A Fully Electric Range Rover Sport Is Coming This Year

• What's new: Land Rover has confirmed a fully electric Range Rover Sport, which will join the full-size Range Rover EV that's slated to make its full debut later this year. 
• Why it matters: Battery power could make the Sport quicker and more responsive while preserving the quiet, comfortable character shoppers expect from a Range Rover — but it's entering a very competitive space.
• Edmunds says: The Sport Electric sounds promising, but its price, driving range and charging speed will determine how competitive it actually is.

Electric power could address a weak spot

The current Range Rover Sport is already comfortable and quiet, but its performance can vary considerably by engine and drive mode. While the 395-horsepower P400 reached 60 mph in 5.8 seconds in our own testing, the luxury SUV sometimes felt slow to respond to the throttle in anything other than its Dynamic setting. An electric motor's immediate response could certainly help the model feel more alert when merging or passing.

Our previous experience with the Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid also suggests that electric propulsion suits this SUV. We found that driving on electricity made its already quiet cabin even more peaceful, while the combination of electric and gasoline power delivered smooth, natural acceleration. The Sport also maintained its composure over potholes and rough dirt roads.

Land Rover's claim that the EV version will be faster than any previous Sport sets a high bar. The 626-horsepower Sport SV reached 60 mph in 4.0 seconds during our testing, although its behavior changed substantially depending on the selected drive mode.

We'll know more about the fully electric Range Rover Sport as the year goes on. Not only that, but we're still waiting on final details of the fully electric version of the full-size Range Rover, which are coming soon.