Lotus Eletre Review & Prices

This is the Lotus Eletre: a big, electric luxury SUV from the company famous for making small performance cars for automotive nerds. Quite the departure, this, but with a lovely cabin and bundles of technology – not to mention frankly ludicrous performance – it’s set up nicely to tempt you away from similarly posh family cars.

These alternatives range from similarly all-electric options such as the Porsche Macan Electric, Mercedes EQS SUV and Volvo EX90, to combustion-engined models such as the BMW X7 and Range Rover Sport.

Because of its sporty past and luxury-focused future, opting for the Eletre is a bit like buying an Adidas tuxedo.

An Adidas tuxedo that shuns traditional beauty in favour of a brash new look, that is. No, the Eletre is not particularly handsome; there are no svelte lines to hide its bulk, just big, swollen arches and a prominent grille that looks like a blue whale charging open-mouthed down the road.

Things improve drastically inside, because the Lotus has a luxurious cabin that’s up there with the very best in the business. Lovely, soft fabrics adorn the dashboard, and everything feels solidly put together. The design is eclectic without being fussy.

Lotus Eletre: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 254-373 miles
Efficiency: 2.2-2.6mi/kWh
Battery size: 108kWh
Max charge speed: 350kW
Charge time AC: 5hrs 50mins, 10-80%, 22kW
Charge time DC: 20mins, 10-80%, 350kW
Charge port location: Left front
Power outputs: 603hp, 905hp

You get a huge infotainment system that’s super-slick, from the modern graphics to the quick response to your touch. Menus are even intuitively laid out and easy to navigate around.

Being a big SUV means there’s loads of space inside, and the three-seat bench in the second row can be upgraded to two individual chairs for more comfort. At 688 litres the boot is massive, dwarfing the Macan Electric and just about beating the EX90 in five-seat mode, so it’s ideal for family duties.

As a historically performance-focused brand, it’s perhaps no surprise that Lotus has given the Eletre two mega-powerful motor options. The ‘600’ has 603hp and the ‘900’ has 905hp – to be honest, 603hp is already too much for a family-friendly SUV, but the 905hp in our particular test car was frankly ludicrous.

In fact, all that power seems to overwhelm the car’s computers, so you occasionally get an unnerving wobble when accelerating hard in a straight line.

Make the most of that power too often and your range will take a hit. The entry-level 600 will do up to 373 miles according to official figures, which is about the same as most alternatives. However, those cars are generally available with longer range versions too, while the top-spec 900 Eletre has a low of just 255 miles.

It’s very inefficient, too – you won’t see much more than 200 miles from a charge in the 900 unless you drive super carefully. Fortunately ultra-fast charging of up to 350kW means topping up at a public charger is quick. Going from 10-80% takes just 20 minutes at a suitably capable location.

The Eletre feels a touch cumbersome around town purely on account of its sheer size, but the air suspension means it soaks up bumps really well at all speeds, and is at its best with the cruise control set, galloping along the motorway for hours on end.

On a twisty road that Lotus enthusiast DNA is lying just beneath the surface, because the suspension soaks up bumps nicely and the steering is well-judged, making it about as rewarding as a huge, heavy SUV can be on your favourite B-road. Again, though, the sheer size of the thing means it’s not particularly relaxing to drive quickly.

Although it’s let down by the poor efficiency and, therefore, disappointing real-world range, this is a fantastic option for anyone looking for a luxurious electric SUV that’s anything but normal.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, check out the latest Lotus Eletre deals on Carwow, or get a great price on an Eletre lease deal. You can also browse used Eletres as well as other used Lotus models. When it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

High performance, luxury EVs are never cheap, and so it is true of the Lotus Eletre. Its starting price of around £85,000 is more than the Porsche Macan Electric and Volvo EX90, but it has considerably more power than both of those cars.

The interior quality and on-board technology make it tough to argue the price isn’t justified, though if you want the 905hp model the price can head north of £140,000, putting you towards the top end of a Range Rover and knocking on the door of the Lamborghini Urus.

You get lots of standard kit to justify the price, such as the KEF audio system, Matrix LED headlights and a long list of driver assistance systems. The 600 is available in various trims that add kit for increased luxury and sportiness, while the 900 is offered with a carbon-fibre package in top-spec trim.

Comfortable, quick and fun to drive, but the Eletre is intimidatingly huge

In town

Around town the main complaint about the Lotus Eletre is just how big it is – and it really doesn’t hide it. It takes time to be able to judge where the corners of the car are, which can be unnerving on tight city streets, though the tall SUV driving position does give you a commanding view of the road ahead. Fortunately there are countless cameras on the outside keeping an eye on things and warning you if you get too close to something.

The suspension feels sporty, which is to say that it jiggles and jostles about over big bumps, but not in an annoying way. The air suspension soaks up sharp imperfections so you’re never left wincing and wondering what state you’ve left the alloys in should you hit a pothole.

On the motorway

Even in the 600, motorway slip roads should be no issue, but in the 905hp model, they pass by with the light brush of a throttle and overtakes require little forethought.

There’s a bit of road noise from the big alloy wheels, but this is largely a quiet and refined car that’s ideal for long motorway journeys – if you don’t mind stopping to charge a bit more often than you would in alternatives.

You get adaptive cruise control to keep your speed and distance to the car in front, along with lane keeping assistance to stop you drifting over the white lines. All but the base model get Lotus’ Highway Assist feature, which can take over the steering to keep you in lane on the motorway. The steering intervention can be a bit aggressive, though, which is frustrating, probably because the car’s so big it’s always closer to the lines than the tech would like…

On a twisty road

The Lotus Eletre is brilliantly capable on a twisty road. The steering is beautifully judged, so it’s easy to place the car where you want it on the road, making it ridiculously agile for such a big, heavy car.

But, there is a caveat, and it comes down to size again. British B-roads aren’t particularly spacious, and it can be quite unnerving to bomb along, barely contained between the lines, hoping any cars coming the other way haven't strayed at all onto your side.

And with so much performance, a gentle touch of the throttle takes you to the speed limit, meaning you can’t really enjoy all the power on offer. The 600 is still silly fast, but it’s the more sensible option. The 900 is just overkill.

Spacious inside with a good-sized boot, but the more luxurious four-seat layout ain’t cheap

Space is ample up front, despite the fact there’s a chunky centre console between the passengers. There’s good adjustability of the steering wheel and driver’s seat, so it’s easy to get comfortable, and the thin driver display means the wheel never blocks it.

The cup holders are neat because you can push them down to hold your bottle, or lift them to be flush with the armrest when not in use. There’s a wireless phone charging pad beneath the main screen – which is a bit too flat, so when you accelerate quickly your phone has a tendency to fly out – and a huge space under the armrest.

Space in the back seats

Those in the back will have no complaints either, because there’s acres of legroom and headroom, particularly if you opt for the Executive Pack, which swaps the three-seat bench for two individual chairs (only available on the 900 model).

Do this, and you get a fixed armrest between the two rear seats, which also has a screen to control features such as the rear massage seats, as well as extra storage and two cup holders.

All this space means it’s easy to get big, bulky child seats in the back, and the ISOFIX mounting points are easy to get to under plastic covers.

Boot space

At 688 litres the Lotus Eletre’s boot sits around the middle among alternatives. Pop the Volvo EX90 into five-seat mode and you get 655 litres, while the Porsche Macan Electric gets just 540 litres. The Mercedes EQS SUV gets a cavernous 880 litres, while non-electric options are similarly spacious; the Range Rover Sport has 835 litres and the BMW X7 has 750 litres with the third row folded.

Like the EX90, the Eletre gets a small front boot. Although the Volvo’s capacity is technically smaller, neither are useful for much more than charging cables.

Luxury materials, well put-together and a top-class infotainment system. Climate switches aren’t particularly nice to use, though

The Lotus Eletre has one of the best interiors this side of mega-luxurious models like Rolls-Royce. The design is interesting and modern, the materials are all of the highest quality and the fit and finish is exceptional.

There are three screens, though the driver and passenger displays are narrow, so they’re not too intrusive like they are in some Audis. This also means that, unlike some cars, the steering wheel doesn’t block the driver screen, so you can always see all the information you need.

The central infotainment display is a particular highlight. It’s a 15.1-inch touchscreen that’s incredibly sharp with slick, modern graphics. It responds instantly to your touch and the menus are laid out logically, so whatever you’re after it’s not too much trouble to find.

You also get some small shortcuts at the edges of the screen, which is particularly useful for the driver assistance technology, making it easy to quickly access the more annoying features and turn them off.

Lotus has resisted the urge to put the climate controls exclusively in the touchscreen, but the temperature toggles are the only real letdown inside. They don’t have a satisfying clicky action, almost feeling sticky as if someone’s tipped Coca-Cola over them (it’s the same in the Emeya saloon) so you might find you use the screen for the temperature anyway.

You get a KEF audio system as standard, but 600 GT SE models and above get an upgraded version which is up there with the very best in-car audio systems we’ve used.

Whichever version of the Lotus Eletre you go for, you get one huge battery with a usable capacity of 108kWh, making it one of the largest capacities on sale right now. Official range figures vary drastically depending on which power output you go for, though.

The 600 models range from up to 373 miles between charges in the base model, to 329 miles in the 600 Sport SE. Moving up to the 900 version has a big impact, with official range figures of between 254 and 310 miles.

Our real-world testing of the 900 indicates that you should see between 200 and 250 miles, depending on how you drive – enjoy the power a bit too often and don’t be surprised if that dips below 200 miles…

Official figures put the Eletre on par with most alternatives, with the Volvo EX90 achieving 375 miles and the Porsche Macan Electric and Mercedes EQS SUV both getting closer to 400. However, the Eletre’s poor efficiency – we saw around 2 miles per kWh in the 900 – really lets it down. We managed 3.3mi/kWh in the Porsche, which would give a real world range of over 310 miles.

The Eletre does win when it comes to public charging – with a maximum rate of 350kW, it’s among the fastest charging EVs on sale. Despite the massive battery, it’ll get from 10-80% in just 20 minutes, if you can find a charger capable of such speeds, of course.

As an electric car the Eletre faces the lowest first-year Vehicle Excise Duty rate, but you will have to pay the expensive car supplement in years two to six. It’s also eligible for the lowest Benefit-in-Kind rate for company car buyers.

Although the Lotus Eletre has not been safety tested by Euro NCAP – and is unlikely to because of its price and exclusivity – it’s a fairly safe bet to assume it would score well. Lotus is owned by the same company as Volvo and Polestar; the former is renowned for its safety and the Polestar 3 scored top marks in Euro NCAP testing.

You get loads of assistance tech as standard, including parking sensors and cameras, blind spot warning, lane-keeping aids and more. All but the base model get Highway Assist, which is a semi-autonomous driving system for motorways.

As a niche model that’s not been on sale too long it’s difficult to judge the Eletre’s reliability at this point. Lotus is too small to feature on the Driver Power survey, too. You get a pretty good warranty by luxury car standards though, at five years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first.