Update: ‘Land Rover Defender Sport/Defender 80 EV’ section added; ‘Manufacturing’ section revised.
It is no surprise that every Land Rover model will adopt one or more zero-emission powertrains this decade. The company is converting its large SUVs such as the Discovery, Range Rover, and Range Rover Sport to have electric variants. Turning the Defender, which is the most off-road-focused model, into an EV would be the trickiest, considering how customers use the SUV.
Confirmation
JLR has confirmed a pure-electric version of the Defender, which is part of its ‘Reimagine’ corporate plan. It is working on EV versions of its three hero nameplates: Range Rover, Discovery, and Defender.
Electrification is central to this strategy and before the end of the decade our Range Rover, Discovery, Defender collections will each have a pure electric model, while Jaguar will be entirely electric.
JLR’s Reimagine strategy, announced in 2021
At Jaguar Land Rover’s annual Investor Day 2025 in Gaydon, UK, the company’s CFO, Richard Molyneux, stressed the importance of getting the BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) launches right from the get-go. Hearing his response, the Defender electric model, which we’ll discuss towards the end of the story, would be prioritized alongside the all-electric Range Rovers and Jaguar EV.
But our focus is to make them absolutely right. We only get one shot at this..get one shot to set Range Rover BEV, to set BEVs for Defenders, to set that (pointing to the Jaguar EV concept) into the market, and we’re very very well aware of that.
Richard Molyneux, Chief Financial Officer of JLR, answering a question about the transition and timing of EV launches, at the JLR Investor Day 2025 on June 16, 2025
Land Rover Defender Sport/Defender 80 EV
Kicking things off for full-electrification will be the ‘baby’ Defender based on the upcoming EMA platform. Unlike MLA Flex or D7x, EMA is a dedicated future EV platform, so the model based on it, expected to be called the Land Rover Defender Sport or the Land Rover Defender 80, will be technically advanced and offer the highest efficiency.
Design
Going by recent test prototypes, the compact SUV retains the Defender’s signature upright stance and squared-off proportions, but is sized for the urban jungle. The short overhangs, angled hood, and high shoulder line offer a rugged identity, while slim LED headlights and a minimalist grille contribute to the EV’s clean look.
Contrasting roof and wheel arch treatments will make the SUV feel wider than it is. Prototypes also feature flush door handles, a recent topic of debate, that improve aerodynamics. The overall design suggests a smaller yet unmistakably Defender-like model that’s designed to drive conquest sales to the brand.
EMA Platform
The Land Rover Defender Sport should feature the new 800-volt system, which should support charging at much higher power, around 350 kW. Hence, fast charging to 80% level may take 20-25 minutes.
EMA, an all-electrified architecture for mid-sized Land Rovers, Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery brands will come off that platform. That’s available from 2025. Just under two years’ time, our first EMA products – all electric, will be in the marketplace.
Adrian Mardell, CEO, JLR (Annual Investor Day on June 12, 2023)
The vehicle will use ‘EVA Continuum,’ JLR’s in-house developed electrical architecture and software stack, which is expected to have 15 times the processing power compared to the current vehicle architecture.
The Electrified Modular Architecture is a bit smaller than MLA. This will be purely BEV.
Thomas Müller, Executive Director of Product Engineering, at the JLR Investor Day 2025 on June 16, 2025
We expect batteries with higher energy density offering up to 300 miles of range (EPA-est.), and more torque-dense motors as well. As per a report on The Telegraph from July 2025, the first electric model under the Defender sub-brand is expected to enter production in early 2027.
The Sport is likely to be positioned for urban buyers who prefer a smaller size or have a more modest budget compared to the larger Defender model. Pricing it from under USD 60,000 could create a big opportunity for it in the United States.
The S-curve which is typical to some technologies doesn’t seem to be following that path with electrification. What that has done is allowed us not to rush. It has allowed us to focus on exactly what Thomas (Müller) has explained diligently, making our cars the best Range Rovers, the best Jaguars, the best Defenders that there can be, just electric. So it is given us that opportunity to make these cars absolutely perfect before we launch them into the market.
Richard Molyneux, Chief Financial Officer of JLR, answering a question about the transition and timing of EV launches, at the JLR Investor Day 2025 on June 16, 2025
Global Appeal
Besides the UK and Europe, prototypes of the baby Defender EV have also been spotted in China. One way of looking at it is that Land Rover wants to position it as a truly global product. In fact, JLR is developing the electric Defender for global volume, aimed at multiple key markets.
It’s really important for us that these BEVs are in fact true Range Rovers, true Defenders, true Jaguars. They will be brilliant exemplars of their brand and that’s why we are confident that we can make them successful not just in the western markets but also in China.
Richard Molyneux, JLR’s CFO, during Tata Motors’ Q1 FY26 earnings call on August 8, 2025
Full-size Defender arrives in the next generation
While the first Defender with an electric powertrain should break cover in 2027, JLR has apparently ruled out electrifying the current full-size Defender. The current model, codenamed L663, rides on the D7x platform, which cannot accommodate a full EV setup. Note that a plug-in hybrid electric variant of the Land Rover Defender is already available at dealers in many global markets.
Talking to Autocar UK in July 2025, JLR’s commercial chief Lennard Hoornik confirmed that battery packaging is “really, really hard” on this architecture, and that a Defender EV will only arrive “at quite a significant step” in the product’s evolution.
When it eventually comes out, we expect the Defender Electric to retain its core design, with only minor tweaks like a closed grille, new wheels, and updated bumpers. Inside, the layout should remain largely unchanged, carrying over the existing cabin praised by customers.
Brands such as Volvo and Rolls-Royce are committed to using more sustainable and eco-friendly materials and designs in the cabins of their EVs. Land Rover is likely to follow suit.
Managing vehicle weight
Thierry Bolloré, the former CEO of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), said in 2021 that weight is a challenge with EVs. “They are already heavier than traditional car(s),” Bolloré said, adding that it’s “especially because of batteries.”
The then-CEO was confident that the situation would change in the coming years, which is when we could see the ultimate Land Rover models with a zero-emission powertrain in showrooms. “There will be a step in the coming years where it’s going to come back in a virtuous circle as well,” he said.
Bolloré was providing an insight into the future of JLR during a conference call after parent company Tata Motors announced its annual report for 2020-21.
Concerning the way to manage the power, the torque, the experience of the customer, I can tell you, especially with special capabilities of our cars, that Defender, well, our team has done already a lot of tests. I can tell you, it’s easier and more enjoyable with electric motors than it is today with the traditional drivetrain.
Thierry Bolloré, former CEO, Jaguar Land Rover, in 2021
Manufacturing
We’re expecting the family of all-electric Defender models to be made at more than one factory.
On October 26, 2023, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed that its plant in Nitra, Slovakia, which produces the current Defender and Discovery, will also manufacture electric vehicles. While the company didn’t offer details, we assume that the all-electric variants of the larger Defender will be added to its production lines this decade.
As for the Defender Sport Electric, Barbara Bergmeier, Executive Director, Industrial Operations, had confirmed that Halewood, UK, will become the company’s all-electric production facility. The current factory is gaining upgrades to make EMA platform vehicles, and is likely to handle production of the Defender Sport/Defender 80 EV.
Featured Image: TopElectricSUV’s rendering of a Defender EV.
An automobile engineer by training, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005, with a keen focus on EVs since 2008. My journey in online automotive publishing spans 17 years, during which I have reviewed cutting-edge automotive technologies and interviewed leading global CEOs and vehicle developers.
