Test Car Specifications
Model: 2025 Range Rover EV Prototype
Price: TBC
Motors: two electric motors
Battery: 118kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery
Transmission: single-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power: 550hp
Torque: 850Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: TBC
0-62mph: TBC
Top speed: TBC
Boot space: TBC
Styling
Although the electric Range Rover is a revolution for Land Rover – it’s the first of its kind – the design is quite understated. Small details will change, but these prototypes are relatively short on camouflage because they look just like the petrol, diesel and hybrid Range Rovers with which we’re so familiar. The basic body shape is identical to that of the petrol and diesel versions, which should make it just as appealing to customers, who love the cleanliness and modernity of the Range Rover styling, as well as the sense of imperiousness and luxury, both of which are carried over from existing cars.
Interior
Although it isn’t always easy to infer much from the interior of a prototype, the Range Rover EV’s cabin currently appears to be quite similar to that of the standard car. Which means it’s stunning. The style is clean and minimalist, while also being luxurious and chunky, merging references to the car’s premium credentials with its off-road capabilities. The materials are fabulous, they’re well stitched together and it all feels glorious.
Similarly, the tech is as brilliant as ever, and the off-road stuff is particularly good. Without the selection of cameras, the Range Rover wouldn’t be so easy to use, or to manoeuvre, while features such as Wade Sensing help it to quite literally ford every stream. The touchscreen isn’t necessarily perfect – the display is sharp and so are the responses, but some of the icons are a bit awkward to see and it gets confusing in places – but it all feels super modern and just as upmarket as you expect from such an expensive car.
Practicality
With the same body as the petrol, diesel and hybrid Range Rovers, the electric car is expected to be roughly as practical as its siblings. Certainly, there's a similar amount of space in the cabin, and particularly in the back, where space is cavernous. That, combined with the immense comfort of those seats means the Range Rover is almost as good at being a limousine as it is at being a massive 4x4, and it's a brilliant family bus, too. Boot space is still to be confirmed, but the Range Rover EV's luggage capacity is expected to be roughly on a par with the combustion-powered variants.
Performance
Under the floor, the electric Range Rover has the same basic chassis as a petrol, diesel or hybrid model, but the powertrain is quite different. In the middle is a massive 118kWh NMC battery, complete with a specially developed thermal management system that supposedly reduces heat energy absorption by 40 per cent and can recover heat for the car's on-board climate control at temperatures as low as -15 degrees.
That means the system is apparently quite efficient, although Land Rover hasn't told us just how much range that huge battery will offer. We do, however, know our test car's trip computer claimed a range of well over 300 miles on a charge, so we're expecting the official WLTP economy test to peg it somewhere around the 350-mile mark.
That isn't bad, given how powerful the Range Rover EV is. The 550hp and 850Nm of torque means it's pretty quick off the mark, and it has loads of pulling power right from the off. It's brilliant at dragging itself up steep inclines with even less fuss than you'd get from a V8. The capability is remarkable.
And the refinement is as glorious as you'd expect. Although we didn't get to any great speed on our test, the motors whirred away with barely a whisper, and that, combined with the standard Range Rover's impressive sound suppression, makes the electric model incredibly quiet on the move.
Ride & Handling
From an off-road course, it's difficult to tell how the Range Rover EV will deal with being thrown into a corner or how it deals with cat's eyes. But we can tell how it copes in various off-road scenarios, and how it behaves.
Which is to say, it's incredible. The four-wheel steering means it can turn more tightly than you'd expect, yet the steering still isn't completely devoid of feel. And the electric motors are much more responsive than a petrol or diesel engine when it comes to delicately balancing the throttle. Although the regenerative braking system takes a bit of getting used to, the net result is a car that's easier to drive more precisely and more accurately off-road. And one that's better at helping you out.
Where an ordinary traction control system might take a moment to read the wheelspin and cut the power, the electric powertrain can do that much more quickly, and to much greater effect. So the moment there's slip, the system responds, reacting in just the right way. It's very clever, and it allows the car to look after you even more brilliantly than the more conventionally powered versions.
And it's just as capable over terrain. The car's wading depth is unchanged, and the axle articulation is comparable with the combustion-powered versions, so there's no penalty for choosing the electric version on that front. And because it has all the same tech, it's just as good at absorbing the bumps and isolating you from the world outside, yet still allowing you to see it, despite the abundance of metal surrounding you. The plethora of cameras allow access to all manner of angles and viewpoints, so the Range Rover is easier to place on tricky terrain.
Value
Land Rover has not yet announced prices for the Range Rover EV, which is hardly a surprise given it's only a prototype at present. But as the cheapest Range Rover model now comes in at more than £105,000, we aren't expecting the electric version to be any cheaper. In fact, we're expecting it to cost around £130,000 or more, with the most upmarket versions costing yet more still. And there will be more upmarket versions, with the electric powertrain set to be offered in combination with all the same trim levels as the existing engine options.
Verdict
In many ways, the Range Rover EV feels exactly as you'd expect. Quiet, comfortable and refined, it merges the qualities of electric power with the brilliant engineering that has made the Range Rover so popular over the years. Whether you want one will come down to tastes and how you'll use it, but on this evidence, the electric version is set to be just as competent, capable and compelling as its more conventionally powered siblings.
