Most driving enthusiasts don’t see the transition from combustion to electric cars as a positive because they say burning fuel is one of the things that makes a car fun. Although there is certainly some truth to that, driving electric cars can still be really fun, and 2024 will be the year in which many attractive electric cars will be launched.
Some try to imitate the experience of driving a high-performance combustion car with fake engine sounds and gear changes, but others embrace the silent surge of power that electric cars are known for. Both methods have their advantages, which one you choose depends on your personal preferences…and budget.
While the number of fun-to-drive electric cars has increased and will continue to increase, most of these high-performance electric cars are still very expensive. Enthusiastic drivers on a budget have limited options, though they do exist, and one of the most affordable electric cars got a major overhaul this year.
Let’s take a look at all the new or updated performance electric cars that will be launched in 2024.
Updated Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT
Photo by: Audi
The Porsche Taycan is one of the most attractive electric cars ever made, and feels like a proper Porsche around corners even despite its extra weight. The manufacturer gave it a lot more range and power for 2024, and made other modifications that made it better to drive.
However, although the updated Taycan builds on already excellent performance, it has not left showrooms. The same can’t be said for its mechanical twin, the Audi E-Tron GT, which received a similar mid-life makeover in 2024 and saw a slight bump in sales in Q3 2023 compared to Q3 2023.
But even if both cars are similar under the skin and the E-Tron GT is the best electric Audi to ever drive, the Taycan is still the driver’s choice. Porsche also offers a stripped-down, track-focused version without a back seat in search of lightness and the best possible lap times. The Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach Package broke records at the Laguna Seca circuit and the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit this year.
MG Cyberster
Photography: InisdeEVs: Alex Joy
Automotive journalists have often criticized SAIC’s use of the MG name, which for decades had been synonymous with two-seat sports cars. Now, nearly two decades after SAIC bought the rights to the MG name, during which time it released mostly fairly ordinary family cars, it has finally launched a car worthy of the brand’s heritage: the MG Cyberster.
At first glance, the two-door Cyberster looks like a direct competitor to the BMW Z4, and it is, but it’s also in a class of its own because it’s powered solely by electronics. We found a lot to like when we reviewed the Cyberster earlier this year, and while it’s not perfect, there’s nothing quite like it, and it’s certainly a step in the right direction for both MG and the electric sports car genre as a whole.
Xiaomi So7
You probably don’t associate the Xiaomi name with cars, and there’s a good reason for that: its automotive division was only created in 2021. However, even as a newcomer with no previous experience in the automotive industry, Xiaomi’s first model, the SU7, is aimed squarely at The pinnacle of the electric sports sedan category.
The Xiaomi SU7, which enters production at the end of 2023, is a cut-price rival to the Porsche Taycan, promising the thrill of electric car driving at a fraction of the cost. The base version, which has 295 horsepower and accelerates from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.3 seconds, costs just over $30,000 in China, which seems like a great deal for a car that looks as sporty as it does. .
At the other end of the SU7 lineup is the SU7 Ultra, Xiaomi’s equivalent of the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach package. This top version has not yet been officially launched, but it promises ridiculous levels of power (1,527 hp) and lap times that beat the Taycan. Earlier this year, an SU7 Ultra prototype beat the Taycan’s lap time at the Nürburgring, though it didn’t qualify as a production car, so Porsche retained its pole position, at least for the time being.
Hyundai Ioniq 5N
Photography: Chris Rosales/Motor1
One of the best performance electric car surprises of the year was the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which we were quite reticent about before getting behind the wheel. We thought it was too heavy to be a hoot around the track, and the engine noise and simulated gears sounded like a gimmick. But then we drove one car, and our perspective completely changed.
While the faux combustion powertrain elements may not be to everyone’s tastes, they add a new dimension to the electric vehicle driving experience. It doesn’t make the car any faster (it’s actually slower with the simulator stuff on), but you can always turn off all the fakery and enjoy the brutal power of the Ioniq 5 N’s dual-motor powertrain, which delivers 601 horsepower under normal driving mode, and is up to 641 horsepower with the temporary but aptly named “N Grin Boost” feature enabled.
Lotus Emiya
Another Porsche Taycan competitor launched from China this year is the Lotus Emeya, which is the manufacturer’s second Chinese-made electric vehicle after the Eletre SUV and is built on the same 800V platform. Lotus doesn’t call the Emeya a sedan, but rather a “Hyper GT,” which describes the car really well.
It’s a pretty heavy thing, weighing in at around 5,500 pounds in basic form, and it’s not as good around corners as a Lotus badge might have you believe, but it’s still a very fast and fun car. It can’t hold a candle to the lighter, more focused Taycan around a twisty road, but it’s a really good road trip machine.
The top model, the Emeya R, has 905 horsepower and 727 pound-feet of torque, enough for a 0-62 mph acceleration time of less than 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 159 mph. Lotus had intended to sell the Emeya in the United States, where it was scheduled to start at around $100,000, but higher tariffs on cars made in China may have hampered the plan to sell it here.
Tesla Model 3 performance update
Photo by: Tesla
Tesla Model 3 2024 performance
The Tesla Model 3 was the ultimate fast and achievable electric car, and the “Highland” update makes it even better. Not only does it have more power and unique exterior and interior handling (which wasn’t present in the pre-refresh model), but it drives better than before, too. It’s also more comfortable than before thanks to a completely redesigned suspension, and you can now also drive it faster on twisty roads with imperfect paved roads.
You can’t beat the Model 3’s performance for the money, which costs $54,990 or $47,490 with the $7,500 federal tax credit applied. So you get a 510 hp dual motor all-wheel drive system that can push the car to sixty in less than 3 seconds and a top speed of 163 mph. It also comes with Track Mode V3, which not only features new calibration, but also gives you a lot more control over the powertrain and handling balance.
Mini Cooper SE
Photo by: InsideEVs/Andrey Nedelya
Mini launched an all-new, all-electric Cooper SE, the J01, this year, and while it’s not as sporty as its predecessor based on the ICE version, it’s still attractive to drive. We drove it in Europe earlier this year and found it to be a more mature vehicle than before and a much better electric vehicle with more range.
It’s also more powerful than before, with 255 hp and 258 lb-ft in the top John Cooper Works model. It reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.9 seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph. Although it’s not quite as good around corners as the older version, the latest Mini Cooper Electric is still a lot of fun to drive, and puts a bigger smile on your face than some more powerful, more expensive electric cars.
It’s another great electric car that will likely never make it to the US due to high import tariffs imposed on Chinese EVs. Mini originally announced that it would begin production of the J01 in Oxford and begin U.S. sales in 2026, but now that plan is up in the air.
Lucid Air Sapphire
Photo by: Lucid Motors
Although production of the Lucid Air Sapphire began in the latter part of 2023, most people who ordered one received one in 2024. The Sapphire is the $250,000-plus top model of the Air sedan, and is currently the model The only one of the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The real competitor.
With a triple-motor all-wheel-drive setup that pushes out 1,234 horsepower, it rockets to sixty in two seconds (or 1.89 seconds with roll), keeping you pinned to your seat all the way to its 205-mph top speed. It’s also good through corners too, and one Sapphire has been spotted at the Nürburgring, likely chasing lap times and perhaps the record.
However, you don’t have to pay for Sapphire to experience the best of Lucid Air. We drove the base Pure version, which is the version we recommend you get because it’s fast enough and still fun to drive, and its $71,400 starting price is much more palatable.
