2025 Lucid Air Shines on the Open Road: We Road-Trip America’s Best Luxury EV
UPDATE 6/15/25: Lucid released new offers for June 2025, including a Lucid Air lease from $519 per month plus a $4,000 Tesla Trade-in Allowance—a significant improvement from last month’s $579 per month official offer. Additionally, there is an unpublicized $2,000 Studio Select credit on select inventory!
Lucid Air Pure on an 800-mile Leasehackr weekend road trip.
There is a temptation to paint all EVs with the same broad brush—that because they are powered by batteries and propelled by electric motors, they are all the same. But as we wrapped up an 800-mile weekend drive in the 2025 Lucid Air, it became apparent that some EVs are just better than others. This four-door luxury sports sedan from Silicon Valley won us over with an impressive breadth of abilities that made the trip effortless and a true joy.
Released for the 2022 model year, the Lucid Air has seen continuous hardware and software changes that improve upon an already well-regarded sedan. The superlatives are well-known at this point: Mercedes-Benz S-Class roominess within the exterior dimensions of a smaller E-Class. The longest range (up to 512 miles) and quickest acceleration (0-60 mph in as little as 1.89 seconds) of any EV. More recently, new lease offers from $519 per month have made the Lucid Air more attainable than before, with sales growth fueled in part by tempting Tesla drivers with a $4,000 Tesla Trade-in Allowance.
City Living and Canyon Carving in the Lucid Air
Lucid Air delivers zen-like serenity in the city, making commutes a joy.
Before setting off for the open road, we took the 2025 Lucid Air through the rhythm of daily life. Our tester was the Pure trim, which starts at $69,900 and goes 420 miles on a charge—farther than any Tesla can travel, despite being “only” the base model. With nearly every option ticked, including Quantum Grey Metallic paint ($800), sporty 20-inch Aero Lite wheels with summer tires ($1,200), Stealth Appearance ($1,750), a DreamDrive Pro driver-assistance system ($2,500), and a Comfort and Convenience Package ($2,500), the as-tested MSRP rang in at $78,650.
Even by EV standards, the Lucid Air delivers zen-like serenity that we appreciated while threading through urban traffic. Dual-pane acoustic glass keeps the cabin quiet, and our tester exhibited nary a creak or rattle—something that can’t be said for any of the Mercedes-EQ products we’ve driven. The clean, elegant design of the interior also adds to the sense of calm, with smart flourishes that capture the eye throughout the day. While a full-leather Santa Cruz colorway is available ($3,000), we were impressed by the standard Mojave interior with its perforated PureLuxe leather alternative, Carbon Oak veneers, and textile accents.
With excellent build quality and elegant touches, the interior of Lucid Air is a relaxing place to be.
When a gap opens in traffic, the 430-horsepower single-motor powertrain of even the Pure trim dispenses immediate thrust. Riding on a well-tuned setup of coil springs and adaptive dampers, the Air handles pavement imperfections with grace, quietly dampening small potholes without lingering body motions or any discordant frequencies through the stiff structure.
Out on the twisty canyon roads that link different neighborhoods of Los Angeles, the Air goaded us into driving faster and harder. At 4,564 pounds, the Lucid Air Pure is lighter than its EV rivals and comparable in weight to gas-powered competitors, with the added benefit of keeping the mass of the 84-kWh battery pack low in the chassis. Physics are on the side of the Lucid Air, and that translates to both agility and stability. This is a modern sports sedan that allows you to carve up a canyon road with ease.
At Home on the Open Road
Lucid Air is well-suited for interstate driving with DreamDrive Pro and the most range of any EV.
The interstate isn’t the obvious domain of an EV, but few have the range and charging performance of the Lucid Air. Our weekend trip took us from our base in Southern California, up Interstate 5 through the agricultural lands of the Central Valley, and into the San Francisco Bay Area, a journey of about 400 miles in each direction.
As with any world-class EV, the Lucid Air features excellent route planning through its navigation system. A 34-inch-wide curved Glass Cockpit shows speed and directions at a glance, while a separate power-retractable Pilot Panel controls everything else. Departing Los Angeles with a full battery, the system recommended one stop to recharge. While it was technically possible to reach San Francisco without stopping, the software built in a cushion to allow for higher speeds and elevation gain, as well as having some extra juice on arrival.
Lucid Air offers reliable EV route planning, making long road trips a breeze.
Out on the open road, the Air is stable at speed with a solid sense of straight-ahead, seemingly unaffected by crosswinds. The strong regen that allows for convenient one-pedal driving in the city can be turned off—a setting we appreciated on the highway. With supportive, multi-way adjustable seats and our tunes playing via the wireless Apple CarPlay setup, the miles flew by in this grand tourer.
Our Lucid Air included the optional DreamDrive Pro ($2,500) driver-assistance system, which adds a lane centering feature to the standard adaptive cruise control, along with 3D visualizations of surrounding vehicles and lanes on the Glass Cockpit display. The system works well on the interstate, practically driving itself with just a light touch on the wheel, but truth be told, we would be perfectly happy without the added assistance because the Air is such a joy to drive.
A Quick Pit Stop Before Arriving in Style
Three hours into the journey, we covered 180 miles—a slight delay due to morning traffic. With about a 40 percent state of charge, the Air could keep going, but it was lunchtime and we wanted a break.
In Kettleman City, we were greeted by an array of 350-kilowatt Electrify America chargers and, more crucially for us, an In-N-Out Burger. From a road trip perspective, charging a near-empty battery is quickest; at higher states of charge, a battery replenishes more slowly. Even so, by the time we finished our Double-Doubles, the Air was topping off at 96 percent.
Fast charging on our return leg home. Lucid Air Pure adds 200 miles of range in 17 minutes.
With surplus electrons from our lunch break, the Air took us to our destination with range to spare. We arrived feeling refreshed, thoroughly impressed by how this super sedan made the journey so effortless. The return leg was just as drama-free: we let our needs and desires dictate the stops, with the Air being a willing and capable partner.
How to Hack a Lucid Air Lease
Through June 30, 2025, lease a Lucid Air from $519 per month with On-Site and Conquest credits.
The $2,000 On-Site Vehicle Bonus is for inventory available on-site at a sales studio, as opposed to a custom order.
The $2,000 Conquest Credit is for current owners or lessees of a Tesla, or a gasoline-powered or hybrid vehicle from a competitive luxury brand. The list of competitive brands is exhaustive and includes:
Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Genesis, INFINITI, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Porsche, Volvo, Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, INEOS, Lamborghini, Lotus, McLaren, MINI, and Rolls-Royce.
On top of these credits, three additional offers that can be added to further reduce the cost of a Lucid Air lease.
First, get an additional $4,000 Tesla Trade-in Allowance when you trade in a Tesla vehicle.
Additionally, Lucid runs a Referral Program. Customers who are referred by an existing Lucid owner with a valid referral code get an additional discount on Lucid Air: $500 off Pure, $1,000 off Touring, and $1,250 off Grand Touring. Plenty of Leasehackr members have leased a Lucid Air and shared their referral codes with the community. You can find a referral code on Leasehackr Forum.
Finally, Lucid offers an additional $2,000 Studio Select Discount on specific on-site inventory. A limited number of vehicles, at various locations throughout the U.S., include the additional Studio Select Discount. This is a VIN-specific discount and cannot be applied to any VIN. Interested customers should reach out to their local studio for more details.
Sponsored Post: Leasehackr may receive compensation for offer(s) shown on this page. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. All incentives and lease rates described are valid through June 30, 2025 on approved credit.