The Lyriq-V takes the title of “quickest Cadillac ever”, but would you pay $79,990 to own one?
Even while some automakers are pivoting away from a headlong rush toward full electrification, Cadillac is sticking to its guns by launching more battery-powered models. Enter the 2026 Lyriq-V — as the name suggests, the highest performance version of the EV that kicked off Caddy’s electrified era. With a 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds in what the automaker appropriately calls “Velocity Max” mode, this is technically the brand’s quickest car to date, beating out the supercharged V8 CT-V Blackwing by a razor thin tenth of a second.
Even though Cadillac is all too happy to toss that “quickest ever” distinction out there and even feature a “Competitive Mode” set up to improve the Lyriq-V’s agility, it also emphasizes that this hot EV is not “merely a sporty drive”. Instead, it’s supposed to blend luxury as well as performance, with Cadillac spending about half of its Thursday release covering each subject. For example, the 2026 Lyriq-V not only has 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, but it also brings in a 23-speaker AKG audio system, 33-inch LED display and a “dual-plane” augmented reality head-up display.
Styling-wise, you’ll certainly notice the red-painted brake calipers and the sportier wheels. The Lyriq-V also gets V-Series badges throughout the exterior and interior, as well as a different front spoiler to the standard car. If you want, you can take things even further with carbon fiber accents. The V also gets an exclusive Magnus Metal Frost exterior color option.
As you’d expect, the 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V basically takes the original SUV launched back in 2022 and brings in more edginess with the extra power and model-specific tech and mechancial tweaks. Beyond the standard models, the V gets a set of beefy Brembo rakes with 15.35-inch rotors at the front and 13.46-inch rotors at the rear. You also get a new, lowered multi-link suspension setup with “Continuous Damping Control”, as well as a quicker steering ratio for better handling. That said, in both-sidesing the performance and luxury factors, the company also says these V-specific updates give a “unique expression of Cadillac’s signature isolated precision, a quiet, smooth and effortless experience with a strong connection to the road.”
As for how well that actually pans out for the end user, we’ll have to see when we are actually able to get our hands on a Lyriq-V to properly evaluate those claims.
Like the standard Lyriq, the V gets the same 102-kWh battery pack as before. With the extra horsepower on tap (as well as the 22-inch wheels), that means you will lose a bit of range. It may not be as much as you’d expect, if Cadillac’s estimates hold up: Instead of around 303-319 miles for the standard dual-motor Lyriq, you should still get 285 miles on a charge opting for the hotter V-Series.
If you are interested in Cadillac’s hottest electric model to-date, you’ll have to shell out $79,990 for the 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V. That’s about $16,500 more than the base 2025 Lyriq dual-motor trims, though it’s actually not as huge a jump if you’re cross-shopping it against higher-trim Luxury 3/Sport 3 versions, each of which come in about $7,500 to $8,000 less than the Lyriq-V. Interestingly, that price tag also puts it in the same ball park as the larger, equally powerful Vistiq.
Cadillac will kick off Lyriq-V production at its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant in the coming weeks. The first models will go on sale in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with other global markets to follow.
