Land Rover Range Rover Sport Electric (2026 – ) review

This is a painfully expensive car to purchase or finance. We are now firmly into six figures for a Range Rover Sport, which just doesn’t feel right. If you can finance it through a company-car scheme, that is your best bet for the very low Benefit in Kind taxation thanks to electric power. Charge it overnight at home, and your running costs will be very low, although be warned that such a huge battery will not charge from 20 per cent to 80 per cent on a normal five-hour off-peak tariff. We will see how reliable this car turns out to be but any issues could be expensive to fix. And dare we mention insurance?

We will have to revisit this after the cars have been on the road for a year or two. We’re giving the model a low score right now based on JLR’s historically dire reliability record across its models to date, which come from a combination of software and hardware challenges. Things should be simpler with a battery and motors, but have they got on top of touch-screen and camera issues?

I threw everything at this car during its launch in the Highlands. We waded a 90cm river, went up and down muddy, rocky paths and drove it at speed along narrow lanes through the pouring rain. It took everything without pausing for breath. This is the most accomplished Range Rover Sport ever. The UK’s weather will hold no problems for it. And of course, as well as that formidable grip, you have the normal array of pings and bongs from sensors and cameras. In short, this car has you covered.

Boy-oh-boy is this car serene. There is the soft murmur of a fake engine noise, or you can have complete silence. Everyone in the car has acres of leg space and head-room, and the boot will soak up belongings. It even smells of luxury. There are arm rests, big windows and glass roofs, pale leather, soft wool, a great sound system, no vibrations (even in the toughest off-roading situations), expansive views from the high ride … it makes the full-fat Range Rover feel redundant.

If you want full-on luxury, go for the First Edition specification though, personally, I’d choose the standard Dynamic SE. All versions get beautiful materials carefully tucked and stitched round the generous seats with their heat, cooling and massage functions. There are too few buttons for our liking, but the touch-screen does at least have easily accessible sliding graphics for temperature control, and you can turn off most of the intrusive pings and bongs via one button on the steering wheel. Basically, there is nothing to distinguish this car from its petrol or diesel counterpart in terms of features.

Where is my sixth star? This car is unbelievable. On the road, with a lower centre of gravity than the petrol version and less twist or scuttle in the chassis, it pivots, pounces and accelerates like a sports car a tenth of its weight. Off-road, with the entire battery system submerged under almost a metre of river, it purrs quite happily to the opposite bank. JLR promises up to 374 miles of range. It has spent years working on this battery and I’d confidently say you’ll get over 300 miles. Thanks to the instant torque you don’t need a low-range box for the car when it’s diving down impossible slopes. And the all-wheel steering means this large SUV pivots on a penny into parking spaces and round tight bends. It pains me beyond belief that I can’t afford one. You lucky, lucky people who can. Enjoy the finest engineering that the UK has to offer.