Rolls-Royce Spectre Review & Prices

This is the Rolls-Royce Spectre, and it’s a bit like a countryside mansion that makes Bentleys and Range Rovers look like a posh new build.

There aren’t really any other electric cars at this level of opulence just yet. Sure, there’s the Mercedes EQS and BMW i7, but this feels like a few steps on in the luxury department.

First impressions are good, because as you approach the car it’s unmistakably Rolls-Royce. It has the typical long body, with a hand-painted strip that runs the length of the car’s profile. At the rear it’s simple but elegant, with lovely protruding taillights – though one of these had condensation in our test car, which is disappointing at this price.

Up front you get a massive grille, though it’s purely decorative because there’s no engine to cool. There are closable vents in the lower bumper that stop the battery from overheating, though. With the split headlight design, this is a handsome, imposing car.

It’s inside that matters in a Rolls-Royce, though – and the Spectre doesn’t disappoint. All of the upholstery is soft leather that just feels super-expensive, and everything that moves or slides has a lovely weight to it, with satisfying damping. Nothing falls or flops about, every movement is deliberate and satisfying.

Rolls-Royce Spectre: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 329 miles
Efficiency: 2.9mi/kWh
Battery size: 120kWh
Max charge speed: 195kW
Charge time AC: 5hrs 18mins, 0-100%, 22kW
Charge time DC: 34mins, 10-80%, 195kW
Charge port location: Right side rear
Power outputs: 585hp

The infotainment is based on BMW’s system so it’s easy enough to navigate around, and you get physical climate control dials rather than a touchscreen-based system, which is good. They are a bit fiddly to use, though.

Practicality is good in the cabin, with a large felt-lined space beneath the armrest and cupholders that sit beneath a cover that glides elegantly away when required. The door bins can take a large water bottle, but they’re a bit awkward to access and because they’re quite deep it’s easy for smaller items to slide out of sight.

Rear seat space is generous overall, but if you’re over six-feet tall you might find headroom a touch restricted. The seats are slightly reclined so they’re comfy for long journeys, though. This space does come at the expense of boot capacity – at 380 litres the Spectre’s boot is the same size as a Volkswagen Golf’s.

This small boot might be something to do with the fact the Spectre has a massive battery sitting beneath the car. This is the first electric car to come from Rolls-Royce, and silent propulsion sounds like the perfect choice in theory. The official range is 329 miles, though based on the 2.8mi/kWh efficiency we saw in our time with the car that’s more like 290 miles in the real world.

Out on the road the Rolls-Royce Spectre is like driving a cloud. Lumps and cracks in the road pass by unnoticed, and the car even glides over speed bumps. At higher speeds it motors along in total silence, too. It doesn’t come unstuck on a twisty road either, because clever technology means that the car stays flat and hides its (huge) weight well, while the powerful motors and all-wheel drive system mean you’ve got fantastic traction out of corners.

It’s not all perfect, of course. This is a big, big car, and that makes it rather unwieldy around town. Three-point turns become four- or five-point turns, and the thick windscreen pillars and chunky wing mirrors mean forward visibility isn’t great.

Perhaps the only thing stopping this being the perfect way to travel is the engine – or rather, lack thereof. Rolls-Royce is renowned for building big, powerful engines that are so silky smooth you can balance a penny on them and rev without it falling off. The electric motors are even smoother and more silent, but that’s true of all electric cars, so it just loses that little hint of specialness.

Regardless, the Rolls-Royce Spectre is an absolutely fantastic car that’s just about the best way to travel if you simply want a quiet, comfortable ride. If you’re interested you can check out the latest Rolls-Royce models available on Carwow, used Rolls-Royces available from our network of trusted dealers, and when the time comes to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.