2026 Range Rover Velar EV to get dramatic new look

On sale Summer 2026 | Price from £70,000 (est)

Sometimes in life, it’s good to have a dramatic change of appearance. For some, that might be a new haircut or wardrobe – for the upcoming Range Rover Velar EV, it’s a complete deviation from its traditional SUV roots.

The next-generation Range Rover Velar will go fully electric for the first time, and it’s also expected to get some radical new looks, departing from the SUV style it’s known for.

Slated to be launched next year, the Velar should arrive a few months after the electric versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, but it won’t share technical underpinnings with either of those cars. Instead, it’ll be based on Jaguar Land Rover’s new technology developed specifically for electrified SUVs – dubbed ‘EMA’.

That’s the same platform that will underpin the upcoming Land Rover Defender Sport and next-generation Range Rover Evoque, so all three will be capable of utilising the fastest public charging points, likely at a maximum rate of 350kW. The Velar, however, will be the first car released with those underpinnings – if it's good, then, that bodes well for future models using them.

And like those two models, the Velar will be built at JLR’s facility in Halewood, Merseyside, which is currently being upgraded in preparation to produce EVs.

No details have been revealed regarding battery sizes yet, the Velar is expected be specificed in similar stead to the Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan Electric, so we could see an electric range of between 300 and 400 miles.

The upcoming Velar is expected to look vastly different from the current model, with a more rakish, saloon-inspired roofline and a ride height that sits lower to the ground. While it’ll retain elements of a traditional upright SUV, there are also suggestions that the Velar will gain some additional length to its body, which means it could potentially accommodate a third row of seats. That would make it a cheaper seven-seat option than the full-size Range Rover, which is Land Rover's only other choice for bigger families.

Inside, the new Velar is likely get much the same treatment as the Range Rover, which has a tech-heavy interior featuring the high-quality upholstery Land Rover is well-known for. It’ll likely feature JLR’s Pivi Pro infotainment system, which has some crisp graphics, but we found it a little fiddly to use.

The Velar will retain the impressive off-road ability for which Land Rover has long been famed, and the tractability of the electric motors, and the ease of which the car will be able to apportion power to the wheels with the most grip should pay dividends for those who regularly choose to travel on loose surfaces. Indeed, it’s an approach the electric Toyota Land Cruiser is expected to take when it launches in 2026.

Like the Land Cruiser, there’s a possibility the electric Velar could be sold alongside a combustion-engined version, after JLR’s announcement last year that it would be investing more in plug-in hybrid power given the slower-than-expected take-up of electric cars in the UK. However, it’s unclear whether the Velar’s new technical underpinnings will be able to support this.

The next-generation Range Rover Velar is due to arrive next year. Prices aren’t yet revealed but we’d expect them to start at around £70,000, which would put it in line with the Macan Electric.

Read more: New cars coming soon

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