Walk into any cars-and-coffee gathering in Columbus on a Saturday morning and ask which is the better hybrid supercar — America's electric-assisted Corvette or Japan's twin-turbo farewell rocket — and you'll get an argument that lasts until lunch. The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray and the 2022 Acura NSX Type S arrived at the same idea from opposite ends of the performance world. Early verdict: the E-Ray is the car you can actually buy, and it's quicker in a straight line — but the NSX Type S is the one that will still matter in twenty years.
These two ask you to define what a hybrid supercar is supposed to be. The E-Ray buyer is a pragmatist with a speed addiction: supercar acceleration, year-round drivability, a car to drive to work on Monday. The NSX Type S buyer is a collector — someone who knows Honda built exactly 350 worldwide, that the Marysville, Ohio plant closed its NSX line when the last one rolled off, and that the next NSX will be all-electric.
What makes this pairing worth a full comparison is that neither car uses its hybrid system the way you'd expect. The E-Ray isn't a green car; Chevrolet is blunt about it — the electric motor exists to launch the car harder than any Corvette before it. The NSX Type S isn't a green car either; its three-motor Sport Hybrid system makes the V6 feel like a much larger engine while vectoring torque through corners like an invisible hand. Both are performance hybrids — arguably the last of their kind.
Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Straight-line speed | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
| Track-day pedigree | Acura NSX Type S |
| Value for money | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
| Exclusivity | Acura NSX Type S |
| Everyday usability | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
| Interior craft / tech theater | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
| Long-term collectibility | Acura NSX Type S |
| All-weather traction | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
| Driving engagement | Acura NSX Type S |
| You can buy one at a dealer | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray |
The one we'd take home is the E-Ray — unless the budget has a collector's comma in it.
At a Glance
| Spec | 2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray | 2022 Acura NSX Type S |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 6.2L LT2 V8 + front electric motor | 3.5L twin-turbo V6 + 3-motor hybrid |
| Combined power | 655 hp | 600 hp |
| Combined torque | ~595 lb-ft (GM publishes no combined figure; MotorTrend reports 592) | 492 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 8-speed dual-clutch | 9-speed dual-clutch |
| Drivetrain | eAWD (V8 to rear, e-motor to front) | Sport Hybrid SH-AWD |
| 0–60 mph | 2.5 sec (Chevrolet claim) | 2.9 sec (Car and Driver tested) |
| Quarter mile | 10.5 sec @ 130 mph (Chevrolet claim) | 11.0 sec @ 126 mph (C&D tested) |
| Top speed | 180 mph (est.) | 191 mph (The Drive) |
| EPA fuel economy | 16/24/19 mpg (city/hwy/comb.) | 21/22 mpg (city/hwy) |
| Curb weight | 3,774 lbs (coupe) | 3,960 lbs (3,903 w/ Lightweight Package) |
| Cargo | 12.5 cu ft | 4.4 cu ft |
| Starting price | $106,900 + $1,695 dest (1LZ coupe) | $169,500 + $1,995 dest (when new; sold out) |
| Availability | On sale now | Sold out; used ~$260K+ |
Design & Exterior
The E-Ray wears the wide body it shares with the Z06 — nearly 80 inches of shoulder — with the C8's mid-engine proportions that still turn heads five years after the Stingray reset America's idea of a Corvette. Its telltales are subtle for a 655-horsepower car: specific wheel designs, E-Ray badging, and aero details that exist to cool the hybrid hardware. Quad exhaust tips and a rear diffuser do the talking at idle.
The NSX Type S took a quieter visual path. The 2022 refresh brought a more aggressive nose, a standard carbon-fiber roof, available Gotham Gray matte paint (just 70 cars), and Type S badging that says everything to anyone who knows the Honda performance lineage. It's smaller and tighter than the Corvette — lower, more cab-forward, arguably the better-resolved design. The E-Ray has more presence; the NSX has more restraint. In a world of angry-looking supercars, the Type S's quiet confidence has aged beautifully, and it's the design I'd rather see in a garage ten years from now.
Both show their assembly pride: the E-Ray from Bowling Green, Kentucky; the Type S hand-assembled in Marysville, Ohio — forty minutes from where this is being written. The last gasoline NSX ever made was built by Ohio hands, and that counts for something with Ohio buyers.
Interior, Comfort & Technology
The E-Ray gives you a proper 2025 interior: a configurable digital cluster, a touchscreen with an E-Ray Performance App that graphs live power and torque like a dyno readout, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and heated and ventilated seats in higher trims. Cargo is genuinely usable — 12.5 cubic feet split between frunk and rear — so a weekend trip is feasible. Materials at 3LZ trim flirt with six-figure European cabins.
The NSX cabin is the car's weakest relative point and, paradoxically, part of its charm. Ergonomics are Honda-tight, the seats are excellent, and the interfaces are clean but undeniably of the 2017–2022 era — no E-Ray graphics wizardry, less screen real estate. What you get is simplicity: physical controls where they matter, better visibility than the Corvette, and a cabin that disappears around you. Cargo is 4.4 cubic feet — a shelf and a prayer. Pack light.
For daily comfort, the E-Ray wins walking away. Standard Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 delivers a ride/handling balance reviewers keep calling remarkable — supple on I-71, sharp at Mid-Ohio. The NSX rides firmly, as a final-edition supercar should. The Corvette is the one you'd drive to Cincinnati and back without planning.
Performance & Driving Feel
The E-Ray's launch is violence wrapped in civility: the front-axle motor fills torque instantly while the 6.2-liter V8 builds through eight dual-clutch gears. Chevrolet claims 2.5 seconds to 60; independents land within a few tenths. The quarter falls in 10.5 at 130 mph — quicker than the Z06 to 60, quicker than the NSX by a clear margin, quicker than cars costing three times as much. Stealth Mode creeps you out of the neighborhood on electrons alone, up to about 45 mph for a few miles. Charge+ keeps the battery topped for back-to-back track laps.
The NSX Type S is slower in the drag race and prouder of it. Its upgraded turbos — shared with the NSX GT3 Evo race car — lifted output 27 hp over the standard NSX to 600, with 492 lb-ft. The three electric motors torque-vector through corners, tugging the nose toward the apex in a way no mechanical system can match. Car and Driver recorded 2.9 to 60 and 11.0 in the quarter — supercar numbers by any fair standard, just not E-Ray numbers. The 9-speed shifts 50 percent faster than the earlier NSX's, and top speed reaches 191 mph, eleven better than the Corvette's.
But feel is where the NSX claws back ground. The Type S is the more communicative car — lighter steering feel, a chassis that talks, electric motors as a transparent partner rather than a brute shove. The E-Ray grips to 1.1 g and is astonishingly capable, but it's the more digital experience. The E-Ray is a video game you win; the NSX is a conversation you remember.
Fuel Economy & Real-World Range
Nobody buys either car for the gas bill, but the numbers reveal intent. The E-Ray is EPA-rated 16 city, 24 highway, 19 combined — not dramatically better than a Z06. Car and Driver put it perfectly: the E-Ray "attempts to do it all and largely succeeds," but "just don't ask it to save you fuel — it's not that kind of hybrid."
The NSX Type S is rated 21 city, 22 highway — genuinely better, thanks to a smaller engine and a system tuned partly for efficiency. Its 15.6-gallon tank delivers roughly 340 miles of highway range. Neither is a plug-in; the E-Ray's 1.9 kWh battery and the NSX's 1.3 kWh pack recharge through braking and engine operation. Both are hybrids for speed first, efficiency second — or third.
Safety & Driver Assistance
These are low-volume performance machines, so expect a focused list. The E-Ray offers forward collision alert, lane keep assist, blind-zone alert, and a front curb-view camera that saves the low splitter from Ohio parking blocks — worth its weight in carbon fiber. The NSX Type S carries Acura's driver-assist basics but skips lane centering; Acura's logic was that a 190-mph car didn't need to be told to stay in its lane, and honestly, fair enough.
Neither has IIHS or NHTSA consumer ratings — normal for the class. The safety story is active: carbon-ceramic brakes standard on the E-Ray (398 mm front rotors), huge standard brakes on the NSX, and stability systems tuned for each car's character.
Hybrid Features & Technology
Strip away the bodywork and these are two essays on the same thesis. The E-Ray's party tricks are pure Chevrolet theater: Stealth Mode for silent neighborhood exits, the Charge+ button that banks engine power into the battery for sustained track lapping, and the E-Ray Performance App that turns the screen into a live dyno. The NSX answers with engineering elegance — three electric motors integrated so transparently that the torque vectoring feels like physics changed its mind. One car shows off its technology. The other hides it.
Pricing, Trims & Value
The price gap is the whole story. A 2025 E-Ray 1LZ coupe starts at $106,900 plus $1,695 destination — under $109,000 for 655 hp, all-wheel drive, carbon-ceramic brakes, and MagneRide. Load a 3LZ convertible past $126,000 and the value proposition still never collapses. Nothing else at this price runs a 10.5-second quarter mile. Nothing.
The NSX Type S started at $169,500 plus $1,995 destination — already a $60,000 premium — and the Lightweight Package pushed it to $182,500. But "when new" is doing heavy lifting: all 350 cars (300 U.S.) sold out within hours, with a waiting list over a hundred deep. VIN #001 sold at charity auction for $1.1 million. Today the used market averages around $260,000-plus for low-mileage examples. The NSX isn't a purchase anymore; it's a position.
So value isn't close: the E-Ray is one of the great performance bargains of the decade, while the NSX is priced as a collectible because it is one. Real-world money buys the Corvette. Collector money buys the NSX — and the scarcity math is the entire point.
Pros and Cons
2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray — Pros
- Fastest-accelerating Corvette ever; 2.5-second 0–60 embarrasses supercars
- Standard carbon-ceramic brakes and Magnetic Ride Control 4.0
- Genuine everyday usability: 12.5 cu ft of cargo, comfortable ride, Stealth Mode
- Supercar speed for under $110K is an unmatched value equation
2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray — Cons
- Hybrid system adds weight and complexity; long-term battery durability unproven
- Driving feel is slightly digital next to the NSX's analog charm
- No manual transmission option — the 8-speed DCT is the only choice
2022 Acura NSX Type S — Pros
- Final gasoline NSX ever — 350 units worldwide, built in Marysville, Ohio
- 600-hp twin-turbo V6 with GT3-derived turbos; 191-mph top speed
- Sport Hybrid torque vectoring remains one of the cleverest chassis systems made
- Exotic rarity with Honda reliability DNA — a genuinely usable collector car
2022 Acura NSX Type S — Cons
- Sold out; only available used at steep collector premiums (~$260K+)
- Interior tech is a generation behind the E-Ray
- 4.4 cu ft of cargo and firm ride limit its grand-touring case
Who Should Buy Which?
Buy the Corvette E-Ray if: you want the fastest car for the money on the planet, you drive year-round and need all-weather traction, you value a warranty and a dealer on every corner, or you want the quickest Corvette ever built.
Buy the NSX Type S if: you're a collector who understands what "350 units, final year, built in Ohio" means, you prize driving feel over drag-strip numbers, or you want the last hand-built gasoline NSX before the nameplate goes electric. Bring collector money and patience.
Buy neither and wait if: you want a manual (neither offers one), you need rear seats (look at a 911 or an AMG GT), or your heart is set on a plug-in with real electric range — these are performance hybrids, full stop.
Final Verdict
On the same road, the Corvette wins the numbers game: more power, quicker to 60, quicker through the quarter, cheaper by a factor of two or more, and still in production with a warranty. It's the better car for nearly every real-world definition of "better." Chevrolet built a hybrid that makes the Corvette faster without making it worse, and at $108,595 to start, it's the performance bargain of the decade.
But the NSX Type S wins the argument that matters more. It's the final gasoline NSX, limited to 350 examples, assembled in Ohio, with a drivetrain Acura will never build again. Twenty years from now, the E-Ray will be remembered as a great Corvette. The NSX Type S will be remembered as the end of an era.
Our recommendation: buying a car to drive, take the E-Ray and don't look back. Buying a car to keep, find the cleanest NSX Type S you can and hold on tight.
Which would you take — the accessible American rocket or the Japanese farewell legend? Tell us in the comments.
By Stefany Aurora, ABBOhio editorial.
FAQ
How fast is the 2025 Corvette E-Ray compared to the NSX Type S?
The E-Ray is quicker in a straight line: Chevrolet claims 2.5 seconds to 60 mph and a 10.5-second quarter mile. The NSX Type S was tested by Car and Driver at 2.9 seconds to 60 and 11.0 seconds in the quarter. The NSX has the higher top speed — 191 mph versus the E-Ray's estimated 180 mph.
Is the Corvette E-Ray a plug-in hybrid?
No. The E-Ray's 1.9 kWh battery charges through regenerative braking and engine operation. Stealth Mode offers a few miles of electric-only driving at startup for quiet neighborhood exits, but there is no plug-in charging.
How many Acura NSX Type S were made?
Just 350 worldwide, 300 allocated to the U.S. All were built at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, and order books sold out within hours. It is the final gasoline-powered NSX.
Which is the better daily driver?
The Corvette E-Ray, comfortably. More than twice the cargo space, a more compliant standard suspension, modern infotainment, all-weather eAWD traction, and a full factory warranty from a dealer network covering all of Ohio.
Will the NSX Type S hold its value?
All signs point to yes. With 350 units, final-year status, and the gasoline NSX line permanently closed, low-mileage examples already trade well above their $169,500 original MSRP — averaging around $260,000-plus.
Related reading on ABBOhio: our 2026 Ford Mustang GT Premium vs 2025 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray: American Performance Face-Off goes deeper on the E-Ray's place in the American performance hierarchy; the Acura NSX-T 1995 feature traces the NSX bloodline from its 1990s origins; and Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack (2026) vs Ford Mustang GT Premium (2026) covers the electric-muscle side of the performance debate.
