The shift is that luxury EVs have stopped announcing themselves. The first fully electric Range Rover, five years after JLR first signaled its EV plans, looks almost exactly like the 2022 fifth-generation car. Only a smoother grille with slots instead of slats, no exhaust tailpipes, “EV” badges on the wheel caps and twin charging ports at the rear give it away.
A reviewer at Tom’s Guide took the First Edition SWB, priced around £157k ($210k), on a day-and-a-half, 500-odd-mile round trip across Scotland, on road and off. The constant refrain from JLR’s team was that the Electric is a Range Rover first and an EV second.
What JLR Says It Beats
JLR claims more responsiveness, better acceleration and more torque than any of the four previous generations since 1970. Against the 2022 V8 it used as a benchmark, it says cabin noise is 7 dB lower, body roll is 10% less and the active damping is 60% quicker. Its new traction management system reacts 100 times faster than the combustion version’s. Simon Fairbrother, the programme chief, called that system his proudest achievement; it can adjust motor speed within 50 milliseconds.
Car and Driver, which tested the EV550, was less dazzled by the refinement. With the artificial engine-style sound switched off it heard more tire noise and airflow than expected, and concluded the car is not especially quiet by the standards of the best purpose-built EV platforms.
Numbers and Hardware
Peak output is 542 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. That is below the 606 hp of the top combustion model, the Range Rover SV, but the torque is higher and easier to reach. The Tom’s Guide driver quoted 0-62 in 4.5 seconds and a 124 mph top speed. Car and Driver found it brisk but “definitely isn’t a rocket ship,” and liked not feeling the organ-rearranging push common to powerful EVs.
The car sits on an upgraded Modular Longitudinal Architecture, shared with its combustion sibling and the Jaguar Type 01. JLR says it will be the most-patented Range Rover ever, with over 300 filed for this model. Twin 260 kW motors drive front and rear axles, so the front unit sits where the engine used to be and there is no frunk. A double-stacked battery of about 118 kWh runs at 800 volts and charges at up to 350 kW, which should take it from 10 to 80 percent in a claimed 22 minutes. The EPA range is predicted at 330 miles, against a WLTP figure of 372. At around 6,200 pounds it is only about 200 pounds heavier than the plug-in hybrid.
Price and Buyers
Pricing starts at £154k ($206k) for the standard-wheelbase Autobiography and goes north of £225k ($301k) for the long-wheelbase SV Black. Rachel Hogg, global product manager, said 70% of the people on the global waiting list are new to Range Rover. “That’s a pretty exciting opportunity for us,” she said.
Car and Driver is cautious about timing. The delay and softer demand for expensive EVs, plus rivals such as the Porsche Cayenne Electric with higher power and faster charging, make the launch awkward. Even the BMW iX5, at roughly half the price, beats the Range Rover on range and charging. The Range Rover Sport Electric has not been confirmed for the U.S.
Sources
- I drove the new Range Rover Electric 500 miles on and off road — and it’s the luxury EV to beat
- I drove the new Range Rover Electric 500 miles on and off road — and it’s the luxury EV to beat
- Tested: The 2027 Range Rover Electric Is an Undercover EV
Photo: Sonny Mauricio / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
