Three premium electric vehicles go head-to-head in this category’s decider.
How Does ACOTY Define This Class?
Compared to the rest of ACOTY 2024’s contenders, vehicles in this category need to sit in the 50th price percentile or higher. They also need to be juiced up, powered and driven solely by electron vibrations. Easy peasy.
Meet The Contenders
While the luxury segment is where manufacturers get to flex their industrial muscles and put on a show of what they can achieve, it is in the premium category where there often is a greater flurry of activity.
Manufacturers continually vie for the newly upwardly mobile middle-class’ moolah. Customers are keen to move into a more premium motoring experience while looking to exhibit their newfound wealth through their choice of car. Manufacturers must rise to meet this challenge while still keeping prices relatively affordable. This flurry of activity is especially so where green credentials come into play, and premium electric vehicles also find themselves increasingly required to stand in good stead with the ever-burgeoning eco-conscious middle class.
And so we found ourselves reviewing three such vehicles this year. Going head-to-head in the premium electric vehicles category are the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line, BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 and Lexus RZ 450e Luxury.
Sitting at the 81st price percentile, the opulence and comfort of the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line impressed us, as did its ease of driving, impressive range and how quickly the battery pack could be charged from just over half capacity.
Being a unique contender vis-a-vis price in this market segment sets the BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 apart from everyone else. It was endowed with sufficient technology, drove and rode well and handled like a BMW should.
That it was also the most frugal premium electric vehicle tested to date and the most affordable in this group at the 67th price percentile made this “first-ever fully-electric Gran Coupé” that much more endearing to the judging panel.
The RZ 450e, Lexus’ first-ever purpose-built EV, is the only SUV in this line-up. It certainly has sharp looks and taut proportions going for it, as well as great practicality and a sumptuously appointed interior that complements its superb ride comfort.
Pretty obvious, then, that buyers in the premium electric vehicles segment are spoilt for choice. The under-$500,000 question is, who will take the crown?
AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Premium EV
BMW i4 Gran Coupe eDrive35
| Vehicle | Points Tally | Price Percentile |
| BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 | 377 | 67 |
| Lexus RZ 450e | 336 | 78 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line | 332 | 81 |
There is a clear victor. Given how much car one gets at its price point, the BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 takes the chequered flag with a resounding 377 points.
More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.
Congratulations to the BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Best Premium EV!
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