When it launched the mid-engined C8 in 2020, General Motors made it very clear the new Chevrolet Corvette was aiming for Europe’s finest. This was an American supercar.
Not only was GM serious about taking on mid-engined supercars from Europe, it was serious about taking them on wherever they may be sold – and that meant the C8 was the first Corvette, since the nameplate debuted in 1953, to be built in right-hand drive at the factory for markets like Australia.
The naturally aspirated pushrod 6.2-litre V8-powered Stingray arrived here in 2021 and the Z06 with its flat-plane crank double overhead cam 5.5-litre V8 followed in 2023. Finally, the E-Ray, with a 6.2-litre V8 mated with an electric motor – making it the first hybrid and first all-wheel drive Corvette – arrived here in 2024.
For now, that’s the extent of the local Corvette lineup. Chevrolet subsequently launched the twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 ZR1, and then the ZR1X which takes this powertrain and adds an electric motor like the E-Ray to create the most powerful ‘Vette ever. Alas, these have yet to be confirmed for our market and remain left-hand drive only.
We’re bummed to not see those flagship Corvettes here, but we can’t complain too much. That would be like complaining we don’t get lobster and caviar and ‘only’ have fillet mignon at home.
At least for now, the E-Ray is the most powerful C8 Corvette available in Australia.
For 2026, the entire Corvette lineup gets a revised interior with various changes aimed at improving usability and tech integration, as well as Chevrolet Connected Services – free for eight years – which enables over-the-air software updates and the ability to use a smartphone app to remotely control key vehicle functions.
There have been no changes to the local lineup from a powertrain point of view, but it was the interior more so than anything else that needed some more polish. Has Chevrolet delivered?
How much does the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray cost?
While the E-Ray traditionally hasn’t been the most expensive Corvette available in Australia – a title usually reserved for the Z06 – our tester had more than $25,000 worth of options.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
|
2026 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT coupe |
$193,990 |
|
2026 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 3LT coupe |
$222,990 |
|
2026 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 3LT convertible |
$232,990 |
|
2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray coupe |
$275,000 |
The following features were added to our tester:
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- Carbon-fibre rear wing and ground effects: $13,000
- 20-inch front/21-inch rear gloss-black forged aluminium wheels: $3640
- Carbon-fibre engine bay close-out panels: $2800
- Prestige paint (Red Mist): $2405
- Bright red brake calipers: $1625
- Stealth interior trim package: $1560
- Red engine cover: $1330
That brought the price as-tested to a cool $301,360 before on-roads – but that’s still more than $300,000 less than a Lamborghini Temerario, for example.
While the E-Ray can be had as a convertible with a power-folding hardtop in markets like the US, it’s only offered here as a coupe – albeit with a targa roof, with a manually removable roof panel. If you want a Corvette convertible, you have to settle for the base Stingray.
The updated 2026 Z06 has yet to appear in Australia, except in special Bathurst 12 Hour Edition guise which carried a steep price tag of $430,000 plus on-roads.
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What is the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray like on the inside?
Press the button under that exaggerated cutout on the door to open it, and park yourself in the wonderfully comfortable and yet supportive bucket seats which feature heating and ventilation.
The interior has been refreshed for 2026, and it brings both improvements in usability and style.
The quirky ‘button bridge’ of the pre-update model, which saw climate control switches placed on an elevated centre console divider, has been banished. There are fortunately still physical climate controls, including for the demisters and fan speed and temperature adjustment, but they’re now positioned below the touchscreen. This is a more logical place for them, even if it’s not as distinctive.
The few functions that have lost a physical button, such as the heated and ventilated seat controls, are now easily found on an anchored bar on the infotainment touchscreen.
The drive mode selector has changed from a rotary dial under a wrist rest to a little metallic rocker switch, located in a pod on the centre console that’s closer to the driver and which also incorporates the nose-lifter and front camera buttons. We rate this as a huge improvement in terms of ergonomics and ease of use.
The touchscreen has grown from 8.0 to 12.7 inches, and now features Google Built-in with embedded Google apps. The digital instrument cluster has grown too, from 12 to 14 inches. Both displays are not only bigger, but they look sharper too.
To the right of the instrument cluster is a new 6.6-inch auxiliary touchscreen which displays trip information and can be used to turn off the lane-keep assist and engine idle-stop system, and adjust the head-up display.
The updated Corvette has the perfect integration of technology in a sports car interior. The screens look good, are easy to use, and don’t detract from the aesthetic. Everything is angled towards you, the driver. From a usability and design perspective, it all just works.
We’re grateful for the digital rear-view mirror, which turns back into a regular mirror with the push of a lever. Doing this, however, shows you just how limited outward visibility is without the camera function – you pretty much just get a reflection of the touchscreen. However, even with the digital rear-view mirror on, you’ll occasionally get the reflection of headlights around the edge of the assembly.
There’s still a push-button shifter, which somehow Chevrolet has managed to make look cool.
The Bose Performance Series sound system is heavy on the bass. The previous driver had turned the bass up all the way, but even bringing it down to a more ‘normal’ level demonstrates what Bose’s priority was with this system.
It was also a good way to test the Corvette’s build quality. After all, such strong bass should reveal rattles, and yet the E-Ray felt tight as a drum.
Material quality is generally quite good, and the cabin has the appearance of being extensively leather-wrapped. Not every surface is soft-touch, but the graining of hard- and soft-touch trim alike is very uniform and there are stitching details everywhere so you wouldn’t know what’s hard unless you’re a tedious motoring journalist like me who likes to poke and prod everywhere.
The suede headliner looks and feels nice, and soft-touch trim is where it really needs to be – on the sides of the centre console, and the top of the dash and doors. The only black marks on the interior from a quality point of view are the horrible indicator and wiper stalks that have come straight from the GM parts bin, and they look cheap and feel lousy in their operation.
The Corvette’s interior remains comfortable, with even my 6’3’’ nephew able to sit comfortably in the passenger seat.
The cupholders have been improved for 2026, though cabin storage remains so-so – there’s a shallow centre console bin, plus door pockets that won’t fit bottles.
You do get a second wireless phone charger though, situated in a little pocket at the base of the centre stack, which keeps your phone snug; the other one remains between the two front seats, placed in an upright position against the back of the cabin.
You get two boots: one in the back that should be able to fit a golf bag, plus a smaller one up front. Both feature a soft-close lid.
If you remove the roof panel, which must be done manually, it can be stowed in the rear boot, but then you won’t be able to fit anything else back there.
You could probably pop the roof panel yourself and stow it, given how light it is, but it’s a bit easier to do with a second person. It’s not as painless as the C8 convertible, however, with its power-operated roof.
| Dimensions | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
|---|---|
| Length |
4688mm |
| Width |
2025mm (excl. mirrors) |
| Height |
1234mm |
| Wheelbase |
2723mm |
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What’s under the bonnet?
The E-Ray was the first Corvette to feature hybrid power and the first with all-wheel drive.
| Specifications | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
|---|---|
| Engine |
6.2L naturally aspirated V8 |
| Engine outputs |
369kW + 637Nm |
| Electric motor outputs |
119kW + 169Nm |
| System outputs |
488kW + 806Nm |
| Battery |
1.9kWh lithium-ion |
| Transmission |
8-speed dual-clutch auto |
| Drive type |
All-wheel drive |
| Weight |
1781kg (minimum dry weight) |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) |
2.9 seconds |
| Fuel economy (claimed) |
N/A |
| Fuel economy (as tested) |
11.5L/100km (inner-city, suburban and highway loop) 13.3L/100km (over the course of a week) |
| Fuel tank capacity |
70L |
| Fuel requirement |
95-octane premium unleaded |
Over our loop, consisting of a mix of inner-city, suburban and highway driving, we recorded fuel consumption of 11.5L/100km. Over the course of a week and close to 800km of driving, much of it in the city, this rose to 13.3L/100km. That still isn’t bad for something with this much power.
On a couple of spirited drives in the mountains, we recorded fuel consumption of around 12L/100km. So, while this isn’t a Toyota-style hybrid, fuel consumption is decent. For reference, a pre-update Z06 we reviewed last year used 17.3L/100km on the same fuel economy loop, and 19.3L/100km over the course of a week.
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How does the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray drive?
GM didn’t make any mechanical changes to the Corvette E-Ray for 2026. After all, why mess with a good thing?
This might be a hybrid, but press the start button and the 6.2-litre V8 thunders to life. If you don’t want to wake up your neighbours, you can touch the drive mode selector before pressing the start button and activate either Stealth or Shuttle mode.
Stealth is supposed to start the car silently, but it always displayed as unavailable to me. Shuttle mode uses the electric motor for low-speed driving, for example if you’re heading down your driveway, with a top speed of 54km/h.
Alas, Shuttle mode has such a loud low-speed acoustic alert sound that it’s pretty pointless. We’re sure your neighbours would rather hear a burbling V8 than what sounds like a transformer about to blow up.
Settling into the daily commute, you’ll find the Corvette to be a surprisingly liveable daily driver. It’s a good thing it’s so pleasant day to day, as there’s so much capability in the E-Ray that you’ll virtually never be able to take advantage of it in regular driving.
There’s a wide range of drive modes: Weather, Tour, Sport, Track, plus customisable My Mode and Z Mode options, with the latter easily activated via a steering wheel button.
Leave it in Tour and the magnetorheological dampers are in their softest setting and the steering in its lightest. While the ride doesn’t completely isolate you – this is a low car on low-profile tyres, so you will feel bumps – it’s nevertheless surprisingly plush with no thwacks or thumps or other onerous onomatopoeia. The steering, too, is light enough to make this supercar easy to steer around a parking lot.
The engine is right behind you, behind a piece of glass, so you can easily hear that sonorous V8 engine note plus some of the mechanical ticking and humming that’s usually more muffled in a front-engined car. Speaking of noise, tyre roar does creep into the cabin at high speeds.
The E-Ray isn’t like many more affordable hybrids, which run purely on electric power before the engine kicks in. Instead, the engine and electric motor work in tandem – the latter provides an extra boost like a turbocharger, but with the benefit of zero lag.
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In the Performance menu on the touchscreen you can see a readout that tells you how much power and torque the engine and electric motor are delivering at the same time.
Indeed, there are no obvious signs this is a hybrid apart from the little blue triangle on most states’ number plates. Chevrolet has integrated this electric motor purely to boost performance, and it certainly does – outputs swell from 369kW and 637Nm in the Stingray, which uses a non-electrified version of this 6.2-litre ‘LT2’ V8, to 488kW and 806Nm in the E-Ray.
There is another benefit of including an electric motor, and that’s the addition of all-wheel drive. The E-Ray was the first Corvette to ever offer all-wheel drive and, while all ‘Vettes have grippy tyres, it’s nevertheless confidence-inspiring to know the E-Ray has all-paw traction when the roads get wet.
The extra weight of the E-Ray – it’s 180kg heavier than the Stingray – doesn’t dull its reflexes. This is a superb supercar to drive, with eager turn-in and sharp steering that communicates the road’s surface.
You can toggle between different steering weights, all the way up to one that’s hugely heavy, but Sport mode strikes a good balance. The steering wheel is a large, almost oblong thing, and it encourages you to keep your hands at the correct nine and three position as the carbon-fibre inserts on the top and bottom can be slippery. The volume and skip track functions are also a bit awkward to use.
There are large, lovely carbon-fibre paddle shifters, but the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission does such a wonderful job of shifting that you’ll scarcely bother. Shifts are rapid and yet smooth, whether you’re on a winding mountain road or commuting in traffic.
This is a car with such a huge performance envelope that Australian roads with their tedious traffic, predatory pot holes and sneaky speed cameras will leave you wanting to book in track time with the E-Ray.
The electrified V8 powertrain has gobs of torque throughout the rev range and an entertaining engine note, which made for one very happy weekend driving the winding roads of Mount Glorious, Mount Nebo and Mount Mee.
Handling is razor-sharp, with oodles of grip and a complete absence of body roll. Thanks to the carbon-ceramic brakes, it’ll – to borrow an American expression – stop on a dime.
Having driven the Z06 and the E-Ray, I’d lean towards the E-Ray for its engine note alone, particularly if you plan on getting a Corvette as a daily driver. If you’re looking for something with which to put in more track time, I’ll have to get back to you on that – GM, could you please organise both cars for me, and a racetrack on which to test them? Many thanks…
Heading onto the highway, you’ll notice there’s no adaptive cruise control – even US buyers miss out on this, and the Corvette isn’t offered with Super Cruise hands-free driving like other flagship GM products.
There’s just regular cruise control, while the standard lane-keep assist is well-calibrated – it’ll give you a gentle nudge and sound a chime if you’re crossing a lane marking, but it isn’t intrusive at all in day-to-day driving. In fact, even with the way the big-hipped Corvette swallows up a lane, I never once turned it off even during spirited mountain drives.
The worst thing about driving the Corvette is parking it. There’s no top-down camera view, though there are three front camera views plus a reversing camera to ensure you don’t scrape the nose. The resolution could be better, however, and the car has such wide hips that it makes parking in a garage a rather harrowing experience.
At least kerbs won’t be a problem, with a nose-lifter function easily accessible via a button next to the drive mode selector and front camera button.
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What do you get?
The E-Ray is offered here only in top ‘3LZ’ trim – markets like the US also get less fancy 1LZ and 2LZ grades – and only as a coupe.
Standard equipment includes:
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ZP performance tyres – 275/30ZR20 front, 345/25ZR21 rear
- 20/21-inch gloss-black forged aluminium wheels
- Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes with 6-piston front and 4-piston monoblock rear calipers
- Performance suspension with Magnetic Ride Control
- In-vehicle performance app
- Performance Data Recorder
- Soft-close bonnet
- Soft-close engine cover
- Automatic LED headlights
- Automatic high-beam
- Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
- Proximity entry with push-button start
- Cruise control
- Head-up display
- 14-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system
-
- Google Built-in
- Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- 6.6-inch auxiliary touchscreen
- Wireless phone charger
- 14-speaker Bose Performance Series sound system
- Digital rear-view mirror
- Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel with carbon-fibre inserts
- 8-way power-adjustable front seats with memory
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Power tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- Dual-zone climate control
- Suede headliner
Is the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray safe?
The Chevrolet Corvette has never been tested by independent auto safety authorities ANCAP or Euro NCAP, which isn’t unusual for a high-end sports car. It also hasn’t been tested by US organisations like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane-keep assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Front and rear cameras
- Front and front-side airbags
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How much does the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray cost to run?
If the Corvette falls down anywhere, it’s in its meagre aftersales offering.
| Servicing and Warranty | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
|---|---|
| Warranty |
3 years/100,000km |
| Roadside assistance |
3 years |
| Service intervals |
1 year/12,000km |
| Capped-price servicing |
N/A |
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CarExpert’s Take on the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
The E-Ray will disabuse you of any notion that an American automaker can’t produce a world-class supercar.
There are still some distinctly American attributes to the C8 Corvette, chiefly its use of a pushrod V8 – at least in the Stingray and E-Ray.
But rather than holding the Corvette back, they help add to its character. The E-Ray is also arguably the best all-rounder in the local C8 lineup, thanks to its all-paw traction, stellar performance, and surprisingly decent fuel economy.
Yes, it comes at a steep price premium over the Stingray, which is no shrinking violet itself, but to buy a mid-engined supercar from a European brand you’re looking at paying hundreds of thousands more.
The revisions for 2026 have brought improved technology and a more user-friendly interior, making the Corvette even more liveable than before.
There’s a reason the Corvette has now been a CarExpert Choice Awards winner two years in a row. Actually, there are plenty of them. Before you head to a Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren dealer, you need to take one of these for a test drive.
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