- The Cadillac Optiq electric crossover will cross over the pond next year.
- Caddy’s most affordable EV is heading to Europe, where it will join the Lyriq and Vistiq.
- It gets a smaller battery and slower DC charging, but comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Cadillac Optiq, the American luxury automaker’s most affordable electric car, is now on sale in a handful of European countries, with the first deliveries expected in February 2026.
Compared to the American version, the Euro-spec Optiq will be fitted with different tires, suspension components and Brembo brakes, which were tuned to cope with European road conditions and owners’ expectations.
Photo by: Cadillac
It also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, which is not available on the U.S.-spec Optiq. Stateside, Cadillac argued that including the two smartphone mirroring systems on its EVs could have an impact on the cars’ safety systems, but the argument doesn’t really hold water, knowing that European and Australian models come with the features out of the box.
In the U.S., the Cadillac Lyriq and GMC Hummer EV are the only EVs in General Motors’ portfolio that get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but clearly, more models could have the functionality. An aftermarket mod that enabled phone mirroring was briefly available, but it was killed off before it could reach a significant audience.
Photo by: Cadillac
Getting back to the European-specification Cadillac Optiq, customers in France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland can now order it. Two trim levels are offered, Premium Luxury and Premium Sport, both with a starting price of €65,000 ($76,000).
Weirdly, the only battery option is a 75-kilowatt-hour pack that enables a WLTP-rated driving range of 264 miles (425 kilometers). In other words, European Optiq customers will get 10 kWh less capacity compared to the U.S.-spec model, which comes standard with an 85 kWh pack that enables an EPA-rated 280 miles (450 km) of range for the same trim level.
But that’s not all. The Euro-spec dual-motor Optiq puts down 304 horsepower and 354 pound-feet (480 Newton-meters) of torque, while a comparable U.S. model gets 440 hp and 498 lb-ft (675 Nm) of torque. By the looks of it, the European Optiq gets the same motors as the pre-refresh U.S. version.
What’s more, the maximum DC fast charging power is 110 kW, which is anything but impressive in today’s EV space, but it’s also 40 kW lower than the U.S.-spec model, which maxes out at 150 kW. (Still not great, but certainly better.)
Photo by: Cadillac
According to Cadillac, the European version of the Optiq can add up to 89 miles (144 km) of range in 15 minutes. AC charging tops up at 22 kW through a Type 2 connector, which is addmitedly faster than the 19.2 kW of the American model, while DC fast charging is done via a CCS2 connector, as opposed to the NACS port of the U.S. version.
Inside, the Euro-spec Optiq gets a 33-inch diagonal LED display and a premium AKG Studio sound system with 19 speakers and Dolby Atmos. GM’s Super Cruise driver assistance system is also built in, but cannot be used in Europe yet. That said, traffic-aware cruise control and lane centering can be used.
The first 50 units ordered in Europe will bear the Launch Edition moniker. These cars will be painted in a dual-color scheme, fitted with 21-inch black alloy wheels, and offered with two sets of tires–one for the summer and one for the winter.
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Source: Cadillac
In the U.S., the 2026 Optiq Premium Sport AWD gets more power, more torque and a larger battery, all while costing roughly $18,000 less. In Europe, the Optiq is up against the Audi Q6 E-Tron, which has a similar starting price but comes with a larger battery, more range and more than double the maximum DC charging power–270 kW.
At first glance, it looks like all the odds are against the Optiq in Europe, but the electric crossover does have something that none of its competitors have: that unmistakable Cadillac look, both inside and out. Who knows, maybe that will be enough to convince European buyers.
