2027 Range Rover Electric debuts at a $138,000 starting price

In Ars Technica’s early drive of the 2027 Range Rover Electric, the clearest visual clue was at the rear: there are no tailpipes. Jaguar Land Rover’s new battery-electric variant otherwise stays virtually identical to the other Range Rovers, placing a fully electric model alongside its internal-combustion and plug-in hybrid siblings.

That matters because, until now, the only way to get a fully electric Range Rover was through the restomod route. Those classic Range Rovers retain the faults of classic cars and can come with an eye-watering price tag. The new model starts at $138,000, which JLR says is about half the cost of one of those restomods.

Most of the visible changes are subtle. A smoother front grille and more aerodynamic wheels together shave off a fraction of the vehicle’s drag coefficient, There is also a flat underbody. The absence of tailpipes remains the most obvious giveaway that this Range Rover is electric.

There is already a sizeable audience waiting to see whether the vehicle reaches their driveway. JLR told Ars Technica it has 80,000 hand-raisers, half from North America. 70 percent are new to the brand, while 20 percent already own an electric vehicle. The automaker also makes the necessary qualification: only some fraction of those expressions of interest will become sales.

So what changes in practice? Buyers who want an electric Range Rover no longer have to choose a classic restomod with its period-car shortcomings. They get airbags, advanced driver-assistance systems, modern crash protection standards, and the support and warranty of a major automaker—at a price that remains high, even if it is lower than those restomods. The transition away from combustion engines is still underway, and the electric Range Rover is now a new option in the family rather than a specialist conversion.