Electric vehicles have been around for more than a century, but it wasn't until the last decade that they started to gain momentum. In 2023, electric vehicles are even better than before. Instant torque, makes them incredibly agile and responsive and as a result, electric vehicles have become increasingly popular among car enthusiasts. Almost all electric vehicles have taken the fast lane, with faster charging times and longer ranges. The latest advancements in battery technology have turned even the most family-friendly electric vehicles into speed merchants that can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds. Improved battery technology means electric vehicles can now travel longer distances on a single charge, making them practical for long-distance travel.
Furthermore, with features like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warnings, and collision avoidance systems coming standard on most electric vehicles, 2023 EVs provide a high level of safety and convenience. They've even gone a step further from just safety systems, such as airbags, antilock brakes, and electronic stability control to adding torque vectoring systems to even the low-end examples. Electric vehicles have come a long way in the last decade, and in 2023, they have gotten even better. They've transcended being simple “grocery-getters” to rapidly becoming the preferred mode of transportation for numerous consumers, and here are the 10 best to do it.
10 GMC Hummer EV
The Hummer has been revived as an EV by GMC and is offered as a pickup truck and an SUV. This EV has a huge 246.8 kWh battery pack that weighs 2,923 pounds and with 212.7 kWh of it being usable, it can go up to 329 miles on a single charge with EPA estimated energy efficiency of 53 MPGe in the city, 43 MPGe on the highway and 47 MPGe combined. This huge battery pack carries over 9,063 pounds curb weight and powers an electric drivetrain that includes three electric motors rated at 1,000 horsepower. The GMC Hummer EV sold 783 examples of the Edition 1 pickup truck in the third quarter of 2022. Priced at $110,295, it can charge at speeds of 350 kW.
9 Audi E-Tron Sportback
The Audi e-tron Sportback is an all-electric SUV produced by Audi and Audi's coupe version of the Audi Q8 e-tron. It debuted in Los Angeles in November 2019 at AutoMobility LA. It has an EPA estimated range of 218 miles from a 95 kWh battery pack. This powers two electric motors that make a combined power output of 355 horsepower and 414 pound-feet of torque. When in Boost Mode, power output can be increased temporarily to 402 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque. The S trim of the e-tron Sportback is the sportier version. It has an extra motor that increases the total power output to 426 horsepower and 596 pound-feet of torque with Boost Mode further increasing it to 496 horsepower and 717 pound-feet of torque. This reduces its range to 185 miles.
8 Ford F-150 Lightning
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a full-size electric pickup truck produced by the Ford Motor Company. Ford started production of the F-150 Lightning in April 2022 with a base price of $46,974, but it now starts at close to $60,000. The Lightning comes in four different trims and has an EPA-estimated all-electric range ranging from 240- to 320 miles. The Lightning comes in the standard 98 kWh battery pack and the 131 kWh extended range battery pack. The base model comes with an all-wheel drive dual-motor configuration which produces 452 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque. It comes with a standard battery pack. The higher trims have a 580 horsepower output, an extended-range battery pack, and a towing capacity of 7,700 to 10,000 pounds. It comes in the Pro, XLT, Lariat, and Platinum trims.
7 Cadillac Lyriq
The Cadillac Lyriq will come in two configurations: the single motor configuration which would be a rear-wheel drive system with a power output of 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque and a dual-motor all-wheel drive system with a power output of 500 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. The rear-wheel drive version has a 102 kWh battery pack that is good for 312 miles of range on a single charge. The battery has an energy efficiency of 2.7 miles per kilowatt-hour which translates to up to 93 MPGe. It supports DC fast charging at speeds of up to 190 kW, charging 10-80 percent in 22 minutes and adding over 200 miles of range in the process. It is built on the BEV3 platform and comes with a new version of GMC's semi-autonomous driving system.
6 Audi E-Tron GT
The Audi e-tron GT is a four-door sedan powered by a 93.4 kWh battery pack with 83.7 kWh being usable, producing an EPA-estimated all-electric 238-mile range. This will power two electric motors that produce a power output of 522 horsepower in the base model. The higher RS version produces as much as 637 horsepower. The regular GT model has a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 3.6 seconds while the more powerful RS trim can do it in 2.9 seconds. It has a DC fast charging architecture that supports charging speeds of 270 kW. This can charge the battery from 10-80 percent in 13 minutes, adding over 160 miles in the process. According to CarAndDriver, the real-world range of the e-tron GT and RS trims is up to 240 miles.
5 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is the station wagon version of the popular Taycan. It has more storage capacity than the regular Taycan. It comes with a 93.4 kWh battery pack that offers up to 277 miles of range on a single charge. It supports DC fast charging at speeds of up to 270 kW that can charge the battery from 10-80 percent in 15 minutes and add over 190 miles of range during this charging process. It also supports 11 kW AC home charging which can fill up the battery in eight hours and 30 minutes. A 22 kW AC onboard charger is an available option. It has a power output of 483 horsepower and can temporarily increase to 563 horsepower when on overboost mode for a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds.
4 Rivian R1T
The Rivian R1T is an all-electric pickup truck focused on performance, efficiency, and luxury. Its large battery pack has an EPA estimated energy efficiency of roughly two miles per kWh which translates to 74 MPGe in the city, 66 MPGe on the highway, and 70 MPGe combined. This 150 kWh battery pack can travel for up to 314 miles on a single charge. The top-of-the-line spec of the R1T comes with a quad-motor all-wheel drive system which has one motor attached to each front wheel, producing an output of 415 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque while the electric motors attached to each rear wheel produce 420 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque for a 0-60 mph time of three seconds and a top speed of 110 mph.
3 Hyundai Ioniq 6
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is an all-electric fastback sedan built on the same e-GMP platform on which the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are built. It comes in two specs: the rear-wheel drive version and the all-wheel drive version. The rear-wheel drive version using the standard range 53 kWh battery pack produces 149 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque which can power a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 8.8 seconds. The RWD version also uses the 77.4 kWh long-range battery pack which produces 225 horsepower and a 0-60 mph time of 7.4 seconds. The all-wheel drive version uses the long-range battery pack and produces 321 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque for a 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. The 77.4 RWD and AWD versions have EPA-estimated ranges of 310 and 340 miles respectively.
2 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan
In the U.S., the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan is offered in the EQS 450+, the EQS 450 4MATIC, and the EQS 580 4MATIC trims. The EQS 450+ is a single-motor rear-wheel drive configuration that produces 329 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque and a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds. The EQS 450 4MATIC is increased to 355 horsepower while the EQS 580 4MATIC's dual-motor all-wheel-drive system produces 516 horsepower and 611 pound-feet of torque that can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. This luxury sedan runs on a 107.8 kWh battery pack that offers 350 miles on a single charge on the EQS 450+ and 340 miles on the EQS 580 4MATIC. Charging speeds of about 130 kW can replenish 10-80 percent in 35 minutes.
1 BMW iX
BMW's iX is an all-electric midsized SUV powered by two electric motors, one on each axle. The base xDrive50 trim churns out 516 horsepower and 564 pound-feet of torque for a 0-60 mph time of four seconds. The M banner is BMW's sport trim and fittingly, the M60 trim of the BMW iX produces 610 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque for a 0-60 mph time of 3.2 seconds. Powering the xDrive50 trim is a 105.2 kWh battery pack that offers 324 miles of range. The M60 trim runs on a 111.5 kWh battery pack which is good for 290 miles of range. Charging at supported speeds of 200 kW, the BMW iX can charge from 10-80 percent of its battery capacity in 35 minutes. It has an energy efficiency of up to three miles per kilowatt-hour.