Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is coming to the UK: 646bhp hybrid on sale this year

The Chevrolet Corvette might be America’s sports car, but it took quite a while for it to get the green light to come to Britain. After the Z06 and Stingray, Corvette momentum is gathering however and arriving in September this year will be the E-Ray hybrid.

The current, eighth-generation Corvette was launched way back in 2020 and in 2023 the world saw the first electrified Corvette in the shape of the E-Ray. 

Earlier this year the Corvette gained a mild mid-life update with a change to the interior’s central stack of buttons and more recently the ultimate 1,064bhp ZR1X iteration of the mid-engined sports car was unveiled. 

The Corvette E-Ray will line up against the Porsche 911 GTS E-Hybrid, not only because of its hybrid powertrain, but the price too. The Coupe is set to cost from £153,440 and the Convertible will be priced slightly higher at £159,230.

In the E-Ray, the electric motor and 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 provide 646bhp in total. That means it falls slightly short of the non-hybrid C8 Z06 model on power, but the E-Ray completes the 0-60mph sprint quicker with a time of 2.9 seconds. That’s thanks to the all-wheel drive system, the first of its kind fitted to a Corvette. 

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The E-Ray’s e-motor is powered by a 1.9kWh battery pack positioned between the seats to aid weight distribution. It can't be charged with a plug - instead, it's topped up by regenerative brake energy harvested while driving. To squeeze more efficiency from the powertrain, the E-Ray can shut-off four of its eight cylinders on the move, and pure-electric driving is possible at up to 44mph in ‘Stealth Mode’. 

A selection of six drive modes, including Tour, Track and a configurable My Mode setting, dictate the car’s deployment of electric power, while an additional Stealth Mode allows silent EV running when starting a journey.

Due to the battery and motor hardware, the E-Ray’s 1,712kg dry weight exceeds the standard car’s figure by 110kg. To compensate, Chevrolet’s engineers have fitted carbon ceramic brakes and the firm’s Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 suspension as standard, the latter of which is likely to adopt a bespoke tune. 

The E-Ray is just over nine centimetres wider than the base model, too, which should help mitigate the impact of the extra mass. A set of staggered 20- and 21-inch wheels are bespoke to the hybrid version, and can be specified with either Michelin Pilot Sport or grippier Pilot Sport 4S tyres. Those 21-inch rear wheels have colossal 345-width rubber to apply the E-Ray’s torque to the road. The wheels can be had in carbon fibre too, offering a 18.5kg weight reduction. 

To distinguish the newcomer as the electrified Corvette, there’s a unique Z06-inspired front bumper and the rear end has been restyled to blend with the wider bodyshell. There are ten exterior colours to choose from with the Corvette E-Ray too, along with carbon fibre exterior and interior trims.

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