Top 15: wildest electric car concepts

Concept cars are built to show off a brands future model, while some are simply revealed to preview what the future of a car maker's line-up could look like.

Some concepts can look pretty close to the the final production car, but more often than not, firm's will come up with a totally bonkers creation that is a far-cry from the machine that hits the road. 

With that in mind, we though we'd take a look at some of the wildest electric car concepts ever made. 

Peugeot Inception

The stylish and radical Peugeot Inception Concept is a 500kW saloon that is unlike anything we’ve seen from the French car brand.

What the Inception does highlight in particular is what the future of Peugeot could look like, previewing the firm’s brand direction and EV technology. 

Peugeot Inception

Peugeot says it wants to bring a substantial amount of the Inception Concept’s innovation to its production cars from 2025. 

The dual motor Inception Concept sits on a new electric platform called STLA Large, which is one of four bespoke EV architectures being developed by Peugeot’s parent firm Stellantis. 

Nissan Max-out

Sports cars more your thing? No problem, as Nissan’s striking Max-out concept is out to prove that the future of performance cars is in safe hands. 

The Nissan Max-out features a distinctive exterior design, with a glass front end covering the light panels and a large windscreen. Inside there’s a large central touchscreen with minimal physical buttons. 

Nissan Max-out

Being a concept, little has been revealed regarding the Max-out powertrain, but Nissan has hinted that the concept was designed to showcase a future ‘skateboard’ electric chassis, with future models set to offer the firm’s e-4orce four-wheel-drive technology. 

Dacia Manifesto

Renault Group’s budget brand Dacia has gone even more wild with its Manifesto concept car which takes the form of an off-road buggy that previews features and ideas that could be seen on future models. 

The car doesn’t preview a future production model, but instead sets out ideas which the firm may use in its future EV line-up. 

Dacia Manifesto

In fact Dacia hasn’t even shared the technical details of the Manifesto, with the brand describing it as a “multi-fuel” car that could lead to developing models with electric, petrol, hybrid and LPG powertrains. 

Dacia is yet to launch its first electric car - the Spring - in the UK, but is being deliberately cautious over its EV plans in order for technology to be offered at a more affordable price.

BMW I-Vision Dee

Radical and retro, the German brand’s electric saloon concept turned heads when it landed in late 2022, with the i Vision Dee showcasing what a future BMW 3 series could look like. 

Packed full of technology, the i Vision Dee previews the future technology BMW plans to rollout across its future range of EVs.

BMW I-Vision Dee

Dee, which stands for Digital Emotional Experience, is a focal point of the concept. BMW is aiming to integrate physical and virtual experience into its future models. For example, on the outside of the vehicle, the Dee features a personalised welcome sequence that combines lights, graphics and sound. 

Despite its sleek and smooth exterior design, the i Vision Dee has retained some of BMW’s trademarks, including a reworked version of the brand’s kidney grille which has been programmed to close, as well as work in unison with the headlights. 

Audi Urbansphere

The third concept from the German firm’s ‘sphere’ line-up of future autonomous-ready EV’s, the Urbansphere is a muscular concept aimed at tackling megacities in Asia. 

Audi’s biggest concept to date features a 120kWh battery, offering a range of up to 466 miles, with the Urbansphere capable of charging at speeds of up to 270kW. 

Audi Urbansphere

One of the Urbansphere’s standout features is its ‘Audi Light Canvas’ - an octagonal shaped interpretation of the Singleframe grille seen on many of the firm’s current electric models. 

There’s no B-pillar on the Urbansphere meaning counter-hinged doors have been added. And when passengers climb into the car, the seats swivel outwards for greater access, and a ‘red carpet of light’ is projected onto the ground next to the vehicle.

Lexus Electrified Sport

More spaceship than concept, the Lexus Electrified Sport proved that the future of performance EVs is in good hands. 

First unveiled as one of 15 battery electric concepts from Lexus and parent firm Toyota, the Electrified Sport will serve as the spiritual success to the Lexus LFA. 

Lexus Electrified Sport

The sports EV will enter production but it is not yet known when the striking Electrified Sport will arrive. Lexus says it will have a 0-62mph time of around the low two-second range, and will be able travel at least 430 miles between charges. 

Although the full specification is yet to be confirmed, the Sport will use the firm’s twin motor, all-wheel-drive system and could also feature a virtual transmission.

Dodge Charger SRT Concept

Sleek, striking, and certainly wild, the Dodge Charger SRT Concept previews what the future of electrified muscle cars could look like. 

Piston-powered muscle cars are typically bonkers when it comes to power stats, and the EV version is no exception, with a 500kW powertrain called ‘Banshee’. 

Dodge Charger SRT Concept

And to retain the muscle car soundtrack, Dodge has fitted what it calls a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust - a sound generator that can produce a 126dB sound that is similar to the SRT Hellcat. 

The futuristic electric muscle car concept features a new ‘R-Wing’ at the front of the car, which channels air through openings in the front of the car and out of the bonnet to increase downforce. 

Porsche Mission X

The German brand's striking new concept car arrived to mark Porsche's 75th Anniversary, with the Mission X previewing a potential successor to the Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar. 

Launched as an all-electric two-seater, the Mission X is claimed to have a 1118kW powertrain, although its key technical details remain under wraps. 

Porsche Mission X

Primed to fill the gap at the top of the brand's line-up – left open since the 918 Spyder went out of production eight years ago – the Mission X is relatively compact, being similar in size to both the 918 and Carrera GT. 

Porsche has set a number of objectives the Mission X must achieve before it enters production. One goal for the concept is for it to become the fastest road-legal hypercar to lap the hallowed Nürburgring Nordschleife. The record is currently held by the F1-inspired AMG One hypercar, which completed the 12.94-mile circuit in 6min 35.18sec. 

Citroën Oli

Citroën’s bonkers Oli concept is so far away from conventional design you’d be forgiven for thinking it was set for space exploration. 

Revealed towards the end of 2022, the electric concept car showcases what the French marque eyes at the future of affordable transportation. 

Citroën Oli

What else makes the Oli a bit niche? Its entire rear deck can be transformed into a pick-up truck-styled boot, with the car also using sustainable exterior panels made from - wait for it - cardboard. 

There’s a big focus on weight too, with Citroën implementing 3D printed parts made from recycled materials. 

Mercedes Vision EQXX

Its design may be pretty striking, but it is in fact the EQXX concept’s range statistics that make it pretty wild. 

Revealed in 2022, the ultra-sleek four-door saloon features a 100kWh battery that is 50% of the volume and 30% lighter than the battery found in the Mercedes EQS. 

Mercedes Vision EQXX

To prove the EQXX’s capabilities, Mercedes drove the car more than 600 miles on a single charge from Germany to France. Not only did the one-off EQXX concept complete the 626-mile journey, but it arrived with 15% charge left. 

Aerodynamics played a key role in the EQXX design, with the EV achieving a drag coefficient of just 0.17Cd - the lowest ever figure by a road-legal Mercedes. 

Kia EV9

Big and bold, the Kia EV9 may be a super-sized EV concept, but is lined-up to sit above the brilliant Kia EV6 in the Korean brand’s range of electric vehicles. 

Kia’s second bespoke EV will sit on the brand’s E-GMP platform and is set to arrive as a teach-heavy, family-focused EV later this year. 

Kia EV9

The Korean brand says the production version will be the first model to feature the firm’s ‘Automode’ autonomous driving technology, and will be designed to utilise both over-the-air updates and feature-on-demand (FOD).

Inside the dashboard features a 27in ultra-wide digital touchscreen display and a ‘pop-up- steering pad’ in place of the steering wheel. 

Hyundai N Vision 74

The bonkers Hyundai N Vision 74 is a retro-styled futuristic performance concept that showcases the potential of hydrogen-electric powertrains. 

Launched last year alongside the Hyundai RN22e, the Vision 74 used a hydro-electric powertrain, and uses what the Korean firm calls a 'hybrid' structure combining battery-electric technology with an FCEV system. The total power output is 500kW, with a whopping 664lb ft of torque. 

Hyundai N Vision 74

Hyundai says its eye-catching concept uses a 62.4kWh battery that runs at 800V allowing for fast charging. Range is up to 373 miles. 

By pairing the two power sources, Hyundai says fuel efficiency is improved and there is greater ability to adjust the cars driving dynamics using torque vectoring.

Vauxhall Experimental 

The striking electric crossover concept doesn’t preview a new model as such, with the Experimental previewing the brand’s future design philosophy and highlights a number of ideas which could feed into future production models.

Vauxhall is planning to launch a new line-up of electric cars that will sit on parent firm Stellantis’s electric STLA modular electric platform. 

Vauxhall Experimental 

Despite its angular silhouette, the new concept has similar proportions to the Vauxhall Astra hatchback. The high-riding crossover features a revised Vizor grille which differs to the one used on current models due to a transparent panel with vertical LED bars. 

The concept also goes without the use of chrome, instead using exterior lighting and contrasting graphics. 

Cupra DarkRebel

No, this isn’t the new Batmobile, it is in fact Cupra’s vision for a future electric sports car. Taking the form of an electric two-seater, the DarkRebel concept is described as “a sports car that pushes the boundaries of design and performance”. 

The DarkRebel was created as a design concept to showcase how far the Spanish brand could push its angular aesthetic. 

Cupra DarkRebel

Measuring 4.5 metres long, 2.2 metres wide and 1.3 metres tall, the striking concept features an aggressively-styled silhouette with a long bonnet, rakish roofline and scissor doors. 

Inside the DarkRebel gets a two-seat layout with bucket sets and a steering wheel inspired by a games console controller to give the car a more youthful appeal. All the functions are geared towards the driver, with sustainable materials, including bamboo, used throughout the cabin. 

Mercedes Vision One-Eleven

The super-sleek Vision One-Eleven concept is a one-off tribute to the Mercedes-Benz C111 concept of the 1970s, of which 16 examples were made for testing development programmes. 

Designed to showcase the German brand’s vision of a future electric sports car, the One-Eleven sports a smooth exterior silhouette and flush fitting glass canopy and majors on aerodynamic efficiency. 

Mercedes Vision One-Eleven

The striking machine gets two rear-mounted axial-flux motors and a battery liquid-cooled cylindrical cells and a chemistry developed for use by the brands Formula 1 division. This setup will likely feed future developments for upcoming electric sports cars. 

Move inside and the radical theme of the One-Eleven is continued, with silver upholstered seats combined with white and orange leather to give it an overtly distinctive colourway.