Range Rover Sport electric set to take on new BMW iX5 – we take a brief drive
Range Rover’s next all-electric SUV will be based on its popular Sport model and be ready to take on BMW and Porsche
Range Rover has confirmed an all electric version of its popular Sport model, joining the current diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid line-up. Scheduled to go on sale later in 2026, the Sport electric’s launch will follow that of the Range Rover electric.
Built on Range Rover’s MLA platform, the Range Rover Sport’s 118kWh battery is fixed between the axles axles. There's a motor installed where the combustion engine would ordinarily live under the bonnet and a second in a modified rear subframe where you'd usually find a differential in the combustion and hybrid cars. Power passes between the front and the rear, not via independent motors on each wheel but via an electric gearbox control unit.
On top of the battery is more auxiliary hardware occupying the space vacated by the eight-speed transmission. In terms of packaging it’s all quite tight, but with the platform designed from the outset to house both combustion and full-electric powertrains. As such, it was much less work than say, converting a dedicated combustion platform to create a BEV. There’s even room for the battery to feature double-stacked cells to provide the increased output; although forthcoming rivals from BMW will quickly supersede the Range Rover’s output.
'Electric power brings a new edge to Range Rover Sport,' explained Martin Limpert, Managing Director at Range Rover when presenting the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. 'This is only a glimpse of how this model will redefine performance SUVs, combining the refinement and immediate performance of electric drive.'
In adding an all-electric powertrain to the Sport, Range Rover is confident it has all bases covered when offering the right proposition for the right scenario for its broad customer base. In terms of positioning it will sit above the six-cylinder plug-in hybrid models and below the topline V8-engined SV trim, so don’t expect much change from £120,000.
Visually there’s little to identify the all-electric Sport from its petrol and diesel equivalents, save for revisions made to the car’s bumper and intakes to improve both aerodynamics and the battery cooling requirements. And 22-inch wheels will be the largest possible fitment for now, although Range Rover’s all-season, mud and snow and summer tyre packages will be offered.
Driving the Range Rover Sport Electric prototype
While we won’t drive a production-ready Range Rover Sport EV until the autumn, we've experienced its powertrain to negotiate a number of off-road obstacles and on-road dynamic tests.
Climbing and descending near impossible inclines and declines requires no more effort from the driver than the combustion equivalents. If anything the instant and maximum torque available from the zero rpm makes negotiating such obstacles smoother and less fraught. There's no requirement to balance engine revs with momentum as sky fills the windscreen on your climb approach to the breakover point.
Throttle response is instant, pace off the line somewhere between the shove of the turbodiesel matched with the explosive nature of the BMW 4.4-litre V8s under the bonnet in SV models. Through a slalom the next-generation rear-wheel steering delivers the agility a car of this size requires, turning on its toes at low speed whilst remaining calm(ish) in the cabin.
Range, performance, charging times and weight are all to be confirmed and ratified, along with the price. These will coincide with not only the final details of its big brother Range Rover electric, but also the new Bentley Torcal.
