As we’re closing out 2025, I’ve been looking back at the car market, and I’ve got to say, this year did not play out how the “gurus” predicted. If you’d asked me in 2023, I would have told you 2025 was going to be the year of total, all-out EV domination.
Instead, what we got was something far more interesting: the “Great Reality Check.”
This was the year the EV hype-train met the hard realities of charging infrastructure, buyer budgets, and basic practicality. And honestly? It has made the entire automotive landscape better and more diverse. Here at Modded, we’re all about the future of mobility, but we’re also realists who like to get our hands dirty. This year, the industry finally caught up to that mindset.
The Hybrid Strikes Back
First, let’s talk about the hybrid. For a while, they were treated as a “compromise” technology, a stop-gap that enthusiasts and tech-heads were supposed to look down on.
Well, 2025 was the year the hybrid struck back, and it was led by, of all things, the 2025 Toyota Camry.
I know, I know—a Camry. But hear me out. Toyota made the bold move to make it a hybrid-only lineup. While other brands were sinking billions into EV platforms that still cost too much, Toyota doubled down on a proven, efficient, and—most importantly—affordable system. The payoff? A car that gets over 50 MPG, looks sharp, and costs what a normal family can actually afford. This wasn’t a retreat from an electric future; it was a brilliant strategic move that met the market where it actually is, not where Silicon Valley wishes it was. It’s the sustainable choice for the millions of people who don’t have a Level 2 charger in their garage.
The “Soul” Injection
But 2025 wasn’t just about practicality. It was also the year EVs finally found their soul. For me, the car that proved this wasn’t some six-figure luxury barge; it was the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
I’ve driven a lot of EVs that are fast in a straight line. They’re impressive, but they’re sterile. They feel like appliances. The Ioniq 5 N is the absolute opposite. It’s the first EV I’ve driven that feels wonderfully unhinged. With 641 horsepower (with boost), simulated gear shifts (the “N e-shift“) that kick you in the back, and a sound profile that’s part-WRC car, part-TIE Fighter, it’s a performance car first and an EV second. Hyundai’s engineers clearly asked, “How can we make this fun?” They nailed it. It’s a $66,000 hatchback that can embarrass supercars while putting the biggest, dumbest grin on your face. This is the car that proves the enthusiast’s future is secure.
The Electric Muscle Car Finally Arrives
And look, I have to talk about the big one: the Dodge Charger Daytona EV. This was the car I was most skeptical about. A muscle car isn’t just about 0-60 times; it’s about noise, vibration, and attitude. How could an EV possibly replicate that?
Well, I’ve seen them on the road, and I’ve heard them. That “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust” is no joke—it’s loud, it’s weird, and it absolutely works. It gives the car a presence that other EVs lack. With the 670-horsepower Scat Pack model hitting 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and that wild “R-Wing” on the front for downforce, Dodge didn’t just build an electric Charger. They built a new kind of muscle car. It’s the most “Modded” EV on the planet, hands down. It respects the past but isn’t afraid to use technology to be absurdly, unapologetically aggressive.
The Revolution We Were Actually Waiting For
But as much as I love the unhinged Ioniq 5 N and the revolutionary Charger, they aren’t the most important car of 2025.
That title, in my book, goes to the Chevy Equinox EV, and it’s for one simple reason: it finally delivered on the original promise of the EV transition—affordability for the masses. We’ve been covering this for years, and the biggest barrier to EV adoption has always, always been price. The Equinox EV, finally shipping in volume, starts at a $33,600 MSRP and delivers an EPA-estimated 319 miles of range.
This is the game-changer. This is the car that lets a normal family make the switch without destroying their budget.
It also dovetails with the real tech win of 2025: the standardization of the NACS (Tesla) charging port. With almost every manufacturer adopting the plug for 2025 or 2026 models, the “range anxiety” problem is finally being solved from the infrastructure side. For us in the outdoor and gear space, this is massive. It means one plug, one network, and the freedom to actually go places.
So yeah, 2025 stands out. It was the “Year of the Realist.” We got practical hybrids, EVs with genuine soul, and, finally, an affordable option for everyone. The future isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s fragmented, diverse, and a hell of a lot more exciting.
See you on the road.
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