Text by Tom Appel
2026 Lucid Air Touring
Specs
Class: Premium Large Car
Country of Manufacture: U.S.
Color: Fathom Blue Metallic
Miles driven: 171
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | A |
| Power and Performance | A |
| Fit and Finish | A- |
| Fuel Economy | A |
| Value | B+ |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | C |
| Tall Guy | B |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 620 |
| Engine Type | Electric Motors |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Drive Wheels | AWD |
Battery capacity: 94 kWh
EPA-estimate MPGe: N/A
EPA-estimated driving range: 431
Maximum Charge Rate: 250 kW
Consumer Guide range estimate (ideal conditions): 450+ miles
Charge Port Location: Front driver-side fender
Charging Standard: CCS
Snow Performance: N/A
Frunk Capacity: 10 sq. ft.
Base price: $79,900 (not including $1500 destination charge)
Options on test vehicle: Special paint ($800), Drive Assist & Future-Capable ADAS Hardware ($6750), Surreal Sound audio system ($2900), rear center-console display screen ($3000), 20-Way Power Front Seats with Massage & Ventilation ($3750), Stealth Appearance Package ($1750)
Price as tested: $100,350
Audio-System Brand
Audio-System Quality
Poor Fair Good Very-Good Excellent
Pros and Cons
The great: Modern look and feel, premium drive experience
The good: Ample power, cabin quietness
The not so good: Pricey options, small door openings
Review
What if the best car you’ve driven in years was something you really didn’t want? By my count, this author will have spent time in at least 75 vehicles in 2025, and—by far—the example that impressed me the most is the Lucid Air. And while he might want one, Americans don’t seem to, having turned their backs on large luxury sedans in favor of premium crossovers long ago.
And this, is a crying shame.
The Air blends traditional automotive virtues (think quietness, ride quality, and performance) with modern themes (clean and simple design, energy efficiency) and is much more than the sum of its parts.
New for the 2022 model year, the Air has been Lucid solo model, offered in four trim levels of wildly differing price. For 2025 the EV maker rolled out the Gravity, a midsize crossover than should help draw more customers to the brand.
Trim Levels and Prices
For 2026, the Air is offered in the following trim levels:
- Pure ($72,400)
- Touring ($81,400)
- Grand Touring ($116,400)
- Sapphire ($250,500)
Predictably, power and range vary by trim level. The entry level Pure features a single electric motor powering the rear wheels. It’s rated 430 horsepower with 420 miles of battery range on a full charge. The Touring is powered by two motors—one on each axle—and is rated at 620 horsepower with 431 miles of range. With a motor on each axle, the Touring—and upper trim levels—comes standard with AWD.
Horsepower and Range
The Grand Touring cranks out a stout 819 horsepower with 512 range, while the line-topping Sapphire is rated at a jaw-dropping 1234 horsepower, and 427 miles of range.
Pure models come equipped with an 84-kWh battery, while the Touring is fitted with a 92-kWh unit. The Grand Touring and Sapphire come with 118-kWh batteries.
Small Door Openings
While this plus-size editor is sad to admit that he found the door openings to be surprisingly small, especially for is a “large” sedan, it’s likely most shoppers will find the process of entering and exiting the Air a non-issue. But big guys, take note.
Consumer Guide recently spent a week behind the wheel of a 2026 Lucid Air Touring in Fathom Blue Metallic. Including the extra-cost hardware for semi-autonomous driving functionality to become available at a later date, our test car came to $100,350.
Here we’d like to share five things we found especially impressive about the 2026 Lucid Air. Read on…
Five Cool Things about the Lucid Air
Design
We salute Lucid’s design team, for forging a look that is both modern and yet somehow familiar. During our test week, the Consumer Guide team was treated to a bevy of quick thumbs-up reviews of the Air, with the staff at this editor’s favorite McDonald’s expressing serious love for the car.
The modern look extends into the cabin, which is free of unnecessary design flourishes, and is instead clean, simple, and decidedly upscale.
Refinement
Electric vehicles should be quiet and smooth accelerating, and the Lucid Air certainly scores points on those fronts. But the Air’s general refinement extends beyond those metrics. Control is exemplary, and despite serving up sporty corning and on-ramp moves, the Air boasts one of the most refined rides this editor has ever had the opportunity to enjoy.
Bolstering the ride quality is the surprisingly quiet cabin, which is largely free of road or wind noise. The Touring’s excellent optional “Surreal Sound” audio system added to the premium cabin experience.
Handling
Though an upstart in the premium large-sedan segment, the Lucid Air handles every bit as well as its German competition. There’s more steering feedback than provided by most other electric vehicles, and the excellent brakes provide an added sense of control. Lean in corners is well checked, and there’s almost no dive in hard braking.
But, most importantly, the Air is fun to drive. Despite its exterior dimensions, the big Lucid sedan “drives small,” meaning it feels like a tidier package, and invites playful maneuvers even during dull commutes.
Power
Though boasting just half the power of the topline Sapphire edition, our Air Touring still delivers plenty of scoot-from-a-stoplight muscle. Buff-book tests report the Touring reaching 60 mph from a stop in as little as 3.0 seconds, though most reports suggest that something along the lines of 3.4-3.5 seconds is more likely. Ferrari’s of only a few years ago would have had difficultly matching these figures. Most importantly, the power comes on smoothly and progressively—though a quick stab of the go-pedal will result is a neck-snapping lurch.
Cachet
Though priced below gasoline large sedans from the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the Lucid Air presents as a vehicle every bit their equal. The fresh and modern design, the upscale cabin, and impressive performance potential of the Lucid Air make it very much the equal of the traditional marques in this segment, and a very strong value as well. But remember, big guys may find the Air a pain to get in and out of.
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2026 Lucid Air Touring Pictures
