There’s plenty to be excited about as 2026 edges closer. New phones. New game consoles. Smarter AI software. Even more powerful electric toothbrushes. But if I’m honest, the thing I keep coming back to is a car. More specifically, the electric Range Rover.
That’s partly because I’m a long-time Range Rover fan. I love the way they feel unbothered by the world, as if potholes, weather and time itself are someone else’s problem. But this one matters for reasons that go well beyond personal taste. The electric Range Rover feels like a hinge moment, not just for the brand, but for what luxury EVs are meant to be.
Range Rover doesn’t get to be an interesting but flawed EV like so many are. It has to be the best. For over 50 years, its whole thing has been combining comfort with genuine capability. You can drive one to a black-tie dinner or straight into a bog, and neither feels out of place. Electrifying that is a difficult task.
Which is why the testing story matters so much here.
Land Rover hasn’t just been parading its prototypes around city centres and scenic coastal roads. They’re being frozen, baked, soaked and generally abused. We’re talking –40°C winters in the Arctic Circle. +50°C desert heat in the UAE. Deep sand. Frozen lakes. Wading through water up to 850mm deep. That’s not box-ticking. That’s Range Rover making sure it doesn’t lose its nerve when the engines get replaced by electric motors.
And yes, quiet is a big part of this. Engineers are openly targeting the quietest and most refined Range Rover ever made. That’s saying something. Electric propulsion helps, obviously, but there are even more details that make this interesting – active road noise cancellation, bespoke sound design, and the way an EV platform allows cabin comfort to be prioritised in new ways. Luxury isn’t just about materials anymore. It’s about creating a sense of calm, just like a luxury spa.
Underneath, there’s some serious substance. An in-house 800V architecture for faster charging. A 117kWh battery designed and built by JLR itself. The electric drive will be assembled in Wolverhampton. The whole thing will be built in Solihull alongside existing Range Rovers, not spun off into a side project. That matters. It says this isn’t a future concept car. It’s just… a Range Rover.
What really caught my attention, though, is how electric power is being used to enhance capability, not dilute it. The new traction control system can manage wheel slip at each wheel in as little as one millisecond. It shows up in places where Range Rovers earn their reputations – ice, mud, sand, steep inclines. Single-pedal driving is perfect for off-road. Torque delivery is precise enough to outperform combustion models in certain conditions. This isn’t about compensating for electrification, it’s about making the best Range Rover out there.
From a business point of view, this car is crucial as well. Demand for the current Range Rover has been through the roof since 2021. There’s already a waiting list for the electric version, before most people have even seen it properly. Get this right, and Range Rover proves that electrification doesn’t mean compromise – an important message for the entire car industry and consumers, which have been faltering in recent months.
Personally, I’m optimistic. Everything about the development programme suggests patience rather than panic. Years of virtual testing followed by brutal real-world validation. Cold weather, hot weather, long miles, repeated abuse. It feels engineered, not rushed.
So yes, I’m looking forward to a lot in 2026. But the electric Range Rover stands out because it isn’t trying to reinvent the idea of a luxury SUV. It’s trying to protect it. It has the same confidence, same composure, same go-anywhere attitude – it’s just quieter.
If they pull this off, and all signs suggest they might, it won’t just be the most important Range Rover in years. It’ll be a benchmark for what electric luxury should actually look like.
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