Gallery
Pros
Cons
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq is the brand’s new entry-level electric vehicle (EV), and judging by the success of its larger sibling, the Lyriq, the brand has another triumph on its hands.
Operating in an interesting segment that straddles mainstream and luxury offerings, the Optiq makes a strong case with its winning combination of upmarket features, a fantastic powertrain, and pricing that’s more than fair.
Power 9 / 10
The Optiq comes standard with an 85-kWh battery and dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) for a total system output of 300 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. It’s able to accept charging speeds as fast as 150 kW, which can add 112 km of range in about 10 minutes in ideal conditions, or charge from 10 to 80 per cent in just over half an hour.
The Optiq also comes with an onboard charger that’s capable of both Level 1 (110-volt outlet) and Level 2 (240-volt outlet) charging. Head- and tail light animations indicate the vehicle’s state of charge while plugged in.
Fuel Economy 9 / 10
The Optiq offers a maximum of 482 km of range on a single charge. At 100 per cent, the indicated range during this test was 471 km, but later in the week, it anticipated 533 km on a full charge. Even so, the Optiq’s range estimates were often conservative, leaving me with more range on arrival than my math had calculated.
It’s officially rated at a combined 20.4 kWh/100 km, but after 550 km of mostly highway and backroad driving — and with a decent amount of bumper-to-bumper traffic mixed in — the indicated efficiency was 18.5, which is very good, especially considering it was driven during a week of summer heat warnings and the air conditioning was often on full blast.
Driving Feel 8 / 10
If there were one word to describe the Optiq’s driving demeanour, it would be smooth. With a claimed 5.9-second sprint from zero to 100 km/h, acceleration is delivered smoothly and quickly, so passing or getting up to speeds is effortless.
It’s capable of one-pedal driving that can be adjusted using paddles on the steering wheel. While it can be a bit tricky to get used to in its strongest setting, once drivers get the hang of modulating the accelerator to control their braking, the whole driving experience comes together nicely; however, regenerative braking can be disabled entirely so the Optiq feels more like a traditional gas-powered crossover.
That’s perhaps what sticks out the most about the Optiq’s driving manners: it drives in a way that will feel very familiar to anyone who is used to a conventional crossover. Smooth, refined, comfortable, and composed in nearly all scenarios, whether it’s cruising or cornering, the Optiq feels great from behind the wheel.
Styling 8 / 10
There’s not much about the Optiq’s style that gives it away as an EV, and the design helps it blend in among other compact crossovers. The shape is sleek, and details like the pattern in the front panel and on the rear pillars make it more interesting. Buyers can also opt for a black roof, which looks excellent and gives it a sportier style. With bold lighting signatures making it more luxurious, the Optiq comes alive at night with an illuminated logo and grille surround.
The interior is also fantastic with an optional Phantom Blue colourway breathing a lot of life into an otherwise serious space, with a quilted texture on the convincing faux leather upholstery, contrasting white trim and stitching, and a cool woodgrain texture on the centre console that’s actually made of recycled newspaper (if you look closely, you can see letters and typeface). Fabric trim made of recycled polyester on the door panels and dashboard helps the cabin feel cozier and more high-end (it doesn’t feel like recycled stuff), but I can’t imagine how annoying it would be to clean if it got dirty. There’s still a lot of gloss black used throughout that loves collecting fingerprints and smudges, which I would be happy never to see again in a car.
User-Friendliness 8 / 10
The Optiq’s infotainment system is quick to respond, and the menus are logically laid out, so it’s not too difficult to find what you’re looking for. The touchscreen is easy enough to use, but there’s a redundant dial to control the system, too, which is a bit less distracting than relying on the touchscreen. Combined with a good number of shortcuts and physical buttons, toggles, and controls, the Optiq’s interface feels familiar and easy to use.
The Optiq’s infotainment system runs on Google-based software, with no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay available. While the system is great on its own, not having smartphone mirroring is a dealbreaker for a lot of people. You need a Google or Spotify account to get the best experience using the Optiq’s infotainment system, which means Apple Music users are out of luck. Logging in to numerous apps is annoying, but something you’ll hopefully only need to do once. The voice-activated Google Assistant is janky at best, but can be used to control certain vehicle and connectivity functions like vehicle temperature, navigation, making calls, or sending texts.
The benefit of this system is that Google Maps is the native navigation system, which comes with inherent user-friendliness because everyone knows how to use Google Maps. The system makes it very easy for drivers to plan their routes and find charging stations. When you input a destination, the system shows you the anticipated range remaining upon arrival and on return, and if there’s not enough range to complete the trip, it suggests charging locations along the route, updating your estimated arrival to reflect charging time. Google Maps is excellent for locating charging stations, making it easy to filter by charging speed, payment type, service provider, outlet compatibility, and availability. If you input a DC fast-charger as your destination, the vehicle will automatically precondition the battery for more efficient charging.
Features 8 / 10
Every Optiq is packed with useful, family-friendly features including a household outlet in the second row, a subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot, a great sound system, dual-zone automatic climate control, a heated steering wheel, camera-based rearview mirror (useful when the trunk is packed and blocking the rear window), USB-C charging ports for every passenger, wireless phone charging, customizable ambient lighting, and more. Highlights for the upgraded Sport 2 and Luxury 2 trims include heated rear seats, a head-up display, ventilated front seats, and air quality indicators.
Safety 9 / 10
SuperCruise, the fantastic advanced hands-free highway drive assist system from Cadillac parent company General Motors (GM) that’s capable of autonomous lane changes, is included even in the base Optiq. The system is easy to use and helps reduce stress and exhaustion on long drives or in traffic. This alone puts it ahead of its competitors, as it’s the most trustworthy and advanced adaptive cruise control system on the market. It does a great job of communicating with the driver so they always know what’s going on around the vehicle, it monitors the driver to ensure they’re always paying attention and ready to intervene if needed, and operates in a smooth, natural manner, which helps driver confidence in the system.
Other standard safety highlights include GM’s teen driver system, blind-spot monitoring with steering assist and rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention assist, forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear pedestrian alert, rear seat reminder, traffic sign recognition, surround-view cameras, and junction traffic alert with automatic emergency braking.
Practicality 9 / 10
Cadillac ensured the interior was luxurious without sacrificing practicality, with big door pockets and many large cubbies for storage, especially in the front. The trunk holds 756 L and expands to 1,614 L with the 60/40 split second row folded flat. The trunk was big enough to hold a weekend’s worth of provisions for a cottage trip for four people, but it was a tight squeeze. There is no frunk, but the rear cargo area has some underfloor storage, which was a great place to stash the onboard charger.
Comfort 8 / 10
Active noise cancellation makes the cabin super quiet, while the suspension does a great job of soaking up bumps and rough roads. The cabin was roomy enough for four people to travel in comfort with above-average legroom and enough headroom for rear-seat passengers.
Value 8 / 10
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq (you can opt for a Luxury 1 or Sport 1 build) starts at $59,999 before any fees or taxes. The destination fee is an extra $2,600. Levelling up with a package (Luxury 2 or Sport 2) is $4,000 extra, so the 2025 Cadillac Optiq Sport 2 as tested here rings in at $70,584 before tax but including destination and $3,885 worth of options. For a compact luxury EV with great range and features, this represents excellent value.
The only red flag is that some of the best features, like Google Maps, over-the-air updates, telematics, and SuperCruise, are connected to a 5G data plan that’s included in an OnStar subscription that expires after three years. After that, it’s $69.99 plus tax a month to get access, and it’s unclear how the vehicle will operate without a subscription. This makes it a great EV to lease, but adds a level of complication and additional expenses to consider if purchasing.
The Verdict
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq is very well-executed as a luxury compact crossover that just so happens to be an EV, and it checks a lot of boxes as both. While it leans into a more traditional look and feel, it bolsters that with a fantastic EV powertrain and interesting interior options to widen its appeal. I enjoy the Optiq because it feels like it doesn’t make a lot of sacrifices, proving that choosing an EV doesn’t mean settling for a downgrade.
