2023 Lucid Air Review

Name: 2023 Lucid Air Review
Brand: Lucid
Price: 42695 USD

Price Estimate: $42,695 - $46,824

2023 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance Sedan Exterior

2023 Lucid Air Grand Touring Sedan Exterior Shown

+169

The 2023 Lucid Air is a solid first effort from a brand-new automaker. It's insanely quick, spacious and capable of driving farther on a single charge than any other EV on the market. But it's far from perfect. We've encountered some issues with the car's technology features and overall build quality, both of which might damper one's expectations for a stress-free ownership experience.

See all features & specs

Price & Payment

16 cars

$60,712 avg. price

Min$

Max$

See listings

Appraise My 2023 Lucid Air

2023 Lucid Air for sale near you

3 of 16 listings

Grand Touring Sedan
MSRP: $70,999
514 mi away
Pure Sedan
MSRP: $54,999
514 mi away
Grand Touring Sedan
MSRP: $69,999
649 mi away

See all 16 listings

Lucid Air model years

Lucid Air for Sale

2023 Lucid Air Review

byBrian Wong^{Senior Reviews Editor
Brian Wong has worked in the automotive industry since 2010, writing over 1,000 car-related articles and testing and reviewing hundreds of vehicles over the course of career. Brian is a senior reviews editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to Cars.com, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports. Brian has also been featured on MotorWeek as an expert for several car comparisons. He loves convertibles (the smaller the better) and hates paying for parking, so Los Angeles is both the right and wrong city for him.}

rating written Reese Counts^{Vehicle Test Editor
Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at Edmunds in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.}

Pros

Excellent real-world range
Supercar-like acceleration
Comfortable and smooth in day-to-day driving
Spacious cabin with ample storage

Cons

Braking and handling aren't up to class standards
Interior quality and fit and finish might not meet expectations
In-car tech can be glitchy at times

What's new

High-performance Sapphire version could join the lineup
Part of the first Air generation introduced for 2022

Overview

The Lucid Air is the first vehicle from this new American electric vehicle manufacturer. It debuted last year and generated plenty of hype. First, there's the power: potentially more than 1,000 horsepower. Then there's the maximum potential range: more than 500 miles on a full charge. Oh, and did we mention that it's a spacious luxury sedan packed with technology features, too?

Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below

2023 Lucid Air EV Insights

Trim:

Air Pure

Estimated Range Based on Age

395 miles^{The range for a used 2023 Lucid Air is estimated to be 395 miles because electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year, with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.}

EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 395 miles.^{Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.}

Estimated range map^{This map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Ashburn, Virginia. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors | Leaflet} from

Charging

SAE Combo^{Standard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.}

Plug Type

10 hrs

240V Home Charging^{Estimated total charging time when using a 240V outlet. This is either a 3-prong or 4-prong outlet used for appliances, for example a clothes dryer.}

EV batteries should be kept at 30-80% charged to extend battery life.

When can I use NACS/Tesla charging stations?

EV Battery Warranty

8 yrs or 100,000 miles^{The federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.}

According to GeoTab’s data, if the observed degradation rates are maintained, the vast majority of batteries will outlast the usable life of the vehicle.

Estimated battery warranty remaining is 6 years or 72,000 miles for this car.^{Warranty remaining value is based on the vehicle year, and on driving 14,000 miles per year. Confirm exact warranty coverage for each vehicle with the dealers and the manufacturer before purchasing.}

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

$225

Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

Restrictions:
Dominion Energy offers EV owners a rebate of up to $125 towards the cost of a Level 2 charging station.
To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements:
- Receive electricity from Dominion Energy.
- Have an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle.
- Networked/Smart charging capabilities to program the station to off-peak periods and respond to managed charging events
- You also earn a $40 e-gift card on the anniversary of your enrollment every year you remain enrolled.
To learn more, visit https://www.chargingrewards.com/faqs/dominion-ev/
Restrictions: Edmunds is partnering with Treehouse, an independent provider of home EV installation services. Edmunds visitors receive a $100 discount when they contract with Treehouse for their home charger installation. Discount excludes permit, hosted inspection, and load management devices. Valid for 30 days.
To learn more, visit https://treehouse.pro/edmundsdiscount/

See All EV incentives

Cost to Drive

$43/mo

Air

$187/mo

Car Avg.

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

Am I Ready for an EV?

EV ownership works best if you can charge at home (240V outlet) ^{This typically means a 240V home installation, or other places your car is parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice.}
Adding a home charging system is estimated to cost $1,616 in
^{This is an estimate for your area. Using your address and the answers you provide, Treehouse can provide a more accurate price.}
Edmunds is partnering with Treehouse, an independent provider of home EV installation services. Learn more ^{Edmunds customers receive a 10% installation discount and 4% smart charger discount. Discount excludes permit, hosted inspection, and load management devices. Valid for 30 days.}

Need to install a charger at home?

Get a free quote

See All EV Insights

For 2023, Lucid is adding to the Air lineup with the Air Sapphire, a performance-oriented variant that targets the Model S Plaid's drag-strip crown. Complete details on the Sapphire have yet to be released by Lucid, but the company says this three-motor, torque-vectoring version of the Air will produce more than 1,200 horsepower. On a drag strip, that will potentially enable the Air Sapphire to rip from 0 to 60 mph in fewer than 2 seconds and clear the quarter mile in fewer than 9 seconds. Lucid also equips the Sapphire with high-performance suspension, brakes and tires to complement the extra power.

Of course, not everyone needs (or can afford) a 1,200-hp luxury EV. That's why we're actually more interested in the lower-cost Air models that are finally being delivered for the 2023 model year. The Air Pure and Air Touring are the ones we think you'd want to consider as rivaling the BMW i7, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S to be your next luxury EV. Check out our Expert Rating below to get our test team's in-depth report on the Air's performance, comfort, real-world range and more.

What's it like to live with?

It's an interesting experience, to be sure. Our test team bought a $140,000 Lucid Air Grand Touring to join our long-term test fleet. Check out our Lucid Air long-term road test to read what our car experts like (and don't like) about driving an Air for a year and 20,000 miles. You can also see a few videos starring our Lucid Air on Edmunds' YouTube channel.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict^{The Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.}

Good

7.8

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

Rated for you by America's best test team.

Performance

8/10

How does the Air drive? We've tested a few Air versions, including the 2022 Air Dream Edition Range and a Grand Touring. In Edmunds' testing, the 933-hp Dream Edition went from 0 to 60 mph in blindingly quick 2.8 seconds. That's quicker than most vehicles we've tested. The Air's quarter-mile time, in case you're interested, was 10.3 seconds at 132.2 mph. The Grand Touring we tested was slower but still outrageously quick by most measures, needing 3.2 seconds to sprint to 60 mph.

The major performance-limiting factor: the Air's relatively narrow all-season tires. These are great for efficiency and allow the Lucid to go 500 miles on a single charge, but they have nowhere near the grip needed to perform at a dynamic level, especially considering the car's considerable weight. Grippier summer tires, which are a no-cost option for this model, would improve the Lucid's braking and handling. It otherwise failed to impress against class standards, at least at our test track.

But the Air is plenty quick and smooth around town. Various levels of power are available depending on your selected drive mode, and even the base Smooth setting provides more than enough power for the street. The Air also offers excellent one-pedal driving, which allows you to accelerate and slow using just the accelerator pedal. You can also adjust the amount of regenerative braking to suit your preference.

Comfort

8/10

How comfortable is the Air? The Lucid Air's interior is pleasing, but we expect more than that from a luxury vehicle at this price point. For example, the seats offer a lot of adjustment and are comfortable on long drives, but overall support is a bit lacking. Wind and road noise is minimal on the highway, but that made some creaks from some ill-fitting parts on the doors and steering wheel in our test car even more noticeable. The ride quality is generally smooth but can get a bit busy on bumpy roads.

Unlike many manufacturers that have gone to full touchscreen control for climate systems, Lucid has dedicated buttons for the temperature and fan speed, making it easy to make adjustments without taking your eyes off the road. You can also adjust the vents manually rather than having to interact with an often overcomplicated touchscreen interface like you do in a Tesla. However, we've found the Air's air conditioning struggles to keep the cabin cool on hot summer days. The car's all-glass roof might look cool but it lets in a lot of solar heat.

Interior

7.5/10

How’s the interior? The Air's interior is huge and has more passenger space than just about every other EV on the road. There's plenty of headroom and elbow room in both rows, and rear legroom is particularly generous. You can really stretch out, though models with bigger battery packs have slightly higher floors in the back. Wide-opening doors make getting in and out easy.

Taller drivers may not find the driving position ideal. The seat doesn't seem to go down far enough, meaning tall drivers will be looking right through the tint line at the top of the windshield. Visibility is a mixed bag. The large side windows and a large glass roof let in lots of natural light, but then there are the really thick front pillars and relatively wide-but-short rear window that hamper outward visibility. Some controls are a letdown too. The switches on the steering wheel, for example, feel cheap and clumsy to operate at times.

Technology

6/10

How’s the tech? Our original take on the 2022 Lucid Air's software and driver assist systems was pretty negative. The infotainment system took a long time to load, and we encountered persistent Bluetooth connection errors. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto weren't supported at the time either. We also had multiple issues with the collision alert system that necessitated system restarts. Additionally, the Air's voice command system lacked the full functionality offered by some rival cars.

Since then, however, Lucid has introduced many over-the-air updates to address most of these issues. The touchscreens boot up and respond quickly, and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration is now included. Operation for the advanced driving aids has been refined as well. Still, there's plenty of room for improvement. Some of our editors have found the CarPlay integration to be buggy, and it only displays on the small upper touchscreen. Also, the Air's steering with the lane centering system (Highway Assist) turned on can be annoyingly corrective when you just want to make a small steering adjustment.

Storage

8.5/10

How’s the storage? As with interior room, you can tell Lucid's engineers spent a lot of time thinking about how to best use the available space. The Air offers 26.1 cubic feet of total cargo space that's split between a 16.2-cubic-foot rear trunk and a 9.9-cubic-foot front trunk (the frunk). The frunk is larger than those in the Tesla Model S and Porsche Taycan.

While the Air is not a hatchback like the Model S or Mercedes-Benz EQS, the trunk is plenty big. The trunk isn't very tall, but it is deep with an opening that's essentially the entire width of the car. The load-in height is also quite low with no liftover to contend with, another plus. Interior storage, too, is impressive thanks to sizable door pockets and a clever center console. There's even a hidden storage bin behind the power-retractable lower center screen.

The wide-opening doors and spacious rear cabin make it easier to get car seats in and out of the Lucid than rivals. Rear-facing child safety seats of any size should fit, even with taller front occupants. The anchors are easily accessible too.

Range and Efficiency

9.5/10

How are the range and efficiency? We initially tested a 2022 Dream Edition Range that had EPA-estimated 520 miles of range when equipped with the car's 19-inch wheels. While it didn't achieve its EPA estimate, the Lucid Air was the first EV to cross the coveted 500-mile barrier on our real-world EV standardized range test, with a strong showing of 505 miles.

More recently, we tested a 2022 Air Grand Touring. Perplexingly, this one underperformed to a greater degree. It had an EPA-estimated 516 miles of range but only went 438 miles on a single charge. Still, "only 438 miles" is still impressive for an EV, especially one making this much power. Part of the magic is the Air's high efficiency. In our testing, we measured consumption of 31.1 kWh of electricity used per 100 miles of driving from our Grand Touring test car. In a similar theme, that's almost 20% worse than its EPA estimate of 26 kWh/100 miles (remember that the lower the kWh number, the more efficient an EV is) but still very efficient overall.

Value

7.5/10

Is the Air a good value? We think the Lucid Air Dream Edition's build quality is better than the Tesla Model S' was when it was introduced. But the car still suffers from some early teething issues. Our test car had wide panel gaps in the doors, and the left rear door required slamming to stay shut. We also had issues with the exterior handle of the driver's door not working.

While there are some nice materials for the upholstery and trim, some commonly touched controls such as the window switches and steering wheel buttons would feel cheap on a $30,000 sedan, let alone one costing six figures. On the upside, Lucid does offer a long warranty. The car includes four-year/50,000-mile basic and eight-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranties. The battery itself is warrantied for eight years/50,000 miles too. Even better, Lucid offers four years/50,000 miles of roadside assistance and three years of free DC fast charging at Electrify America stations.

Wildcard

9/10

Few cars on the road get attention like the Lucid, and usually those cars have big spoilers or are painted bright blue or orange. It's cool and clean and futuristic without looking overwrought or too out there. It also doesn't resemble anything else on the road, and the range number has a certain cachet.

We just wish it were more entertaining to drive. The tires that help it get that 500-mile range quash any fun-to-drive factor outside of a straight line. The Air is quick, but it's not that much quicker than most of its rivals, many of which are far sportier and more fun to drive.

Which Air does Edmunds recommend?

We expect the Air's full lineup will be available for the 2023 model year. As such, consider getting the Touring trim. You won't quite have the same bragging rights as if you owned the Grand Touring or Sapphire, but otherwise you'll be getting a luxury EV with plenty of power and range.

Compare 2023 Lucid Air trim levels

Helpful trims summary and side-by-side comparison chart

2023 Lucid Air models

The 2023 Lucid Air is an electric luxury sedan available in five trim levels: Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, Grand Touring Performance and the new-for-2023 Sapphire. Keep reading for our editors' rundown of what you get from each version, including power and standard features.

Pure
The base-level Pure uses a single motor that drives the rear wheels and is powered by an 88-kWh battery pack. The combo has a total output of 480 horsepower and an EPA-estimated range of up to 410 miles on a single charge. A dual-motor Pure configuration is also available. Other feature highlights include:

19-inch wheels
Adaptive suspension dampers (enhance ride comfort and handling)
DC fast-charging capability of more than 300 kW (Level 3 charging)
Onboard AC charger with up to 19.2-kW capability (Level 2 charging)
Two-tone simulated-leather upholstery
Automatic climate control
Navigation
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration
Hardware that supports future driver-aid updates
DreamDrive

Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning (alerts you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
Blind-spot camera (displays an image of the vehicle's blind spot in the instrument panel when you activate a turn signal)
Lane keeping system (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)
Parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible in front of or behind the vehicle when parking)
Automated parking system (steers into a parking spot with little or no driver intervention)
Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the vehicle and the car in front and can also react to traffic signs and set speed)
Driver attention warning (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued)

Touring
The Touring model uses the same battery pack but adds one more motor and even more features, including:

620 horsepower
EPA-estimated range of up to 425 miles
Dual-motor all-wheel drive
20-inch wheels
Two-tone leather upholstery
Panoramic glass roof

Grand Touring
The Grand Touring trim has all-wheel drive but includes more powerful motors and a larger 112-kWh battery pack that gives it an estimated 516 miles of range. Other features include:

819 horsepower
21-inch wheels
Upgraded audio system
DreamDrive Pro

Surround-view parking camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Air and its surroundings in tight parking situations)
Hardware support for future semi-automated driving capability

Lucid promises it will update this feature in the future with more advanced driver aid systems.

Grand Touring Performance
The more powerful version of the Grand Touring has the same battery pack and dual-motor AWD as well but features:

1,050 horsepower
446 miles of range

Sapphire
Tops the Air lineup by way of:

An additional electric motor to raise output to more than 1,200 hp
Claimed 0-60 mph acceleration under 2 seconds
Akebono carbon-ceramic brakes
Wider, high-performance tires
Sport-tuned suspension
Microsuede-wrapped steering wheel

See Edmunds pricing data

Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

See pricing history

Lucid Air Reviews

Owner Reviews

3.8

22 reviews

5(59%)

4(4%)

3(5%)

2(18%)

1(14%)

Write a vehicle review See all 22 reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Simply Amazing!!

Vicks, 02/11/2023

2022 Lucid Air Touring 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)

Range, efficiency, packaging absolutely amazing! Much better than my Model S. Software has been improved significantly with upgrades. Looks very eye catching! Super comfortable seats. I always get updates every few weeks. Expect even more improvements, this car only gets better! It is the BMW M5 of EVs, they actually benchmarked the M5 when developing this car. Even after 2 years I’m …

A Joy to Drive

Darrin S, 12/11/2023

2023 Lucid Air Pure 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)

I took delivery in July (just before the price drop - oh well), but driving it has been a blast - and I just passed 10,000 miles. It handles great, and it has things my friend's Tesla doesn't - like Apple Car Play. The speed is "scary" - it reminds me of those motorcyclist who come up so fast that its easy to see a car moving in front of you with no idea you are there. I am able to …

Car and service both exemplary

Bill Hewitt, 03/20/2023

2022 Lucid Air Touring 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)

I bought the Lucid for it's styling and range, and never really thought about the beast within- 620 linear horses gives you get up and go even my 911S doesn't have. I constantly have to check my speed because the ride is so smooth. A few minor issues out of the gate, but it's a new car and a new car company. Danny, my service advisor in Natick, kept me up to date, made sure they knew …

Better with Time

hmp10, 04/17/2023

2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)

At 14 months and almost 17,000 miles, our Dream Air Performance hit a Subaru WRX that made a left turn in front of us. Both cars were totaled, but we opened the doors and stepped out of the undeformed cabin with nary a scratch, ache, or pain at the time or in subsequent days. This early-production car (No. 154) went through almost a year of grueling software teething pains but was …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2023 Lucid Air, so we've included reviews for other years of the Air since its last redesign.

See all 22 reviews of the Lucid Air

Write a vehicle review

2023 Air Highlights

Trim:

Pure

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$82,400
EV Tax Credits & Rebates	$225 Based on income
Engine Type	Electric
EPA Electric Range	410 miles
Cost to Drive	$43/month
Total Charging Time (240V)	10.0 hours
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	32.1 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles
EV Battery Warranty	8 years / 100,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Our experts like the Air models:

DreamDrive: A suite of driver aids and safety features, including blind-spot warning and automatic parking.
Blind-Spot Warning with Blind-Spot Display: Alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane over is in your blind spot and displays an image of the vehicle's blind spot in the instrument panel when you activate a turn signal.
Automatic Park In & Out: Aids in tight parking situations and helps you judge the distance between your car and an obstacle.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover5 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover5.2%

People who viewed this also viewed

BMW i5
5.0 average Rating out of 2 reviews.
Starting at $67,100

See BMW i5 Inventory

Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Starting at $117,750

See Mercedes-Benz S-Class Inventory

Chevrolet Corvette
5.0 average Rating out of 1 reviews.
Starting at $68,300

See Chevrolet Corvette Inventory

2023 Lucid Air Review

Price & Payment

2023 Lucid Air Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

2023 Lucid Air EV Insights

Estimated Range Based on Age

Charging

EV Battery Warranty

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

Cost to Drive

Am I Ready for an EV?

What's it like to live with?

Edmunds Expert Rating

Performance

Comfort

Interior

Technology

Storage

Range and Efficiency

Value

Wildcard

Which Air does Edmunds recommend?

2023 Lucid Air models

Lucid Air Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Simply Amazing!!

A Joy to Drive

Car and service both exemplary

Better with Time

2023 Air Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2023 Lucid Air info

Vehicle rankings by type

Research similar car reviews

Automotive News

Join Edmunds