2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Review: This Hybrid ‘Vette Will Casually Warp You To Your Next Destination

Fast has become an adjective for many cars. With the arrival of electric vehicles (EVs), turbocharged engines, and rapid-shifting automatic transmissions, our definition of fast has been elevated to a whole new level. Fast has also been democratized. You can now do 0 to 60 MPH in the low three-second range with a sensible, electric family crossover. Two decades ago, that sort of fast was reserved for multi-million-dollar supercars.

When I try to describe the performance of the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, a car I’ve had the privilege of living with for an entire week, fast really is the only qualifier that comes to mind. Yes, on paper, there are other cars that can launch out of the hole just as quickly as this all-wheel-drive Vette. Some Teslas will even eat it for breakfast. But, it’s the experience from behind the wheel that goes further than what its numbers suggest. Of all the fast cars I’ve had the chance of reviewing in my career – including McLarens, Lamborghinis and everything in between – the Corvette E-Ray was one of the most casually exhilarating drives I’ve ever experienced.

2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray First Impressions

Riptide Blue Metallic And Pearl Nickel Wheels, Please

Not everyone is at peace with the way the C8 Corvette looks. I’ve always liked it, but I admit that in some configurations, it looks a little naked due to the wrong wheel and tire spec. This E-Ray, though, is truly all the Corvette I would need. That’s because it wears the same widebody treatment as the Z06, which instantly makes it look meaner and more special. For reference, versus a regular Stingray, the front and rear tracks on an E-Ray are 1.4 and 3.7 inches wider respectively.

The front fascia also has larger air intakes, and the E-Ray has a unique, body-colored V-shaped design element that starts in the bottom center part of the bumper, and stretches to each extremity, across the air intake. This allows it to really distinguish itself from the rest of the Corvette lineup.

After all, the E-Ray is a new model for the Corvette lineup. It’s also a pretty big deal considering it’s the first-ever hybrid Corvette in history, but also the first-ever to be fitted with all-wheel drive. Yet, my tester looked decidedly old-school with its Pearl Nickel wheels and Riptide Blue Metallic paint. I’ve grown tired of black or dark wheels. A properly metallic wheel with a classic five-spoke design is refreshing. It also fits the C8 like a glove.

2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Exterior Dimensions

2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray: Differences Between The U.S. And Canadian Market

GM typically sells its vehicles the same way on both sides of the border, and the Corvette E-Ray is no exception. And, since this is a trim level of an already niche model, there’s no point for the General to start fiddling with the grade walk. Both the U.S. and Canada therefore sell the Corvette E-Ray as a coupe or a convertible, and both markets get the same three available trim levels: 1LZ, 2LZ and 3LZ. Each market also offers ten available paint colors.

U.S. Versus Canada Lineup Breakdown And Starting MSRP (model tested in bold below)

Driving Impressions And Performance

Brutally Fast, But Also Pleasantly Tame

The E-Ray’s standout feature is the same as in the regular Stingray, which is its ability to put down a ridiculous amount of performance that’s also easy to work with. We’ve heard automakers promise this from their sports and supercars before, and some would argue that the original Acura NSX set the standard for daily livability. But the E-Ray is right up there as being one of the easiest modern supercars to drive.

Yes, I just qualified the C8 as being a supercar because, I mean, look at it! Its numbers are also supercar-grade, courtesy of the same naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LT2 V-8 as the regular Stingray, but paired with a 160-horsepower electric motor mounted on the front axle. The total combined output is 655 horsepower and 595 pound-feet of torque, all sent through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

When properly launched, the Corvette R-Ray will hit 0 to 60 MPH in 2.5 seconds, making it not only the second-fastest-accelerating Corvette in the C8 lineup after the almighty ZR1, but also one of the fastest production cars on sale today.

2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Technical Specifications

How does it all feel from behind the wheel? The way you’d expect it to feel. Launch the E-Ray when everything is cranked up to 11 through your own, personalized Z mode, and it won’t launch to 60 MPH, but rather hop there as an excessive amount of G forces slam you into your seat. The acceleration is visceral. Brutal, even. But the aural experience makes everything feel even faster, and weirder, as if you’re warping to your next destination.

Behind me, the deep, low-strung bellow of an American V8 never got old. Up front, or should I say, through the Bose audio system, emitted a futuristic, spaceship-like whine that’s both gimmicky and entertaining. Love or hate the E-Ray’s in-cabin soundtrack, the car certainly knows how to make an event out of a launch sequence.

But the E-Ray’s straightline might only tells half the story. Stealth mode, the E-Ray’s ability to quietly exit your neighborhood in fully electric mode further drives the point home that the E-Ray can also be your friendly neighborhood Corvette.

The E-Ray’s hybrid system doesn’t really help with fuel economy. Rather, GM put it at your disposal for you to play around with it, either through violent acceleration runs, or by discretely creeping out of your driveway at night. I had a blast doing that one morning at 4:30 am on my way to the airport, only to fire up the rambunctious V-8 a few miles later. Giggles.

Yet, although there’s a lump of an AC motor sitting on the E-Ray’s nose, to say nothing of all the added electronics to get that motor to play ball with its mid-mounted V-8 friend, you’ll never feel the electrified part of the performance equation when throwing the E-Ray around your favorite backroad. The E-Ray feels every bit rear-wheel-driven and just as organic as all other C8s. There’s never a push or a tug felt from the front axle, nor does it feel like the front wheels are controlling you like, say, in a second-generation Acura NSX.

Rather, the hybrid system in the E-Ray is invisible. You only notice it when you dig into the throttle on corner exits, at which point the E-Ray simply hooks. In that respect, this Corvette leans more into the grand tourer category, sitting at the complete other end of the spectrum from the more frantic, track-focused Z06. The E-Ray is also the “all-weather” model of the Corvette lineup.

I’m not sure if I’d personally drive my E-Ray through three months of a dreadful Canadian winter, but it was pouring rain basically each day I had the E-Ray in my possession. The car always felt glued to the road (partially thanks to the Michelin Pilot all-season tires). So I can totally see where GM is coming from when it says the E-Ray can take on any weather.

2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Fuel Consumption

According to official EPA data, although the E-Ray’s V-8 engine is assisted by an electric motor, it acts more as a supplement to performance than as an actual way to help it consume less fuel. The E-Ray’s 19 MPG average combined fuel consumption is therefore identical to the Stingray’s. As a matter of fact, the E-Ray burns a bit more fuel at highway speeds (presumably something to do with the added weight of the electric motor and battery), resulting in a 24 MPG average versus 25 MPG for the Stingray.

In my case, I’ll admit that fuel economy was not my top priority while living with this Corvette. And I’d assume that this would be the case for most owners, as they’d presumably much rather use it for some good-old back-road carving or enjoying some acceleration runs with it at the local drag strip. Still, after my full week with the car, I was averaging 18.4 MPG.

EPA And As-Tested Fuel Consumption

Interior Design And Comfort

Love-It-Or-Hate It Cabin Design, Comfortable And Daily Driveable

The model I was driving still had the pre-facelift interior, but for the 2026 model year, the entire Corvette lineup will get a spiced-up cabin which effectively deletes ergonomically-challenged spine of buttons, cleans up the center console and offers quicker and more user-friendly digital interfaces. I’ll get back to the onboard technology in a bit, but although the C8’s current interior design is an acquired taste, and although I’m still not a fan of its rectangular steering wheel, it remains a highly functional and comfortable cabin, even for taller drivers.

As a car, this totally works. The blue leather interior of my test unit was absolutely gorgeous, too. It also paired beautifully with the car’s paint color and wheels. I totally dig the metallic Bose Premium Series speaker grilles. Seats are supportive, comfortable and offer a wide range of bolstering and lumbar adjustments for even wider frames like yours truly.

Visibility in a C8 Corvette remains great, but you do feel like you’re sitting a bit high in the cabin. At six-feet tall, it felt like my forehead was arriving flush with the top of the windshield. But the true beauty of the C8 Corvette’s interior is how spacious it feels, even if it’s actually quite a confined space. Bonus points go to GM’s digital rear-view mirror for improving the C8’s rearward visibility.

There’s also actual storage in the form of a generous center console opening, as well as large cupholders and additional pockets underneath the center console. There’s a wireless charger in the center behind both seats, but reaching back there will have you practicing your contortionist skills. The drive mode selector is also weird. It’s a rotary knob dial with a lot of resistance that’s sort of hidden behind a leather hand rest. Shouldn’t it be visible and easy to operate?

2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

Generally Quite Useful, But Laggy And Loaded

From a technology standpoint, there’s a lot happening in a C8 Corvette, even more so in the E-Ray’s case due to the added hybrid system. Changing drive modes will showcase a neat animation on the main infotainment screen, and the car’s gauges change to preconfigured themes. You can also choose to configure your own My Mode, or Z mode. See the latter as a sort of My Mode plus, allowing you to truly put everything in its wildest setting. Weather, Normal, Sport, and Track are the E-Ray’s default drive modes, but the car always allows you to manually adjust each of its parameters independently, such as its adaptive dampers or traction control settings.

Although the technology in an E-Ray is loaded with information and modes, it remains rather easy to comprehend and use. My only real gripe with this system is how laggy everything is, taking several seconds to respond to your commands or the requested display or animation. Wireless Android Auto (in my case) connected quickly and seamlessly.

Cargo And Storage Space

There’s Actually Quite A Lot Of It!

The Corvette’s ability to be daily usable is emphasized by its generous amount of cargo space, both front and rear. Combined, both cargo holds offer about the same amount of space as in a midsize sedan, or enough to fit two full-size golf bags, Chevrolet says. The rear trunk can also act as a way to stow the E-Ray’s retractable targa roof.

2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray Cargo Space

The More Mature Corvette Experience

All versions of the C8 Corvette deliver a heck of a lot of performance at a decent price point, but all versions are also wild in their own way. A base Stingray will give a Porsche 911 Carrera a serious run for its money. The Z06’s flat-plane crank V-8 basically tries to be a cheaper, American Ferrari. And the ZR1 is the overpowered redneck hooligan of the C8 lineup.

But with the E-Ray, Chevrolet has given birth to the most sophisticated, most mature Corvette yet. It’s actually super easy to live with, offers tons of all-weather grip and won’t wake up the neighborhood during your early morning runs to the gym. Yet, it’ll still do what a Corvette does best: spank much more expensive supercars in a drag race while giving its driver an unforgettable driving experience.