The 2026 Lucid Gravity Blew Me Away

When I first got behind the wheel of the Lucid Gravity late last year, I was floored. But that test drive of a pre-production vehicle was also so rushed that it felt wrong to draw any real conclusions. Now that I’ve spent some real time in the driver’s seat of the startup’s second act, I can more confidently say what’s been kicking around my brain since December: The Gravity is the most impressive all-around electric vehicle I’ve ever experienced. 

This three-row SUV manages to do it all in ways that almost make no sense. It defies physics by driving like a sports car while also comfortably seating seven. It provides magical amounts of interior space, despite having a smaller footprint than competitors. On top of all that, it knocks all the critical EV specs out of the park, delivering a damn-near-unmatched EPA range and the quickest charging speeds in America. 

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

But Lucid’s journey with its first car proves that having a great product is only half the battle. On paper and in the flesh, the Gravity is a triumph. That’s for sure. 

The bigger unknown is whether Lucid can get enough customers to bite. 

[Full disclosure: Lucid flew me out to Southern California and covered my food and lodging so I could drive the Gravity]

What Is It?

California-based Lucid Motors wowed electric-car nerds in late 2021 when the Air sedan arrived with a still-untouched 520 miles of range and staggering performance.

But Lucid’s debut product was hamstrung by being a four-door sedan, at a time when the car market largely shifted to SUVs and trucks. Lucid sold 6,000 Airs in 2023 and just over 10,000 in 2024. It’s solid growth for a newcomer, but not exactly the makings of a major car company. Lucid wants to conquer far more customers and make strides toward profitability with the Gravity, which features all of its impressive home-built tech, but in a bigger, more widely appealing package. 

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Source: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

The Gravity isn’t just a taller Air, though. It rides on a new platform with new motors and more energy-dense batteries. It’s built at Lucid’s factory in Arizona and technically went on sale in late December, with a small number of units going to customers close to the company. Real-deal deliveries to actual customers start later this month. 

The launch-edition Gravity Grand Touring costs a lot of dough to own, especially if you want bells and whistles like a third row, 110-volt outlets and soft-close doors. But it’s also a lot of car, with a claimed 828 horsepower, a 3.4-second 0-60-mph time and up to 450 miles of range. A Touring version starting at $15,000 less is on tap for later this year. 

What’s It Like To Drive?

A few weeks earlier, I tested the Cadillac Escalade IQ. It’s wild how differently these two three-row EVs behave on the road. The ginormous Escalade handles like a cruise ship. Sure, it’s quick in a straight line and is a comfy highway cruiser, but it sucks at just about everything else. 

The Gravity, on the other hand, is genuinely a blast to drive hard. It’s so agile that you’re liable to forget you’ve got a whole-ass SUV behind you. Its steering is quick and responsive. And whether you stomp the throttle, slam the brakes or throw it into a sharp corner, the Gravity feels rock-solid and remarkably controlled. It’s all pretty mind-blowing when you consider that this is a full-size family-hauler, not some low-slung sedan or coupe. 

Our friends at The Autopian put it best when they said that the Gravity drives like a sports car trapped in a minivan’s body. That’s most true in the Gravity’s “Sprint” drive setting, which slams the vehicle to the ground, stiffens up its suspension and makes the throttle touchier. There’s also a more comfy “Smooth” setting and an in-between “Swift” mode.

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

It’s also brutally quick, delivering the smooth, effortless acceleration all EVs are known for but Lucid is particularly adept at. Even at highway speeds, there’s a seemingly bottomless well of power on tap. 

Who really needs a seven-seat SUV that drives like this? Probably nobody. What’s nice is the Gravity also crushes the everyday stuff, no problem. The Gravity’s adjustable air suspension means you can putter around town without the jittery harshness of some other super-SUVs. It’s quiet, too. Its stubby nose means visibility out the front is excellent, especially compared with more upright, boxy competitors. Blind-spot camera views that pop up when you signal a turn are a nice touch. 

One caveat: The tester I drove came equipped with the Dynamic Handling Package, which adds rear-wheel steering and accentuates the difference between its three drive modes. So I can’t speak to how the non-optioned car will perform. 

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

Regardless, you get three levels of regenerative braking. I tended to stay in the Goldilocks “Standard” setting, but you can also set it to “High” or off. 

Oh, and what about the Gravity’s squished steering wheel? I actually liked this idea a lot. The “squircle,” as Lucid calls it, helps provide an unobstructed view of the SUV’s screen, while still being familiar enough that there’s no learning curve. The same can’t be said of yoke-style wheels from Tesla. 

A Massive Interior

I think the Gravity’s clown-car interior will rope in far more customers than absurd driving dynamics ever will. Because if there’s one issue that unites all Americans during this increasingly polarized moment, it’s a love for hauling as much crap as possible. 

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

This SUV has the delightful quality of feeling a lot bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. That’s thanks to an airy, mid-century vibe, plus exceptional packaging. Truly, it’s amazing how much space Lucid’s engineers managed to carve out of vehicle that’s not all that big on the outside. 

At 6-foot-1, I fit comfortably in both the second and third rows, which have flat floors and ample foot room. The back seats felt more spacious than what you get in the Rivian R1S or Escalade IQ, both of which Lucid had on hand for comparison. 

Plus, the Gravity has just about as much cargo room—up to 120 cubic feet with the seats folded—as the much bulkier Escalade. A large, eight-cubic-foot frunk helps, as does a giant cargo bin under the floor in back. 

It’s hard to imagine how big a car is inside based on cubic feet alone, so allow me to paint a picture for you. At the drive event, Lucid packed a Gravity full of cardboard boxes and challenged me to stuff as many as I could into a nearby Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. 

I’ve got pretty good spatial awareness—if you need help moving a couch into your walk-up apartment, I’m your guy—so I honestly thought I’d Tetris those boxes just so. But a few minutes later, the EQS was stuffed to the gills and there was a surprisingly large pile of boxes left over at my feet—probably the equivalent of at least three carry-on suitcases. Point, Lucid.

A Way Better Lucid UI

Lucid’s software game has always been outclassed by the likes of Tesla and Rivian. The Air’s interface was always pretty to look at, but not terribly functional and a little confusing at times. We’ve had consistent issues with the Alexa-powered voice command systems on past cars, for example, and Lucid’s behind many competitors when it comes to advanced driver assistance. 

Tentatively, I’ll say the Gravity represents a big step forward on the technology front. The crescent-shaped, 34-inch OLED screen behind the steering wheel is vibrant and crisp. The larger tablet below is a lot more intuitive to use at a glance than its predecessor. And it features slick animations that correspond to the various drive modes, suspension settings and regen options. On the whole, the new Lucid UX 3.0 comes off more refined and cohesive than what’s been in the Air. There’s still no word as to whether those enhancements will hit the sedan too. 

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

The route-planning system now includes way more options, like your preferred state of charge on arrival and favorite charging networks. The energy page now displays efficiency tips aimed at new EV owners. And, a big one, you can now run two different apps on the Lucid’s two displays, like the maps and music. That was always a head-scratching limitation in the Air. 

I call it a tentative improvement only because a lot of features weren’t functional yet during my test drive, and I noticed a few bugs. The all-new head-up display and voice assistant were both off, various streaming applications were still TBA, and Dog Mode and Camp Mode were not enabled either. This is a pattern we’ve seen with cars like the Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90, and I can’t say I hope it becomes the norm.

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

As physical controls become increasingly rare in the auto world, Lucid is going against the grain by including customizable buttons on both the steering wheel and center console. They weren’t actually programmable yet on the test cars, but that will be a nice touch when it arrives. 

How Good Is It As A Car, And As An EV?

At InsideEVs, we always answer those two questions with our reviews. In this case, I’d argue the Gravity is a great car because it’s a great EV. Let’s start with the basics.

The Gravity Grand Touring can go 450 miles on a full charge, besting key rivals like the R1S (410 miles), BMW iX (364 miles) and EQS SUV (324 miles). The Escalade IQ is the sole exception, with an automaker-estimated range of 460 miles, but it does so with a significantly bigger battery—more on that in a bit. 

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

Charging speeds are equally impressive here. The Gravity can charge at a whopping 400 kilowatts, which is more power than most stations in America can even dispense. In independent testing, it sucked in 200 miles of range in under 11 minutes, cementing it as the quickest charging EV outside of China. Plus, it’s one of the first non-Tesla EVs on the market to come with Tesla’s NACS charging port, making for dongle-free charging at thousands of Superchargers. 

Those are the obvious benefits of being a great EV. But there are trickle-down effects too. 

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

For example: Why does the Gravity drive so much better than the Escalade IQ? In part, it’s because of Lucid’s intense focus on doing more with less. The Gravity manages to earn about the same range rating with a 123-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The Escalade’s is 205 kWh, partially explaining why that SUV has about 3,000 pounds on the Gravity. You get all of that range on the Lucid with less energy use and quicker charging times—efficiency, as the company loves to say.

That modestly sized battery pack, plus Lucid’s compact motors, help create the oodles of interior space I described earlier too. 

Early Verdict: Lucid Has A Winner, If It Can Just Sell It

Lucid has the product. Now comes the challenge of selling it. 

Photo by: Tim Levin/InsideEVs

One unknown will be how people respond to something I haven’t mentioned yet: that minivan-like design. While I dig the Gravity’s spaceship look, there are no guarantees it’ll resonate with wealthy buyers who have their pick of more conventional-looking, muscular Rivians, Audis and Volvos. Another hurdle will be price. At launch, the 2026 Gravity costs $96,625 and up for the Grand Touring trim, and options can push pricing past $120,000. Like I said—a lot of dough.

And Lucid needs to get the message of its totally badass SUV out to people, which the company itself admits has always been an uphill battle.

“In total honesty, I think all of us wish that Lucid was better known than it is,” Derek Jenkins, the company’s senior vice president of design and brand, told me. He said there’s a big marketing push in the works centered around the new tagline “Compromise Nothing,” which you may have already seen on some web ads. 

We’ll have to see how that plays out. But as far as slogans go, I’ve got to admit it’s pretty spot on.

Got a tip about the EV world? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com