I Bought A Dodge Charger EV. It

What’s it like to own a Dodge Charger Daytona EV? That’s the question I set out to settle with my own money way back in September. But 72 days after buying one, I don’t have an answer. In fact, I don’t even have the car.

On September 26, I initiated the lease on a Dodge Charger Daytona EV, with the understanding that I would receive the car within a week. I signed right before the 30th, so that I could take advantage of the $7,500 leasing credit. Countless calls and texts later, I still don’t have my Charger.

What I have, instead, is my third loaner car—a rental Jeep Compass. It is technically capable of getting me where I’m going, but a far cry from the tire-shredding muscle car I’m paying for.

Andrew’s Dodge Charger Daytona

Photo by: InsideEVs

You may have several questions right now, but I’ll address the elephant in the room: Why would I buy a Dodge Charger Daytona EV? Why would I, a 2021 Tesla Model 3 owner and EV reviewer, get an electric car made by Dodge, a company known for everything but EVs—and one that’s received decidedly mixed reviews from both the electric crowd and traditional muscle-car fans?

There are two main reasons: It’s a cool car, and the price was irresistible.

Let’s address the first, because I have a personal connection to this car as well. In college, I was a team member of Clemson University’s participation in the Battery Workforce Challenge, a research project sponsored by the Department of Energy and Stellantis. Each school’s goal was to design and fabricate a high-voltage battery pack to implement inside a Ram Promaster EV.

As part of this project, we visited the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. We toured the entire facility, including the design studio, and had the opportunity to converse with engineers across all disciplines. It was a cool experience.

When we last visited, roughly a year ago, I had the opportunity to see the Dodge Charger Daytona EV up close before any journalist or member of the general public. I was impressed. To be clear, I wasn’t impressed with the packaging, weight, software, or anything in that realm.

I was, however, impressed with the design. It looked so cool. 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

Photo by: Patrick George

In a world of EVs with generic designs slowly morphing into egg-shaped crossovers, the Dodge Charger Daytona offers a glimmer of hope. It is imposing, and gigantic. It measures in at 206.6 inches by 79.8 inches— longer and wider than a three-row BMW X7—and large enough to irritate your urbanist friends. It’s also one of the only two-door EVs on the market. It’s an EV sculpted by bravado, and I’m all-in for that. 

But none of the vanity really matters because I don’t have the car I paid for, over two months later.

A Great Lease Deal, On Paper

Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Photo by: Patrick George

The other reason I chose the Dodge Charger Daytona EV was its price. The particular car I was looking at is the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, the one with 456 horsepower and 404 lb-ft of torque. 

Its total MSRP came out to $62,685, making it an objectively expensive vehicle. If we apply the traditional 1% leasing rule, a “good” lease deal would entail a $627 monthly payment, excluding taxes. For my situation in California, I would be looking at $683 a month. The total monthly payments would add up to $16,402, including taxes. 

But I think the 1% rule is dumb. I aim for less. Far less. The lease deal I got is as follows: $4,662 down and $0 a month for 24 months. A one-pay lease—a single cost upfront. 

Low mileage? Nope. This is for 10,000 miles a year. Taxes not included? Nope. The $4,662 includes California’s steep taxes. What about wear and tear costs at the end of the lease? Already accounted for. That lease price includes a $1,295 Mopar protection package that covers up to $5,000 in damages at the end of the lease (i.e., door dings, worn tires, window chips, curbed wheels, and more). 

If you exclude wear and tear and the package’s associated taxes, my total lease price comes out to $3,250. This yields a monthly payment of $135. If we compare this to the general premise of a “good” deal, I’m effectively in the 0.20% territory.

In other words, I’m paying $135 a month for a car that I can drive 10,000 miles a year and return in virtually any reasonable condition. The dealership clearly wanted this thing gone. 

Why Was The Lease Deal So Cheap?

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

Photo by: Patrick George

First, Dodge was offering some notable incentives on the Charger Daytona back in September. My total rebates, including the federal EV incentive, totaled $14,500. The other side of the story was that this Daytona was considered an ex-demonstrator vehicle to Stellantis. 

This results in an additional $6,685 in dealer discounts, as the Daytona EV has 1,390 miles on the odometer. Now my Daytona is priced at a much more digestible $41,500.

Including the EV credit, cost capitalizations, taxes, and all associated fees, the total payments to Stellantis add up to $25,847.

But there was one caveat I was aware of at the time of purchase: The car required some minor repairs to get it up and running. I bought the car knowing it wouldn’t be ready immediately. It needed a bit of work, but nobody thought it would take this much time to complete.

Dude, Where’s My Car?

Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Photo by: Dodge

Every month or so since April, I would casually reach out to dealerships and inquire about the lease deals. Most of the deals were mediocre to flaccid. Safe to say, when this opportunity arose, I acted quickly. I signed the papers and paid for the car on Friday, Sept. 26, with the notion that the car would likely be ready within the next week. 

After two busy weeks of work and flying to South Carolina, I received my loaner car on Oct. 9. On Oct. 14, I created a case with Dodge’s corporate team and was assigned a case manager to “help out” with the status of the Charger repair at the dealer. On Oct. 15, the dealership’s service advisor informed me that the car would be ready in two days.

Unfortunately, when that day rolled around, I was told that the service department had gotten backed up. On Monday, I received word that the battery required new ground wiring for the high-voltage battery pack. Then on Wednesday, Oct. 22, I received the text, “Andrew, we want to let you know that your car is ready for pickup!”

Hooray!

That message was followed by: “Sorry, wrong text.”

I felt deflated, like a Porsche Taycan owner pulling up to an Electrify America station with a line of Chevrolet Bolts waiting to charge on the fastest plugs. 

The following day, a Stellantis engineer visited in person to run some diagnostics on the car and another customer’s. I was told that the dealership would need to run an isolation test and then I’d know the following week what part they’d need to order, and what that timeframe would look like. My service advisor let me know that the test was complete, and the car needed a new A/C compressor. The compressor would come next week if “all goes well.”

Knowing this is Stellantis we are talking about, all did not go well, and the part did not arrive the following week. In fact, it didn’t arrive the week following the additional week. This cycle has repeated. At multiple points, the dealer has given me a timeline of when it will be ready, only to blow past the day with little or no updates. I’ve been in contact with Stellantis corporate, but no meaningful progress was made for a while. I even called Stellantis six times one week and wasn’t able to reach anyone who could help.

I decided to start posting about my experience on LinkedIn, making light of the absurdity of my situation. Many of my friends on the platform knew I was getting a Daytona, so I wanted to keep them posted. I ended up making a post on November 13th, announcing that I was starting a new role at Stellantis, “Technical Program Manager of Trying To Get the Car I Paid for Back in September.” 

That got Stellantis’ attention. I received a phone call from a very understanding executive referrals manager who said the brand will investigate. After the call, Dodge offered me a substantial $3,134.25 payment in compensation for the delay, based on the car monthly payment rate over a five-year loan. I was very appreciative. 

After our chat in mid-November, I was under the impression that my car would be ready soon. My corporate contact told me that the regional service advisor recommended a new power inverter module and that the part would be ordered and expedited. Great.

On Friday, December 5th, I got a call from my dealership service advisor, who told me that the Stellantis engineers wanted the car to be disassembled again. Yay. 

At this point, I’ve just come to realize that disappointment is just part of the Stellantis experience. From the moment I walked into the dealership, I have been so excited about the Charger. I planned out road trips on Plugshare and upgraded my detailing arsenal to prepare for it. 

But every week, I’m told of some new delay or constraint. I’m currently rolling up on three months of ownership with no ownership.  

“Stellantis’ customer care team has been in contact with the dealership for a resolution on this vehicle,” a Stellantis representative said in a statement to InsideEVs. “To ensure a great experience for customers, Stellantis dealers are provided with tools and best practices for customer communications, including procedures to escalate support in vehicle repair and part availability.”

The Inconclusive Conclusion

Dodge Charger Daytona EV

Photo by: Patrick George

When I signed this deal, I really thought I was going to be driving a 456-horsepower fastback down California Route One. What I actually got was a bland rental Jeep, a slightly elevated heart rate and a piece of paper with a VIN number for a car that has been delayed for the past 79 days. 

If this car ever arrives, I’ll be happy to report back. But for now, I’m living in Stellantis purgatory. 

Andrew Lambrecht is a contributor at InsideEVs.com and a project engineer at Ever Cars in San Francisco. In addition to InsideEVs, Andrew writes at Business Insider, covering electric vehicles and technology. 

Click here to see all articles with lists of the best EVs