The Optiq is Cadillac's smallest electric SUV. It sits beneath the Lyriq in the lineup and is essentially a more luxurious version of the Chevrolet Equinox EV. All three vehicles share the same basic underlying design, including their batteries and electric motors. General Motors originally called this platform “Ultium,” but now uses that name only for the unique batteries co-developed with LG Energy Solution.
Although its underpinnings are very similar to the Equinox EV, the Optiq’s road-test score is several points better, in part because it benefits from more comfortable front seats and a considerably nicer interior. That’s not to say we like everything about the new Optiq. A few aspects give us pause and are considerations for buyers to ponder over. These include some fairly unintuitive controls, a lack of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay compatibility, and constricted outward views.
Another aspect for shoppers to consider is that the Optiq has a similarly low predicted reliability score to other GM EVs. Like many new vehicles that are clean-sheet designs, these models suffered from growing pains that owners complained about in our surveys. However, the same is true for the Optiq’s competitors from other brands, including the Audi Q4 E-Tron and Genesis GV60. Only the Lexus RZ is more reliable, but it has a significantly shorter driving range and a lower road-test score.
Still, after months of putting the Optiq through its paces on local roads and around our track, most of our testers had pretty positive feelings about the small Cadillac EV SUV.
“I was pretty impressed with the Optiq. I was worried that it wouldn't feel substantial after having driven the much larger Vistiq, but I was wrong,” said one of our testers. “It rides well, and it’s quiet and comfortable. Some annoyances persist, such as the lack of a rear wiper, the capacitive-touch controls, and the poor visibility, but none of these are deal-breakers for me.”
“There are a lot of positives about this car,” said another tester. “The smooth powertrain, normal-feeling brake pedal, pretty comfortable ride, mostly quiet cabin, and fairly comfortable seats for a GM product. I was also struck by the interior when I first got in: the classy-looking center console, the carpet-lined door pockets, and the fabric on the doors, among other things. This is a considerably nicer presentation than the Equinox EV.”
We bought a 2025 Cadillac Optiq Luxury 1 AWD for $55,015—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. Our Optiq was assembled in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
Driving experience
Press down on the throttle pedal, and the Optiq provides quick, effortless, and immediate acceleration, even if the horsepower figure isn’t all that impressive on paper. The Optiq’s dual electric motors, one at each axle, give it all-wheel drive and produce 300 hp—not a remarkable number among luxury EVs. But electric motors are all about instant torque, and here the Optiq shines. As with just about every Ultium-based EV we’ve driven or tested, the Optiq’s power is delivered in a strong yet smooth fashion, whether you press your foot down gently or put the pedal to the metal at lower speeds.
It zipped from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds at our test track, just a tenth of a second slower than the Equinox EV. That’s quicker than the average vehicle on the road, although it trails some rival EVs by about one second. The Optiq’s sensation of effortless and near-instant response diminishes once you’re up to about 60 mph, such as when driving on the highway. Still, we found that there’s enough reserve power if you need to get around slower traffic in a two-lane passing zone on secondary roads.
In our 70-mph highway-range test, the Optiq managed 292 miles on a full charge. That’s long enough for many trips, but it’s 10 fewer miles than its EPA-estimated range. Plus, the Optiq’s mediocre 150-kilowatt maximum acceptance rate at public DC fast-charging stations means you won’t be able to take advantage of 300-kW super-fast public chargers on road trips.
The Optiq’s suspension does a good job of soaking up most bumps, and it handles transverse ridges well, too. Some larger potholes at lower speeds can come through as quite hard, though. Handling is competent. The steering turns naturally into corners, and body roll is fairly well-controlled. However, the steering is vague and lacks proper feedback to inform the driver of the front tires' actions. You also feel the Optiq’s weight through corners.
The cabin is pretty quiet overall. The biggest source of noise comes from the wind rustling around the car’s giant windshield pillars, starting at around 50 mph and becoming noticeably louder at highway speeds. On occasion, you can also hear the tires slap and the suspension clunk over more pronounced imperfections.
Cabin comfort
The Cadillac's attractive interior, which looks and feels upscale, impressed us. Details like the center console, with its clear plastic over a carbon-fiber-like weave, add some real class, especially considering our test car’s not-wholly-unreasonable $55,000 price. There’s also nice fabric trim on the center console, doors, and the mid-dash in front of the passenger.
Compared to the Equinox EV, the Optiq’s front seats are decidedly more comfortable. The seats are well-shaped and strike a nice balance between plushness and firmness. The side bolsters effectively hold occupants in place without feeling restrictive. The Optiq has ample front headroom, symmetrically positioned pedals, and zero console intrusion into the driver’s right leg space. Controls are all within easy reach, which our drivers appreciated. The steering wheel blocked portions of the instrument screen for some drivers, but we appreciated that the turn signal icons are placed in a location where they’re always visible, no matter how you adjust the wheel.
The Optiq isn’t a very large SUV, and as such, the rear seat will feel snug for medium-sized adults and taller teenagers. Headroom is pretty tight, and the bottom cushion is quite low to the floor. This results in adult passengers having their knees with more of a bend than in many SUVs, and with that comes very little underleg support.
Controls and usability
Instead of two separate displays for the infotainment system and the driver’s instrument screen, the Optiq features a 33-inch integrated display that dominates the cabin. Despite its size, the center screen feels crowded. The text and icons are composed of pale, thin lines that contrast poorly with the blue background, making it difficult to read the contents clearly. We’re glad that most of the climate system can be easily adjusted with a simple row of physical toggles and buttons.
Unfortunately, the Optiq suffers from many of the same annoyances as the Equinox EV, and adds a few more. Like the Chevy, the Optiq has motorized, flush-mounted exterior door handles that automatically extend when the car detects a nearby key fob. The slim handles look elegant, but they feel like you’re shaking someone’s finger rather than their hand. And because they’re electronic, there’s always a minor delay after you pull on the handle before the door opens.
Like other GM EVs, the Optiq isn’t compatible with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Drivers must log in with their Google account to use the car’s built-in software. This effectively integrates navigation and battery status, but raises privacy concerns and allows GM to charge an additional subscription fee for features such as navigation and voice control.
Active safety and driver assistance
Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.
Some of the Optiq’s safety warnings are communicated via vibrations to the driver’s seat (called the “Safety Alert Seat”), a feature we’ve appreciated in numerous other GM products. It will vibrate on the side of the seat corresponding to the side of the vehicle where there’s an issue, or for a proximity-based warning. It’s better than the annoying beeps that are too common among other brands.
Optiq buyers get three free years of GM’s excellent Super Cruise active driving assistance system, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane centering assistance. The system enables hands-free driving on pre-mapped highways and select two-lane roads. Once the trial expires, owners will have to subscribe to the OnStar One plan for continued use.
We’re happy to see that both a rear occupant alert system and a belt minder come standard. The former is designed to remind the driver, based on rear-door logic, to check the rear seat at the end of a trip, helping to prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if they are unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. The rear belt minder alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.