I’ll be honest, when I took receipt of the Lotus Emeya for this review, I wanted to write the review without leaning on Lotus’s history. “Adding power makes you faster on the straights,” said Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus. “Removing weight makes you faster everywhere.” Given the proliferation of his initials across the Lotus Emeya, it has, alas, proven impossible not to. This modern iteration of a Lotus has certainly added plenty of power, but with it, too, significant weight. The key question, really, is does any of this matter? It’s 2025 and Chapman, if nothing else, was a man who moved with the times. Electrification isn’t going away anytime soon.
Several observers who stopped to ask what this car is were surprised to hear Lotus as the answer. “Don’t they make little sports cars?” was the near unanimous follow up question. This, clearly, is no lithe sports car. But lithe sports cars aren’t where the money is these days. People want big, comfortable cars. Manufacturers have also been ushered down the electrification route, even if the market doesn’t seem to want such cars nearly as much as the regulators. Throw in the addition of a 3p per mile tax soon to be introduced on EVs in the UK and the picture becomes further muddied.
This isn’t the fault of manufacturers, of course. Cruise ships operating in Europe emit more toxic sulphur oxides than one billion cars would every year. There are roughly 260 million cars registered in Europe. No one seems to give a damn about this, though. It’s far easier to pin it all on cars and restrict people from using them. Around 13.8 million people in Europe are employed in the automotive industry. Yet regulators have done much to harm it.
What’s the Lotus Emeya got to do with all this?
All the upheaval and increasingly stringent regulations have placed great strain on manufacturers. If Porsche is feeling the strain, then the struggles faced by manufacturers such as McLaren, Aston Martin and Lotus are understandable. Throw in a cost of living crisis and a dose of financial uncertainty, then coercing manufacturers into producing expensive EVs looks an ever more baffling decision. It gets even more baffling when you consider than European rule makers have rowed back on their previously stated 2035 ban on the sale of ICE and hybrid cars.
Sure, emissions are non-existent where these cars are driven, but don’t look closely into how their batteries are made and not recycled if you wish to maintain the emission-free myth. And certainly don’t look too closely at Cobalt mining practices in the Congo.
Simply put, emission-free is unachievable. People need to get to work, socialise and go on holiday. Be that by car, train, plane or cruise liner, emissions are inevitable. Over 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are due to the burning of fossil fuels for electricity generation, the very thing that runs these cars.
So, this is why Lotus is having to move away from what you reasonably consider its traditional routes. The Emeya, however, proves that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Living with the Lotus Emeya
First impressions are important and the Lotus Emeya makes a positive one. It certainly has presence, standing at 5.14m long and 2.2m wide. The rear occupants are sitting in a different postcode to the driver.
The sloping glass roof adds further to the sense of space in the cabin. It can also be matted out in triangular shapes, which can be used to block out the sun for specific passengers. If nothing else, it’s a bit of a party piece and looks great.
That functionality, like everything else, is handled via the massive touchscreen. It’s an impressive bit of kit which feels intuitively laid out. It pays to take a bit of time to familiarise yourself with where everything is, as you’ll be interacting with it a lot.
With such a footprint comes a lot of interior space. I liked the minimalist layout and sense of space in the cabin. It’s unquestionably a relaxing place to be. This extends to the ride quality, too. Sitting on an air suspension, the Lotus Emeya deals with imperfections on the road well.
Sink into the jasper leather seats (a £3,000 option) and get the massage functionality fired up and long journeys are to be embraced. You’re probably thinking about range anxiety now. One thing Lotus has done incredibly well here is the accuracy of its range. Many EVs say they’ve got 300 miles of range, so you relax. Next time you look down it’s halved. The Lotus Emeya is true to its word.
It also charges rapidly. A charging stop on the way back from Leeds saw 18%-64% achieved in just 12mins. Use the facilities, glass of water, back in the car. It barely slows its charging rate once it hits 80%, either. Range anxiety? Not a bit of it here.
What’s the Lotus Emeya like to drive?
With confidence in the range, it means you can explore the performance capabilities. In a lot of EVs, with silly power outputs, I’ve been reduced to 65mph on the M1 so as not to have to stop multiple times. This is frustrating. The Lotus Emeya feels like an EV worthy of the GT tag. It’s a sublime long distance cruiser and charging doesn’t keep you off the road for long. This is a significant step forward for EVs.
The model tested is the Lotus Emeya 600 GT. This means it has 600hp and 710Nm of torque. 0-60mph takes a smidge over four seconds. It’s on the motorway where it impresses, though. A lot of EVs sprint to 60 in dizzying times, then simply run out of puff. Not so the Lotus Emeya, which keeps on pulling beyond 60mph. You can opt for the Lotus Emeya 900 (900hp, obviously) but from what I can gather it’s no quicker than the 600 once you’re up and running. If you need to get to 60mph a second quicker, however, that’s your option.
I guess this where the comparison with Lotuses of yesteryear is most prevalent. Lotus isn’t synonymous with long-legged GTs. You expect them to dart down country roads, which the Emeya doesn’t really do. It drives impressively, but you only need to look at it to know this is no B-road basher. That’s not, however, to say it’s unenjoyable in such a setting.
The steering is well judged and the brakes posses almighty stopping power, as well they should. The air suspension works well to keep the mass (2500Kg) in check, but along narrower country lanes in the Surrey Hills, you’re constantly aware of the size of it. It’s more fun than an EV of this mass and dimensions should be, though.
Conclusion
Perception remains everything. If you’re expecting an electric saloon with a sprinkling of Lotus driving magic, you’ll be disappointed. If, however, you approach the Emeya expecting a compelling alternative to a Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT, then you’ll be impressed. There’s a lot to like here, from a well-appointed, minimalist interior to exceptional ride quality and rapid charging capability.
The only glaring weakness is the driver assistance tools. The adaptive cruise control bongs at you every time you change lane on the motorway, even if you indicate. This quickly becomes tiring. It also has a habit of braking for oncoming vehicles on single lane roads. The lane keep assist is dim-witted, too. You can, however, simply not use it. Turning all the beeps and bongs off is easy enough, although you will take your eyes off the road as you prod the screen.
I came to like the Lotus Emeya much more than I thought I would. I think it’s a good-looking car and I enjoyed the multiple interactions with passers by who simply wondered what on earth it was. Then there is the laid back driving experience, interrupted by occasional bouts of violence. You wouldn’t believe it does 0-60mph in four seconds unless you keep an eye on the speedo. You also wouldn’t believe the speed you’re doing some of the time, either.
Whilst manufacturers have been forced down the EV route, consumer demand hasn’t kept up. The Lotus Emeya is certainly a car that makes you wonder why. People don’t like change. That’s certainly one reason. They’re also expensive. The model tested comes in at £110,395, which becomes even more glaring when you consider that this is very keenly priced against its competition.
Judging it simply as a car, however, the Lotus Emeya impresses in myriad ways.