Lotus is moving fast into its new, electrified world.
The brand has revealed and released its last internal-combustion car, and is now committed to becoming a luxury electric rival to the likes of Porsche.
The Eletre SUV was the first electric Lotus, the Emeya you see here is the second.
At more than five metres long, with space for four people and their luggage, you could argue the Emeya is a rival to the Mercedes-Benz EQS or BMW i7.
But when you consider even the mid-range Emeya S is packing 450kW of power and 750Nm of torque, and Lotus says all its new cars are for the drivers, the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT also shape as natural competitors.
Based on our quick drive, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest the new age of Lotus has plenty of potential.
How much does the Lotus Emeya cost?
With a starting price just shy of $190,000 before on-roads, the Emeya is aimed directly at the Porsche Taycan.
| Model | Price before on-roads |
|---|---|
| 2025 Lotus Emeya | $189,990 |
| 2025 Lotus Emeya S | $209,990 |
| 2025 Lotus Emeya R | $259,990 |
To see how the Emeya lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.
What is the Lotus Emeya like on the inside?
Wow. This is a seriously attractive cabin, miles removed from the stripped-back ethos that’s defined Lotus since its launch.
From the clean, modern layout to the high-end materials, it feels every bit as special as you’d expect of a car worth more than $200,000.
The driving position is excellent, with plenty of adjustment in the powered driver’s seat, and vision out of the cabin is good. Our tester had the optional electrochromic glass roof which made for a light, airy feeling behind the wheel, and its party trick – where triangular sections can be dimmed on demand – makes it a $1400 option we’d be ticking.
There’s a real feeling of quality. The leather is waxy, the buttons on the steering wheel and transmission tunnel have a nice click-clack feeling, and real effort has gone into making sure all the graphics on the touchscreen are smooth.
Lotus was one of the first brands to commit to using the Unreal Engine to drive its cabin graphics. The same tech underpins popular video game Fortnite, and it makes for infotainment that is right at home in the iPad age.
There’s still some work to be done on the finer details, though. Changing drive modes brings up a slick graphic, but when it goes away the car defaults to its home screen instead of whatever you were doing previously – which means you manually have to reopen CarPlay, for example.
It’s the sort of thing that can be fixed with a software update, thankfully.
The slim displays in front of the driver and passenger are a nice touch, given a growing number of brands want to run everything through a single display.
All the boring, practical stuff is taken care of here. There are usable cupholders, and plenty of storage bins around, not to mention enough USB-C ports to keep an army’s worth of devices charged.
Rear seat space is a strong suit. This is a longer car than a Porsche Taycan, and it pays off in the second row.
There’s enough legroom for tall adults to fit comfortably back there, and even at 6’7 there’s enough headroom for me to sit comfortably.
The outboard seats are more welcoming than the middle one, but you could fit three back there without too much trouble. It really is a usable family sedan in a way the Taycan and e-tron GT aren’t, more in keeping with a Mercedes-Benz EQE or BMW i5 in the second row.
Beneath a sizeable liftback is a boot that’ll happily take two sets of golf clubs, or enough kit for a family on a weekend away.
| Dimensions | Lotus Emeya S |
|---|---|
| Length | 5139mm |
| Width | 2241mm (incl. mirrors) |
| Height | 1459mm |
| Wheelbase | 3069mm |
| Cargo capacity | 509 litres (5-seat) 1388 litres (2-seat) |
To see how the Emeya lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.
What’s under the bonnet?
Despite its prodigious outputs, this isn’t the most powerful version of the Emeya.
| Specifications | Lotus Emeya S |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Dual-motor electric |
| Battery | 102kWh lithium-ion |
| Power | 450kW |
| Torque | 710Nm |
| Driven wheels | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2550kg (tare) |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 4.15 seconds |
| Power consumption (claimed) | N/A |
| Power consumption (as tested) | N/A |
| Claimed range | 609km |
| Max AC charge rate | 22kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 350kW |
To see how the Emeya lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.
How does the Lotus Emeya drive?
We spent around 20 minutes in the Emeya on roads that really didn’t allow us to stretch its legs, so these are top level observations. We’ll have more time with the car soon, so keep an eye on CarExpert and our YouTube channel.
In news that’ll surprise no-one, the car is quick in a straight line. Put your foot down and it immediately lunges towards the horizon in a way no 2500kg car has a right to, with impressive traction from the four-wheel drive system.
There’s a hint of what feels like torque steer when you plant the accelerator suddenly on uneven roads, but it exists in the background rather than dominating the experience.
When you’re not in a hurry, there’s a real sense of refinement behind the wheel.
Road and wind noise are conspicuous by their absence at 80km/h on coarse Australian country highways, and the electrically assisted steering doesn’t seek out cambers or follow ruts in the road like the chatty hydraulic rack in the Emira sports car – that’s in keeping with this car’s remit as a long-haul cruiser.
Ride quality from the air suspension is impressive. It isn’t floaty or loose, but it breathes nicely with the road.
Flicking into Sport tightens things up, but based on our quick spin the Lotus engineering team has kept one eye on rough-road comfort across the range of suspension setups.
Worth noting here are the driver assists systems, which were very sensitive.
From the lane-keeping assist to the driver attention monitor, the Emeya falls into the same trap as countless other Chinese cars. As is the case with the infotainment, a software update could be all that’s required.
What do you get?
Standard equipment on the base Emeya includes:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Matrix LED headlights
- Gloss black roof finish
- Air suspension
- 8-way power adjustable front seats
- 4-way power adjustable steering column
- Heated seats and steering wheel
- 15.1-inch touchscreen infotainment screen
- DAB+ digital radio
- Bluetooth phone connectivity
- Wireless smartphone mirroring
- KEF premium audio system
- Over-the-air software updates
- 12.6-inch displays for driver and passenger
- Interior carbon-fibre package
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Auto-dimming interior mirror
Moving to the Emeya S brings:
- 21-inch five-spoke alloy wheels
- Rear privacy glass
- Panoramic glass roof
- Comfort seat package
- 2-way cushion extension
- 2-way headrests
- Front seat ventilation and massage
- Heated rear seats
- Autonomous parking assist with remote park
- LiDAR system
Moving to the Emeya R adds:
- Lotus Dynamic Handling Package with Track Mode
- 21-inch wheels in gloss black
- Exterior carbon package
- Solar Yellow exterior paint
- Quartz Interior Theme
Is the Lotus Emeya safe?
The Lotus Emeya hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP.
Standard safety equipment includes:
- 7 airbags
- Driver monitoring system
- Rear collision warning
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Rear cross-traffic assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane-keep assist
- Front and rear parking assist
To see how the Emeya lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.
How much does the Lotus Emeya cost to run?
Lotus hasn’t confirmed capped-price service costs for the new Emeya.
| Running costs | Lotus Eletre S |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 5 years, 150,000 kilometres |
| Battery warranty | 8 years, 200,000 kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000 kilometres |
| Capped price servicing | TBC |
| Total capped price service cost | TBC |
CarExpert’s Take on the Lotus Emeya
The Emeya is not like any Lotus before it, but to be weighed down by history would be to miss the point here.
If Lotus is to survive, it needs to evolve and speak to new buyers. It still has a mountain to climb if it’s to be taken seriously as a Porsche rival, but it’s clear Geely has given the brand the tools give it a red hot crack.
The Emeya shows plenty of promise. It’s striking to look at outside, impressively luxurious inside, and packs the sort of punch you’d expect of a car chasing the Taycan on paper.
Based on our brief stint behind the wheel, it’s also shot through with enough brand DNA to justify the classic Lotus bade on its nose – without compromising on the things that make for a quality grand tourer.
It’s going to be fun digging a bit deeper.
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