New Range Rover Electric: First drive of long-awaited £154,000 SUV
The new Range Rover Electric is here at last, with V8-rivalling power, a battery range of up to 372 miles and a price starting from £154,070.
While formidable, the price is a relatively modest £6,390 more than a similarly powerful V8 petrol Range Rover in Autobiography specification – and less than half the price of a Rolls-Royce Spectre.
The Range Rover Electric not only costs around the same as the V8 version, it’s almost identical in design. Intentionally so, says Range Rover MD Martin Limpert: “This is a Range Rover first, an electric car second.” Even the ‘EV’ wheel centre caps are optional.
“It looks the same because we want it to be a powertrain choice,” adds Limpert. The only visual changes for the EV are an aero-optimised front grille and wheels, which eke out a few extra miles of real-world range.
The 118.5kWh NMC battery is a double-decker design, fully sealed to prevent water ingress (the Range Rover Electric has the same 900mm wading depth as a petrol model). Each battery cell – there are 344 in a pack – has its own wireless control unit, and is surrounded by a high-tech thermal material to minimise heat transfer.
Indeed, the advanced ThermAssist tech is one of 300 patents filed for the Range Rover Electric. And despite that humongous battery, the car is, surprisingly, just 75kg heavier than the mild hybrid V8 version. It can still tow loads of up to 2.5 tonnes, too.
With 800-volt technology, the battery can be DC rapid-charged from 10-80 percent in 22 minutes, with 137 miles added in 10 minutes. Oh, and while the official, WLTP-tested range is 372 miles, JLR still promises 330 miles in real-world conditions.
As for performance, the front and rear electric motors deliver up to 550hp and 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, which is faster than the V8. Motor speed can be controlled in 50 milliseconds, up to 100 times faster than any petrol Range Rover, with anything from zero to 100 percent of drive directed to either axle.
An EV-specific single pedal mode means the Range Rover Electric can pull away from a standstill up a 33-degree slope – that’s black diamond ski-run steep – or a rolling climb of up to 45 degrees.
Testing the Range Rover Electric
Incidentally, part of the delay in launching the Range Rover Electric was caused by a switch to a different type of front electric motor. The original induction motor overheated during sand dune testing, so engineers switched to the same permanent-magnet motor as the rear.
This led to an even longer testing and development programme than originally intended. The new EV has been driven the equivalent of 38 times around the world in physical testing, with another 250,000 hours of virtual testing. It is the most thoroughly tested Range Rover ever.
While EVs are inherently quiet, JLR has included active noise cancelling for an even more hushed drive and a cabin up to 7dB quieter (“like going from your living room to a library”).
Alex Vine, JLR’s first full-time active sound designer and a former music producer, created a specific EV ‘soundscape’ for the Range Rover, basing it around the F-major chord. However, if you prefer absolute silence, you can turn it off.
More luxury is delivered by the standard air suspension, while rear-wheel steering makes the big Range Rover easier to drive in town. And for the ultimate in on-the-move elegance, you can even get an in-car fragrance system. The scents on offer include botanical, fresh and woody. “They’ve been developed by England’s leading fragrance supplier,” I was told.
JLR has long boasted of having 60,000 ‘expressions of interest’ in the new Range Rover Electric. While not actual orders, it’s still a good place from which to start.
Customers are also very invested in the Range Rover brand, with a loyalty figure of more than 70 percent. As the world steadily goes electric, so too does the Range Rover.
“EV is the perfect platform to embody Range Rover,” said Limpert. “This is therefore a pivotal vehicle for us.”
With orders now open, in short- and long-wheelbase guises across a broad range of derivatives, it’s time to see how much of that interest converts into firm orders for the first ever Range Rover Electric.
Range Rover Electric: behind the wheel
I had a brief taste of the new Range Rover Electric at JLR’s Gaydon proving ground. It was during 2026’s record-breaking summer heatwave, so there was no opportunity to test it on slippery mud. Nonetheless, it was a good chance to enjoy this SUV’s climate-controlled waftability and escape the blazing heat.
It still looks like a Range Rover, has the same fabulous interior, and all the controls are the same. There’s intentionally nothing off-putting or different here. I simply pull the familiar gearshifter into drive and glide away.
Instantly, the experience feels incredibly rich. There is no vibration, no noise, just a luxurious creaminess. The near-silence you often get in EVs has been elevated and made to feel even more premium.
Of course, the ride feels fabulous, in that cushioned, controlled way so ably demonstrated by petrol and diesel Range Rovers. There’s only a few minutes and a couple of corners to get a feel for the handling, but the linearity and positivity I like so much still seem intact – perhaps even enhanced by the Range Rover Electric’s lower centre of gravity.
Then to JLR’s formidable-looking rock crawl area, an intentionally machine-punishing challenge that was far more dramatic to watch than to drive. It is straightforward to steer through, with no vibration and no squeaks or rattles – just a sense of uncanny control.
I then drive through the fuselage of an old jet liner (yes, really) to demonstrate the low-speed, severe-angle control. With no diffs or low-range gears to worry about, simply set a suitable drive mode – or let the Range Rover Electric automatically do so itself – and feel how instant EV torque can enhance even the most extreme off-roading.
There’s lots more still to discover about the new Range Rover Electric. However, my first impressions justify the claim that this EV is more luxuriously ‘Range Rover’ than ever.
• Richard Aucock writes for Motoring Research