2024 Lucid Air

The representative 2024 Air Pure RWD uses one rear motor producing 430 hp. The range spans substantially more powerful dual- and tri-motor variants, topping out at 1,234 hp in the Sapphire.

The Pure RWD's single permanent-magnet motor produces 406 lb-ft, a strong figure for the volume trim and delivered immediately by the electric drivetrain.

Lucid quotes 4.5 seconds for the rear-drive Pure, which is quick even though it is the least powerful Air. Higher trims provide dramatically quicker acceleration.

The single rear motor delivers quiet, immediate, linear thrust, while Lucid's in-house traction control manages all 430 hp cleanly even on wet corner exits. Reviews describe the car's acceleration as effortless and its power delivery unusually composed.

A single-speed 8.7:1 reduction drive eliminates shifts and gear hunting entirely. Power delivery is seamless across normal driving and hard acceleration.

The volume Pure is rear-wheel drive, but AWD is standard on the Touring, Grand Touring, and tri-motor Sapphire, making it broadly available above the base trim. The performance-oriented multi-motor systems are sophisticated, although there are no off-road or low-range modes.

Every 2024 Air is a battery EV, so there is no gas, hybrid, or PHEV alternative. Within that constraint, buyers can choose single-motor RWD, dual-motor AWD in two output levels, or the extreme tri-motor Sapphire, giving meaningful performance breadth but only one energy source.

The 19-inch-wheel Pure RWD is the most efficient representative configuration at 137 MPGe combined, exceptional for a full-size luxury sedan.

EPA rates the Pure RWD at 140 MPGe in city driving, placing this large luxury EV near the top of the EV efficiency field.

Its 134-MPGe highway rating is a standout result for an EV and reflects the Air's exceptionally low aerodynamic drag and efficient drive unit.

The volume Pure RWD travels an EPA-rated 419 miles on 19-inch wheels, far beyond most EV sedans while using the smaller 88-kWh battery pack.

The Pure accepts up to 250 kW, a high peak rate enabled by the Air's 900-volt architecture, though below the larger-pack Grand Touring's roughly 300–350 kW capability.

Lucid did not publish a 10–80% time for the 2024 Pure, instead quoting 200 miles added in approximately 17 minutes. Independent charging-curve data place the requested 10–80% window at about 29 minutes, so this item is necessarily lower-confidence than the manufacturer-sourced peak rate.

EPA estimates only $550 per year in electricity at its standard 15,000-mile assumptions, an exceptionally low energy bill for any full-size luxury sedan.

The Air requires only electricity, supports unusually fast 19.2-kW Level 2 charging, and has long enough range to reduce public-charging dependence. Home installation and public DC pricing remain practical drawbacks, preventing a perfect score.

The 2024 Lucid Air has a five-star NHTSA overall rating, with five stars in the frontal, side, and rollover categories overall.

IIHS did not publish crashworthiness ratings or give the Air a 2024 Top Safety Pick award, preventing award-tier credit despite strong results from other crash programs. The same-generation Air earned five stars from Euro NCAP, which provides some reassurance but is not a substitute for IIHS testing.

Every 2024 Air included the base DreamDrive suite, covering AEB, adaptive cruise, lane-departure protection, blind-spot warning, and cross-traffic protection. Lane centering/Highway Assist and surround-view functions required an upgraded DreamDrive package, but all five core safety functions were standard.

The standard system has unusually broad claimed coverage, including pedestrian/cyclist detection, highway-speed AEB, rear pedestrian protection, and front/rear cross-traffic braking. No IIHS front-crash-prevention test exists for the 2024 Air, so it cannot receive the top performance band.

Blind-spot warning and front/rear cross-traffic protection were standard, and cross-traffic coverage could intervene with braking rather than merely alerting. Blind Spot Display was reserved for upgraded DreamDrive hardware, and Lucid did not document a safe-exit feature for this model year.

Standard Lane Departure Protection provides corrective assistance, but true lane centering/Highway Assist depended on upgraded DreamDrive equipment. Contemporary testing found the lane-keeping intervention overly assertive, leaving the system functional but less polished than class leaders.

Full-speed adaptive cruise was standard and gained curve-speed control during 2024, while optional DreamDrive Pro combined it with lane centering and extended stop-and-go. Its capability was solid, but Highway Assist remained hands-on and was not as mature or broadly capable as leading luxury-car systems.

The 2024 Air offered no hands-free driving mode during its model year; even DreamDrive Pro Highway Assist required hands on the wheel. Lucid's later Hands-Free Drive Assist software must not be treated as original 2024 capability.

LED headlights and automatic high beams were standard, and independent European testing found useful low-beam reach with low glare. IIHS did not test the Air's headlights, so the car cannot be credited with standard Good-rated lamps under this rubric.

Large side glass helps, but thick front pillars and a wide, shallow rear window create meaningful blind zones on the volume Air Pure. Rear-view monitoring is standard, while the more comprehensive surround-view and blind-spot camera displays required upgraded DreamDrive equipment.

Two child seats fit with generous rear legroom and easy top-tether access, but the lower anchors require force to reach through firm cushions. Cars.com found that three-across installation is not safe because a center seat overlaps a buckle.

The 2024 Air Pure RWD is a five-passenger sedan.

The volume Pure's standard aluminum roof provides excellent headroom for a low luxury sedan.

Skateboard packaging gives the Air Pure exceptionally generous front stretch-out room.

Rear headroom is competitive despite the Air's very low roofline, though entry requires a duck for taller occupants.

Pure has a lower rear floor than higher trims and ample adult room, but the measured figure trails the roomiest full-size luxury sedans.

The rear trunk alone exceeds the sedan normalization ceiling, while the unusually large frunk adds meaningful separate storage.

A retracting Pilot Panel reveals hidden storage, and the Air adds a configurable large console, useful door pockets, trunk underfloor wells, and a huge frunk.

Standard heated power front seats and the Pure's lower rear floor support long stints; optional 14- or 20-way ventilated/massaging seats broaden the comfort ceiling.

The coil-sprung Pure combines a lovely, controlled ride with excellent body discipline, though some low-speed stiffness keeps it just shy of the plushest air-suspended flagships.

The RWD Pure is strikingly quiet over rough pavement with no front-motor whine, although road and wind isolation does not clearly surpass the EQS/S-Class benchmarks.

Heated front seats and automatic climate control are standard, but the heated wheel, heated rear seats, four-zone climate, ventilation and massage require options on Pure.

Lucid's February 2024 price reduction placed the rear-drive Pure at $69,900 before destination. This is the entry trim for the 2024 model year, not pricing carried over from another year.

The dual-motor Touring is the representative volume trim, combining AWD and 620 hp without the Grand Touring's six-figure price. Its February 2024 MSRP was $77,900 before destination.

No model-specific five-year maintenance-and-repair projection was available from the major cost estimators. The estimate reflects the Air's low-routine-service EV powertrain, two included years of scheduled maintenance, and premium-car labor and tire costs after that period.

The Air is projected to lose 62.7% over five years, worse than its luxury-EV class average. KBB's observed 2024-model depreciation and CARFAX's last-place segment projection corroborate the weak resale outlook.

Lucid provides a conventional luxury-brand four-year basic warranty. The mileage ceiling is 50,000 miles.

Both the electric drive system and high-voltage battery are covered for eight years or 100,000 miles. Battery coverage guarantees at least 70% capacity during that term.

Lucid included two years/24,000 miles of scheduled maintenance, four years/50,000 miles of roadside assistance, and a $1,000 allowance toward a charging accessory. Eligible 2024 purchasers also received a limited complimentary Electrify America plan, making this a strong ownership-benefit package.

$79,400 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (37.3% retained, or about $29,616) leaves about $49,784 in depreciation. Add the projected $3,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $53,284 in total.

Consumer Reports says the 2024 Air is less reliable than other cars from the same model year, although it lacked enough detailed survey data and a later 20,000-mile long-term Pure test provides a meaningful positive counter-signal. Overall evidence remains below average but not uniformly poor.

Lucid was too new and too low-volume to qualify for Consumer Reports' 2024 brand reliability ranking, leaving no multi-year VDS-style record comparable with established luxury brands. Its only production nameplate began deliveries in 2021, so the brand remains materially unproven.

Seven NHTSA recalls through the scoring date are excessive for a low-volume 2024 luxury sedan, and several concern safety-critical loss of drive power, windshield defrost, or rear-camera operation. OTA remedies soften inconvenience for some campaigns, but repeated generation-wide software and electrical actions are a clear negative.

The volume Air Pure's Lucid-developed battery and drive unit were only a few years into production, so high-mileage durability is not yet proven. The 20,000-mile long-term Pure result is encouraging and there is no established battery degradation or motor-failure epidemic, but two Pure RWD loss-of-drive recall mechanisms prevent a stronger score.

The Air Pure cabin is stylish, upscale, and rich enough to compete in the luxury class, but reviewers consistently find it short of the material standard implied by its price. Pure's synthetic PurLuxe upholstery and a few less-convincing touchpoints keep it below class-leading.

Assembly quality is inconsistent rather than universally poor: some reviewers report excellent fitment, while others found conspicuous creaks and ill-fitting door or steering-wheel pieces in 2024 test cars. Those defects are difficult to excuse at this price even if later builds appear improved over early production.

Lucid offered app scheduling, service centers, and mobile service, but its 2024 US footprint was concentrated in only a limited set of states and major metros. That is substantially less convenient than the nationwide dealer networks supporting established full-size luxury sedans.

The low-volume, proprietary EV architecture offers little aftermarket depth, while body, trim, and high-voltage repairs generally depend on Lucid's small authorized network. Warranty coverage helps the first owner, but it does not make parts abundant or out-of-warranty repairs inexpensive.

The standard curved display integrates instruments and primary infotainment, supplemented by a lower retractable touchscreen.

By 2024 updates had cured much early lag and the shallow menus were easy to learn, but touchscreen-only mirror/wheel adjustments and occasional glitches remain drawbacks.

Wireless Apple CarPlay was standard across the 2024 range, but Android Auto was not yet offered, so the Air fails the rubric's requirement for both ecosystems.

Native EV navigation is functional, and the September 2024 UX 2.4 OTA added Lucid Assistant for nav, audio, climate and seats; reviewers still found voice recognition inconsistent.

The standard nine-speaker system is ordinary for the price, but the optional 21-speaker Surreal Sound Pro with Dolby Atmos is a genuinely premium upgrade.

A crisp, curved 5K Glass Cockpit with a dedicated driver-information section is standard even on Pure, placing it near the top of the segment.

Lucid delivers substantive whole-vehicle OTA changes, including ADAS logic, voice control, maps, visualization and convenience refinements—not merely map updates.

The Lucid app supports Mobile Key plus remote vehicle access, climate and charging functions, although early app/key reliability was not uniformly polished.

USB-C charging and a wireless phone pad cover normal device needs, but the Air lacks the broad outlet/onboard-power provision needed for the top band.

Passive approach entry, walk-away locking, automatically presenting handles and phone-as-key provide full modern keyless convenience.

Base DreamDrive includes Auto Park and distance/rear protection, but the desirable surround-view camera and blind-spot camera display required optional DreamDrive Premium in 2024.

No head-up display was offered on the 2024 Air at any trim level.

A broad rear bench, 37.6 inches of legroom, split-folding seat and enormous two-ended cargo capacity suit family duty, but the 55.4-inch roof makes loading children less easy than in an SUV.

The base 2024 DreamDrive suite includes an unusually broad set of collision-prevention aids, but this exact model year lacks a published NHTSA overall rating and IIHS award.

Quiet ride, excellent front room, adult-usable rear seating and 32.1 cu ft of divided cargo make it an excellent four-person tourer; the low entry and optional rear climate luxuries are the main compromises.

Progressive instant torque, selectable regen, excellent seats and a composed ride make the Pure relaxing in traffic, with visibility and its wide footprint creating the notable friction.

The 2024 Pure RWD is exceptionally efficient for any EV, especially a full-size luxury sedan, substantially reducing energy cost per commuting mile.

At 195.9 inches long and 76.2 inches wide with a 39.4-foot turning circle, the Air needs care in town; standard sensors/Auto Park help, while 360° view cost extra.

Despite excellent enclosed cargo room, Lucid gives the Air no factory tow rating, bed or work payload proposition.

The low aero body and luxury-oriented interior are poorly suited to abuse, and the young low-volume platform had no fleet-proven durability record in 2024.

There is no bed, factory upfit system, washable cabin, jobsite AC power or meaningful tie-down ecosystem.

A 410-mile EPA range, rapid charging, a hushed and composed cabin, supportive seats and adaptive cruise make the Pure one of 2024's best EV mile-eaters.

The volume Pure is RWD, has only 4.9 inches of clearance, no factory tow rating and no roof-rail proposition, leaving it pavement-bound.

A 22.1-cu-ft trunk, huge 10.0-cu-ft frunk, underfloor wells and split-folding rear seat are outstanding for a sedan, though the low trunk height and lack of roof/hitch options constrain bulky gear.

Removing the front motor makes Pure lighter and especially balanced; it turns in eagerly, contains roll and remains graceful rather than feeling like a 4,564-pound full-size sedan.

The unpowered front axle gives the RWD Pure accurate turn-in, natural weighting and more genuine feedback than most luxury EVs, though it remains short of Taycan tactility.

Strong instrumented stops and a stable chassis inspire confidence, while the limited choice of fairly aggressive regen modes prevents a truly flawless score.

The single rear motor delivers immediate, progressive and uninterrupted thrust; 430 hp is ample without the more abrupt excess of the multi-motor trims.

The isolated single-motor drivetrain is near-silent in ordinary use and avoids the low-speed dual-motor whine observed in other Air configurations.

The long wheelbase and wide body produce a turning diameter near the bottom of the sedan normalization band.

Seats and wheel offer a broad adjustment range and the forward view is expansive, but low ingress, thick A-pillars and touchscreen-based mirror/wheel adjustment impose real daily compromises.

The RWD Pure pairs strong acceleration with unusually communicative steering and a playful, poised chassis, making it an enthusiast-worthy luxury EV rather than merely a fast appliance.

Pure includes a 34-inch Glass Cockpit display, wireless smartphone integration, heated power front seats, adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, surround-view cameras, automatic parking, and a 410-mile estimated range. Some expected luxury amenities—including ventilated/massaging seats and the fuller Comfort & Convenience content—remain optional.

The $79,400-delivered Touring pairs 620 hp, AWD, roughly 411 miles of EPA range, a spacious luxury cabin, and exceptional fast charging. Its engineering capability per dollar is outstanding against the Taycan, EQS, i7, and Model S, though inconsistent materials and software keep it short of an unequivocal bargain.

Four clearly separated trims span efficient rear-drive luxury through extreme performance: Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, and Sapphire. Buyers can choose RWD or AWD, 430 to 1,234 hp, several wheel sizes, and meaningful comfort, driver-assistance, and appearance packages.

Air deliveries accelerated sharply in 2024 but remained niche relative to established luxury sedans and Tesla. Lucid's growth shows improving acceptance, while low absolute volume and price cuts prevent a mid-pack-or-better market score.

Lucid has a strong technology-forward luxury halo built around record range, efficiency, and the Sapphire's performance. Its startup status, small retail/service footprint, and uncertain long-term resale keep desirability below established German and Porsche luxury brands.

Buyers received unusually large benefits: February price cuts of thousands, a $1,000 charging-accessory allowance, included maintenance, and later substantial Air Credits and lease support. The offers were excellent for buyers, although their depth also reflected demand and inventory pressure.

The 2024 Air was an early-cycle model in the generation that began production in late 2021 for the 2022 model year. It was not a redesign, but 2024 brought the Pure RWD, simplified four-trim lineup, broader seating/interior choices, option-package revisions, substantial repricing, and the new Sapphire flagship.

The Air was one of the year's most acclaimed cars: Car and Driver awarded it both 2024 10Best and Editors' Choice with a 10/10 rating, while the Pure was singled out for its blend of price, luxury, and range. The Sapphire also set Car and Driver's fastest-ever EV and four-door Lightning Lap time.