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The infrastructure for charging your electric vehicle is improving daily, though it's still got a ways to go. But the vehicles themselves are getting faster, more efficient, stylish and worth what they're asking. What will their resale value be down the line? That remains to be seen. Here are three worthy buzzmobiles for 2025, with starting prices.
The 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S marks a new era for Jeep, leaving behind the growl of combustion engines for a whisper-quiet all-electric job General George S. Patton wouldn't recognize. The familiar seven-slot grille is there, but that's where the Jeepishness ends. Sleek, sculpted, and aerodynamic, it's built for efficiency, not mud.
Underneath, dual electric motors deliver up to 600 horsepower and 617 lb-ft of torque in the Launch Edition, while the Limited trim makes 500 horsepower. Power is instant and intoxicating, and with standard all-wheel drive, the Wagoneer S rockets from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Drivers can choose between five modes -- Auto, Sport, Eco, Snow, and Sand -- but even in its most comfortable setting, the ride is firm and the regenerative braking is abrupt - but one can adapt, of course. It's undeniably fast and as far as I'm concerned, that makes it a winner.
The range is solid if not outstanding - up to 294 miles per charge, or about 280 in real-world highway testing. Its 93.9-kWh battery uses a 400-volt system that can jump from 20 to 80 percent in just 23 minutes on a DC fast charger, while a 240-volt home setup will take about seven hours. The Wagoneer S is rated at 100 MPGe city and 85 highway.
Inside, it's not my father's 1961 Willies. A total of 45 inches of digital screens -- instrument panel, passenger display, and infotainment -- wrap around the driver. Heated and cooled faux-leather seats, red stitching, decorative metal trim, and a flat-bottomed steering wheel make the cabin feel upscale. There's a modest 3-cubic-foot frunk and 30 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row -- 61 with seats folded.
On the road, it feels more tech-laden crossover than trail hero, but it's loaded with safety gear too - adaptive cruise with stop-and-go, lane-keeping assist, parking assist, and a 360-degree camera system. Pricing starts at $67,195 for the new Limited trim and $72,195 for the Launch Edition, which adds premium McIntosh audio, massaging seats, and unique styling.
It comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty, 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage, and an 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty. The 2025 Wagoneer S doesn't just whisper into the electric future -- it kicks the door open. Jeep has taken a pounding of late with quality issues, but Wagoneer S seems to have started on the right foot. Let's hope it stays that way.
It weighs over 9,000 pounds and costs as much as two years' salary for the average working American, but boy, is the big guy fast and fun. Inside, this is arguably GM's finest ever -- excluding the upcoming $340K Celestiq. The cabin is, again, massive, refined and free of parts-bin plastics. A sweeping 55-inch curved screen spans from A-pillar to A-pillar up front. Material quality and design flourishes abound, from the 42 speaker grills to the Executive Rear Seat package with massaging second-row seats.
The 55-inch curved display offers 8K resolution for the driver and 4K for the passenger. It’s matched by a class-leading 42-speaker AKG Studio Reference sound system that envelops the cabin in crystal-clear audio. Super Cruise hands-free driving comes standard and performed well in testing, though I probably did not give it its proper due because of traffic everywhere I drove - I simply didn’t need it.
Dual motors produce a whopping 680 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque. Engage Velocity Max mode via the red V button and output jumps to 750 hp and 785 lb-ft. Power is fed by a 205-kWh usable battery pack that’s one of the biggest, and is one reason the vehicle weighs so much. The result? A claimed 460 miles of range. Cadillac reports a peak charging rate of 352 kW, with 204 miles added in just 20 minutes.
In a straight line, it’s quicker than the Escalade-V: 0-60 in 4.6 seconds versus 4.7. The ride is serene -- Cadillac aimed for "isolated precision" -- and got it. Up and down the mountain terrain part of its test took place in, it hugged the road. You’ll need to get used to the acceleration’s abrupt flavor, but you’ll also get off on calculating when and how much to back off your right foot when approaching stopped traffic to halt the vehicle. It’s an art, and it’s just part of the fun of driving the IQ. If you’ve got the brood and the coin and like to live large, here’s your boy.
It may seem odd to include the long-in-the-tooth Leaf - especially since I got stranded in one in New Jersey in 2011- but the suffering brand Nissan makes a solid, fast-charging, satisfying car that's jettisoned its nerdiness and provided an entertaining, efficient week's test.
In the U.S., the Leaf continues as the same model sold since its recent refresh, but rumors of a redesign abound. For the moment, the badge continues with two trims -- the S and SV Plus -- offering ranges of about 149 and 212 miles, respectively, and the same 110- and 160-kW single-motor powertrains as before. That's not very much range, meaning the Leaf may be ideal for work-and-back and such, but for long distance, you'll find yourself having to charge a lot more often.
Performance-wise, the Leaf S accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in about 7.4 seconds; the SV Plus trims that to around 6.8 seconds. The car retains its e-Pedal single-pedal driving mode, letting drivers coast or apply stronger regeneration just by lifting off the accelerator. That's a lot of fun.
On pricing and warranty, the 2025 Leaf S starts at about $28,140 (excluding destination), while the SV Plus is roughly $36,190. The basic bumper-to-bumper warranty is 3 years / 36,000 miles; battery warranty is 8 years / 100,000 miles. Cargo volume is about 23.6 cubic feet with all seats upright; they fold down but not all the way.
Conclusion: The 2025 Leaf holds its ground as a modest, established EV option, delivering familiar traits in range, performance, and pricing rather than radical leaps.