- The all-new electric Range Rover Velar has been spied testing.
- Scheduled to launch in spring 2026, it’ll be a MY27 in the US.
- Under the same-again skin is Land Rover’s new EMA platform.
Land Rover delayed earlier plans to launch half a dozen EVs by 2026, but we’re about to see a wave of electric models from the British luxury brand, including this battery-powered Range Rover Velar caught by our spy photo team during winter maneuvers.
The electric Velar arrives too late to be Land Rover’s first EV – that honor goes to the full-size Range Rover that debuts later this year. But the Velar won’t be far behind, its launch believed to be slated for early 2026, meaning it’ll probably arrive in showrooms midway through the year as a 2027 model.
Related: Range Rover Velar To Get A Sporty, Electric Makeover
And while the Velar can’t claim to be the brand’s first SUV without a combustion engine, it will be the first to get the automaker’s new EMA electric vehicle architecture. The bigger Range Rover EV will instead use an electrified version of the MLA platform, also used in the ICE-powered flagship SUVs that’ll be sold alongside it.
Like the current combustion Velar, the new EV has a distinctive low roofline and tapering side window design, giving it a very sporty look by SUV standards. The rear window is incredibly shallow and appears to be covered in a plastic panel making us wonder if it might not have any glass there at all. We already know that sister brand Jaguar’s new EV sedan won’t have a rear window.
And that might not be the only change JLR has planned. ICE-powered Velars only have two rows of seats but judging from the position of the rear door relative to the rear wheel it looks like there could be room for an emergency third-row in the new one. Either that or trunk space is about to get a big boost.
The clamshell bonnet design, large alloy wheels, and flush door handles all look very similar to those on the existing car, but at the rear the license plate has moved from the hatch to the bumper below it, echoing the look of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport that have been introduced in the last few years.
When it gets to dealers, the Velar will be fighting for market share with the Porsche Macan Electric, and will probably closely match it in terms of power and performance. Base Macans are two-wheel drive, cost $75,300, and make 355 hp (360 PS / 265 kW) while the top version, the Turbo Electric, will set you back $105,300 and pumps out 630 hp (639 PS / 470 kW).
