Lotus Eletre (2025)

MotorTrend’s Alex Leanse is enthusiastic about the Eletre, even as its driver aids disappoint. He sees Lotus’s electric SUV as a dramatic departure from the brand’s lightweight sports-car heritage, but also a convincing and potentially transformative business move. The Eletre earns praise for light, direct steering, surprisingly agile-feeling suspension, natural braking, a spacious and beautifully finished cabin, and crisp, responsive displays. Its 800-volt system and claimed rapid charging are especially impressive, while the 603-hp and 905-hp versions promise serious performance without feeling overly aggressive at low speeds. Still, inconsistent driver-assistance systems were annoying enough to disable, and a few software bugs remain. Overall, Leanse views the Eletre as a polished, compelling luxury performance SUV whose success could help fund future Lotus sports cars, despite its philosophical distance from the company’s roots.

Auto Express chief reviewer Alex Ingram is strongly impressed by the Lotus Eletre, despite its break from traditional Lotus values. He regards it as a genuinely entertaining, sharp-driving performance SUV with a high-quality, distinctive cabin, superb rear-seat space, strong refinement, and exceptionally rapid charging. The Eletre 600 is presented as the sensible choice, offering ample performance without needing the costlier 900’s supercar acceleration. However, the praise is not unqualified: ride comfort and body control suffer on rough roads, the brakes and throttle feel mismatched, real-world range is disappointing at roughly 260 miles, and the sloping boot is less practical than its headline capacity suggests. There are also small luxury oversights, such as rainwater entering through the frameless doors. Overall, Ingram considers the Eletre a remarkably accomplished and convincing new direction for Lotus, even if traditionalists may struggle to recognize the brand beneath it.

Carwow’s Darren Cassey is broadly impressed by the Lotus Eletre, despite serious efficiency concerns. He praises its exceptionally luxurious, well-built cabin, superb 15.1-inch infotainment system, huge passenger space, and genuinely rapid charging. The Eletre is also remarkably agile and comfortable for such a large SUV, with polished motorway manners and entertaining steering on twisty roads. However, its size makes urban driving and narrow B-roads intimidating, while the 905hp version feels excessive and can occasionally unsettle the car under hard acceleration. Real-world range is the biggest weakness: the performance model may struggle to exceed 200 miles, and its roughly 2mi/kWh efficiency trails rivals substantially. Cassey also criticizes the styling and occasionally intrusive driver-assistance system, but considers the Eletre a compelling, distinctive luxury EV—especially in the more sensible 600 variant.

What Car? is positive about the Lotus Eletre, but its three-star verdict reflects some meaningful compromises. The review admires its relentless 603bhp acceleration, sharp cornering, serene motorway ride, beautifully made cabin, excellent infotainment, huge boot and outstanding KEF sound system. It also offers impressive range, rapid charging and generous space, making it a practical alternative to high-performance electric SUVs and a compelling company-car choice. However, the Eletre feels less agile and playful than the Porsche Macan Electric, its ride becomes jarring over urban bumps, and pronounced high-speed road noise undermines refinement. The reviewer also flags expensive tyres and insurance, uncertain reliability, and the absence of an independent crash-test rating. Overall, it comes across as a fast, spacious and distinctive electric SUV with plenty to recommend, though not the polished all-rounder its price suggests.

Steven Ewing of Motor Authority is impressed by the Eletre’s luxury, speed, and ambition but unconvinced it truly deserves the Lotus badge. Its striking, aerodynamic design, spacious and beautifully finished cabin, smooth ride, excellent infotainment, and strong range potential make it a compelling electric luxury SUV. The Eletre R is genuinely rapid and surprisingly composed in autocross, though its weight, floaty high-speed feel, and lack of launch drama dilute the excitement. Ewing is more critical of the overly sensitive lane warnings, jerky adaptive cruise control, limited displays, fixed audio settings, and absent Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. He also questions its appeal to traditional Lotus enthusiasts and points to the high price and tiny U.S. dealer network. The verdict is favorable but measured: it is a polished, distinctive EV worth considering, just not much of a traditional Lotus.

Electrifying.com’s Mike Askew is highly impressed by the Lotus Eletre, despite a few practical caveats. He praises its striking real-world design, spacious and exceptionally well-built cabin, clever storage solutions, huge boot, rapid charging capability, and polished technology. Most importantly, Askew believes Lotus has successfully transplanted its trademark agility into a 2.4-tonne electric SUV: precise steering, responsive throttle, sophisticated suspension, four-wheel steering, and strong brakes make the Eletre feel far smaller and more engaging than it should. The 905bhp R is remarkably controllable, while the standard models balance performance and comfort effectively. Reservations are relatively minor but worthwhile: the car photographs poorly, the low-speed ride can be harsh over speed bumps, the infotainment occasionally overcomplicates things, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were initially absent. Overall, the review presents the Eletre as a remarkably polished, practical reinvention of Lotus and awards it 9/10.

CarExpert’s Scott Collie is strongly impressed by the Lotus Eletre, despite limited driving time and some software irritations. He praises its exceptionally plush, spacious cabin, high-end materials, clever screens, and family-friendly practicality, while the air suspension, quietness, and effortless acceleration make it feel more like a luxurious long-distance cruiser than a traditional Lotus. The substantial price cuts also improve its appeal against high-performance SUVs such as the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, and BMW XM. However, the infotainment can reset unexpectedly, driver-assistance systems are overly sensitive, and the Eletre remains untested by Euro NCAP. Collie’s broader takeaway is that Lotus has successfully built a convincing luxury electric SUV, with most shortcomings appearing fixable through software updates. It will not satisfy purists seeking a lightweight sports car, but its comfort, performance, and premium execution give it a better chance of making an impact than its earlier pricing suggested.

Autocar’s Matt Saunders, Richard Lane and Felix Page are impressed yet unconvinced by the Lotus Eletre’s grand transformation. The Eletre R is astonishingly quick, spacious and lavishly built, with a cabin that genuinely rivals premium luxury SUVs and a remarkably composed, long-distance character in its softer modes. Its technology, material quality and sheer performance make it a significant achievement for Lotus. But the size, 2.7-tonne weight and mediocre real-world range undermine the brand’s traditional promise of lightness and efficiency. It can feel sterile under hard acceleration, fidgety in Sport and Track modes, and awkwardly oversized on narrow roads. Charging is briefly spectacular rather than consistently class-leading, while the infotainment and digital mirrors need refinement. Autocar ultimately views the Eletre as a technically impressive, compellingly dramatic luxury EV, but one that wears its Lotus badge somewhat uneasily and falls short of setting new dynamic standards.