adjusted to my 5’7” frame, my knees had just enough room. Space is not its forte and taller passengers would be better off with the RAV4. It’s cramped in the front too, with tiny door pockets and a narrow seat squab. You can never really share the center armrest with the co-driver because it’s not adequately wide for two elbows to rest at the same time. Four average-sized adults can manage short trips, but they’d need breaks to stretch out over longer journeys.

This is where an EV brings undeniable advantages when it comes to cabin space. The Corolla Cross Hybrid’s interior is sandwiched between the internal combustion engine up front and the hybrid battery mounted under the rear seats. The battery also eats into the boot space, raising the height of the boot floor. Removing the internal combustion engine, driveshafts and traditional transmissions allow carmakers to make roomier cab-forward cabins, while integrating the high-voltage battery into the floor.

On the tech front, the Corolla Cross Hybrid feels like a crossover of the bygone era, and that’s not necessarily a negative trait. There’s a delightful number of physical buttons and switches that don’t require you to take your eyes off the road. The drive selector and climate settings are all embellished in chrome and have a satisfying tactile feel. The steering-mounted audio and call buttons are just good old-fashioned plastic switches, easy to decipher and memorize.

While I’m not a fan of large screens, the ones on the Corolla Cross are undersized. Navigating New York City’s maze of bridges and streets required me to stare at the central 8.0-inch screen longer than I would have liked, just to make sense of the small icons and tiny Google Maps direction arrow. Relying on the audio alerts to avoid missing turns felt safer. The 4.2-inch gauge cluster also does not display navigation information, which is frustrating.

But the central screen—small as it is—is snappy. During my week-long test, I didn’t notice any lag or frame drops. It supports both wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The former connected to the vehicle flawlessly every time I entered the vehicle.

The screens are also excellent at relaying drivetrain, efficiency and energy stats. I’ve always been a fan of the “Energy Monitor” on Toyota and Lexus hybrids which showcases real-time illustrations of the EV driving ratio, power source for the wheels and regenerative braking. It’s intuitive, the green color coding makes it easy to read and tracking the real-time efficiency of the vehicle is effortless.

The Brilliant Hybrid Powertrain

Speaking of efficiency, the hybrid Corolla reigns supreme. Like its design, the SUV has little in common with its sedan sibling. It shares its underpinnings with the Prius.

The noisy 2.0-liter, four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine generates 169 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. It’s supported by a 4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery mounted under the rear seat, which powers three electric motors: two at the front and one on the rear axle. The combined output is 196 hp.

The first electric motor (motor/generator 1 or MG1), mounted at the back of the engine, switches the car on silently and seamlessly switches the engine on or off when needed. MG1 also charges the lithium-ion battery using engine power when energy runs low. MG2 is linked to the transmission (E-CVT) and spins the front wheels. It can do that independently or along with the gas engine. It also doubles up as a generator for brake energy regeneration.

This primarily front-wheel-drive configuration turns into all-wheel drive under low-traction conditions thanks to the third electric motor (motor/generator rear or MGR) on the rear axle. This AWD setup is surprisingly simple. Unlike traditional all-wheel-drive vehicles that use a mechanical driveshaft to distribute power to all four wheels, the MGR has no mechanical connection to the rest of the drivetrain. It only kicks in under low-grip situations. The result of all this years-old techno-wizardry is phenomenal fuel efficiency.

The calculated fuel economy over 150-odd miles of driving in mixed, city and highway traffic conditions in freezing weather was 37 miles per gallon. In the city alone on a separate efficiency test, I got 42 mpg, with the vehicle running on pure battery power for a whopping 70% of the time, according to the on-board energy monitor. For the mixed conditions test, however, I switched between Normal, Eco and Sport modes and drove normally for the vast majority of the drive at posted speed limits.

According to the EPA, the Corolla Cross Hybrid can save $3,250 in fuel costs over five years compared to the average new car. Its EPA-rated fuel efficiency is 45 mpg for the city, 38 mpg for the highway and a combined average of 42 mpg.

The hybrid powertrain also helps with traction in low-grip situations. All-wheel-drive cars typically sip more fuel than front- or rear-wheel-drive vehicles due to the extra power required to spin all the wheels. But the Corolla Cross Hybrid defies that trend.

A severe snowstorm started hitting the northeast when I was returning from a skiing trip in Connecticut with my friends. Visibility was bleak. I saw at least a couple of rear-wheel-drive sedans spinning out of control due to the loss of traction. The Corolla Cross Hybrid effortlessly and imperceptibly switched between FWD and AWD, delivering power to the rear wheels when necessary, without hurting the fuel economy.

Both my friends were deep asleep for the majority of the drive in the snowstorm, which explains how stress-free that drive was, that too in a primarily front-wheel-drive car. The 50-odd mile drive in peak snow storm delivered an indicated efficiency of 36 mpg. But remember that the on-demand E-AWD is not a replacement for winter tires or full-time 4x4 systems with lockers seen on larger off-road-focused SUVs. It can only handle mild traction losses—it’s not meant to climb the Rockies.

Verdict

The Corolla Cross Hybrid starts at a shade over $28,000 before destination, which makes it very appealing considering how sophisticated the hybrid powertrain is. But the top XSE trim I tested cost $34,320 including destination, which strays far into RAV4 Hybrid territory; that car starts at $31,900. That makes it a tough sell when you can get a larger, more spacious alternative with equally impressive efficiency for just a bit more. (Then again, it might be hard to hit that price point as a full EV, although some options like the Hyundai Kona Electric do feel like worthy competitors here.) 

The hybrid system is the Corolla's friend and a foe. While it delivers strong efficiency, it eats into the cabin space and misses out on some of the high-tech features found on modern software-defined vehicles. The engine doesn’t make it a range king either. Even with a full tank of fuel, it had an indicated range of 350 miles. Sure refueling it would be far easier, but America’s charging infrastructure is growing and many EVs today have over 300 miles of range.

The E-AWD surely helps with efficiency and traction, but it’s no match for the brilliant systems in pure EVs. In that snowstorm, all-wheel-drive Teslas were effortlessly overtaking me—electric motors are simply better at adjusting the power output more seamlessly, allowing for more precise traction control.

Adding hybrid power to the Corolla Cross makes it a compelling proposition. The MPGs I saw were hard to argue with for anyone who wants to save money on fuel and emissions and not worry about challenges like charging infrastructure. And it shows how much promise the humble and versatile Corolla—available across the world in wagon, sedan, crossover, petrol, hybrid and crazy hot hatchback forms—still has even today. 

But I'm looking forward to the day when the Corolla can go fully electric too. That's the choice that's missing from this "multi-pathway" approach, and if it ever happens, it could be a true game-changer. 

Correction: A previous version of this article said the Prius was FWD only. The Prius is available in both FWD and E-AWD options. We regret the error.

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

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Of all the new electric vehicles headed to the U.S. market in 2025, the Polestar 4 is definitely one of the ones I find the most interesting.

Like a Toro y Moi album, the Polestar 4 kind of defies genres. It's a four-door sedan, but a tall one, shared more like a coupe, but with a wagon-like rear-end. It is considerably wider, taller and longer than the familiar Polestar 2 sedan, though due to the latter's lack of many configuration options in the U.S. (thank anti-China tariffs for that) the Polestar 4 is actually cheaper. And unlike the rest of the Sino-European-American Polestar family, the Polestar 4 is built in South Korea at the Renault-Samsung factory. 

Oh, and it doesn't have a rear window. At all. Cameras do the work of seeing out the back instead. 

I'm not the first person to draw a comparison between Polestar (itself a spinoff of Volvo) and another Swedish car brand, the gone-but-not-forgotten Saab. But the Polestar 4's quirks come off especially kind of Saab-ish. Will that be enough to propel Polestar to the mainstream success it needs, though?

Reviewer Jack Scarlett over at the UK's Fully Charged Show gave the new Polestar 4 a go, and despite its quirks—or perhaps because of them—he thinks it has the juice. His review is worth a watch in full.

Jack didn't have the best first impressions of the car. He didn't love the proportions or the overall design vibes, which he doesn't think fit well with the rest of the Polestar line. He also didn't appreciate the automatic pre-warming functions in colder weather, although I can't say I'd mind that myself. The lack of physical controls is frustrating, he said, especially for things that should have them, like window functions.

But on the road, it's a different story. "I think this might be one of the finest long-distance point-to-point vehicles that I've ever had the pleasure of driving," Jack said. "I must've done 300-odd miles in the last 24 hours and it's just eaten them up." Road manners are outstanding and the performance is "immense," he said: in dual-motor form it puts down 544 horsepower and can do zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. It's efficient, too. Even in hard driving and English winter cold, Jack averages an impressive 3.0 miles per kWh. (In U.S. spec, the dual-motor Polestar 4 is rated at 270 miles, or 434 km, of range.) 

Polestar 4 Interior

While he continues to be frustrated with the use-the-touchscreen-for-everything approach to controls, Jack is super impressed with the Polestar 4's plush, modern and sustainable interior. "This is quietly expensive," he said. "Everything you touch is lovely. Everything you touch is vegan." And Polestar puts a big emphasis on its environmental impact, so that may be a major selling point for some EV shoppers. 

In the end, Jack is largely very impressed with this sedan-coupe-wagon chimera of an EV. Can it be enough to make Polestar the competitive, Porsche-fighting luxury brand it wants to be? We'll soon see. Because these days, you either have to be a volume-seller brand or a high-margin luxury one, or some combination of both; being Saab doesn't cut it anymore. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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Audi's been in the electric-vehicle game for longer than most people might think. The E-Tron SUV—later renamed the Q8 E-Tron—hit production in 2018, years before we'd see anything of the sort from Mercedes-Benz or Cadillac. In that way, it's one of the OGs of the modern electric era. 

But the Q8 E-Tron hit its limits in recent years. Sales declined as other EVs came to market, and Audi could only do so much with an electric SUV with gas-car origins. 

Now, the German brand is taking its battery-powered lineup to the next level with a much-needed addition: the Q6 E-Tron. It's a midsize crossover—the exact type of vehicle Americans crave—that packs a bunch of new technology under the hood.

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron.

I got to drive the Q6 E-Tron late last year and came away impressed. What Audi's got here is its most solid competitor yet to cars like the Cadillac Lyriq and, the elephant in every EV conversation, the Tesla Model Y. 

[Full Disclosure: Audi put me up in a hotel in Healdsburg, CA, and fed me so I could test the Q6 E-Tron.]

You can hear my thoughts on the Q6 E-Tron and learn all about its new platform and software in the video above. And, if you want to read a deeper dive, check out my colleague Kevin Williams' first drive review from last year. 

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In general, I really liked the Q6 E-Tron. It's got sharp styling that's decidedly not jelly-bean shaped. (Looking at you, Mercedes.) All EVs are relatively quiet on the road, but the Q6 E-Tron delivers a truly serene driving experience thanks to especially insulated motors and some other engineering work. 

Plus, this is Audi's longest-range EV ever, with a respectable 321 miles in its rear-wheel-drive trim. I didn't get to test out the Q6 E-Tron's real-world charging performance—sadly, that's not a part of most media drives—but it's supposed to be pretty darn quick. That's all thanks to the new 800-volt platform that the Q6 E-Tron shares with the Porsche Macan Electric, its cousin under the Volkswagen Group umbrella. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron.

There's also a new, more powerful electrical architecture and a revamped user interface, which I thought was one of the better efforts from a legacy automaker. 

The only major caveat here is this: You can't learn all that much about an EV until you actually live with it for more than an afternoon. Once we get a Q6 E-Tron to test out, we'll be sure to update you all on its charging speeds, efficiency and more. Any burning questions? Let us know in the comments below. 

Got a tip about the EV world? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com

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Last year was a good year for Zeekr. Despite growing anti-China tensions, a softening Chinese economy, and overall weirdness in the EV market, it’s been largely nothing but net for the Sino-Swedish brand. It doesn’t even sell cars in America but it still stole the show at CES, while announcing that it’s sold more than 15,000 units since it started selling cars outside of China en masse.

That’s not bad, considering the fact it’s a new brand with oddly shaped, oddly named models that are hellbent on straddling traditional sedan or crossover segments. The not-quite-a-subcompact Zeekr X and Polestar-4-with-a-rear-window Zeekr 001 “shooting brake” are generally good cars, but they’re not really direct competitors to the Model Ys or BMW X3s of the world. 

This thing, however, is. Meet the Zeekr 7X, and it may be the poster boy for the Geely Group’s plans for world domination—um, er, a global increase in sales.

That plan means it needs to make things that normal people want and can identify with. The Zeekr 7X looks might be the brand’s most traditional offering yet: a midsized (or compact if you’re American) crossover aimed right at the heart of the market.

When I was in China late last year, Zeekr’s representatives snatched a base model 7X from a Shanghai-area dealership and let me tootle around town for a little over an hour. My time may have been short, but make no mistake, folks: This crossover is poised to put a real hurt on some of the biggest names in the compact to midsized crossover market. 

(Full Disclosure: Zeekr gave me the keys to a 7x from a random Shanghai Zeekr dealer while on a trip to China.)

What Is the Zeekr 7X?

By now, I’d hope that over the dozens of articles we’ve written here at InsideEVs (many of them by me), you’d be pretty familiar with Zeekr. Zeekr is another Chinese brand with deep European roots brand under the Geely umbrella.

It does a lot of technical development for all of Geely’s brands, including some platform sharing with Volvo and Polestar. Zeekr is a premium brand with luxury aspirations, sitting adjacent to and sometimes slightly above Tesla. Currently, the brand makes a gaggle of full EV models, including a luxury van, compact crossover, sporty sedan, and station wagon (aka a shooting brake.)

The 7X is Zeekr’s first attempt at a traditional upright SUV or crossover in one of the most popular segments across the world. Underneath, it’s closely related to the very good Zeekr 007 sedan. Both use the same variant of the Volvo-Geely SEA chassis, both cars have Zeekr’s 75 kWh Golden Battery that can sprint to 80% in as little as 10 and a half minutes, and both have the same single or dual motor setup good for up to 636 horsepower.

It’s state-of-the-art for modern EVs with an 800-volt electrical architecture boasting a maximum charging speed of more than 500 kW in China. Charging time does increase slightly to 10-80% sprint in 13 minutes on Europe’s fastest DC fast charger, 360 kW. 

Oh, and like the Mix and 007 sedan, the 7X has the same optional “Stargate” panel that can display custom messages and greetings right on the front of the car. Zeekr itself says the 7X is meant for families, so it resisted the urge to coupe-ify the roofline in the name of aesthetics. This is meant to be a practical luxury crossover, folks. 

As a whole, the Zeekr 7X is handsome, even if it looks like probably the least interesting vehicle from the brand. It’s a well-proportioned car, there’s very little front overhang, the glass is upright, and it avoids falling into the coupe-like trap of other crossover SUVs where they try and pretend like they aren’t as tall or big as they really are.

It feels unmistakably like an SUV, although the clean styling and tasteful side surfacing don’t let it feel like a huge, bulky thing. Technically at 190 inches (4860 mm) long it’s bigger than cars like the Mercedes Benz GLC or BMW X3, but like the Nio ES6, I think most Americans would consider this an entry-level compact crossover. It’s nice, but compared to the out-there designs of the X, Mix and 001, the 7X feels kind of pedestrian. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s just a thing.

Inside, the Zeekr 7X’s interior is downright sumptuous. Perhaps it’s the ivory and gold interior that’s doing a lot of heavy lifting, I love cream-colored leather interiors, but it’s just so damn nice. Like other Zeekr products, the brand shows attention to detail that I haven’t seen from so-called aspirationally premium manufacturers for a very long time. All materials are immaculate; there are soft-touch leather surfaces on all touchpoints, Alcantara on the headliner and abundant room for both rows of passengers.

In a few modern Audi or BMW products, it can be easy to find the oft material or trim piece that feels a little too downmarket for the car’s price point. In the Zeekr 7X, you’ll have to really search for those pieces. A Q6 E-Tron’s interior might have a few uncharacteristic cheap materials cheap for its MSRP, but the 7X’s swanky interior and lightning-quick infotainment screen feel like you’ve got away with highway robbery.

How Does The Zeekr 7X Drive?

I might be the only person who has driven so many SEA-platform vehicles and isn’t a Geely or Volvo employee. They’re all generally good, these cars. I have yet to get behind the wheel of a dynamically poor one, they’re all generally well-resolved, even if some of them have a bit of a weight problem.

The 7X is no exception to this rule. Like the 007 it is closest related to, the 7X feels well-sorted, at least from what I can tell on Shanghai’s crowded roads. It is pleasant, comfortable, and whisper-quiet – all important qualities for Chinese buyers. On its face, that’s a very banal read of the 7X, plenty of cars are comfy and compliant. Yet, there’s one thing that stuck out to me the most about the Zeekr 7X: It’s really agile.

When I drove the Nio ES6 and Onvo L60, it was a little off-putting how light and disconnected the driving experience was. The suspension was soft and the steering was light. It wasn’t poorly calibrated, but Nio and Onvo’s engineers clearly had a target in mind for someone who doesn’t want to feel the road at all. Zeekr’s clientele is different because the 7X’s steering is relatively communicative.

The crossover corners fairly flat for a Chinese-market luxury crossover with no inherent sporting pretensions I think the Nio and Onvo would need a bit of market-specific tuning to be palatable to Western audiences, but Zeekr’s7X feels pretty much good to go. I see why Ethan Robertson, owner of the YouTube Wheelsboy called the 7X the “best handling Chinese EV yet.” It kind of is.

And this was all in the standard range, 416 hp RWD unit with no real options. Not sure if any buyer really needs the bigger battery or extra traction and power from the 637 hp AWD model.

So, What Does This Mean For Us?

I’m not going to give our American audience any hope here, because things don’t look all that good right now. The idea that Zeekr will somehow miraculously come to the United States in the near future is pretty slim even considering Zeekr’s new Arizona office and its (officially, anyway) nonchalant attitude toward growing anti-China sentiment codified in U.S law.

In the time since I went to China to talk with Nio and drive a few Zeekrs, geopolitical tension between the U.S. and China has gotten significantly worse. It’s not clear what the hell is going to happen with any EV subsidies or development over the duration of the Trump administration. 

But, the 7X is still important for several reasons. One, for our audience members outside of the U.S. who do have access to Zeekr, its next model just might cement the brand as a real competitor in markets outside of China. We know the Zeekr X and 001 are generally good cars, but they’re odd vehicles that kind of don’t fit in. The Zeekr 7X is good, and it’s of a size and shape that’s familiar to consumers. It’s an approachable model, that if priced right, could really put a dent in the sales of EVs of this size and class from established brands. Especially if this thing DC fast charges as quickly as some have experienced.

Secondly, it bodes well for Geely’s brands that are marketed toward us. The 7X may never reach the U.S. or Canada, but a Polestar or Volvo based on this car’s guts could potentially leapfrog the EV efforts of big brands that can’t seem to figure it out. 

Whatever the case, the Zeekr 7X proves that China’s got what it takes to compete on the global stage. And the rest of you guys had better watch your back.

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com

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I tend to travel a good amount for work, and when I do, I often drive a lot of different vehicles. One of my least favorite exercises is figuring out where I can stuff suitcases into a pickup truck. Do you put them in the bed? What happens if you hit a bump, or have to swerve suddenly? Will they be safe there if you park for a bit? You can stuff them into the cabin, but then you risk hurting your upholstery and you lose seating space. Who wants to do that? 

Lots of electric vehicle owners have flexed for their friends by pulling suitcases out of a frunk. Every electric truck on sale right now has a pretty generous frunk, probably in part to address that very problem. But Rivian takes things to the next level, and it's a perfect example of why I'm excited about the EV revolution.

I borrowed a 2025 Rivian R1T Dual-Motor Performance truck with the Max Battery over the holidays, and I can honestly say I've never driven a truck better at hauling different types of gear than that. It's because of the R1T's signature Gear Tunnel feature that comes standard on every Rivian truck.

2025 Rivian R1T Gear Tunnel

You might've seen this before. It's nothing new, of course. While the R1T and R1S got significant updates for the 2025 model year, including upgraded software, a new electric architecture and fewer components overall, the Gear Tunnel has been around since the R1T debuted in 2021. But this test was my first real experience with the feature, and I think's a remarkable example of the potential of packaging in the EV era. 

Here's how it works. The R1T combines body-on-frame construction (think a conventional truck, like a Ford F-150 or a Chevrolet Silverado) and unibody qualities (a more car-like way of making vehicles like the Honda Ridgeline). Being electric, the R1T does not have an engine upfront or a driveshaft tunnel running through the body to send power through the wheels. This allowed designers to add a hollow cargo space right behind the cabin that's discreetly integrated into the truck bed itself. 

2025 Rivian R1T Gear Tunnel

The space inside the tunnel is 65 inches (1651 mm) long, 18.1 inches (460 mm) wide, and 20.3 (515 mm) inches high. While it's long but narrow, it offers 11.7 cu ft (331 liters) of total extra storage space. It was enough to fit two medium-sized, non-carry-on suitcases we had for our trip, plus other items like coats or all of the stuff for our dog. (For a pomeranian, he somehow doesn't travel very light.) 

The tunnel can be opened with buttons on the bed rail, the Rivian smartphone app or the central infotainment screen. Each tunnel door can be opened independently of one another. Those doors can also support up to 250 lbs (114 kg) each, so they're perfect for taking a quick seat when you're out camping, for example. The doors themselves even have smaller storage compartments of their own. 

2025 Rivian R1T Gear Tunnel

The best part of this, I'd argue, is the inclusion of 12-volt and 110-volt outlets inside the tunnel. That means when you've locked any valuable electronic stuff away from view—say, laptops or cameras—you can charge them while they're in there. That's a great use of this EV as a mobile energy storage unit, as many trucks are leaning into as they work to offer extra degrees of capability. 

Granted, the Gear Tunnel isn't perfect. Rivian could be doing a bit more with the feature. The previously announced Camp Kitchen—a literal mobile cooking unit that attached to the tunnel and ran off the electric battery—now seems permanently MIA. A Rivian spokesperson confirmed this to me recently: "Our recently introduced Travel Kitchen replaced Camp Kitchen," they said. "You can use it anywhere, with or without a Rivian. We prioritized a design with the best attributes of Camp Kitchen that is useful and approachable to anyone, not just R1T owners."

2025 Rivian R1T Gear Tunnel

As it does, the aftermarket has picked up the slack, and now we're seeing the Gear Tunnel get specialized gear of its own from third-party shops. Rivian said it's actually excited about this: "We’re exploring ways to engage the aftermarket community in a more formal way, but for now, we offer a wide range of accessories on the Gear Shop that are thoroughly researched and tested to safely use with our vehicles," the spokesperson said. 

It's a remarkably useful feature, especially for a truck that already comes with a pretty generous frunk of its own. And I think it's why EV packaging is going to be such a big deal in the future. 

For the past century, automotive design has centered around one fairly immutable principle: You have to put the engine and transmission somewhere. This has, pretty much without exception, meant car design has revolved around having an engine up front in almost every case—mid-engined exotics and rear-engined cars like the Porsche 911 or Alpine A110 notwithstanding. A good variety of vans have had their engines mounted in the middle over the years, too. Our safety regulations are built around these rules as well, and that's why they so influence modern EV designs.

Yet any way you package an engine or a transmission, you cut into space that can be used for other things, like seating or storage. If an EV only has to account for its floor-mounted batteries, electric motors and certain essential components, it can be built and packaged in all sorts of novel ways. We've only really seen a few examples of this at work so far, most notably EV frunks. But we know there are promising concepts out there trying to build on this idea.

Lexus LF ZC Doors

Take Toyota, for example. It's late to the game on competitive modern EVs. But we know designers and engineers are working on a next-generation platform that will move beyond the "gas car stuffed with batteries" approach and open up new design possibilities. The first car to use that platform should be a Lexus sedan. When I asked Toyota executives in 2023 why they chose a sedan for that project, they said it was because they wanted designers and engineers to squeeze out as much space as they could from a smaller body; an SUV or minivan would present fewer challenges on that front. From this, they want to innovate further. Adding things like steer-by-wire can also increase interior space. 

Canoo Interior

Another example was the EV startup Canoo. Despite declaring bankruptcy recently and never really presenting a viable business plan, you have to admit Canoo had a first-rate design game (and I hope some company takes that and runs with it). Modular commercial and delivery vehicles, all built on a common platform and with potentially interchangeable bodies? It's a killer idea. Kia seems to be taking up its mantle instead, and I'm sure others will follow. 

For now, at least, the Rivian R1T's Gear Tunnel is one of the most impressive—and practical—features I've experienced on any modern car or truck. It may not be a wholesale reset of how cars can be designed, but it shows what can be done when internal combustion components don't need to take up space anymore. And as that idea catches on, the sky may be the limit when it comes to car design.

2025 Rivian R1T Gear Tunnel

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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Ever since the EV conversion game got going, I’ve been waiting for this one to happen. It’s a car loved the world over, nearing the end of its fourth decade, and remains a benchmark: It’s time for the NA Miata to ditch the gas and go electric. At this point I’ve no doubt there’ll be pearl clutching and smelling salts being whipped out to calm the nerves of the hardcore driving enthusiasts lurking in the corner. There’s a reason for that: In its original form the Miata is symphony balance, modest performance and lightweight excellence. Will removing a gas heart take away some of the fun?

I drove the electric version to find out. 

This Miata is a creation by the UK’s Electrogenic. The company’s been in the conversion game for a fair ‘ol while now, taking the oily motors out of classics, popping batteries and electric motors in their place. Each of its projects adapted to its use case. A Land Rover Defender will have a different power and torque curve than, say, an electric Porsche 911. The company chooses its hardware carefully, before hooking it up to its own software to ensure each component communicates with everything else.

The car I got to play with for a spell is an example of the firm’s bespoke offerings. Clients can bring a beloved car to Electrogenic, give them an idea of what they’d like performance and range wise, then engineers will do the hard part. If a model is popular enough—like the classic Mini, Jaguar E-Type and the Miata—they’ll create a kit for it and let anyone who’s keen get one installed. Then there’s more commercial conversions, like the Electrogenic kits that are installed in military Land Rovers, and finally some wider industry work. 

This Miata comes with a 42 kWh battery, along with a motor that puts out 160 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque (numbers measured at the wheel). Electrogenic says it’ll get you from 0-62 mph in around six seconds and up to 115mph. That's quite a bit quicker than a stock NA Miata, which takes between 8 and 9 seconds to hit 60. Electrogenic says with a CCS charger it’ll top up in about an hour, which isn’t too shabby at all. Range sits at 150 miles+ says the firm, so it’s either a commuter car or an A-A solution, though with its decent charge speeds a leisurely road trip isn’t out of the question. Pricing for the Miata kit that’ll come from this bespoke offering is still to be announced. Considering the kit for a classic Mini is about $31,000, and the basic set up for a Jaguar E-Type is around $81,000 (before install costs), expect it to sit somewhere in between.

There are few cars like the Miata. A product of the late 1980s, it was designed to be a modern interpretation of the British sports cars of the 50s and 60s. Being Japanese it’s also well built and reliable, neither descriptors you'd apply to its inspiration. The Miata’s recipe has been the same since day one: small footprint, light weight, "pure" driving experience and modest power. The combination is a strong one, as drivers all over the world love the things, and there’s a huge community around them. Engine swaps aren’t uncommon. Superchargers, V6s, V8s, and lord knows what else has been slung under the hood, so an EV switch doesn’t seem too beyond the pale. 

Weight is a key concern with a Miata. Batteries are heavy, and to maintain a decent power to range balance you need a few of them to make the endeavor worthwhile. The Electrogenic version is 220 lbs heavier than a traditional gas NA Miata. The extra power should help make up for that.

It’s still a turnkey job, though it beeps rather rumbles on startup. You can throw it into drive and away you go. Three drive modes are available: Normal, Sport and Eco (as well as two speed limiters for 20 and 30 mph requested by the London-based owner of this particular car). In normal mode it’s decently quick, the throttle responds instantly, firing torque to the rear wheels. With no stick shift, the single gear neatly flings you along smoothly, calmly even. The cabin is remarkably quiet, too. There are few squeaks and rattles from components bolted together nearly more than three decades ago.

In Sport mode, the new powertrain comes into its own. Throttle response is heightened, and I found myself getting braver in the corners. I was on a track, away from other traffic, so had the space to stretch the car a touch (not too much as it’s privately owned). Despite the extra weight, it still feels nimble and the steering remains utterly sublime. A progressive throttle means that keener drivers can play with the car mid bend, though you have to be mindful of how the car puts power down in Sport mode on a greasy day. If you go a touch too early you might end up with a slippery rear end. Using the Miata as intended reveals that replacing the engine with electricity is no bad thing. It’s still hilarious fun to give it some beans. It's thankfully not overpowered, either. Too much power would overwhelm, but the 160 horses on offer are more than adequate. Eco mode is less exciting, but keeps power and throttle response in check for better range. It’s still a neat way to get around. 

An odd sight.

Before you reach for the phone, there will almost certainly be a sticking point: the price. It won’t be a quick and cheap conversion at all, and when you can pick up a used Miata for a fraction of the price of the kit the idea becomes one for the truly committed.

Right now, your options for a convertible two seat EV are pretty small. It’s an MG Cyberster or… a different MG Cyberster. Creating your own is a pretty smart move. You can still get your kicks, but not burn any fossil fuels at the same time. The car doesn’t lose any character, and the performance boost is a big positive. There are plenty of cars that benefit from the conversion to EV, usually big ‘ol cruisers or the sort of things that benefit from huge power. I’d worried the Miata, a car with roots in light weight and simplicity, would suffer. It hasn’t. You may miss the noise and the manual gearbox, but an electric Miata still has plenty of ways to put a smile on your face. 

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We used to laugh at how bad Chinese cars were 10 or 15 years ago. They were a constant topic of ridicule on Western auto sites and shows. We watched those crash tests that showed cars’ structures collapsing like an accordion, and, at the time, we never thought Chinese cars would be any good. Boy, how things have changed.

Now, Western automakers are looking to Chinese manufacturers for inspiration and help. There's no better example of this than the Leapmotor T03, a tiny Chinese city car aimed at the Dacia Spring. While Leapmotor has only existed since 2015, it designed the T03 fully in house, and produces the battery pack itself. The result is a cheap, cheerful, impressive EV. It's so good, in fact, that one of the largest Western automakers has decided to buy in. 

Little Leapmotor made Stellantis—a major European-based car conglomerate with over a dozen automotive brands under its belt—admit defeat. Like many Western automakers, Stellantis recognizes that it can't compete with Chinese brands on cost. Instead of trying to beat them, Stellantis entered a joint venture with Leapmotor to allow it to produce Chinese cars in Europe, allowing it to circumvent hefty import duties.

Stellantis invested $1.5 billion in the company, giving it a 20% stake in Leapmotor. Perhaps more importantly, it has a 51% stake in Leapmotor International, the export side of the business. The company plans to export cars around the world, and even build the TO3 at a factory in Poland. Stellantis is not the only automaker that has teamed with a Chinese partner, but it is the first to bring a Chinese car and assemble it in Europe.

When I asked the local Leapmotor importer here in Romania about where my T03 press tester was manufactured, they said it likely came from China. However, Leapmotor officially began European production in a Stellantis factory in Poland in September of 2024. That plant will make both the T03 city EV and a larger battery-powered SUV called the B10, both of which are already on sale throughout Europe.

This is an impressive little car, especially when you know the entire story behind it, and it was for me a real eye opener since I've not had the chance to drive that many new Chinese cars. If this small EV from a small, fledgling Chinese automaker is this good and there are automakers from the People's Republic with a lot more resources and know-how, this is a sign that the global auto industry is being turned on its head.

How Big Is It?

Measuring just 142.5 inches (3.62 meters) in length and 65 inches (1.59 m) wide, the T03 is about two feet shorter than a Chevrolet Bolt EV and a bit narrower too. This gives it slightly unusual proportions—it looks a bit tall and narrow—but this makes the car very easy to maneuver in tight urban spaces, and the interior is surprisingly roomy given its footprint. 

With the driver’s seat set to my driving position (I’m about six feet tall), I had just about enough knee room not to feel trapped. My head did touch the headliner in the back seats, though, so traveling back there would get tiresome after half an hour. Still, two slightly shorter passengers could travel for longer in the back of a T03 in relative comfort.

Even though it’s a slightly bigger vehicle with a longer wheelbase than its main rival here in Europe, the Dacia Spring, the T03 allocates more of its interior room for passengers, and it has a very small trunk. It offers just 7.4 cubic feet of cargo space, and the hold looks pretty tiny. But you can easily fit your weekly shopping in there. You can also fold the rear seat to free up 31 cubic feet for when you occasionally need extra space.

Does It Look Good?

Even though the T03 debuted last year in Europe, it was launched in China almost five years ago and hasn’t been restyled since. It’s starting to look a bit dated compared to rivals like the much more rakish BYD Seagull, which will come to Europe in 2025 and cost about the same.

The T03 has a cute face that reminded me of one of the pig characters from the mobile game Angry Birds. It looks very upright and tall from the front, but if you move more to the side of the vehicle, you see that its roofline subtly dips toward the rear. The best compliment I could pay the rear end is that it matches the design of the front very well.

It rides on 15-inch wheels with tall and narrow 165/65 tires, which surprisingly don’t look too small for the body. They are also quite inset, and this makes the car look a bit ungainly. During my time with the car, I kept thinking that with some larger wheels that fill the arches better the T03 could look a lot better.

What’s It Like To Drive?

With its relatively narrow track width and tall body, you’d think the T03 wouldn’t be too at home taking a corner briskly. This was one of the first things I tried with the car, and I was surprised to discover that even pushing it into a corner, it never felt like it was going to topple over—far from it, actually.

The steering, while not very quick in terms of ratio, provided more feel than I was expecting, and I could feel when the front end grip was about to run out. Sudden direction changes also didn't faze it, even if there was a bit of body lean. Driving this car, I was reminded just how much more stable EVs generally feel with a belly full of batteries keeping the center of gravity low.

It helps that the T03 is very light by electric car standards, weighing in at 2,590 pounds (1,175 kilograms). That’s hundreds of pounds less than a GMC Hummer EV’s battery pack. The benefit of this low mass is very nimble handling and a feeling of agility that you don’t get from many EVs.

The T03 gets its oomph from a single motor driving the front wheels. It produces 95 horsepower and 116 pound-feet (158 Nm) of torque and propels the T03 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 12.7 seconds, on to a top speed of 81 mph (130 kph). It feels much quicker than the Dacia Spring, and it pulls better than you expect given the leisurely on-paper sprint time.

It stops well too, with disk brakes on all four corners. I did notice that if you turn the steering wheel while under braking, the car seems unsettled, but the stability control program keeps things in check.

The three driving modes (Eco, Comfort and Sport) not only affect pedal mapping and power delivery, but they also change the strength of the regenerative braking. You have no other way of controlling it, so if you want a certain regen feel, you must stick to the mode that offers it. In any of the modes, regen never feels particularly strong—I wouldn’t call this a one-pedal EV.

Does It Have Toys?

Surprisingly for a car this cheap, the T03 comes with many standard features. You get a large panoramic glass roof (with an electric retractable sunshade) and a suite of ADAS functions (mandated by EU law for all new vehicles), including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane keep assist and speed limit recognition. It even has a drowsiness-detecting camera pointed at your face at all times.

While all of the ADAS systems seem to work, they are all a bit intrusive and annoying, each with its own chime that gets on your nerve after driving the car for a while. Listening to all the beeps before turning the safety systems off by going through each individual setting in the infotainment was probably the worst part of the T03 driving experience.

Bluetooth connectivity is standard but without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto support. This is why my test car came with an aftermarket head unit, which can mirror your phone, but it’s not necessary given the 10.1-inch infotainment display. Its graphics look a tad pixelated but have a logical Tesla-inspired menu structure, and it generally works quite well.

You will find yourself using the central screen a lot in this car: You use it to change driving modes, change climate settings, turn on the lights manually or adjust anything else since there are no physical controls. I used it most often to turn off the audible speed limit warning sound, which is mandated on all new cars sold in the European Union, and it’s absolutely infuriating.

Most manufacturers offer an easy shortcut to disable this system, but you must go through all the menus every time to do it in the T03. The driver gets a decent 8-inch display, which does the job without standing out. The car has its own 4G internet connection, which makes it compatible with over-the-air updates and runs the navigation app without requiring your phone to be connected.

You get rake adjustment for the steering wheel and seats covered in what felt like a surprisingly high-quality fabric material. The seats look good too, and they offer much better lateral support than the seats in the Dacia Spring.

How Much Range Does It Have?

With a 37.3 kilowatt-hour battery, the T03 is rated for 165 miles (265 km) of WLTP range. That cycle is generally more optimistic than the U.S' EPA figures. When I got the car, the battery was 99% full and displayed an estimated range of 116 miles (187 km). That’s pretty decent for an electric city runabout, and it'd likely get closer to the WLTP estimate on a warmer day.

Leapmotor points to the claimed urban driving range as being much higher than in mixed driving. The urban WLTP rating goes up to 245 miles (394 km), although even with the lightest right foot and perfect conditions, this seems like a stretch for a vehicle with a sub-40-kWh battery pack.

Unlike the Dacia Spring, which has an air-cooled battery pack, the Leapmotor actively controls its battery pack temperature. That should help the battery last longer, as air-cooled packs tend to struggle when exposed to high temperature. But it doesn't have a heat pump, which is sad if unsurprising for a cheap EV. The range estimate also doesn’t change in real time when you turn on cabin heating like it does in most other EVs, but it adjusts as you drive around.

Unlike the Dacia, the Leapmotor includes fast-charging capability standar. The T03 can replenish its battery at up to 48 kW, which is good for a 10 to 80% charge in 55 minutes. It’s not even close to making the list of EVs with the highest charging power, but since most buyers will probably plug in at home most of the time, using the car’s 7.4 kW onboard charger, it should be fine.

Driving the T03 mostly around town, its displayed efficiency number got very close to 5 miles/kWh, which is pretty good, although it’s a bit less efficient than a Spring. If you drive it gingerly in town, you could probably get it to exceed that figure.

Is It Good Value?

The Leapmotor T03 costs €20,000 ($20,830) here in Romania, which is about the same as in other European Union countries and twice what it costs in China. The actual price buyers pay drops to €15,000 if you factor in the €5,000 you get from the Romanian government, and similar EV incentive schemes exist in many EU countries, helping spur EV sales. The incentive used to be €10,000 or up to half of the vehicle's value in Romania, but it was capped at €5,000 in 2024, following the recent European trend to reduce or eliminate these incentives altogether.

Leapmotor has a deal with Stellantis, which allows it to assemble the T03 in Europe. The car I drove came from China, but Leapmotor wants to build its cars in the EU to avoid paying the hefty import duties that were put in place last year. That may partially explain why it's so much more expensive here than it is in China.

The manufacturer announced in January that its vehicles were on sale through 400 Stellantis outlets in Europe, and it planned to increase that to 500 in 2025. Even though it went on sale here in September of last year, I haven’t seen any T03s on the road in the area where I live, although I have seen quite a few brand new Dacia Springs.

Since the T03 is more expensive than the Spring (which is sold as Dacia, a Romanian brand), it probably won’t match its popularity here. However, it is a slightly fancier car with more performance and range. It’s arguably a better EV than the Spring, and the price difference is justified. I think they should have called it something catchier than T03, though. The name is not especially memorable, and it also needs a facelift since it looks a bit old-fashioned parked next to a new Spring or some of its other competitors.

Still, the TO3 shows just how far Chinese automakers have come. A decade ago, no one would consider importing a Chinese car. But these days, a brand like Leapmotor—not even one of China's biggest names—can do something Stellantis can't manage on its own. While it may not be as attractive as the Spring, the T03 is a better EV, and further proof that Western automakers can't afford to ignore Chinese competitors. And if they can't beat them one on one, teaming up may be a better path.

More EV Reviews

Mercedes-Benz has been in the van business since 1896, just a few years after the first gas car was born. The company bills itself as the creator of the “world's first work van,” and for nearly 130 years, people have used those vans to haul products, people and their entire lives. Now, for the first time, Mercedes’ van arm has a fully electric option: the eSprinter.

I drove the eSprinter recently. I had a 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat loaner before it, and I drove the Hellcat to a video shoot with a huge production crew I was meeting for the first time. Once I unloaded the Hellcat, the fleet that switches out my review cars pulled up in a massive, tan Mercedes eSprinter. The Hellcat’s earth-shaking engine rumble had been replaced by a silent electric van the size of a house. Everyone was deeply confused. 

Thus began my week with the eSprinter, a van that starts at about $60,000 in America. I got the “cargo van” version, meaning it has two seats up front and an empty rear compartment for hauling. When I opened the back of the eSprinter, I saw a giant wooden crate and freaked out a little, thinking someone forgot an important item. I pried it open with tools, hoping the contents would be legal and safe, and found that it was just a box of rocks.

Mercedes (or someone) put the rocks in the eSprinter so it handled appropriately—not like it was empty—while I drove it. No one warned me. I laughed out loud. 

The eSprinter has “standard output” and “high output” versions, with the standard one offering 134 horsepower and the high output offering 201. The van has 295 pound-feet of torque, and the power goes to the rear wheels.

I drove the car hundreds of miles in my time with it, and my two main takeaways were: Public charging is too expensive for how constricted the range is (I paid $64 for a 90 percent charge and 172 miles of range), but for people who work in the city and can charge the van privately, it’s almost perfect. It has all the functions of a regular work van with all the benefits of an electric one, like regenerative braking and the ability to sit in the air conditioning (or heat) without spitting exhaust fumes in the air. The only big issues are that visibility isn’t great, and even with regenerative braking, I couldn’t get the car to engage in true one-pedal driving. 

The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter shows how efficient and convenient electric work vans can be in the city. If you want to learn more about the van and take it on a drive with me, check out the video at the top of this story. 

More EV Van Stories

As the predicted arrival state of charge ticked down to 11%, I gave Meg a nervous look. It was time to turn around. We had hoped to make it Rainbow Viewpoint, the highest overlook in Bryce Canyon National Park. But 80 miles of below-freezing country roads stood between us and our hotel, and I wasn’t sure if our Blazer EV, Gorbo, was going to make it.

We turned around.

We pulled into the hotel a couple hours later with 18% left in the battery. We could have made it, but the Blazer’s overly cautious range readout gave us pause. Midway through my 1,200-mile EV roadtrip, I was both glad that it was conservative, and annoyed that it caused me to bail on a beautiful vista. I trusted it, but it still pissed me off.

That about sums up my first six months of Blazer EV ownership.   

Bryce Canyon is one of my favorite places in the world, and it stings that I missed out on exploring more of it. At least we got to hike in and across the canyon.

What’s Great

I love driving the Blazer EV every day. Mine is a 2024 LT AWD, which came with extra launch edition goodies and is equivalent to today’s 2LT. It’s a quiet, refined car with excellent software.

It’s also big. On our 1,200-mile road trip from San Diego to Utah, we packed the thing full up with camping gear, coolers, tables, chairs, extra clothes and everything else. We even slept in it, with the area behind the seats big enough for two grown adults—though both of us are under 5’ 7”.

The built-in software also rocks. Having Google Maps onboard means I never miss having Apple CarPlay. I also like that I don’t have to worry about losing the connection to CarPlay, or always having my phone. It means I can leave my house without my phone for errands, and still listen to Spotify or navigate effectively.

I also love that it has actual ground clearance. With 7.9 inches separating its lowest part from the pavement, it’s higher up than any other mainstream electric SUV. A Kia EV9 gets close, but a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6 has a much more car-like 6.1 inches of clearance. Even Jeep’s first electric SUV is worse, with a disappointing 6.4 inches of clearance. Between this, the large cargo area and the cavernous back seat, the Blazer EV is by far the best electric option if you—like me—want to be able to take four adults camping or hiking off a dirt road. 

I brought an absurd amount of camping gear, cargo and food on our trip, and I could still see out the rear window.

If you want something better, you’ll need a Rivian, a G-Wagen or an electric pickup. All of those options are far more expensive. 

Plenty of ground clearance and short overhangs make the Blazer EV a decent fire-road companion. But with a long wheelbase, eco tires and no spare, it's not exactly ideal for anything too adventurous. 

What’s Just Fine

The EPA range figure for my Blazer EV LT AWD is 279 miles. That’s acceptable for the class, but still a bit of a pain on road trips.

Realistically, you’re never going to run it down to 0, nor charge it to 100% most of the time. And because the Blazer’s route prediction software tends to lean conservative on making sure you arrive with more than 10%, I arrived to most of my charging stops with closer to 20% battery. Since charging speed is already slow and drops dramatically above 80%, I was basically only using 60% of the battery. That meant only covering around 160-180 miles between stops. And I was still stopping for 35 minutes on most occasions.

So range wise, I consider it acceptable. It’s similar to what you’d get from an AWD Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5, and there’s a higher-range, rear-wheel-drive version available. Yet my trip was a good reminder that you really want closer to 350 miles of EPA range if you do frequent road trips. I’ll note that most people do far fewer road trips than they claim to, and that the more frequent stops meant I arrived in Utah far fresher than times I’ve white-knuckled an eight-hour trip. 

This was the only large charging station for miles around, so we had to wait in line. Annoyingly, there were literally 120 Tesla Supercharger stalls at the same rest stop, but none of them were open to other automakers.

Driving dynamics are also worth filing under “just ok.” The Blazer is a big, heavy crossover, and there’s no real excitement to behind the wheel. Its 288-horsepower powertrain packs 333 lb-ft of torque, all of which is available from a dead start. So it’s plenty punchy for daily driving. Dip into the throttle, though, and you’ll be reminded that this is a 5,300-lb porker that'll run out of steam pretty quickly. It handles itself admirably in corners given the weight, and I’d put it above a Toyota Rav4 or Ford Escape, but don’t come here looking for fun. It’s merely acceptable.

So too are the sound system and seats. The Blazer is plenty quiet and soft-riding on the highway, but its middling speakers and seats have me eyeing Cadillac Lyriq owners with envy. A speaker upgrade may be in the future. The seats were absolutely fine for 1,200 miles of driving, I just prefer a plusher setup. 

What Stinks

The MyChevrolet smartphone app, for starters. It frequently takes close to a minute to tell me what my state of charge is, and remote start commands seem to fail half the time. A helpful person on the forums pointed out that sending a lock command first can help wake the vehicle up, and that’s helped improve my success rate. A clever Redditor noted that the MyBuick app works for Chevies, too, and seems to be more consistent. I assume that’s because Buick owners use the app less often, and there are fewer of them. Even with these workarounds, though, the app experience is slow, clunky and a decade behind Tesla.

Don’t even think about using it to initiate Tesla Superchargers. Despite GM supporting them via the app, the native Tesla app is orders of magnitude more consistent. It’s also nicer to use. Of course, you wouldn’t have to use either if GM EVs supported automatic payment and charge initiation at Tesla Supercharger. You know, like Rivian and Ford do. But GM doesn’t.

I must also note that while I loved having access to Superchargers, there’s a steep price for the convenience: Looking and feeling like an asshole.

Look at this jerk, parked up in the gravel like a menace. The Rivian owner understood my pain. 

I had to park across two stalls in most instances, and on the gravel in another. Getting close enough to the Supercharger station for the puny cord to reach also required me to get in and out of the car, nudging ever closer. It is an indefensible user experience, though not GM’s fault in the slightest. It’s just a sad truth that the nation’s only great charging network was built around one set of cars, and infuriatingly inflexible.

On the way back, I stopped at a V4 Supercharger station with 100 stalls, and cords that could reach either side of the car. It felt like a beautiful future, rather than the patchwork, frustrating present. Charging times are also on the longer side. A 350-kW charger can get me from 10-80% in 40 minutes on a great day. 

Isn't it beautiful? All of the cars charging in harmony, with no one being scowled out for taking up two stalls. Now if only there were bathrooms.

That's extra annoying when it's cold. Our Bryce Canyon experience shows why the winter range leaves something to be desired. We had a 160-mile round trip from Springdale, Utah to Bryce Canyon, with maybe 20-30 miles in the park. With a 279-mile EPA range and a starting charge of 100%, you'd think we'd be set. But it got down to around 8 degrees the second morning, and the 4,000-foot elevation gain on our way to Bryce rocked our efficiency. So for rural road trips in the cold, you need more range.

Finally, I’m unimpressed with GM’s quality control. I still hear a faint rattle from the headliner, despite having it replaced. My panoramic moonroof often requires two or three or 11 attempts to get it to close, as its pinch sensor seems to panic right before it seals. I’ll need another dealer visit to address these things.

That’s three dealer service appointments so far, if anyone is keeping score. (I am.)

It is absolutely wild that this is the officially recommended procedure for using the nation's best charging network.

My Take So Far

I’m still extremely happy with the Blazer, for one reason: It’s cheap. I’m paying $8,000 over two years for this experience, and that strikes me as fair.

It’s not seamless. The road trip experience is inelegant and requires planning. This isn’t a Tesla where you can get in and go without any thought on your part. You need adapters. You should probably use a third-party route planner. And you may have some quality issues.

I knew those things going in. So what I’ve gotten is a comfortable, decently stylish, extremely practical SUV for a bargain price. It comes with a learning curve, but that’s the whole point for me. I’m trying to see how an EV fits in my life. The answer is it doesn’t slot in naturally, perfectly replacing the gas-car paradigm I’ve had built into my head.

It's also proof that GM has some things to work on, now that it seems to be getting a lot of people onboard with its EV revolution: namely software, charging access and quality. 

But this car comes with a lot of advantages. It’s cheaper to run, quieter, smoother and nicer. The built-in technology feels like it’s from the smartphone era, not from a self-checkout machine. And it’s making me even more optimistic. This is the worst the EV ownership experience will ever be, and it’s still pretty damn good. It just takes a bit of curiosity, a bit of flexibility and a bit of improvisation.

It’s an adventure, and I’m enjoying the ride.

Correction 2/5/25 at 1:50 PM ET: An earlier version of this article mistakenly said that the Blazer's navigation system says it cannot charge at Superchargers. That is incorrect, it says that by default but you can update the system via the charging filters option, after which the car will find and route to Superchargers properly. We regret the error.

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

More Long-Term Reviews From The InsideEVs Fleet

Winter has well and truly arrived in New York. With temperatures hovering below zero for the past week and a fair bit of snow persisting on the ground and ice on the roads, conditions have been perfect for testing out our BMW iX's new all-weather tires.

If you haven't been following along, I've been bringing monthly updates on our experience living with a 2024 BMW iX, which we leased just over a year ago. 14 months and over 14,000 miles in, we've been generally very happy with our funky-looking SUV.

However, one of the complaints from last winter was a general lack of confidence while driving in inclement conditions. The iX has standard all-wheel drive from its dual-motor configuration, even in our lesser xDrive50, so there's no issue with the distribution of power.

Rather, it's the ultimate grip provided by the Goodyear all-seasons that felt underwhelming when snow or slush covered the road. So, we slapped on a set of Remedy WRG5 tires, kindly provided by Nokian for our testing.

After numerous runs through the snow and ice, I've been quite impressed with the improvement in low-grip performance. 

I've used Nokian's dedicated winter tires on my cars for years now, swapping to studded Hakkapeliitta options when the flakes started flying. The company's Hakkapeliitta EV tires made our previous car, a Tesla Model Y, absolutely unstoppable in the snow. But I didn't really want to deal with the hassle of swapping wheels and tires twice a year on the BMW.

These all-weather Nokian tires did make for a barely noticeable increase in road noise but, based on my testing, didn't impact efficiency. And in the snow, they're far more predictable than the Goodyear all-seasons that were on there. In deep snow and ice, the car offered consistent, confidence-inspiring grip. When it did slide, it did so in a predictable, even fun way. 

Yes, I can now actually enjoy driving the iX in the snow instead of having to tip-toe my way wherever I'm going.

The grip isn't anywhere near the same as Nokian's studded options, or even that offered by a dedicated winter tire like a Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin X-Ice. But it's plenty good enough for us to summit our lengthy, steep driveway even when unplowed, and that's exactly what I was looking for.

That said, the car itself doesn't seem happy with them. Nokian didn't offer an exact fitment to match the stock 235/60 R20 tires, so I went with a slightly wider, slightly shorter 255/55 R20 instead. They fit fine, but since I set the manual tire size in the iDrive system, we now get a warning about tire pressures every single time we start up the car. "Check tire pressure at your convenience," it says constantly. Pressures are always within the recommended range, always in the green, yet still, I get the warning every time. It goes away after a moment or two, but I'd prefer it went away for good. 

I also had a strange issue with the app. I use my phone, a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, as the key to lock and unlock the iX. This has worked well. But curiously, about a month ago, the car simply disappeared from the My BMW App. The digital key still worked fine, but I couldn't see any trip information nor could I precondition the car. Given how cold it's been, that was a real frustration.

Then, after a few weeks of absence, the car simply returned to the app, and I could view and control everything like normal.

In better news on the app front, my wife and I were struggling with sending any requests to the car from the app, having only inconsistent success. Preconditioning, viewing the cameras remotely, getting state of charge, any request like that had about a 50/50 chance of actually working, regardless of how strong a cellular signal the iX had.

But, after last month's software issues and having to manually reboot the thing, those requests have been working flawlessly. I don't know what was going on beneath the digital hood of the car's telematics system, but as is often the case in all things digital, a forced reboot seems to have fixed the problem. 

Finally, in more practical matters, the iX again proved its cargo prowess by swallowing a 7.5-foot-tall Christmas tree without having to leave the hatch open. With the base of the tree stuck between the front seats (wrapped in a blanket to save sap from getting on the upholstery), our tannenbaum tucked in there nicely, and the hatch closed without complaint. 

Yes, we had a fair few needles to clean up afterward, but on the positive side, it proved far more pleasantly effective as an air freshener than a little tree hanging from the rear-view.

As the temperatures have dropped, the car's efficiency has necessarily declined as well. We had an unseasonably warm start to the winter, with temps often in the 40 to 50 degree Fahrenheit range through November. In these conditions, the iX delivered 3.1 mi/kWh on my wife's commute route on mostly secondary roads. That's still above the 2.9 mi/kWh EPA rating. 

The BMW iX Story So Far:

Once the temps dipped below freezing and into the single digits, the efficiency dropped to 2.5 mi/kWh on the same route. As an extreme test, commuting when temps were around -10 degrees, it fell to 2.3 mi/kWh. That would make for a theoretical maximum range of 242 miles at exceedingly frigid temperatures—roughly a 25 percent drop from the 307-mile EPA rating. 

I'll keep tracking that as we get deeper into our second winter, and cross into 15,000 miles covered.

We're still in an era when most automakers are working on getting just one decent electric vehicle into their lineup. But the Hyundai Motor Group has several great EVs to choose from, all with different sizes and personalities but first-rate specs for range and charging. Many even include Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plugs from the factory.

Yet as popular as options like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 are these days, the EVs from luxury division Genesis fly a bit more under the radar. That is, in part, because Genesis is still building out its U.S. and global dealer networks. But if you can get access to Genesis where you live, and you're looking for a more upscale EV option, the brand actually has two models that are worth looking at.

And here's the wildest part: While both are electric crossovers, they could not look and feel more different. 

Genesis GV60 and Electrified GV70

Last year, I had a chance to drive both the Genesis GV60 and the Genesis Electrified GV70, both of which are due to receive significant updates soon. Which one is right for you? Let's dig in and find out.

Genesis GV60

2024 Genesis GV60

The GV60 is actually one of my favorite EVs on the market right now, even though it's one you don't see all that often. That makes it all the more special.

It's a bit like an Ioniq 5 in a colorful, bespoke suit that's worn with a black sweater and all-white sneakers. That look isn't for everyone, sure. But it's incredibly striking. The GV60 has a sleek, rounded body that stands in stark contrast to the Ioniq 5's Giugiaro-inspired angles and the Kia EV6's low-slung wagon-like vibes. Add in a minimalist grille, a unique double-stacked headlight setup and back doors that curve into the tapered rear end and you have a recipe for a car that looks like nothing else on the road. 

2024 Genesis GV60

However, the inside is the real treat. My GV60 Performance tester had Bentley-like cream white diamond-stitch leather seats, brushed aluminum and Alcantara accents, and a panoramic screen sweeping across the dash with a Genesis-specific software skin. Other goodies include Genesis' face-recognition system for door unlocking, carpeted floor mats and an overall much quieter cabin experience than a comparable Kia or Hyundai.

I also simply must mention the Genesis' GV60's crystal sphere, one of my favorite features on any car, period. When the GV60 is parked, the gear selector knob rotates away and reveals a crystalline orb full of glowing lights in customizable colors. Is it necessary? Not at all. Is it cool to look at? Absolutely. Genesis describes it as an additional safety measure, a way to know that the car is in fact not ready to drive yet. But I just think it looks neat and adds a unique touch to the car. 

2024 Genesis GV60

The GV60 also benefits from using the same platform as those aforementioned Hyundai and Kia models. That means it boasts an 800-volt electrical architecture which enables 235-kW fast-charging speeds. It can charge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes using a 350 kW fast charger. That makes the GV60 one of the quickest-charging EVs you can buy. 

The base GV60 starts at $53,700. As of this writing, the 2025 GV60 keeps the 77.4 kWh battery seen on slightly older model Hyundai and Kia cars. It comes in Standard RWD form good for 294 miles of range; Standard AWD at 264 miles of range; Advanced AWD with 248 miles of range; and the top Performance model with 235 miles of range. Hyundai's new 84 kWh battery is expected to join the lineup at some point, as will a NACS plug, though that has not been revealed yet.

2024 Genesis GV60

As it is built in South Korea, the GV60 does not qualify for EV tax credits unless it is leased.

My 2024 model-year GV60 Performance came in at $71,320, with the only option being the Atacama Copper paint upgrade (a kind of rose gold) for $575 extra. With 429 horsepower on tap—up to 483 horsepower in temporary Boost Mode—this GV60 was an absolute hoot to drive. It's as cushy and comfortable as any top-tier luxury car out there, but can easily smoke most gas-powered cars it might run into. It emphasizes comfort and straight-line speed more than handling, but the upcoming GV60 Magma may have something to say about that. 

Genesis Electrified GV70

If the GV60's vibe is avant-garde luxury for EV fans who have a mental shortlist of their all-time Citroën designs, then the Electrified GV70 is its far more conservative and conventional cousin. This one's a standard gray or black suit with a tie; leave the sneakers for the gym. 

2025 Genesis Electrified GV70

Now, that doesn't mean it isn't handsome, or comfortable. It's certainly both. The GV70's crossover shape is defined by that rear window folding into the C-pillar, and on the Electrified model, the all-silver grille that also includes the charging port. (On the GV60, it's in the rear, as with most other EVs.)

The Electrified GV70 is also notable because it does not ride on the E-GMP platform like the GV60 and the other Hyundai Motor Group EVs. Rather, its platform is heavily adapted from the platform of the gas-powered GV70. It is built on the same assembly line. Yet Genesis still snuck in an 800-volt electric architecture, so it can fast-charge at speeds of up to about 240 kW and also juice from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes using a 350 kW fast charger. Not bad at all. 

2025 Genesis Electrified GV70

Inside, it's toned down only slightly from the GV60, but equally as nice. There's no Crystal Sphere here but there is a lot of leather, plenty of soft-touch materials and the big "Boost Mode" button on the steering wheel. The one I drove had an elevated 14-inch (356 mm) touchscreen above the dash, while a digital gauge cluster above the steering wheel evokes a more gas-car-like experience. But for 2026, both displays have been combined into one massive, 27-inch (686 mm) OLED display.

Don't think it's all about interior tech. The Electrified GV70 is no slouch when it comes to speed, either. You also get 429 hp here, with up to 483 hp in Boost Mode, putting its 0-60 mph time in the three-second range. Of the two, it seems slightly the better handler, and perhaps even capable of taking on lower- and mid-tier Porsche Macan trims directly. (We'll see how the electric version of that car stacks up, of course.)

2026 Genesis GV70 Electrified Tesla NACS

For its new 2026 model year, the electric GV70 does in fact add the larger 84 kWh battery; range was previously estimated at 236 miles on the old battery. Genesis has not offered range estimates for the new one yet. The GV70 does have the GV60 beat on cargo space, however. It offers 28.7 cubic feet to its brother's 24.7 cubic feet, and its overall trunk size and shape make it more practical for family gear-hauling. 

Families will have to settle for a bit less choice. The Electrified GV70 offers fewer trim levels than the GV60 does. Its sole AWD trim starts at $66,950 and only offers the Prestige package. That brings Nappa leather surfaces, a panoramic sunroof, head-up display and other upgrades to the GV70 for $6,800 extra. The Electrified GV70 now also officially offers a Tesla-style NACS port, and it remains upfront as before. 

2025 Genesis Electrified GV70

The new Electrified GV70 is built in Alabama, and thus should qualify for a $7,500 EV tax credit when purchased. It will arrive at North American retailers in the first half of 2025. 

Both are quick, fun, great at fast charging and plenty fancy inside. But which one is right for you?

Why Buy The Genesis GV60?

You should go with the GV60 if...

Overall, the GV60 is a unique, underrated choice that offers speed and comfort in equal measure, and won't disappoint you when you want to go fast. You also get more options on range with this model. 

Why Buy The Genesis Electrified GV70?

You should go with the Electrified GV70 if...

Genesis GV60 and Electrified GV70

The Electrified GV70 may fly under the radar, but it's quietly one of the more enjoyable EVs on the road right now. The main catch is that its 236-mile range may not be for everyone's tastes. We'll see if the 2026 battery bump fixes that.

After driving both, my money would go to the GV60, but I also realize it's not to everyone's tastes. Which would you pick? Let us know in the comments. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More Genesis EV News

Since the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric hot hatch debuted a year ago, all I’ve heard is praise. Fellow car reviewers told me it ripped, slamming down its 600-plus horsepower with all-wheel-drive and a bunch of fake engine noises. They didn’t care that it had no gas; it had the spirit of a gas car, and that made it a hoot. But before driving the car, I couldn’t comprehend it. Was 600 horsepower and some fake noise really enough?

A few weeks ago, I finally drove the Ioniq 5 N. It’s not as good as they said—it’s way better.   

What Makes a Hyundai ‘N’ Car?

The Ioniq 5 N debuted in 2023 as the first electric car under Hyundai’s performance “N” brand, starting at $66,000. The I5N has 601 hp, 545 pound-feet of torque, and all-wheel drive as standard, as well as an “N Grin Boost” mode that provides up to 641 hp for 10 seconds. (If you want to adjust the AWD, you can toggle power distribution between the front and rear wheels on the infotainment screen.) The car also has a 0-to-60-mph time of 3.25 seconds, an EPA-estimated range of 221 miles, launch control, drift mode and “N” modes that simulate the sounds and shifts of a gas car.

On paper, the Ioniq 5 N sounds like a ripper. But there are two big differences between it and most performance cars like it: The N badge has only been around since 2012, compared to decades-long tenures for performance badges like BMW’s M or Honda’s Type R. Plus, the I5N is electric. It’s not easy to make a crossover-shaped Hyundai EV into a performance icon. 

The Hyundai N brand works like most other performance nameplates. The automaker begins with an existing model—like the BMW 3 Series, Honda Civic, or Ioniq 5—then makes performance upgrades to craft those cars into the M3, Civic Type R or Ioniq 5 N. The performance models benefit car enthusiasts by giving them something to buy, and they also benefit the automaker because they make the “normal” models look sportier.

Historically, those models are gas-powered, and that’s a far easier platform for creating a performance car. Gas cars can feel, sound, and drive far differently from each other, depending on their engines, transmissions, torque curves, natural aspiration or forced induction and more. The behavior of a four-cylinder gas engine is miles away from that of a V8, and the same goes for a manual transmission versus an automatic.

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But EVs? They’re similar. They all have whip-fast acceleration due to instant torque, and they all have power bands that are almost perfectly linear. They don’t have the revs or gear shifts ICE car fans are accustomed to, and they’re all silent by nature. The biggest difference in how EVs accelerate is their relative power figures, and they often lack emotion because of it. It’s hard to imagine the Ioniq 5 N as a rowdy hot hatch, because rowdiness is personality, and EVs too often put personality on the backburner. 

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: An EV That Acts Like a Gas Car

But the I5N’s main goal, from what I can tell, is personality. Every time I read or watch a review about the car, the person driving it raves about “N Active Sound+” and “N e-shift”: the modes that switch the car from a silent EV to a simulated gas car. The I5N uses 10 speakers to create its fake sound, including eight inside and two outside, and there are three modes: “Ignition,” which simulates the sound of a four-cylinder gas engine from Hyundai’s gas N cars; “Evolution,” which is inspired by Hyundai’s electric, Ioniq 6-based RN22e prototype and “Supersonic,” which is inspired by twin-engine fighter jets. You can pair those sounds with the N e-shift feature, which simulates an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The magic is in pairing the “Ignition” sound system with N e-shift. I’ve been on two racetracks in the Ioniq 5 N now, and with those features, the car is a blast. It feels like an EV designed by someone who loves gas cars, because it has all the fun and personality of one. It accelerates with the surround-sound grunt of a feisty four-cylinder engine and it downshifts into corners like a blender on the “pulse” function.   

The I5N is better as an EV than it would be as a gas car, even, because it combines all the spunk of a four-cylinder hot hatch with more than 600 electric horsepower. It rips up to speed way faster than any gas-powered hot hatch would, while simultaneously emulating one.

The Challenge of Driving ‘Normal’ EVs on Track

The Ioniq 5 N also perfectly communicates with the driver through its fake shifting and sounds, which eliminates a lot of the negatives of EV track driving. A vital part of track driving is being able to use your senses—sight, sound and feel—to accelerate, decelerate and turn at the right times. For most of motorsport history, humans have driven gas cars on racetracks, meaning most of us use gas-car sounds and shift points as subconscious markers for how fast we’re going.

It’s possible to adapt to the silence and lack of shifting in EVs on track, and people do take fully electric road cars and race cars out there. But it’s more immediately comfortable to hop in an electric car that emulates gas-car noise and power cuts for “shifting,” even if the noises and cuts are fake. The reference points they provide help you adapt more quickly to the car on track, which is huge, especially when EVs present other learning curves. 

The Ioniq 5 N, for example, has batteries under the floor, making it so bottom-heavy that you feel like you’re sitting on top of the car. That’s unlike most gas cars, where the heavy part of the vehicle is the engine (be it in the front, back or middle). When you’re able to lean on the Ioniq’s sounds and fake shifting for acceleration, braking and turning cues, you can focus on adapting to the weight distribution of the car. 

It's on the porky side for a performance car, but it's just as much fun as lighter cars.

Conclusion

The Ioniq 5 N’s only has one major flaw that could prevent it from being the ideal track car: powering it. If you take it there, you have to ask: Is there an EV charger nearby? Are you OK with either booking half-days at the track to avoid battery depletion, or paying for track time you can’t use because you ran out of juice halfway through the day?  

That, to me, is a fixable concern. Battery technology and charging infrastructure will continue to get better over the years, and for now, having a good day at the track in an EV just requires a little planning.

The Ioniq 5 N gives me hope for a future where EVs have all the personality, rowdiness, and power they need on the track. The joy of the car isn’t only what it can do today, but what it foreshadows for the future.

It just happens to be great today, too.

When you look out into the world and see what cars are kicking about, you get an impression of the worlds they live in. Supercars belong in Monaco or Mayfair, Range Rovers next to places with chandeliers in them (same for Rollers), superminis belong in grocery store car parks, and the BMW 3 Series et al should be milling around industrial parks. Where does the Moke International Moke belong then? Beaches, mostly. And anywhere you can find someone willing to be the center of attention.

If you’re trying to place what a Moke is, you may well have heard the name before, albeit with ‘Mini’ in front of it. Looking at the new car, you can clearly see where its lineage lies. The original Mini Moke was first conceptualized in the late 1950s as a military vehicle. A stripped down variant of the city car that got Britain moving, it had no roof or doors, and was designed to be dropped out of planes so troops could cross inhospitable enemy terrain at speed. 

It wasn’t terribly good at that. It was too low, so small lumps and bumps would stump it. The gas motor powering it was also woeful, so once it had been freed—it was light enough for its charges to get out, pick it up and move it—it took a while to reach something else to get stuck on. In the fast-paced theater of war, getting out of your car and slowly going from A to B isn’t ideal. It was later marketed at agriculture types, then civilians, but it didn’t really hit its mark until it found its way to the beaches of the world. 

Small, light, open and with room for you and your closest pals, the Moke was the perfect car to go and do glamorous things in by the sea, before whizzing back to a swanky villa and whiling the evening away drinking wine and saying things like ‘oh, isn’t this just SO delightful..!’ You may have caught glimpses of this life through the screen, as Mokes made their way into various shows and movies. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of The Beatles, The Beach Boys or Brigitte Bardot behind the wheel. As a means for waging war it was cack, but for looking glam in the wild few things came close.  

Today’s Moke is an electric homage to the glamorous Mini Moke of old. From afar, you might think they’re the same size. Get closer and you’ll see that the new car is a little chonkier. About ten percent chonkier, in fact. That’ll be because it’s got four real human-friendly seats fitted to a big ‘ol sled that hides all the Moke’s electric gubbins. There’s a 10.5-kWh battery under the hood, hooked up to a 44bhp (33kW) motor driving the rear wheels. 

Now, the modern Moke here isn’t really a car. It’s a leisure vehicle more than anything else. Its top speed is limited to 50 mph. A highway cruiser it is not, and, if we’re honest, it feels a little, erm, interesting at VMAX. It is VERY exposed to the elements and rather low down. 50mph feels fine when you’ve got a roof and doors, but in a silent, open buggy it’s bizarre. Moke International says it’ll get from 0-30 mph in 4.5 seconds, and it certainly feels brisk off the line. The firm says it’ll manage 54 miles on the European WLTP cycle, but if you’re careful you can probably get a bit more out of it. There’s no fast charging fun here either. You can get to 80% in two hours, and getting the rest of the way takes the same amount of time. 

The Moke International Electric Moke.

For something so simple, it does come with drive modes: normal, eco and beach. Normal is just fine for pretty much everything. Eco numbs the throttle to eke out as much range as possible and makes it feel a bit… lackadaisical. Beach is Moke International’s version of sport mode. Pep is added to its step with few cares in the world. It certainly surprised a few people off the line in Central London’s morning traffic.

Steering isn’t power assisted, so you’ll need to have done a push-up or two in your life to make low-speed maneuvering pleasant. Once you’re up to speed it’s easy. Don’t go in expecting Porsche-sequel feedback from the wheel, though. It turns the car, but doesn't communicate what it’s doing all that well. That said, as its sub-1,764-pound (weight is nice ‘n low, it’s hilariously chuckable. You won’t be doing low speed drifts, but while you’re whirring along you can give the wheel a good yank and it’ll neatly take bends. You’ll find yourself wearing a big grin. 

That soft top doesn't provide much in the way of harsh weather protection.

You’ll also notice there’s little by way of weather protection. You can affix a soft top and big plastic doors, but if you’re hardy you can go without the lot. Everything inside is marine-grade. These things are designed to live by the sea and get wet, so a downpour won’t knacker your seats. Nor will it mess up the speakers. You can take your tunes on the road thanks to a robust Bluetooth setup, which doesn’t sound too bad on the fly.

In its sills you’ll find charge ports, cables, batteries and such. Helpfully there’s a smallish trunk in the rear to store whatever stuff you want to lock away. That’s a small but somewhat necessary nod to practicality in a car where you’d otherwise store stuff by your feet, or risk leaving bags in the back where they’re bound to get pinched. 

The Moke's simple music setup.

Lack of much weather protection aside, there are a couple of things about the Moke that’ll irritate you, given enough time. The sills are quite tall, and quite wide. Getting in isn’t a huge effort if you’ve ever glanced in the vague direction of a yoga class, but if you’re really inflexible, ingress and egress may take some getting used to. If the car’s been standing in the rain for too long there’s a good chance water will be all over the sills, too, and when you drag yourself in the backs of your trousers will get a smidge soggy. It’s not world-ending, but it’s a surprise the first time it happens. No one actively enjoys damp pants. Better to bring the swim trunks. 

You may also be alarmed by the lack of… much on the dash. The cabin is sparse, and while it’s cool in its own way, for $41,900 you’d hope for a bit more by way of pizzazz in the cabin. The music controls look a little rough and tumble, which takes some of the shine off. Moke International’s dials are cool and all, but they’re small dollops of interestingness in an otherwise barren slab of metal. Yes, the point of the car is to get you to and from the sea in outward style, but some beauty on the inside wouldn’t hurt.   

The interior is spartan, but at least it's weatherproof.

If that all sounds peachy and has given you sudden cause to throw ‘electric Moke’ into Google, you’ll likely find more than one. There’s Moke International, and there’s also Moke America. The two are very different, despite making cars that look awfully similar called ‘Moke,’ and they’re entrenched in a legal battle over trademarks. They both want to be the one with their name above the door, and it’s getting immensely complicated. The American Moke has a 12kWh battery, less power, a slower 25mph top speed, takes longer to charge, and will get you 40 miles before needing to be plugged back in. It’s also classified as a ‘Low Speed Vehicle’ by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which means you can’t take it on roads with a posted limit above 35 mph. On the plus side, it’s a touch shy of $20,000 cheaper than the British car.

The Moke International project also has some heavy hitters behind it. The firm recently took Nick English, co-founder of luxury watchmaker Bremont, on board as Executive Chairman. His knowledge of the luxury market isn’t to be sniffed at, and as the cars were appearing in ‘the right places’ before he arrived, they’ll surely end up in even more exclusive garages under his watchful eye. You’ll also find former JLR man David Moore in the Program Manager role - his knowhow will surely mean a few of the current car’s foibles will be under internal scrutiny already. 

Moke America is already selling a different take on the Moke in the U.S., but this version is heading to the States, too.

But let’s be real about Moke International’s Moke. It’s a ridiculous vehicle. It stands out wherever it goes, it’s broadly useless for anything other than localish jaunts when the sun’s shining, it’s hard to get in and out of, and the cabin’s sparse. Despite its shortcomings, it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face though. It’s a happy car for happy people to go around being happy in. And if I could afford one without blinking… I’d probably be very happy indeed.

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