Think of the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray as a Stingray turned up not to 11, but somewhere between 12 and 13. If the latter is a lean, mean athlete, then the hybridised version has been hitting the weights hard and is capable of even more extraordinary feats.
The E-Ray sits in the middle of the expanded 2025 Corvette range, and is available in just one fully loaded 3LZ Coupe configuration. It retails at $275,000 plus on-roads, which is a significant $78,000 more than the equivalent spec Stingray.
Competitors are few, the most obvious being the newly updated Porsche 992.2 Carrera at $280,500 (+ORCs) and the $254,900 (+ORCs) BMW M4 CS, though both lack the supercar silhouette and outright performance of the E-Ray.
Despite what the name suggests, the E-Ray isn’t electric, but is electrified. The engine is the same 369kW/637Nm 6.2-litre LT2 V8 you’ll find in the Stingray, but here it’s assisted by a front-mounted electric motor fed by a 1.9kWh (1.1kWh useable) battery.
This adds 119kW/165Nm for eye-opening combined totals of 488kW/806Nm. This not only makes the E-Ray the first ever all-wheel drive Corvette but also the fastest-accelerating variant ever, at least until the berserk 793kW ZR1 arrives.
The 0-100km/h sprint is a claimed 2.9sec and unlike most US figures, this is from a complete standstill rather than the traditional one-foot rollout. On the other side of the equation the E-Ray can travel between 4-6km on electricity alone at up to 72km/h.
Of possibly more use, is the ability to start the car and creep out of the drive silently rather than waking the neighbourhood with a blast of V8 exhaust. Included as standard on Aussie E-Rays are monster carbon-ceramic brakes (398mm and 391mm discs front and rear).
There are four-piston callipers at both ends and the ZER Performance package incorporating beefed up suspension with Magnetic Ride Control adaptive dampers, a taller rear spoiler and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres.
It’s those tyres that are the biggest chassis alteration from the standard Stingray. A 94mm wider rear end not only gives the E-Ray serious supercar presence but allows the installation of 21 x 13.0-inch rear wheels wearing 345/25 tyres.
At the front 20 x 10-inch wheels wear 275/30s for a massively bigger footprint. Our experience of the E-Ray is limited to a handful of laps around Sandown International Raceway, which comes at a cost.
It means questions around road noise, stop-start transmission smoothness, and the real-world validity of the hybrid application and ride quality, will have to remain unanswered. What this venue does provide is the opportunity to fully exploit the E-Ray’s performance.
There is an incredible amount of it too, and with Track Mode selected, flooring the throttle jolts the E-Ray forward, as the near-200kg weight penalty it incurs is easily compensated for by the electrical assistance.
The hybrid system and the naturally-aspirated engine enjoy a beautifully symbiotic relationship, the electric motor filling in the power curve down low and then passing the baton to the V8 as revs rise.
Unlike turbocharging, going hybrid doesn’t hurt the soundtrack, either. In fact, it enhances it, a futuristic whine adding a unique and welcome accompaniment to the traditional V8 growl in this all-weather grand tourer.
That said, it acquits itself incredibly well on track. The brakes deserve particular praise; the combination of carbon ceramic composition and hybrid assistance is the perfect recipe for an unresponsive pedal, but they are full of feel and easy to modulate.
Grip levels are huge but the car still feels involving and alive. Despite there being no physical connection between the front and rear wheels, the calibration of the electric motor is seamless. There’s no tugging at the wheel or scrappy inside wheelspin, it just hooks up.
Of course, none of this provides a definitive on-road verdict, but given the instant torque now on tap, plus the fact the standard Stingray has ride comfort to spare, it would be a surprise if the E-Ray was flummoxed by public highways.
If there’s a question mark around the E-Ray it regards the interior, at least in the context of the $300K+ drive away price tag. The cabin is smothered in leather with sections of carbon and real aluminium but there’s a case that the extreme focus on the driver goes too far.
Storage is compromised, the wireless phone charger is positioned awkwardly between the seats, and the steering wheel (that’s actually a square) could go higher.
Likewise, the huge row of buttons that cordons the driver off from the passenger probably sounded better in theory than in practice, with a vertical strip of similarly sized controls sitting outside your peripheral vision.
Quibbles aside, the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is a deeply impressive car that more than justifies the premium over the Stingray courtesy of its more aggressive looks, higher spec and extra speed.
You can find out more by visiting the GMSV website, or by talking to your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote on your next vehicle purchase, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One.
To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by GM Australia for independent review purposes.
