Range Rover has opened UK orders for its first fully electric model, bringing battery propulsion to JLR’s flagship luxury SUV and another major electrification programme into the group’s British manufacturing network.
The Range Rover Electric will be built at Solihull, where the model line has been manufactured since 1970, and starts from £154,070 on the road in the UK.
The vehicle uses two 260kW electric motors producing up to 550PS and 850Nm of torque. JLR states a maximum range of 372 miles under the WLTP testing cycle and estimates real-world range of up to 333 miles.
Its 118.5kWh battery operates on an 800-volt electrical architecture. JLR says a compatible rapid charger can take the battery from 10% to 80% in around 22 minutes or add 137 miles of WLTP range in ten minutes when charging at the maximum rate.
The electric drivetrain has been integrated into the same architecture used by Range Rover’s mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and internal-combustion models, allowing the different powertrains to be manufactured at Solihull.
That flexibility forms an important part of JLR’s strategy as electric-vehicle adoption develops at different rates across global markets.
The company has also retained the vehicle’s traditional off-road capability. Range Rover Electric can wade through up to 900mm of water, while its traction-management system can respond within 50 milliseconds.
JLR says more than 300 patent applications have been filed for the model, the highest number for a single vehicle in Range Rover’s history. Development involved more than 1.5 million kilometres of testing in conditions ranging from Sweden at -40°C to desert heat in Dubai.
The manufacturing programme has required significant workforce preparation. JLR says 9,000 employees at Solihull have been upskilled for electrification, with another 1,500 trained across its wider West Midlands operations.
Battery packs and electric drive systems are being produced through JLR’s UK electric-propulsion operations, adding domestic component production to the final assembly programme.
The company also says more than two-thirds of Range Rover supplier spending goes to suppliers in the UK and Europe, spreading part of the production effect beyond its own plants.
That industrial footprint places the launch within the wider transition underway across UK automotive manufacturing. Carmakers are investing heavily in batteries, electric motors, software, charging systems, and factory conversion while continuing to fund existing combustion and hybrid ranges.
The timing is financially demanding for JLR. Its first-quarter revenue fell 9.6% to £6.0bn after supply disruption and lower wholesale volumes, while free cash flow was negative £998m.
JLR is continuing with an £18bn five-year investment programme covering vehicles, electric technology, software, and manufacturing despite that near-term pressure.
Range Rover Electric therefore carries significance beyond the addition of another battery model to the market. It brings electrification into one of JLR’s highest-profile and highest-value product families, where pricing provides greater room to absorb the cost of new technology than in the mass market.
Premium pricing does not remove the execution challenge. Buyers at this level expect range, charging, refinement, towing, off-road capability, software, and interior quality to match or improve on established combustion models.
Charging performance is one element of that proposition. An 800-volt architecture can allow higher charging rates and shorter stops, although actual charging speed varies with battery temperature, charger capacity, state of charge, and site conditions.
The wider market is also competitive. Established luxury manufacturers and electric-only brands are investing heavily in premium battery vehicles as they compete for customers who are less constrained by purchase price but still sensitive to usability and residual values.
JLR has chosen to present the new model primarily as a Range Rover rather than as a visibly separate electric product. The exterior remains closely related to the existing vehicle, with aerodynamic changes incorporated without substantially altering the brand’s established design.
That approach allows the company to rely on existing customer recognition while testing whether buyers of large luxury SUVs are prepared to switch propulsion systems without changing vehicle category.
The transition also creates operational complexity inside manufacturing. Plants and suppliers must handle multiple powertrains, high-voltage components, batteries, software, and new testing requirements while preserving production quality across conventional models.
For the West Midlands, the programme places a flagship electric vehicle alongside JLR’s existing manufacturing skills and supply chain rather than moving the work to an entirely new production base.
Orders are now open. Commercial demand will determine how quickly the electric version becomes a material part of Range Rover sales and how effectively JLR’s continuing investment in electrification converts into revenue and cash generation.
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