2025 Cadillac OPTIQ

Armed with the same distinctive styling as the larger Lyriq SUV, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq presents buyers with a less expensive alternative without giving up Cadillac’s best luxury and technology features. The Optiq’s twin electric motor setup produces 300 horsepower and drives all four wheels, while its Ultium battery pack promises a range of at least 300 miles. Given our experience with the larger Lyriq, we expect the Optiq to be Cadillac comfortable but with a contemporary crispness. We also expect brisk acceleration and passing capabilities.

Knowing it faces stiff competition from the Genesis Electrified GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQB, and Audi Q4 e-tron, Cadillac pulls out all the stops, endowing the Optiq with unexpected standard features such as GM’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system, a massive 33-inch curved digital display, and a 19-speaker AKG audio system.

The all-electric Optiq debuts for 2025 as Cadillac’s smallest and most affordable EV.

The 2025 Cadillac Optiq is priced similarly to the Lexus RZ and Mercedes-Benz EQB, a few thousand less than the starting price for the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron, but significantly more than a Tesla Model Y. Before buying the Cadillac Optiq, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay.

Fitted to the Optiq’s front and rear wheels are electric motors producing 300 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. That second figure is all important as torque is the force that allows rapid acceleration from a standing stop. Unlike conventional gas engines, electric motors produce nearly all their torque instantaneously, ensuring you’ll have no problem quickly merging with traffic or overtaking slower cars and trucks. We have not yet driven the Optiq, but if it is anything like its Lyriq sibling or Chevrolet Equinox EV, upon which it is based, we suspect the overall experience will be positive.

There’s a simplistic elegance to the Optiq’s interior, devoid of the flourish and add-ons that dominate some luxury makes. The clean lines, tasteful fabrics, and minimal clutter imitate other Cadillac interiors, the centerpiece being a prominent 33-inch curved LED digital display. Within the display are bright, precise instruments, icons, and controls, as easy to read and operate as the traditional hard buttons and knobs for the vehicle’s climate controls.

At the heart of the Optiq’s multimedia system is a Google-based interface that grants access to apps, information, and queries, including the ability to control certain vehicle functions via voice control. What it doesn’t grant access to is Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Other notable features that make the Optiq’s standard equipment list include GM’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving assistant, 126-color ambient lighting, a rear camera mirror, and an advanced AKG audio system fitted with Dolby Atmos.

The Optiq’s interior isn’t just elegant; it’s spacious, too, with segment-best figures for rear seat legroom (37.8 inches) and cargo space (26 cubic feet with the second row up and 57 cubic feet down).

The familial Cadillac EV grille and taillight theme are in full force on the Optiq, highlighted by advanced LED lights that put on a little show whenever the vehicle’s owner approaches. Luxury and Sport trims diverge with different grille and wheel designs, but both arrive with a fixed panoramic glass roof, plus front and rear parking sensors. A wide power liftgate grants easy access to the cargo area.

Super Cruise
Cadillac’s semi-autonomous driving assistant operates on over 400,000 miles of compatible highways and roads in the U.S. and Canada. Using the system, we have traveled hundreds of miles, only occasionally having to touch the wheel.

Up to 300 miles of range
The Optiq promises up to 300 miles of range regardless of trim, with the ability to add another 79 miles in just 10 minutes using a DC fast charger.

Google built-in
This all-in-one assistant replaces the functions provided by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, granting access to maps, the internet, music, texting, and several vehicle operations.

Panoramic glass roof
The Optiq’s fixed glass roof creates a more open-feeling cabin and includes a power sunshade.

33-inch LED display
A hallmark of Cadillac’s newest vehicles is a massive 33-inch LED display that houses a digital cluster and the Google built-in system with a 5G Wi-Fi hot spot.

AKG Studio sound system
The 19-speaker AKG Studio sound system promises amazing audio reproduction, aided by the Dolby Atmos software that creates a vivid surround sound atmosphere inside the cabin of the other vehicles in which we’ve experienced it.

Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist
Using sensors all around the vehicle, Enhanced Automatic Parking can automatically parallel or perpendicular park the Optiq.

The Optiq has an estimated 300-mile range before needing to recharge. Options to do so include a 19.2 kW GM PowerUp + home charger, which can add as much as 55 miles of range per hour. Using a DC fast charging station adds up to 79 miles of range in about 10 minutes or a full charge in just under 40 minutes. That’s similar to the charging times for electric SUVs like the Audi Q4 e-tron and BMW iX, but slower than the Tesla Model Y.

The Optiq also includes Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) technology, which allows it to act as an emergency power supply for your home.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

Cadillac backs the 2025 Optiq with a 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty and a 6-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty, one of the most comprehensive plans of any luxury brand. An 8-year/100,000-mile warranty covers the battery.

Modern Safety Tech

The Optiq comes standard with a long list of driver-assist systems, including automatic emergency braking, intersection assist, lane-keep assist, a safety alert driver’s seat, adaptive cruise control, and reverse automatic braking.