Battery size: 118.5 kWh
Range: 374 miles
Max charge rate: 350kW
Introduction and model history - Range Rover Sport Electric
Oh, would you look at that: a fancy Jaecoo! Hang on... No, this is an actual Range Rover Sport Electric. The original and the best. Or that's what I went to Scotland to find out about, anyway.
This is a big moment for Range Rover. Buyers wanting a luxury electric SUV have had plenty of reasons to wander into BMW, Porsche and Audi showrooms - and even Kia and Hyundai showrooms, too! Now, Range Rover has entered the chat, with a Range Rover Sport that promises the trademark blend of sumptuous luxury and surprisingly fun on-road manners, regardless of that fact that it's powered by a battery.
And, honestly, the Range Rover Sport feels like a car that should have been electric all along. The silence, the effortless acceleration, the feeling that you’re being looked after: it all fits.
From the outside, there’s very little shouting about the change. Front, sides, back: reassuringly familiar. It looks like a Range Rover Sport. Look closer and you’ll spot EV lettering on the wheels, but that's really the only thing that separates this electric model from the plug-in hybrid and petrol versions that you can still buy. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and all that!
The Porsche Cayenne Coupe Electric and Polestar 3 Performance are obvious alternatives, with the new BMW iX5 also a big rival. The question is whether the Sport feels special enough to tempt you away from them?
Range, battery and charging
Underneath the electric Range Rover Sport is a whopping 118.5kWh NMC battery, with an official WLTP range of 374 miles. Range Rover reckons roughly 300–330 miles is a more realistic expectation in everyday driving, and they even reckon that you can expect that sort of efficiency on a motorway run, which is great. Can I just say bravo to Range Rover for giving us a real-world estimate? It's still an estimate, of course, because the way you drive and the weather conditions will always affect range on an EV. But more manufacturers should be giving us real-world estimates - it's so important!
Having said that, the range on the electric RR Sport is... well, it's okay. Most of those rivals go quite a bit further according to official WLTP figures, which I think will put some buyers off. But at least that real-world estimate is good! We'll have to get the electric Range Rover Sport and some of its rivals in for a range test, to really see which one's best for real-world range.
As for charging, there’s an 800-volt electrical system, and a quoted maximum rapid-charging rate of 350kW in the Range Rover Sport EV. You also get 22kW AC charging as standard, which I like. Range Rover reckons that you'll be able to get a 10-80% charge in around 22 minutes, in idea conditions when you're plugged into a fast enough rapid charger.
Practicality and boot space
There’s plenty of everyday usefulness beneath the poshness in the Range Rover Sport - that's always been the point, hasn't it?
Boot space is slightly smaller than in the petrol Sport, but you still get 733 litres with the rear seats up. That figure is measured to the roof, though, while most manufacturers are a bit more sensible and only measure to the load cover or window-line, so in practice I think the Sport's boot is actually a similar size to the Cayenne Electric, which has a 534-litre boot. The Range Rover's boot is certainly big enough for an outdoorsy family to chuck their mucky shoes and sports paraphernalia in, though, so I'm sure it'll be a great family SUV.
The rear cabin feels bright, private and suitably indulgent, and you get heated rear seats, window blinds and an armrest with storage. The electric seatback adjustment is rather more abrupt than expected, though! Blimey. You'll have to watch the video to see what I'm on about, but prepare yourself if you dare to adjust the seat back there.
One thing that I find a bit annoying is that there's no seven-seat electric Range Rover Sport. And there's not even a seven-seat layout in the full-fat Range Rover, either! Mind you, neither do BMW, Porsche or Audi, So I guess if you want a luxury electric SUV with seven seats you should check out the Kia EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 9 or Volvo EX90.
Up front in the Range Rover Sport Electric there are big door bins, hidden storage beneath the cupholders and a wireless charging spot that lets you tuck your phone away. All very nice. I'd like to have had Magsafe wireless phone charging, though - that's a great feature that's coming in for a lot of new cars, now.
Interior, design and technology
This is where the Sport really makes its case. It just feels special, from the moment you sit in it. The different materials, the door handles, the gear selector that doubles as a rest to steady your hand when you're prodding the screen... even the grab handles are fancy! Somebody has really thought about the things you actually touch and use, and there's just that gorgeous, comforting sense of class and quality in the Range Rover.
The pale seats in our car make everything feel very bright, although I’d probably choose something more forgiving for everyday life - I'd be too worried that my dogs or nieces and nephews would make the white leather all grubby! There’s some gloss-black trim too, which will collect fingerprints. You know it will.
I like the curved central touchscreen, though. It looks great, is pretty easy to use and responds quickly. It is a bit screen-dependant in the RR Sport Electric, in that you have to use the screen to access seat settings, drive modes, ride height and just about everything, really! But the voice control is (mostly) reliable, so she does a lot of the work for you. Of course, there’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a separate driver's display that's clear and easy to read.
The steering-wheel controls are less convincing. They physically click, but the glossy shared surfaces are fiddlier than separate, ordinary buttons would be. At this price, little irritations matter!
Still, this feels like somewhere you’d actively want to spend time, rather than simply somewhere to sit while the car takes you home.
Motors, performance and handling
From launch, the Range Rover Sport Electric is only offered as the EV550 model, which gets 550hp and 850Nm of torque, with 0–62mph time of 4.5 seconds. That’ll do! It’s a big old car, of course, but it feels tidy and confident when you're driving it no matter what sort of road you're on.
What I like most is how politely it delivers its performance. It pulls away smoothly, without trying to rearrange everybody’s internal organs. It feels relaxed and expensive and... kind of gentrified. You know? If it could, it'd stick its nose up and look down on everyone else on the same road. It's posh, and it feels posh in the way it drives as well as the way it feels when you sit in it! In a good way, I mean.
Select Dynamic and there’s a sharper response, weightier steering and a little artificial soundtrack. I quite enjoy the noise. There’s enough personality to make things interesting without spoiling the whole luxury-car feel, and you can really chuck the Range Rover Sport EV around with gusto, and it feels all taut and on its tip-toes. It's good fun, despite being such a tall, hefty boy!
It’s also less wallowy than I expected. The Range Rover Sport Electric comes with adaptive air suspension as standard, so while you know you’re driving something large, the body stays impressively controlled through corners. Rear-wheel steering helps give it a sense of nimbleness, too; you feel it most at slower speeds when the system helps to deliver a much tighter turning circle than you might expect, so it actually feels pretty wieldy around a car park. It's a big help when you're parking such a chunky car.
Then there’s the refinement. Even on our test car’s enormous 22-inch wheels, road noise is beautifully subdued. That matters more on most journeys than shaving another tenth off an acceleration time.
Single Pedal mode is selected using the gear selector. Lift off and it slows gently, eventually bringing you to a stop. Drivers used to stronger regenerative braking may want more bite, but the gentle regen really suits this sportier Range Rover's character, and while I've only driven it around rural Scotland I think this setting will be great for the usual ebb-and-flow of traffic in town.
And yes, the electric Sport still does Range Rover things: it'll wade through 900mm of water and climb 45-degree slopes. Most owners’ school runs probably won’t require either, let’s be honest. It'll tow 2,500kg, as well, which is good - if a way off the 3,500kg that the Porsche Cayenne Electric can tow.
Running costs and pricing
Prices start at just under £110,000 and climb to nearly £130,000, which means that you're going to be paying a premium for the Range Rover sheen over rivals like the Cayenne and iX5. But I can still see why you'd pay the extra, because somehow there's just nothing else that feels like a Range Rover, right? And next to the 'proper' full-sized Range Rover, the electric Sport actually looks like pretty good value!
Equipment is very good; even on the entry-level Dynamic SE you get keyless entry, LED headlights, pano roof, powered bootlid and more. I reckon most buyers will go for the Autobiography, though, as you get the full 22-way electric seat adjustment with massage function, 22-inch alloy wheels, head-up display and climate control for your rear passengers. The First Edition gets even more luxuries, including fully adaptive digital LED headlights and various style upgrades.
Range Rover offers a three year, unlimited mileage warranty, while the battery is covered for eight years and 100,000 miles.
Verdict
If you like Range Rovers and want one that happens to be electric, this is what you're after. It’s comfortable, beautifully quiet, properly luxurious and quick when you fancy putting your foot down.
The range is very useful if a touch disappointing next to offerings from Porsche and BMW, but the charging speeds promise to be really competitive. More importantly, this just feels so on-point for what you want from a Range Rover Sport Electric. It just flows down the road, feeling peerless and properly aristocratic. The driving position, the refinement, the way it makes you feel... It all just makes you feel so smug. You can't drive this and not feel like you're winning at life. Now I just need to phone Ginny and ask for more money, so that I can afford one!
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