I drove a Lucid Air Pure EV for a week and I was blown away — here's why
No other EV beats its range and efficiency
I’ve already driven the Lucid Air Pure, but it was only for a single day. This time around, I got to spend a full week putting one of the most efficient EVs on the market to the test — to see if it can indeed reach Lucid’s efficiency claim of 5 mi/kWh. That's an ambitious mark, but it’s not out of reach given that the best efficiency I got to date was 4 mi/kWh with the 2024 Lexus RZ 450e Premium.
Beyond efficiency, however, the Lucid Air Pure has a challenging road ahead in trying to convince people to buy it over other, much cheaper EVs on the market. It’s classified as a luxury EV, but the entry price you’ll need to shell out is $69,900. That’s a lot, but not unobtainable with today’s crop of luxury EVs.
I drove a 2025 Lucid Air Pure for a week to find out if this unassuming EV can live up to its claim of being one of the most efficient electric cars on the market — as well as finding out what it offers against the competition. Spoiler alert: it’s not one to overlook! And surprisingly enough, I get to test the base version of the Lucid Air Pure.
2025 Lucid Air Pure: Specifications
Row 0 - Cell 0 | 2025 Lucid Air Pure |
Battery | 84 kWh |
Motor | Single Permanent-Magnet Electric Motor |
Range | 420 miles |
Horsepower | 430 hp |
Wheels | 19-inches |
MSRP | $69,900 |
2025 Lucid Air Pure: Testing summary
Considering that efficiency is one of the core pillars of the Lucid Air Pure, reaching its estimated rating is what I was after most with my week’s worth of driving. After driving a total of 393.5 miles, I was able to reach an efficiency of 4.3 mi/kWh — which to date beats everything else I’ve tested this year.
Even though it’s short of Lucid’s claim of 5 mi/kWh, I’m just happy that it sets a record with my real world testing. Best of all, it proves that EVs can be long-distance marathon runners. This is important because there are still a lot of electric vehicles that barely reach 300 miles of range, so for this to reach 4.3 mi/kWh efficiency gives it just as good of a range against gas-powered hybrid cars I’ve tested like the 2024 Hyundai Elantra.
Just as important, I charged the Lucid Air Pure at home with Level 1 charging. Few EVs I’ve charged at home exceed a rate of 1 mi/hr, but the Lucid Pure Air broke a record, gaining back 65 miles of range in 13 hours and 13 minutes of Level 1 charging. This calculates to a rate of around 4.91 mi/hr. Even if you don’t get a Level 2 charger installed at home right away, you’ll still get a decent amount of range charging it overnight.
- 393.5 driven in total
- Averaged 4.3 mi/kWh in total
- 65 miles of range added back in 13.2 hours with Level 1 charging
- 4.91 mi/hour recharge rate with Level 1 charging
2025 Lucid Air Pure: What I Like
Sporty meets luxury design
With its low to the ground clearance and elongated chassis, the Lucid Air Pure is unlike most sedans you’ll see on the road. The design perfectly blends sporty and luxury into one package, which is made better by how it looks futuristic. These two qualities play an important role in making it the most efficient EV I’ve tested this year, while also making it visually unique to set it apart from other sedans.
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Cool startup light animation
Another delightful part about the design that draws my attention is the neat light sequence that happens whenever you unlock the vehicle with the fob.
The entire sequence kicks off with the Lucid logo on the front bumper as it begins to glow. The light then cascades down to the rest of the bumper with the headlights switching on and is eventually capped by turn signals going into a breathing pattern. It's a cool detail I love whenever I unlock it, plus there’s a similar sequence with the rear lights.
Outstanding efficiency
Like I mentioned already, the 2025 Lucid Air Pure has the best efficiency in any electric car I’ve tested this year. With its 4.3 mi/kWh efficiency, it sets a benchmark for all other EVs going forward. By comparison, the 4-door BMW i4 M50 Gran Coupe gave me an efficiency of 2.9 mi/kWh.
For the average person, this simply means you’ll be able to drive it over long distances without the worry of having to recharge along the way. Considering how 3 mi/kWh is the average efficiency I’d like most EVs I drive to achieve, the 2025 Lucid Air Pure sets the bar very high and makes me spoiled in not having to worry about charging it as often as other EVs.
Large, usable frunk
When I drove the Ford F150 Lightning earlier this year, I was hopeful that more EVs would have usable frunks. Sadly though, the vast majority only offered storage that was probably enough to store their Level 1 chargers.
Due to how Lucid designs its EV, the electric motor sits closer to the rear — which paves the way for the biggest frunk I’ve seen in a sedan. Even though it doesn’t match the cave-like size of the F150 Lighting, it’s still sizable enough that I’m able to do my usual grocery shopping and store everything in the frunk. The only thing missing is an electronic mechanism, which would've been an extra treat.
Spacious interior
The Lucid Air Pure is deceptively spacious. Usually it’s the SUVs that offer the most legroom, but there’s an insane amount of room with the Lucid Air Pure. The backseats have so much legroom that I can almost stretch out my legs before they touch the front seats. Just look at the photo above to see how much room there is.
Meanwhile, I have no problem driving for long periods of time due to how comfortable it is in the driver’s seat. My only criticism is that the low clearance of the roof results in tinier windows that I sometimes smack my head getting into the driver’s seat.
Neat retractable display
One stark design choice I notice inside of the Lucid Air Pure is how it has a minimalist design. There are very few physical buttons around, so it’s dominated by a lot of displays around the dashboard.
Most notably, I love the smaller retractable pilot panel screen underneath the main dashboard. It complements the larger 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display that spans a good chunk of the dashboard, but the way it can be retracted when I’m not using it is just another small detail that makes it unique.
Smooth ride meets zippy acceleration
Another aspect that makes the Lucid Air Pure so fun to drive is its zippy acceleration, due to its powerful 430 hp performance. Combined with its low profile design, it makes for a fun ride with its intense acceleration and tight steering. From a dead stop, I’m able to quickly launch into cruise speed without all of the gear shifting of traditional gas-powered cars. In fact, I had almost had just as much fun driving it as the BMW i4 M5 Gran Coupe.
Traffic Drive-Off Alert
I still get distracted by the smallest things in every new EV I drive, like trying to figure out how to adjust their side mirrors, but what I like about the Lucid Air Pure is it keeps tabs on the traffic conditions ahead of me when I'm not paying attention.
Part of its DreamDrive Pro package includes a feature called Traffic Drive-Off Alert that tells me when the car ahead of me is pulling away while I’m stopped. This audible and visual tone lets me know to start moving the vehicle, so I don’t have to hear someone behind me yanking hard on their horn.
2025 Lucid Air Pure: What I Don't Like
Poor video quality from blind spot cameras
Admittedly, I felt safe driving Lucid Air Pure for the entire week, but for a luxury car, I’m a little disappointed by the poor video quality from its blind spot cameras. Yes, the sensors are enough to alert me when there’s a vehicle in my blind spot. However, the video feed that pops up in the cluster gauge of the dashboard is low quality versus other EVs I’ve tested.
Not only is the quality of the video feed soft, but what’s more distracting is its slower frame rate. The video looks choppy at about 15 to 25 frames per second from my guess. It’s made worse at night though when the video quality gets even noisier.
No way to disengage regenerative brake
I’m a confident driver who's used to how EVs handle, even when they have an aggressive regenerative braking system. But I know there are others who still prefer the traditional driving experience.
One thing you should know about the 2025 Lucid Air Pure is that the regenerative brakes are always on, with the option to adjust the braking level. Part of the reason why the Lucid Air Pure is able to get better efficiency is due to how the regenerative brakes play a critical role in optimizing the battery, but there’s no way to disengage it to act like a normal car. Meaning, when you let go of the pedal, you will instantly feel the car braking.
2025 Lucid Air Pure: Bottom Line
I know very well that the 2025 Lucid Air Pure is out of my budget, but you’re paying more for its outstanding efficiency, ability to go farther than most EVs, luxury features, spacious size, and of course, its eye-catching design. Given how there are more SUVs on the road, this full-sized EV sedan catches attention both for its handling and charming looks. Range is undeniably one aspect about EVs that make car shoppers hesitant about buying them, but the Lucid Air Pure proves that it can go farther and longer than some hybrid cars.
John’s a senior editor covering phones for Tom’s Guide. He’s no stranger in this area having covered mobile phones and gadgets since 2008 when he started his career. On top of his editor duties, he’s a seasoned videographer being in front and behind the camera producing YouTube videos. Previously, he held editor roles with PhoneArena, Android Authority, Digital Trends, and SPY. Outside of tech, he enjoys producing mini documentaries and fun social clips for small businesses, enjoying the beach life at the Jersey Shore, and recently becoming a first time homeowner.
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Corey Carroz
Yeah I love mine. I went in to test drive to check out he Dolby Atmos integration in their Surreal Sound Pro offering and walked out with a car(or at least walked out, sold my wife on it and ordered that night). Really wanted the Turing but only could get the wife to sign off on the Pure. The things we have to put up with for love :ROFLMAO: Still more then happy with the Pure though. Great on a road trip from PHX to Vegas as well.admin said:Arguably one of the most thoughfully designed EVs on the market, the 2025 Lucid Air Pure puts to shame other electric cars with its class-leading efficiency and range.
I drove a Lucid Air Pure EV for a week and I was blown away — here's why : Read more -
Vanko I am just surprised WHY YOU GUYS FROM TOM'S GUIDE are so bad with the math!!!Reply
394 miles with 84Kwh battery means 4.7 miles per Kwh which is very very close to promised 5.0 !!! How you calculated 4.3 for me is just a mystery... -
Carljo I test drove the Lucid Touring and there were some dealbreakers.Reply
Most important- regardless of wheel size the ground clearance is abysmal. Be ready to scrape pebbles. This engineering decision was probably for aerodynamics/range. Unfortunately this only makes sense if you’re driving on a level raceway. I checked the demo under the front and sure enough, evidence of repeated scrapes.
Poor visibility if you like to see out windows. Back window too narrow top to bottom. Another bad engineering decision involving visibility, which was made up for with another strange fix- warping the window like a lens so as to flatten the look of the terrain behind you so you can see everything. Otherwise the top of the SUV following you would be cut off.
I’d say everything else about the car is fine. It looks beautiful from the outside and is maximized for legroom and cargo space as it was built as an EV vs modifying what they already had (ie Mercedes’s, BMW, Volvo etc). It’s more of a sports car in-between the luxury of a Mercedes and a Tesla. It’s noisier than the Tesla. The specs are amazing of course and beats all competition as far as that goes. Most important pluses are range and a battery built for the future. The unique 900 volts insures super fast charging once we have 900 volt chargers eventually (presently most are 500).
The more I test drive EV’s the more I appreciate my GLE350.