2026 Lucid Air Review, Pricing, and Specs

Car and Driver

3 hours ago

Specs See all specs
EPA Est. Range
406–480 Miles
Seating
5 Seats
Cargo Capacity
22 Cubic Feet
Powertrain
Electric
Drivetrain
All-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive
Limited Warranty
4 Years/50,000 Miles
Overview
When it comes to long-distance EV motoring, there's no better choice than the 2026 Lucid Air. With its ability to go far on a fully charged battery and its quick charging times when a stop is necessary, this luxury sedan is unmatched when it comes to EV road-tripping.
The entry-level Pure trim offers enough premium content to justify its price tag, while higher-end Grand Touring and Sapphire models add performance and show-stopping features, including up to 1234 horsepower and a glass roof.
Expert Tip: If you've been waiting for an EV without range anxiety before making the switch to electric, your wait is over. The Air Grand Touring managed to travel an astounding 410 miles in our highway range test.
What's New for 2026?
The Lucid Air gains access to the Tesla Supercharger network this year, and there are other small changes as well. All trims now come with a mobile charging cord as well as a revised air-conditioning compressor, which is said to improve the cooling of the cabin and reduce ambient noise. The Touring trim boasts a longer EPA-estimated range of up to 431 miles, an increase of 25 miles from before. The Grand Touring trim now comes with 20-way power-adjustable seats with heat, ventilation, and massage. A new 19-inch wheel design called Aeronaut is also available on most models.
Pricing and Which One to Buy
The price of the 2026 Lucid Motors Air starts at $72,400 and goes up to $250,500 depending on the trim and options.
Pure
$72,400
Touring
$81,400
Grand Touring
$116,400
Sapphire
$250,500 0 $100k $200k $300k $400k
We'd steer toward the Pure model. It offers a respectable 430 horsepower and 420 miles of estimated driving range, yet it costs significantly less than the upper Grand Touring and Sapphire trims. The Pure also comes with 12-way power-adjustable heated front seats, plenty of driver-assistance features, and a large touchscreen.
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EV Motor, Power, and Performance
EV Motors: 430-hp single motor, 620-hp dual motor, 1050-hp dual-motor, 1234-hp tri-motor
430-hp single motor, 620-hp dual motor, 1050-hp dual-motor, 1234-hp tri-motor Drivetrains: rear-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive
The entry-level Air Pure features a single electric motor driving the rear wheels and produces 430 horsepower. Other models have dual electric motors that provide all-wheel drive and a variety of horsepower ratings: The Touring model generates 620 horsepower, and the Grand Touring makes 1050. The new top dog is the 1234-hp Lucid Air Sapphire, which has three electric motors. The additional motor is mounted at the rear and provides insane acceleration performance to compete with the Tesla Model S Plaid.
Despite riding on conventional steel coil springs rather than air springs, the sedan felt calm and smooth in the appropriately named Smooth drive mode. Our main complaint was with our example's 21-inch wheels on low-profile performance tires that produced notable road noise on a section of coarse pavement.
0–60-MPH Times
In Comparison: The Pure and Touring models' power deficit is more noticeable on the way to 130 mph, which the Touring managed to dispatch in 12.0 seconds versus the Grand Touring, which did it in 10.3.
View Photos
Michael Simari
|
Car and Driver
Range, Charging, and Battery Life
C/D Range Test(s): 300 miles (Pure), 280 miles (Touring), 410 miles (Grand Touring)
The Air has the longest range of any electric vehicle currently on the market, according to EPA estimates. Grand Touring models feature a 118.0-kWh battery pack and DC fast-charging capability, while the Touring trim uses a smaller 92.0-kWh version and the Pure features an 84.0-kWh battery. The base Pure has an estimated driving range of 420 miles, whereas the mid-range Touring is estimated to travel 431 miles per charge—this figure is increased for 2026, from 406 miles previously. The Grand Touring model offers up to 512 miles of range.
On our 75-mph highway route, the Grand Touring went 410 miles, making it the longest-range EV we've ever tested; the Touring we tested went for just 280 miles before needing to be recharged, and the RWD Pure went on for 300 miles before the battery depleted. Plugged into a fast charger, the sedan is said to be able to recoup 300 miles of range in 21 minutes.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPGe
EPA City Ratings: 108-149 MPGe
108-149 MPGe EPA Highway Ratings: 101-142 MPGe
The EPA hasn't released any fuel economy information for the 2026 Air yet, but the 2025 model earned ratings as high as 149 MPGe city, 142 MPGe highway, and 146 MPGe combined. MPGe stands for miles per gallon of gas equivalent, an EPA metric that estimates PHEV and EV vehicle fuel efficiency. For more information about the Air's efficiency, visit the EPA's website.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
First Row: Make no mistake, the Air is intended to be a luxury car, and its handsome interior is fitted with rich-looking materials and cutting-edge technology. Lucid is especially proud of the sedan's expansive passenger space. The sedan's front center console provides generous storage space behind the retractable lower touchscreen and inside the large center console bin that houses a set of cupholders as well as slots to place a smartphone.
Second Row: The rear seats are comfortable for two adults, but it's possible to squeeze three back there for short trips. The Air's optional glass roof makes it feel even airier and helps with outward visibility.
Cargo Capacity: The Air's trunk is a roomy 22.1 cubic feet, and we stuffed eight carry-on suitcases inside. There is a smaller front trunk—or frunk—as well, and it fits two extra suitcases in our testing.
View Photos
Michael Simari
|
Car and Driver
Infotainment and Connectivity
Infotainment: 34.0-inch and 12.5-inch touchscreens
34.0-inch and 12.5-inch touchscreens Connectivity: Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Audio System: 9-speaker stereo (standard), 21-speaker Surreal Sound Pro stereo (optional)
The Air is outfitted with a sophisticated infotainment system that incorporates a large upper touchscreen that flows out of the fully digital gauge cluster and a tablet-like lower touchscreen that handles additional functions and can be retracted into the dashboard.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto both come standard. A nine-speaker stereo system is standard, but a 21-speaker Surreal Sound Pro setup with Dolby Atmos is available as an option on Pure and Touring trims; the fancier audio system is standard on Grand Touring and Sapphire models.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
The Air is offered with an array of standard driver-assistance technology, and more advanced features are available as part of the Dream Drive Pro option package. Among those features are a traffic-jam assist function and a system that helps prevent you from curbing the Air's wheels.
Standard Safety Features: automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control
automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control Optional Safety Features: traffic-jam assist, lane-change assist, curb rash alert
For information about the Air's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.
Warranty and Maintenance Coverage
Lucid is a startup automaker with no previous products, but its warranty coverage is very similar to Tesla's. Tesla doesn't offer any complimentary maintenance, but new Lucids are covered for up to two years or 24,000 miles.
Limited Warranty: four years or 50,000 miles
four years or 50,000 miles Powertrain Warranty: eight years or 100,000 miles
eight years or 100,000 miles Complimentary Maintenance: two years or 24,000 miles -or- None
C/D Test Results and Specs
We test every vehicle we can. Data in the chart below may be for a different model year if the model remained unchanged from when we last tested it.
Specifications
Specifications
2024 Lucid Air Pure RWD
Vehicle Type: rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $78,900/$81,450
Options: 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, $1750; Fathom Blue Metallic paint, $800
POWERTRAIN
Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 430 hp, 406 lb-ft
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 88.0 kWh
Onboard Charger: 19.2 kW
Peak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 250 kW
Transmission: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.0-in vented disc/14.8-in vented disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport EV
245/40ZR-20 99Y Extra Load LM1
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.5 in
Length: 195.9 in
Width: 76.2 in
Height: 55.4 in
Passenger Volume: 101 ft3
Trunk Volume, F/R: 10/22 ft3
Curb Weight: 4536 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.3 sec
100 mph: 9.8 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.7 sec @ 113 mph
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.5 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.8 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.3 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 127 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 164 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 327 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.94 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 89 MPGe
75-mph Highway Driving: 109 MPGe
75-mph Highway Range: 300 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 130/134/126 mpg
Range: 394 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
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2024 Lucid Air Sapphire
Vehicle Type: front- and dual rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $250,500/$250,500
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: permanent-magnet AC, 670 hp
Rear Motors: 2 permanent-magnet AC, 670 hp each
Combined Power: 1234 hp
Combined Torque: 1430 lb-ft
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 118.0 kWh
Onboard Charger: 19.2 kW
Peak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 300 kW
Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 16.5-in vented, cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic disc/15.4-in vented, cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
F: 265/35ZR-20 (99Y) Extra Load LM1
R: 295/30ZR-21 (102Y) Extra Load LM1
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.5 in
Length: 197.5 in
Width: 78.5 in
Height: 55.4 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 61/44 ft3
Trunk Volume, F/R: 10/22 ft3
Curb Weight: 5345 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 2.1 sec
100 mph: 4.2 sec
130 mph: 6.7 sec
150 mph: 8.9 sec
1/4-Mile: 9.3 sec @ 153 mph
170 mph: 12.1 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 2.6 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.1 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 1.3 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 207 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 151 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 303 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.04 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 76 MPGe
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 105/108/101 MPGe
Range: 427 mi
More Features and Specs