My Top 5 Choices for an Electric Vehicle in Montana

With Montana receiving $43 million to create an EV Charging Station network, if the Federal Highway Administration approves the plan, you'll soon have a bigger choice to make compared to the standard "What brand and style ride do I want?". Soon enough, you'll need to first choose "Gas or Electric".

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Montana isn't California.

One consideration, even thinking ahead to if we have charging stations every 100 miles on our highways, is that an electric ride needs to have everything a Montanan could need for any weather. Since we can go from 100 degrees and sun, to -30 degrees and 2 feet of snow, a good all-around vehicle can't be a low to the ground, rear wheel drive car with summer tires.

5. Cadillac Lyric SUV

At the "bottom" of the list, is the Cadillac Lyric. Announced recently, this SUV rides on the new GM modular electric platform (which is designed for all kinds of electric vehicles from GM). Sure, it is a lower SUV and DOES come with summer tires standard, but that is a quick fix at the local tire shop. Why the Cadillac? It starts at $62,000, but ENDS at $65,000. You get almost all the features, no matter what you buy, eliminating the need for trim levels that range wildly in price. Just over 300 miles of range, too, which is perfect for the average driver. Need a truck? Well...

4. Chevrolet Silverado EV OR Ford F-150 Lightning

I'm not playing favorites here. If you need a truck, both are a great option. The Lightning is out now from Ford, and has been spotted around Montana already. Plenty of range (even for towing), feature-packed and works as a backup battery for your house/shop/barn if necessary. The Chevy is on the way, with options to make it far more expensive than the Ford, though they also have one starting around $40k that will do.

3. Any Tesla

We all know about Tesla. They offer the S, 3, X and Y (yes, you read that right. Elon Musk has a thing for funny naming coincidences) which range from hyper car, to sedan, to SUV. All have all-wheel drive, all offer at least 300 mile ranges, and all offer plenty of features to keep you happy. The big bonus with Tesla is their Supercharging Network, which has locations across Montana to get you back on the road fast.

2. Kia EV6

Kia offers a bunch of cool new rides, since their reawakening in 2021 with the K5 (which should be electric, if you ask me). The EV6 shares the same platform as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, but doesn't look like a DeLorean reshaped into an SUV. Ranging in price from $43,000 to $70,000 it offers options for many budgets, that 300 mile range (which, you may notice is a trend with electric cars) and plenty of features to keep you happy.

1. Rivian R1T

I 100% understand not everyone can afford this vehicle, as I am no where close to. Though, if I was in the market for a new vehicle (and was looking at an F-150, Chevy or Ram) I would go this route. The R1T has the classic truck styling, but with a rethink on the entire thing. They clock in around $75,000, about the same as a nicely equipped gasser truck from the big names, but offer the electric power surpassing many sports cars. Not to mention TONS of storage spaces throughout the custom designed truck body.