The chore assigned to the 2025 Cadillac Optiq – Caddy’s entry-level EV – is to bring new blood to the brand. A recent opportunity to walk around, sit inside and ask questions about the compact electric SUV left us feeling that It is capable of doing just that.
The two-row, five-place crossover boasts modern good looks and comes with all-wheel drive, the SuperCruise hands-free highway driving system and lots of cargo capacity at a starting price just over $54,000. But it also is eligible for a $7,500 federal clean vehicle tax credit that makes the real cost quite budget friendly, especially for a Caddy.
Most rivals, including the Audi Q4 e-tron, Volvo EX40 and Mercedes-Benz EQB, are in the same mid $50,000s territory, but don’t qualify for the tax credit. The Genesis GV 60 and upcoming Polestar 4 can compete on price in two-wheel drive format but moving them up to all-wheel drive also moves them into a higher price range.
Cadillac says the Optiq can deliver up to 302 miles on a single charge. Most of its likely competitors can’t top 250-milles.
As a member of the General Motors family, Cadillac use a modular platform and battery system (formerly called Ultium) to underpin its EVs. The Optiq shares its platform with the compact Chevrolet Equinox EV but offers wh at should be a more responsive ride. That’s thanks to chassis tweaking by engineers from Cadillac’s Blackwing performance unit.
Among other ride and handling features features unique to the Optiq are dampers that firm up when cornering to help maintain stability and control, and tires designed with stiffer sidewalls for increased cornering support. Long hours of wind-tunnel testing also resulted in a fairly slippery shape, witness the Optiq’s steeply raked windshield and aerodynamically tuned rear valance, diffusers, spoiler, taillights and structural elements around the tailgate.
This isn’t the most powerful Cadillac EV – its dual-motor, electric all-wheel drive system is rated at 300 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. But that’s plenty of power for most, and Cadillac hasn’t ruled out a high performance version sometime down the road.
The Optiq, which went on sale in January, is the entry level member of Cadillac’s growing EV family, which includes the Lyriq midsize two-row crossover, the high-performance Lyriq V, built-to-order Celestiq ultra-luxe sport sedan, the upcoming Vistiq midsize three-row crossover, and the Escalade IQ and its stretched IQL variant.
Pricing and Trims
The 2025 Optiq starts at $54,390, including destination but before incentives, It is offered in two trims, Luxury and Sport, and each of those is available in two levels.
Luxury 1
This is the base Optiq starting at $54,390. Standard features include 20-inch alloy wheels with all-season tires, LED headlights and taillights, an illuminated grille and emblem, a glass roof, power liftgate, heated and power adjustable exterior mirrors, digital rear view mirror, power adjustable and heated steering wheel and heated front seats with lumbar massage and driver seat position memory, “Intelux” imitation leather upholstery, dual zone climate control, wireless phone charging, a 33-inch driver info and infotainment screen array and a 19-speaker AKG Studio sound system.
Sport 1
The Sport starts at $54,990, a slight premium over the Luxury 1, thanks to a few differentiating design tweaks and wheels.
Luxury 2
This trim starts at $56,590. It adds to the “1” level’s standard features with self-leveling, slim-line vertical LED headlights, LED cornering lights, heated and ventilatedfront seats, front passenger seat position memory, perforated and quilted seat upholstery inserts, heated outboard rear seats, digital surround view camera system, a head-up display and ambient interior lighting,
Sport 2
The Sport 2 trim starts at $57,090 and has the same standard features as the Luxury 2.
Power, Battery, Performance, and Range
All Optiq trims and levels use a dual-motor, electronic all-wheel drive powertrain rated at 300 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. An 85 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack provides power.
We’ve not yet been able to drive the Optiq, so can’t comment on performance.
Cadillac estimates a range of up to 302 miles for the Optiq. Official EPA estimates are not yet available. Among likely competition, only the rear-drive, single-motor variant of the Genesis GV60 comes close, at an EPA-rated 294 miles, while the AWD version of the Genesis, which more closely matches the Optiq’s powertrain, drops to 264 miles.
Charging
On road trips, the 2025 Optiq can replenish its batteries at both CCS and Tesla Supercharger (NACS) fast-charging stations. It requires an adapter – sold at dealerships – to use Tesla stations, however. In either case, it can charge at speeds of up to 150 kilowatts, and Cadillac says this will enable it to recapture 79 miles of range in 10 minutes. We figure that translates to a 30-minute session at peak charging performance to bring a 90% depleted battery back up to 80% of capacity.
That DC fast-charge performance is average for the competitive set, wit the Genesis GV60 an outlier capable of charging at up to 350 kilowatts for an 18-20 minute session.
For home charging on 240-volt, Level 2 equipment, the Optiq come standard with an 11.5 kilowatt on-board charger. That will recharge a fully depleted battery in about 9 hours hours and is par for the segment. It can be ordered with an optional 19.2 kilowatt charger, but that requires a dedicated 100-amp circuit, which often requires an expensive residential electrical service upgrade as well.
Cadillac supplies the Optiq with a portable, dual level 12- and 240-volt charging cord set, but that maxes out at 7.7 kW for Level 2 charging, or about 13 hours t replenish a depleted battery.
Optiq Tech
Front an center in the 2025 Optiq- well, stretching from the driver’s door to just past the center of the dash – is a 33-inch digital screen divided into sections for driver info,the audio system and the infotanment system. There’s also a head-up display. The infotainment system is driven by a GM-designed operating system integrated with Google apps suchas Google Maps for navigation, Google Assistant for voice commands, and Google Play for app downloads. The system does’t support ApplyCarPlay or android Auto, however.
A 19-speaker AGK Studio audio system with Dolby Atmos compatibility, is standard, as is a full site of active safety and driver assistance tech.
Inside the Optiq
Cadillac has done a great job of differentiating the Optiq’s interior from that of the Equinox EV. The dash is dominated by that 33-inch continuous digital screen Woven cloth derived from recycled materials on the upper door panels, lower dash and center console, there’s perforated and back-lighted trim, user-changeable ambient lighting and, because it is a Cadillac, lots of machined brightwork. EVs are supposed to be about sustainability, so the Optiq makes use of a lot of recycled materials, including a composite wood trim that’s made from pulp blended from recycled newspapers and renewable tulip wood.
We’ve only two real gripes – the view from the rear quarter window is obscured by a the decorative graphic screened over the outside of the glass, and there’s a lot of piano black plastic, which looks classy until the fingerprints start showing, and they do show.
The seats, covered in faux leather, are supportive and sporty looking, and the passenger cab in is roomy although both the Volvo EX40 and Mercedes-Benz EQB offer more headroom front and rear, and the Genesis GV60 has more front legroom.
Cargo Capacity and Towing
The 2025 Optiq has a class leading primary cargo bay – the area behind the second-row seats – at 26 cubic feet. It also offers a fairly capacious 57 cubic feet of total area with the second-row seat backs folded down. But both the EQB at 62 cubes and the EX40 at 57.5 cubic feat beat that – although the Volvo’s edge is a minuscule 0.5 cubic foot.
For towing, the Optiq trails all of its competitors, topping out at just 1,500 pounds – a small utility trailer or maybe a personal watercraft or small skiff.
Safety
The Optiq hasn’t yet been crash tested by ether the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the non-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
All Optiq trim levels are is outfitted with a strong suite of advanced driver assist and safety tech including adaptive cruise control, forward and rear collision alerts with pedestrian recognition and accident mitigation, intersection and rear cross traffic emergency braking, blind zone monitoring, automated parking assist, and a surround vision camera system.
