2025 Dodge Charger Daytona

An electric muscle car might sound like an oxymoron, but that’s the most accurate way to describe the Dodge Charger Daytona. Previous generations of Dodge muscle cars were famous for their powerful Hemi V8 engines and aesthetic attitude. The new-school Charger Daytona modernizes the muscle car ethos by going fast and looking good doing it while offering the latest technology and electric efficiency. It even has a few party tricks, like the Fratzonic exterior sound system that makes exhaust noises. The Charger Daytona deserves a test drive by even the most skeptical muscle car enthusiasts.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of full-size cars, including the Dodge Charger Daytona.

The electric Dodge Charger Daytona had a limited production run for 2024, and now it’s more widely available for 2025. The big change this year is the introduction of a four-door body style. The four-door sedan is not yet available to order as of this writing, but Dodge promises it’s coming in 2025, and so is a Charger Sixpack with a 6-cylinder gas engine, which we’ll review separately when it lands.

This is the only car on the market that we’d classify as an electric muscle car, so it’s hard to compare its pricing to anything else. There’s the four-door BMW i4 M50, a sporty luxury EV with 536 horsepower and a starting price slightly higher than the Charger Daytona Scat Pack. Few would call the Tesla Model 3 (also four-door-only) a muscle car, but its Performance trim is priced about $5,000 below the Charger Daytona R/T, and it makes 510 hp.

Of course, there’s also the Ford Mustang, which keeps the V8 faith in its GT and Dark Horse models. The Mustang starts in the mid-$30,000 range, and the cheapest V8 model is just under $50,000.

Before buying a Charger Daytona, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Dodge Charger Daytona’s resale value is unknown since it’s still so new.

The 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T sources thrust from a 496 hp electric powertrain, while the Charger Scat Pack serves up to 670 hp. Those horsepower figures are for when the car is in PowerShot mode. Dodge claims their zero-to-60 mph times are as quick as 4.7 seconds for the R/T and 3.3 seconds for the Scat Pack.

The Dodge Charger Daytona is predictably fast, no matter which powertrain option you go with. Even the base R/T is lightning-quick from a stop, thanks to instant electric torque delivered to all four wheels. This is a car that likes to be driven fast and is comfortable at any speed. The Scat Pack is certainly the enthusiast’s choice (if that enthusiast has deep pockets), with enough extra power to create a noticeably different driving experience. We found the adaptive suspension system in the Scat Pack to improve both comfort and performance, and the Brembo brakes have much more stopping power.

Some enthusiasts used to chide the Dodge Challenger for being too heavy. Those naysayers really won’t like the electric Charger Daytona; it’s about 1,500 pounds heavier. The extra weight inherent in EVs normally doesn’t bother us much in day-to-day driving, but the heft was noticeable when we drove it on a track, and it was less-than-graceful on curvy back roads. That said, going fast in a straight line has always been the calling card of Dodge muscle cars, and the Charger Daytona does that remarkably well, especially when you put the Scat Pack model in Drag Mode.

Range and Charging

The Dodge Charger Daytona’s range is up to 308 miles for the base R/T trim and 241 miles for the Scat Pack model. The range varies depending on the tire and wheel combination, with the lowest-range Scat Pack model only going 216 miles on a full charge.

Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3 Performance has a max range of 298 miles, and the BMW i4 M50 can travel up to 267 miles on a full charge.

The Charger Daytona can charge from 20% to 80% in about six hours on a Level 2 charger, which can be installed in your garage. At a public DC fast charging station with a 350 kW charging speed, it can recharge the same amount in as little as 33 minutes.

Dodge has no delusions about being a luxury brand, but some of the interior materials of the Charger Daytona aren’t quite up to snuff for a car with a starting price north of $60,000. You can’t even get real leather seats in the base R/T trim.

That said, it’s a perfectly functional interior with user-friendly controls and one of our favorite infotainment systems, which comes standard with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel also come standard, and the Scat Pack has more heavily bolstered seats suitable for more spirited driving.

Like the Dodge Challenger that came before it, the 2-door Dodge Charger Daytona has a bench back seat you can actually use with a whopping three seatbelts. That might not sound like a big deal, but these back seats are spacious and comfortable compared to the two cramped rear seats of the Ford Mustang. With 37.2 inches of rear legroom, we were pleasantly surprised by the back seat space of the Charger Daytona. That’s 8 inches more than the Mustang and 4 inches more than the discontinued Challenger.

One thing we really like about the Charger Daytona is that it’s a liftback; that whole rear glass opens up to reveal a generously sized cargo area ready for this week’s groceries. Also, the back seats can fold flat for even more cargo-hauling ability.

The Dodge Charger Daytona is an endangered species of car available with a 2-door or 4-door body style. Both have a nice fuselage shape with distinct styling cues from Dodge muscle cars of the past. We think it’s a great blend of retro and modern, and it has a vibrant color palette of paint options that we expect from a Dodge muscle car.

The Dodge Charger Daytona has one of the most unusual exterior features we’ve ever seen: the Fratzonic “exhaust” system. Packaged where a rear diffuser would normally be, it’s capable of making fake V8 engine noises as you “rev” the “engine.” This car is electric; it does not have an engine or tailpipes. That’s like if the Ford Model T had speakers that make horse galloping sounds.

Electrifying performance
I’m sorry, that was a pun we couldn’t resist. The Charger Daytona’s 496 hp from the R/T and 670 hp from the Scat Pack make it a thrill to drive. We think these electric motors can satisfy most skeptics who miss the Hemi V8 engines.

Standard AWD
A nice practical feature of the Dodge Charger Daytona is standard all-wheel drive (AWD) in every model. In the previous generation of Dodge muscle cars, all-wheel drive was only available with the base V6 engine.

PowerShot
Hit the PowerShot button and unlock an extra 40 horsepower in a 10-second burst. Whether you’re passing a semi on the highway or enjoying some back roads, it’s nice to have that extra boost available.

Uconnect infotainment system
The Stellantis Uconnect infotainment system has long been one of our favorites. It has user-friendly controls and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The available Alpine 9-speaker premium audio system makes it even more appealing.

Track Package
The Track Package available for the Charger Daytona Scat Pack lives up to its name with a competition suspension system with adaptive damping, upgraded tires, and Brembo ultra-high-performance brakes. The black rear spoiler is a nice touch, too.

Fratzonic “exhaust”
Okay, it’s not our favorite feature, but we can’t deny that Fratzonic is unique, and some of you will think it’s cool. The fake exhaust system makes fabricated V8 noises to drive home the muscle car experience. Also, we like that you can turn it off entirely.

A 93.9 kWh battery pack delivers the juice to the dual-motor powertrain in the Dodge Charger Daytona. Its max charge rate is 183 kW, making it good for a DC Fast Charge time of 33 minutes to go from 20% to 80%. The driving range runs from as high as 308 miles to as low as 216 miles, depending on the specific configuration.

In mixed driving, the R/T returns 98 MPGe, and the Scat Pack gets 78 MPGe, resulting in an estimated fuel cost difference of only about $16 per month. These efficiency ratings are similar to EVs with comparable performance, but the Tesla Model 3 is notably more efficient, with the Performance model getting 112 MPGe.

More Charger Daytona range and efficiency information is available on the EPA’s website.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Dodge Charger Daytona is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which is typical coverage. Additionally, the battery is covered by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty.

Safety

Standard safety features in the Charger Daytona include the Active Driving Assist highway assist system, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and drowsy driver detection.