The major automotive manufacturers that formed Formula E's history

Since its conception, Formula E has attracted some of the best and biggest names in motorsport and beyond. Here we take a look at the manufacturers that have helped to shape the all-electric championship.

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09 Sep '24

The major automotive manufacturers that formed Formula E's history

As the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship gets ready to embark on the GEN4 era, let’s take a trip back through memory lane and look at the major manufacturers that have raced in the world’s leading all-electric championship.

Huge names have always gravitated to Formula E for several reasons. Of course, the incredible racing spectacle and gorgeous calendar locations come to mind, but a lot of them use the championship as a test bed for their road car technologies – making it a laboratory for the future of electric mobility!

Mahindra

One of the first teams to commit to Formula E was Mahindra. The Indian multinational automotive manufacturing corporation is based in Mumbai, and is one of the largest vehicle manufacturers by production in their home country. Their specialities are automotive, however they also produce farm equipment! During their time in Formula E, they have entered 165 races, won seven E-Prix and stood on the podium an impressive 36 times.

Renault

The first constructor involved in Formula E, the iconic French manufacturer lined up on the starting grid for the championship’s first race in 2014, with Nico Prost achieving the championship’s first-ever pole position for the e.dams-Renault squad.

During their time in the championship, the Renault-affiliated team won the Teams’ Championship over three consecutive seasons. Sebastien Buemi also lifted the Drivers’ Championship with the squad's help during a nail-biting 2015/16 campaign. For the 2018/19 season, Renault became the Nissan outfit.

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Audi Sport

Another key player in the championship’s early days: Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team. Fronted by Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi, the team made history on debut as di Grassi became Formula E’s first race winner in Beijing. Over the next few seasons, the team continued to improve and picked up more victories. In Formula E’s third year, di Grassi secured the Drivers’ Title with the Audi Sport-supported ABT team, before Audi became the first German car manufacturer to take part in Formula E with a factory team for the 2017/18 season.

DS Automobiles

Joining Formula E in 2015 with the Virgin Racing team, several drivers have represented DS over the years including champions Jean-Eric Vergne, Antonio Felix da Costa and Stoffel Vandoorne.

To celebrate 100 races in Formula E, the team adopted a special gold livery on the DS PENSKE, which has now become synonymous with the DS squad. At the end of the 2025-2026 season, DS bid farewell to Formula E after a remarkable run in the championship.

Jaguar

The luxury car manufacturer made a big motorsport comeback when it entered Formula E during the 2016/17 season. The championship has offered the British team a unique chance for Jaguar Land Rover to develop their EV technology for their road cars, following their pledge to eventually go fully-electric.

Jaguar TCS Racing have picked up 26 wins from their time in the championship, in addition to 63 podiums and 13 Pole Positions. In the 2025/26 season, they also secured the Teams’ championship for the second time.

NIO

Before it was NIO, China Racing and was the second team to announce its involvement in Formula E. They won the inaugural Drivers’ Championship with Nelson Piquet Jr, before being rebranded as NIO as part of the NEXTEV team in Formula E's third season.

The Chinese multinational automobile manufacturer specialises in electric vehicles and remained a key part of the championship until the end of the 2022/23 season, when it rebranded to ERT Formula E Team. During its time under the NIO brand, the team achieved two pole positions and a podium finish in Mexico.

Ahead of the 2024/25 Formula E season, the team rebranded once again, becoming CUPRA KIRO. In the seasons that followed, the team would find silverware success with the likes of Dan Ticktum and Pepe Marti.

BMW

Another German giant made their mark in Formula E, when BMW partnered with Andretti Autosport for the 2018/19 season. The manufacturer already had an established history with the all-electric championship, supplying the BMW i8 Safety Car and i3 Medical and Course Cars since the inaugural season.

Transitioning into BMW i Andretti Motorsport, the team found further success, winning seven races over three seasons. After BMW's exit from the championship to focus on its endurance program, Andretti has continued to keep the team, and taking Jake Dennis to title winning glory in the 2022/23 Drivers’ World Championship.

Nissan

Renault passed the baton to Nissan from the 2018/19 season, with the brand becoming the first Japanese automotive brand to line-up on the Formula E grid, partnering with e.dams until 2023 when they became their own entity.

Since Nissan joined the all-electric championship, they’ve won 24 races, stood on the podium 60 times and in 2024/25 they took British driver Oliver Rowland to victory in the Drivers' World Championship in one of the most dominant campaigns we've ever seen in Formula E.

Mercedes

The Mercedes name made its way to Formula E officially in 2019. They had kept an ear close to the ground the year prior, with their affiliates at HWA before officially entering as a manufacturer. The Silver Arrows entered their first race at the 2019 Diriyah E-Prix where Stoffel Vandoorne achieved a podium on debut, with the Belgian star taking the team to winning ways at the end of the season.

For Seasons 7 and 8, Mercedes got stronger and won the Teams’ Championship over two consecutive years as well as crowning both their drivers, Nyck de Vries and Vandoorne, World Champions, respectively. Ahead of GEN3, McLaren entered the picture, taking over most of the Mercedes infrastructure.

Porsche

Season 6 also welcomed Porsche to the roster. Formula E now had the ‘big four’ of German manufacturers on the grid – Porsche, Mercedes, Audi and BMW. An incredible achievement. Over their 107 race entries, they have won 17 races and stood on the podium 40 times.

In the 2023/24 season, the German squad helped Pascal Wehrlein secure the Drivers' championship, a feat that he would repeat in the 2025/26 season - the last season of the GEN3 Evo era. Heading into GEN4, Porsche will no doubt continue to be one of the strongest teams on the grid.

Maserati

Upon the arrival of GEN3, Formula E’s fastest, lightest and most efficient car yet, Maserati wanted in and became the latest historic manufacturer to join the championship.

The landmark moment saw the Maserati name back in single seater motorsport for the first time in more than 60 years, partnering with the MSG group. Maximilian Guenther achieved a win for the squad in their first year, becoming the first driver since the late great Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957 to be victorious for Maserati in single seaters. From the 2025/26 Formula E season, the team was renamed Citroën Racing.

CUPRA

CUPRA made its Formula E debut in 2022, linking up with ABT Sportsline. The Spanish manufacturer had also been participating in Extreme E, but left the off-road championship to entirely focus on Formula E for 2024. In their first year, ABT CUPRA managed to lock out the front-row for the Berlin E-Prix Round 8.

For the 2024/25 season, CUPRA partnered with Kiro Race Co - a relationship that would see the CUPRA brand return to the top step of the podium.

McLaren

The famous papaya team also arrived on the grid for GEN3, taking over the Mercedes team. In their first year of Formula E, NEOM McLaren secured two poles and found themselves on the podium in Diriyah.

McLaren Racing celebrated their 60th anniversary during 2023 and a maiden Formula E win came in 2023/24 at the hands of Sam Bird with that last lap overtake in São Paulo.

Their final season in the championship (2024/25) was a mixed bag, with the team finding the podium again with rising star Taylor Barnard, but ultimately struggling to build momentum in their hunt for the Teams' Championship.

Lola

In 2024, it was announced that Lola Cars would make their return to professional racing, entering the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the 2024/25 season, partnering with Yamaha ABT. The team would achieve its first podium at the 2025 Miami E-Prix, with Lucas di Grassi finishing the race in second.

In the following season, with an unchanged line-up of di Grassi and youngster Zane Maloney, the team went on to claim their maiden victory at the 2026 Shanghai E-Prix, with 'Mr Formula E' di Grassi bowing out from the championship in style.

Citroën

There are few brands that have the same motorsport heritage and pedigree as Citroën, and in 2025 the French automative giant prepared to embark on a new chapter, as they entered Formula E for the 2025/26 season.

In their opening campaign, the team accumulated one victory, six podiums and 182 championship points - which saw them end the season 5th in the Teams' standings.

Opel

The newest manufacturer to join Formula E is Opel GSE, who join the championship ahead of the 2026/27 season - the first of the GEN4 era. As a German brand with a long motorsport tradition and victories in rallying, touring cars and endurance racing, the team have opted for a mixture of youth and experience in their debut line-up, fielding Theo Pourchaire and Mitch Evans.