Review – Lotus Emeya S (2025), better than Audi, Porsche and Tesla?
Lightweight Lotus?
Gone are the days of the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora. Lotus’ current lineup consists of the Emira, Emeya and Eletra. The Emira is the spiritual successor to the Evora. Previously, you would label a 1,000-kilogram Lotus as heavy. Now, at about 1,450 kilograms, the Emira is the lightest Lotus in the lineup. In fact, the electric Emeya weighs 2,555 kilograms roadworthy, empty is 2,455 kilograms. Don’t immediately look the other way, because thanks to clever engineering it is quite possible to mask these higher vehicle weights. Whether that also succeeded with this Lotus Emeya, you can read further on in this review.
Champion fast charging! – LOTUS EMEYA S – REVIEW – AutoRAI TV
What does a Lotus Emeya cost?
First, let’s talk about money. Because what does such an electric hyper-GT from Lotus cost? The Lotus Emeya comes from 108,685 euros. Then you get a car with a system output of 450 kW (603 hp), a top speed of 250 km/h and a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h of 4.15 seconds. The model’s range comes out to 500 to 610 kilometers (WLTP).
The Lotus Emeya S – which costs 130,585 euros and pops off your digital screen in this driving test – offers the same performance. The extras compared to the normal Emeya include illuminated entry moldings, adjustable ambient lighting, sport pedals, privacy gGlass, colored brake calipers, lightweight brake discs, six-piston calipers and 21-inch five-spoke wheels.
Standard equipment Lotus Emeya
For imaging purposes, the base Emeya already has air suspension, CDC dampers, 20-inch five-spoke wheels, an aluminum roof, 32 matrix LED headlights, a 40/20/40 fold-down rear seat, 12-way power adjustable seats, four-zone climate control, keyless entry & start, a KEF audio setup with 15 speakers and 1,380W of power, a head-up display and wireless charging for smartphones. Front and rear parking sensors are also standard, as are a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, a 15.1-inch OLED touchscreen and a driver and passenger display. Pretty complete, then, this Chinese Lotus.
Would you prefer even more power? Then opt for the 905-hp Lotus Emeya R. That model has a price tag of at least 155,025 euros and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.78 seconds.
Options Lotus Emeya
Well, the options on this Lotus Emeya S, are you ready? This cool color is called Solar Yellow and will cost you 2,290 euros. The 22-inch 10-spoke wheels in high-gloss silver on this test car cost 2,320 euros. Want a Lotus wordmark on the tailgate in high-gloss black? Then you’ll pay 180 euros. The interior theme is called Quartz and consists of vegan leather in light gray and yellow: 3,560 euros. The belts in Lotus colors – a very nice option as far as we are concerned – have an additional cost of 510 euros. For the side cameras you pay an additional 2,340 euros. And finally: the intelligent glass roof has a price tag of 3,180 euros.
Intelligent glass roof
We can heartily recommend this intelligent glass roof. This is a multi-layer glass roof that can be instantly adjusted between full light transmission and white atomization, with ten individual segments available via the center display or touch control panel. The intelligent glass roof improves thermal insulation and blocks 99% of ultraviolet (UV) light. You can create very cool patterns in the roof. In the video review, we bring that to you in detail.
The sum
If we do the addition, we arrive – plus some other options – at a total price of this car of 153,300 euros. A lot of money, but compared to Porsche and Audi still reasonably sharp. In this respect, Lotus offers great value for money, even if we look at the battery. The high vehicle weight is partly due to the 102 kWh battery, of which 98.9 kWh is actually usable. The battery gives the Lotus Emeya a WLTP range of about 540 kilometers. In practice, count on about 460 kilometers.
‘Supersonic charging’
Charging is child’s play with this Lotus. In fact, the Lotus Emeya is one of the fastest-charging electric cars on the market. The Emeya uses 800V battery technology. This enables Advanced Lotus Hyper Charging. Charging from 10 to 80 percent can be done in just 18 minutes, but only when the car is connected to a 350kW DC fast charger in optimal conditions. In practice, charging time may vary due to external conditions such as charger type, age, environmental conditions and battery state and temperature. Charger availability depends on location. At a battery charge of about 75 percent, the car still achieves a charging rate of 120 kW at a fast charger. And that can be called impressive.
Steers with a lot of feeling
Good, but is there any hint of Lotus in this electric marvel? Certainly! The design looks sporty and original, with a nod here and there to Lotus models of yesteryear. For example, the dual headlights refer to the light units of the Elise S1/S2 and Exige S1/S2. But the best feature of this car is its suspension. Indeed, Lotus has been able to achieve that this car feels nice and nimble. It steers with a lot of feel and with a fine heaviness in the steering. The steering wheel is also very comfortable in the hand. Roadholding definitely deserves credit. The fine handling is partly due to the 50/50 weight distribution.
Also some points of improvement
And then there’s the power: over 600 hp. Whew, that’s spicy already. This Lotus takes strides. It quietly builds up the power and then releases it all. The acceleration can then be called impressive. Impressive is also the interior finish. The British/Chinese automaker uses beautiful materials such as aluminum, alcantara and high-quality plastics. Well done! The control concept is original, but requires some getting used to. Especially the steering wheel controls are somewhat unclear. This is also because the icons are hard to read during the day. The infotainment system, on the other hand, is child’s play to operate. What also stands out is the computing power of the system. Everything reacts smoothly and directly, as it should actually.
No speed limiter?
Surely when you think of a Lotus you think mostly of characteristics such as sporty and pure. Sporty this Lotus certainly is, at least on demand. But pure? No it isn’t. This is also because Lotus relies heavily on assisted driving. And we think that’s a shame. For example, driving on just a speed limiter without any form of steering assistance is not possible. You always opt for an assisted form of cruise control, be it autonomous driving or adaptive cruise control. Why we think this is a shame? In both cases, the distance monitoring relative to the car in front feels unnatural. Driving your own ideal line on the highway is therefore not possible. Well, it can be done, but only if you accelerate yourself. And sometimes using normal cruise control or simply a speed limiter is nice. Anyway, a software update perhaps? For is a valuable addition.
Conclusion review Lotus Emeya S
Other than that, one cannot help but conclude that this Lotus Emeya S is a wonderful car to be on the road in. It is nice and spacious (including the luggage space), is beautifully built, can load super fast and the car steers great. It feels like you want to sit much lower, as is possible in a Porsche Taycan. There you feel like you are really “sitting on the ground,” although that has mostly to do with the seat construction. That is not the case in this Lotus. A slightly lower seat would make it even finer. In any case, the Emeya is a strong piece of engineering and, above all, original transportation. Are you making the switch to a Lotus? Especially choose a popping color, it looks great on this Lotus. It is a neck-breaker in more ways than one. But the time when Lotus was synonymous with lightweight is over. The “L” now stands primarily for “nice driving,” regardless of vehicle weight.
