Three luxury electric vehicles duke it out for the best luxury EV category crown.
How Does ACOTY Define This Class?
Vehicles in contention need to sit as their respective manufacturer’s flagship, or fall in or above the 90th price percentile compared to the rest of the line-up for ACOTY 2024. This then qualifies them as luxury vehicles. They also need to be propelled solely by electricity. Pretty simple.
Meet The Contenders
The luxury vehicle segment has always been a hotbed of contests, with manufacturers pulling out all the stops they can to keep their well-heeled clientele bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
It then makes sense to take things to the next level by making these luxo-barges even quieter by ripping out their internal combustion engines and endowing them with batteries and electric drive. The push for electrification in this segment has become even more apparent in 2023.
And so, three luxury electric vehicles were reviewed this year. They are, clockwise from top-left, the Audi Q8 e-tron, Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ and BMW i7 xDrive60.
While the Merc and Bimmer comfortably qualify price percentile-wise at 96th and 92nd respectively, the Audi only comes in at the 80th price percentile. However, the Q8 is the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer’s flagship SUV EV, and that’s why it’s here.
While it may be an SUV, the Audi Q8 e-tron impressed us with its business-like looks, generous interior space and supple ride comfort. That Audi has engineered a large SUV to drive the way it does and be uber-practical is something to be proud of.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ is designed based on aerodynamic efficiency and its looks are the result. We liked how the right amount of technology is implemented within while being able to mood-light like a discotheque at night if one so chooses.
We appreciated the generous and supple interior that’s de facto in this segment. We also liked its ease and comfort of driving and the relatively large range the battery pack provides.
There’s nothing that looks like the Bimmer. We liked how, in darker shades, the BMW i7 xDrive 60 can achieve a murdered-out gangsta look from the word go. We appreciated the technology inside that would keep wealthy tech geeks happy for hours on end and is pretty easy to use.
We especially were impressed by how well the i7 drove and rode, and how much of a compelling proposition it has become to the upper crust of society.
Picking a winner, as you can comprehend, was a tough call for the four of us, for each entrant brings something meaningfully captivating to the table. Suffice to say, you can’t go wrong with any of them.
However, this is a competition, and when all’s said and done, there can only be one.
AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Luxury EV
BMW i7 xDrive 60
| Vehicle | Points Tally | Price Percentile |
| BMW i7 xDrive 60 | 386 | 96 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ | 339 | 92 |
| Audi Q8 e-tron | 305 | 80 |
While the BMW i7 xDrive 60 is the most expensive of the trio, it also offers so much for the price. Despite its arguably polarizing looks, the Bavarian manufacturer must be applauded for daring to break with tradition and create something that snaps heads and looks like nothing else on the road. That’s why it clinches the top spot with 386 points.
More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.
Congratulations to the BMW i7 xDrive 60 for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Best Luxury EV!
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