While the sun dipped behind the peaks of the Alpes-Maritimes, the roar of combustion engines was replaced by the hum of high-voltage motors and a different kind of tension. The 2025 edition of the E‑Rallye de Monte‑Carlo, the spécial event of the Automobile Club de Monaco reserved for fully electric vehicles, served up a cutting edge drama.
A Serious Gathering in Monaco
Wednesday night, under the lights of Casino Square, 62 crews from 18 nations rolled away ready to take on one of the toughest regularity rallies in the eco-mobility circuit. From the heights of the Italian Riviera to the legendary bends of the Col de Turini at night, the route didn’t just demand precision, it demanded nerve.
Winners by a whisker
In the end, the duo of Guido Guerrini and Artur Prusak took the crown, steering their Kia E-Niro to victory with 236 penalty points. Their Portuguese challengers, Eduardo Carpinteiro Albino and José Carlos Figueiredo, travelled tough terrain in the Kia EV3 and ended on 240 points, just four short. A narrow margin, but enough to emphasize that electric rallying is every bit as intense as its petrol-fired cousin.
Camille Gottlieb
Camille Gottlieb’s return to the E-Rallye de Monte-Carlo carried the weight of high expectations after her triumphant debut in 2024, when the press applauded her success winning the FIA Energy Consumption Trophy alongside Margaux Grundsteen. This time, the pair’s hopes of a repeat victory faded amid fierce competition, though the Principality still celebrated as compatriots Cyrill and Mariana Rouden Alabart secured the honours for Monaco.
The 2025 course proved both stunning and unforgiving, winding through the high passes and sharp descents of the Alps, with new mid-stage regrouping zones allowing drivers to recharge and recalibrate. Yet the serenity of the electric engines briefly gave way to alarm in the final stage when Karel Colibert and Jessica Jodar veered off the Col des Champs. Swift response from the rally’s safety crew prevented any serious harm, preserving the event’s unblemished safety record and ensuring that the ninth edition of this emblematic eco-rally concluded on a note of relief and resilience.
Beyond speed: the new axis of competition
What makes this rally fascinating isn’t raw speed so much as energy management. In an event reserved for 100 % electric vehicles, with no range extenders allowed, the winners were those who could delicately balance pace, battery performance and terrain. The mountains, the hairpins, the night stages: every twist demanded more than just driving skill, it demanded ecological strategy and engineering finesse.
Moments you’d barely believe
Imagine hurtling the twisting, moonlit ascent of Col de Turini in near-silence; the only cue that you’re racing is the dashboard and your nerves. Mid-stage re-groupings and designated charging stops meant that this was as much about logistics as it was driving, adding an added layer of complexity.
And in a dramatic finale, the lead team held on by a slender cushion of four points, proof that even in electric form, the Monte-Carlo spirit of razor-thin margins lives on.
Looking ahead
With the benchmark set at this 30th (or more accurately 9th hydrogen-free use of the electric format) edition, all eyes will turn to next year: can a new challenger unseat Guerrini/Prusak? Will battery technology leap again, giving even tighter margins? The terrain won’t change, but the means certainly will.
