California-based Lucid Motors' Lucid Air has been named MotorTrend’s 2022 Car of the Year, making it the first automaker to win the award with its first car, CNN reported.

Some versions of Lucid Air can go 520 miles on a single charge with prices ranging from $140,000 to $77,000 for vehicles with less driving range and power than the more expensive models.

MotorTrend called the Lucid Air “the new electric vehicle benchmark” as the car has a large cabin area with plenty of storage space. Judges praised the vehicle’s interior design and stereo system while it criticized its reliance on touchscreens for basic controls.

“The Lucid Air is a technological tour de force," MotorTrend Group's head of editorial, Ed Loh, said. "The sleek futuristic Lucid Air sedan looks like nothing else on the road, while its gorgeous, smartly-packaged interior sets the standard for the next generation of luxury cars,” Loh added.

This marks the third time an electric car has won the award after Tesla Model S took home the award in 2012 and the Chevrolet Bolt EV in 2016. MotorTrend only issues the award to cars that are either completely new or significantly redesigned for the model year.

Lucid was founded in 2007 by CEO Peter Rawlinson, who helped engineer the Model S when he worked at Tesla.

“Earning this coveted distinction for Lucid Air, our very first car, is a resounding endorsement of our ability to deliver the most advanced electric vehicles in the world," said Rawlinson.

“Our objective of achieving range through efficiency and technical innovation is crystallized in Lucid Air, and we're elated that this effort has been recognized by MotorTrend against such formidable competition from well-established automakers," Rawlinson added.

According to MotorTrend, the cars were judged on efficiency, value, advancement in design, safety, engineering excellence and performance of their intended function.

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