2022 Lucid Air Driven, 520-Mile Range Tested By Motor Trend

Last week the EPA released its official range figures for the Lucid Air luxury EV sedan, the leggiest of which is capable of 520 miles on a single charge. And now Motor Trend had has had a chance to get behind the Air’s wheel, find out what the Tesla rival is like to drive, and put that rating to the test with a cross-California road trip.

The car on test is the Dream Range, which on 19-inch wheels is rated at 520 miles, the longest of any Lucid Air. It makes 933 hp via two motors, a power figure that Lucid’s CEO Peter Rawlinson, who was responsible for the Tesla Model S in a previous life, says was essentially an appealing byproduct of engineering the car with a big enough battery to meet the company’s range targets.

Lucid also offers an Air Dream Edition Performance with 1,111 hp for the same money, but in exchange for the extra power buyers have to accept a reduction in range to 471 miles (or 450 miles on 21-inch wheels).

The driving portion of the video opens with presenter Johnny Lieberman blasting along the Angeles Crest Highway to get a feel for the handling before embarking on a freeway drive from Beverley Hills to San Francisco.

Unlike most of Motor Trend’s slick, big production videos like its recent Rivian R1T feature, this one feels very much like someone threw a GoPro in the windshield at the last minute, probably because time was limited by the need to also shoot a magazine feature at the same time. So we don’t get to see the interior of the car, or get much in-depth critique beyond telling us that the grip and traction is impressive despite the relatively skinny 245 mm front, and 265 mm rear tires.

If you want more insight, head over to Motor Trend’s website to read Lieberman’s fuller written first drive, where he likens it to a four-door Nissan GT-R, and explains the route for the main road trip and how the power level is affected by which of the three driving modes is selected.

Next, it’s on to the range test, which is a 409-mile drive from L.A. to San Francisco, this time on the standard 19-inch wheels for maximum efficiency. In theory that distance should be easily achievable given the 520-mile EPA rating, but while the EPA’s figures are far more realistic than the European WLTP ratings, cars often fall short in real use, as we well know.

But on this occasion the Air more than lived up to its promise. When Liebermann arrives in San Francisco, with Rawlinson following in a second Air, the Motor Trend man has covered 409 miles and still has 69 miles remaining, equating to 478 miles, only 42 miles off that EPA rating.

That’s not bad, but hold on, there’s more. Rawlinson’s more economical driving style meant he still had 107 miles left, giving an effective range of 516 miles, or just 7 miles less than the EPA claims. That’s not just better than any other EV can deliver, including the Air’s Tesla Model S rival, but it’s better than most gas cars, and even some diesels.

There’s no doubt that range anxiety won’t be a problem for Lucid Air owners. But meeting the monthly payments on an EV that costs $170,500 would give most of us plenty to fret about. Lucid says it will eventually offer versions of the Air for under $80,000, but they won’t be anywhere near as long-legged.