Corvette E-Ray launched in the UK with 643hp

Among the doom and gloom of new cars in 2025, eighth-generation Corvettes are providing a welcome ray of sunshine. A Stingray of sunshine, you might say (sorry). While there could be a bit of a journey to a dealer, that there are standard 6.2-litre C8s available brand new for less than £100,000, and 5.5-litre Z06s for £180,000, both in right-hand drive, must be good news.

Now the UK offering is growing further, with the introduction at Festival of Speed of the Corvette E-Ray. ‘With its electrified heart and all-weather soul, the Corvette E-Ray is ready to carve out its place on the UK’s roads’, they reckon. So don’t go ordering that 911 T-Hybrid just yet…

Pleasingly, the hybrid Corvette offered over here will be unchanged from the domestic offering. That means 643hp from a combination of 6.2-litre, LT2 V8 (providing 482hp) alongside the 161hp electric motor, supplied by a 1.9kWh battery pack. The E-Ray’s all-wheel drive, with electric propulsion for the front axle and combustion out back, means it’s the fastest acceleration Corvette ever offered in the UK: 0-62mph takes just 2.9 seconds. The eAWD ‘intuitively directs additional power to the front wheels’ when needed, ‘enhancing composure and stability.’

UK E-Rays will come as standard with staggered 20-/21-inch wheels, running Michelin Pilot Sport All-season 4 tyres. (The rears are 345/25 ZR21, so best get those ordered ahead of time.) A Performance Package adds Pilot Sport 4S rubber; combine that with Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 and Brembo ceramic brakes (both included)  and the E-Ray has the makings of a formidably fast supercar. Additional features include Stealth Mode, to run on electric up to 44mph, Performance Traction Management and six drive modes: Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, My Mode and Z-Mode.

Buyers of the E-Ray in the UK will have ten colours to choose from, including Torch Red, Seawolf Grey and Hysteria Purple. That’s alongside four choices of wheel finish, plus optional carbon (including rims) and stripes. A hybrid this may be, but it’s still a Corvette – gotta have some stripes available. An E-Ray is 9.1cm broader than a regular Stingray, like a Z06, to house the wider rubber; Corvette says it’s ‘built to turn heads from Knightsbridge to the North Coast 500.’ 

The price? £153,440 for the Coupe, or £159,230 for the Convertible. The Corvette is a hard one to pigeonhole, with its naturally aspirated V8 and battery assistance, though for reference a 541hp 911 GTS T-Hybrid is from £144,400 in four-wheel drive form and £154,400 as the equivalent drop-top. An AMG GT 63 with 612hp is from £163,500 in Premium guise, or £177,150 for that variant, albeit with 585hp, in an SL (and it has to be Premium Plus spec). Certainly there are some interesting comparisons to follow. First E-Ray deliveries are expected here in September.