The Lucid Gravity Looks Like a Nice Step Up From The Tesla Model Y as Lucid Moves Towards The EV Mainstream

While Tesla sells the most cars, the most potent, relatively affordable electric sedan is the Lucid Saphire. The Lucid Saphire sets the bar for EV daily drivers. It is similar yet faster and more advanced than the Tesla Model S Plaid. At $249K, the Saphire is at the low end of supercar prices. Still, it has 1,234 HP, can do 0-60 in 1.89 seconds, has a top seed of 205 mph, and has an impressive 427-mile electric range (anything over 350 miles is considered long enough for a primary, rather than a secondary, car).

By most measurements, the Lucid is the better car, but it should be because it is also the most expensive. However, sedans aren’t really the go-to car anymore; most of us have moved to SUVs. Telsa has the Model X and Y, and now Lucid brings out the Gravity at a relatively affordable price of $94K for its entry model. This will change in 2026 when a lower-cost $80K touring version will be released along with a Saphire version, which will likely be expensive.

The Lucid Gravity

The Lucid Gravity is one of the better EV SUVs in the market, with around 440 miles of range and a fast 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. That is one second faster than the best my old Jaguar F-Type V8 S was capable of hooked up (and it rarely hooked up). That is one of the under-reported advantages of an electric car: with the ability to alter the power thousands of times a second, electric cars with traction control virtually always hook up so you can use the power they put out.  

In addition, in 2025, Lucid will get the NACS charging standard built into the cars, which means they can use Tesla’s superior charging network. Telsa has consistently had a better charging network on every other electric car. With the roll-out of the Tesla standard, now called NACS, other EVs can now take advantage of the Tesla chargers, and Tesla makes money off of EVs from other companies.

Eventually, I expect Tesla to spin out its charging network to a more focused EV manufacturer-neutral company. Still, for 2025, Telsa has allowed Lucid and others to use their better plug standard to move the entire industry forward.

The first Lucid Gravity will be a two-motor version rather than the 3-motor version of the later and far more expensive Saphire model. 

Lucid Gravity vs. Tesla Model X

The initial Lucid Gravity is similar to the two-motor Tesla Model X; it’s a little faster, has around 100 more miles of range, and both cars can gain 200 miles from one of the newer Level 3 public charging stations. The Lucid is around $20K more expensive initially (as noted, they’ll have a more price-competitive version in 2026), but the extra range alone is likely worth the $20K price delta. The Lucid appears to be better provisioned inside and richer looking outside than the Model Y.

Telsa has a far better dealer network as Lucid is far smaller, but in terms of customer satisfaction, Lucid generally has higher scores than Telsa does. Compared to the Model Ys I’ve driven, Lucid Gravity appears to be just better configured. There are no screwy and problematic gull-wing doors to struggle with and break, and the design of the seats appears to provide much better SUV flexibility than the Model Y does.

I think this showcases that Tesla is going to have to update its cars more aggressively now that it is facing competition. Competing cars from Lucid and BYD seem to be getting better faster now than Tesla.

Wrapping Up:

Telsa has largely stood alone for much of its existence as an EV car pure play, giving it significant advantages against traditional car makers. But Chinese companies like BYD are closing on them rapidly, and US domestic companies like Lucid appear to be becoming more competitive. While Fisker does provide a cautionary tale that some of these challenges won’t make it, particularly under the new US Administration, which appears to be anti-EV (with Tesla as a possible exception), Lucid appears solid for now and highly competitive.

The Lucid Gravity looks like a nice step up from the Tesla Model Y, giving EV buyers another strong choice in the market.

Rob Enderle is a technology analyst at Torque News who covers automotive technology and battery development. You can learn more about Rob on Wikipedia and follow his articles on Forbes, X, and LinkedIn.