Chevrolet Corvette C8 review – the American sports car Europeans might actually want to buy

The C8 Corvette needs no excuses, no caveats. It’s an accomplished sports car and a genuine rival for Europe’s best, more deft than Corvettes of old yet still packing a double-barrelled wallop and an addictive character from its V8. With the hybrid E-Ray and GT3-rivalling Z06 there’s a C8 to suit most needs, but in many ways the standard car is the sweetest – less busy and frantic than the high revving, flat-plane Z06 and purer to drive than the hybrid. The Porsche 911 has more bandwidth and beats the Corvette in terms of absolute polish and refinement, but the C8 is closer than ever, close enough to be a very worthy left-field choice. 

Background and model range

The concept of a mid-engined Corvette goes all the way back to the 1960s but General Motors didn’t start seriously thinking about making the dream of famed Corvette engineer Zora Arkus Duntov a reality until 2012. That’s when the first design sketches began to appear, albeit behind tightly closed doors. But for a long time between now and then it was very much a skunkworks kind of project, a car the Corvette’s small-ish team of designers and engineers very much wanted to make happen, but weren’t sure if their bosses would ever actually let them.

Eventually they did, and the C8-generation Vette was the result. It launched in 2019 with a brand new V8 – behind the driver rather than in front – and the option of right-hand drive, enabling it to be sold in the UK. Pricing has risen significantly from when it first reached showrooms, from less than £80k to £97,760 today, but that still puts the C8 usefully cheaper than a basic Porsche 911. It’s substantially more powerful too, but as many have found out, you can’t beat the 911 with raw muscle – a finer touch and thoughtful engineering is needed. 

On initial acquaintance the base C8 delivered just that, packing real sophistication and big-hearted muscle car thrills while beating the Europeans soundly in terms of value. Corvette’s presence in the UK has been quiet since the C8 first burst on the scene, but in 2025 it's hitting a second wave, with an expanding dealer network and two new models joining the range – the hybrid four-wheel drive E-Ray and the Z06, a hardened, high-revving GT3 rival. There’s also the more track-focused 1064bhp ZR1, plus a 1250bhp hybrid ZR1X, but those aren’t currently offered in the UK.  

The C8 certainly started off on the right foot, but six years on from launch with a higher list price and ambitious new models in the range, does it still have the goods to pull buyers out of Europe’s best sports cars? 

Engine, gearbox and technical highlights

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So much of the C8 is evolved from its predecessor it’s hard to know where to start, so how about with the 6.2-litre engine, which is still a pushrod in its fundamental design, but entirely new from its dry sump up to its heads. It revs to 6700rpm and looks quite beautiful, either from above or from within the cockpit, Corvette’s designers having worked hard to make their engine look as good as it sounds from whichever angle it can be viewed.

The V8 is mated to a new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox with paddleshifters. A manual ’box was considered for a long time but was eventually dismissed, the engineers admitting that, according to their research, over 90 per cent of potential customers would want a dual-clutch. This one pre-selects the next gear so that shifts are virtually seamless, up or down, and there are numerous drive modes to choose from, too – Weather, Tour, Sport, Track and Individual – with not only the shift patterns altering through the modes but also the electronic diff settings, the steering, the throttle map and so on. The C8 also has Magnetic Ride dampers for its all-round double wishbone suspension, which is standard-fit on Europe’s highly specified models. 

In the standard C8 Stingray the V8 produces 482bhp and 452lb ft, with a virtually flat torque curve between 3000 and 6000rpm. These are not especially heroic figures given the cubic capacity – and slightly less than the C8 came with in 2019, presumably due to emissions regulations – but still a heap healthier than the more expensive, 389bhp 911 Carrera. Weighing 1530kg, the Stingray can still hit 62mph from rest in just 3.5sec.

The hybrid Corvette E-Ray has the same V8 with the same outputs, but a single electric motor at the front axle boosts it to 632bhp. It’s very much a performance-oriented hybrid, with no plug socket to charge the tiny 1.9kWh battery pack mounted in the central tunnel, and limited electric running (a Stealth mode allows quiet morning getaways at speeds of up to 45mph). The hybrid hardware and a wider bodyshell than the Stingray (with accompanying mammoth 275- and 345-section tyres) make it a chunk heavier at 1765kg, but the extra zip and traction from its electric front axle trims the 0-62mph time down to 2.9sec. The top speed is the same as the Stingray, at 183mph. 

On paper, the Z06 is the most exciting of the lot. Sharing its widened bodyshell with the E-Ray but ditching the hybrid hardware, it’s Chevrolet’s answer to the 911 GT3. Out goes the 6.2-litre V8, in its place a flat-plane-crank 5.5-litre unit inspired by the Ferrari 458 Speciale’s F136 unit. It revs to 8600rpm and generates 646hp, torque peaking at 470lb ft, with a shorter final drive to help keep the engine near its top end sweet spot. The 0-62mph time is 2.6sec, and the top speed 195mph. 

Making use of that potential is a stiffer chassis (the springs are 35 per cent stiffer) and aero add-ons, but you can go further with the optional Z07 upgrade pack. This adds eight per cent stiffer springs and more aggressive aero to bring the total downforce to 333kg at 186mph, plus carbon ceramic brakes and Michelin Cup 2 R tyres. Carbon wheels are optional too, as they are on the E-Ray. 

Driver’s note 

‘The flat-plane Z06 engine is manic. On the road you need to pick your moments to commit all the way to 8600rpm, but once you’ve tasted the frenzy at the top end you want to live in that zone. It’s more hollow sounding and less muscular than the standard 6.2, but the racy character suits the Z06 to a tee.’ – Yousuf Ashraf, evo senior staff writer, who tested the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 on the road in the UK

Performance, ride and handling

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The result of all this is a Corvette that drives unlike that of all its predecessors. The 6.2-litre V8 is much more refined than GM engines of old, and deliberately so, according to programme engineering manager Josh Holder. ‘We still wanted to keep that traditional V8 sound, but at the same time we wanted to get rid of the noises you don’t like while keeping the bits you do. So yes, it’s more refined but, we think, in a good way.’ Either way, it still sounds like a proper, big banger V8, and it goes like one, too.

But if anything it’s the behaviour of the chassis, steering, brakes and the dual-clutch gearbox that define how the new mid-engined Corvette drives. It feels sharp but also friendly, ever so slightly Lotus-like in the way it flows across the ground. In its softer modes it's languid and relaxed, but somehow doesn’t feel lazy. Not as crisp and controlled as a 911, sure, but still keen and positive, and really nicely judged for an everyday sports car. 

The steering is also well honed in terms of its precision and response, as are the brakes, which adapt as you scroll through the various drive modes. In Track they feel almost race car sharp, while in Tour they are far less jumpy but still just as powerful overall. Sounds all a bit digital, yes, but in practice they seem to work a treat, the only hint that it’s a brake-by-wire system coming from a slight springyness at the top of the pedal. 

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Stiffening the dampers ties down some of the looseness in the body movements and you can drive the C8 with more aggression. Do so and it’s approachable and fun, never snappy or nervous, but if you’re looking for absolute pinpoint precision and control the Stingray is missing that last few percent to a 911. It’s not a yawning gap, but where you’ll struggle to break the Porsche’s composure on the road, the Stingray feels bigger, less keyed in and more relaxed when pushing it hard. That’s not to say it isn’t a rewarding, cohesive car. Dial it back from the limit (where you’ll spend most of your time) and you can settle into the fluid ride, crisp gearbox and wonderful engine to make satisfying progress.

On track the Stingray’s calmer demeanor means there’s some softness and a whiff of understeer to manage. But you can easily dial this out by backing away from the throttle fractionally on turn-in, at which point the nose tucks in yet the rear end never threatens to overtake it. On the road, understeer is not an issue. Riding on reasonably sticky but not ultra-trick Michelin PS4 tyres, the Corvette has tons of grip at both ends and also immense traction, despite its short gearing.

If it's more aggression you want, the Z06 delivers emphatically. From the moment you start the flat-plane V8 it buzzes and sizzles through the cabin, setting the tone for a much more vivid driving experience than the base car. The wider bodyshell means you need to pick your lines more carefully, but on smooth roads the Z06 is hooked up and precise enough to allow you to do so, quickly settling on its stiffer springs and turning in much more positively than the Stingray, and holding its line more gamely through a corner. The way you can dial in more steering lock, chase the throttle and still feel the Z06 resisting slip is really impressive.

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The faster reactions and grip from the Cup 2 tyres means it rewards a more attacking style, so you push harder, live at high revs and revel in the Z06’s precision. At low speed the hollow sounding V8 isn’t instantly inviting, but everything snaps into focus at the top end, where the exhaust note hardens and the Z06 pulls with rabid intensity. In the lower gears it’s enough to loosen the rear Michelins and have the car snaking up the road, but the linear build-up of power makes this manageable, and really quite exciting.

But there is a price to pay for this excitement. With the Z07 package fitted the Z06 is often too lively on technical back roads, jinking laterally over imperfections and requiring a firm hand to stay on course, and in your lane. Using and enjoying the performance is hard work, the highly strung V8 buzzing away and demanding revs, the wheel nudging and tugging in your hands over imperfections. In the right conditions the Z06 is a livewire thrill, but – at least with the Z07 package – it has a narrower window than the 911 GT3, which can feel uncompromising at times but never as highly strung and distracted as the Vette. 

The E-Ray is a different character again. The cross-plane V8 combined with the front electric motor gives it instant low-down surge, and there’s no real need to click down the gears to carry speed. This gives it a more effortless GT character than the Z06, and though it’s missing the manic top end rush, it’s a much less demanding car to drive quickly. There's no need to wring it out because the torrent in the mid-range is enough to carry enormous speed, and out of slow corners the quick-acting e-motor supports the engine. There’s a strange synthesised backing track when the electric power comes in but once the V8 is into its stride its thumping soundtrack takes over. At times there’s a sense of detachment between the two power sources, the e-motor kicking in moments before the engine hits full force if you catch it in a high gear, but by and large it's a well integrated system that adds layers – and staggering performance – to the C8. 

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The hybrid system colours the dynamics too. You can feel the front axle manipulating the car under power, nibbling at the steering and keeping the car poised and straight under acceleration. At road speeds it’s not as expressive as the Z06 and you need to be pushing hard to feel any meaningful adjustability, but there is a satisfying neutral balance and a sense of rear-bias to the four-wheel drive system if you go looking for it. It’s calmer than the Z06 over rough roads too, but still busier and more distracted than the Stingray – perhaps due to the wider tyres and tracks. 

Driver's note

‘It is a car of contradictions: on one hand it’s a predictably larger-than-life character, but to stereotype it as such is to misrepresent it. This is no crude muscle car – it’s a sophisticated, entirely modern machine, with huge performance on road and track, and one that to most people certainly looks the part.’ – Adam Towler, former evo Deputy Editor, who tested the Chevrolet Corvette C8 on road and track in the UK

Interior and tech

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Inside the C8 makes no secret of its mid-engined layout. You sit so far forward, almost like your toes are dangling beyond the front axle, and the view ahead is wonderfully panoramic. The sense of sitting right at the point of an arrow calls to mind the original Honda NSX and really whets the appetite for what’s to come. The extremely focused cockpit treatment and quartic steering wheel won’t be to all tastes, but quality is a vast leap on from that of the previous-generation car.

The layout is unique and rather striking, with a centre control that flows down from the dash and houses a single vertical line of switches for the climate controls. Not the most user friendly solution – something Corvette is aware of having switched to a more conventional bank of switches on the dash for the latest C8s. Also new is a more cleanly integrated infotainment display and a third small screen flanking the central digital dash. Quirks aside it’s a special environment, the design, materials and quality stacking up well to close inspection, if not to the precision standards of a Porsche. The seats are comfortable and supportive too, if mounted too high to feel properly hunkered down in the car. 

Price and rivals 

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The notion of an all-American sports car has long been defined by the bonus that it generally comes in at a far lower price point than its European rivals, and in the case of the new C8 Stingray, that’s no exception – even if it is significantly more expensive than it once was. 

All European-market Corvettes arrive highly specified, coming as standard with the 2LT equipment package for £97,760 – £6k less than a basic 911 Carrera with around 100bhp less. All European Corvettes feature a head-up display, heated and cooled leather seats, a BOSE sound system and rear-view camera – the list goes on. Yet it’s the Z51 package that’s more interesting to us, as it includes larger Brembo brakes, Michelin PS4 rubber, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, a shorter rear axle ratio and sports exhaust system.  

The E-Ray is a big step up in terms of price, coming in at £153,440. That’s around £15k more than the hybrid 911 GTS, but then it does beat the Porsche soundly in terms of power and performance. The Z06, meanwhile, is even pricier at £182,920, despite being a simpler car – at least in terms of its powertrain. That puts it on the fringes of GT3 RS money.