Rolls-Royce Spectre review: the ultra-luxe electric car driven on UK roads

It took a while to arrive, but the Rolls-Royce Spectre has finally hit UK roads. It’s the first fully electric Rolls-Royce ever made and is designed to be very apex of automotive excellence, luxury and performance.

Despite having an all-new powertrain, the Spectre is still a Rolls-Royce at heart. You get the same instant torque, silent driving experience, and a sense of one imperceptible gear. You also get the celebrated ‘magic carpet ride’, now with a feeling of superiority that comes with zero tailpipe emissions.

Recently I was lucky enough to spend the day driving the Rolls-Royce Spectre around West Sussex and Hampshire, putting the ultra-luxury electric super coupé through its paces. Is the Rolls-Royce Spectre worthy of the Spirit of Ecstasy? Read on to find out…

Rolls-Royce Spectre review: styling

Take one look at the Spectre’s wide Pantheon grille and you’ll instantly recognise it as a Rolls-Royce. It’s stately and imposing, but at the same time, relatively understated. There are no aggressive creases, large cutouts or bits of carbon fibre here (which is a big positive, in my eyes).

The Spectre’s design takes cues from a modern racing yacht. It has a low stance and a more sculpted, aerodynamic profile. It has a drag coefficient of just 0.25cd, making it the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever built. Even the Spirit of Ecstasy has been redesigned to be as aerodynamic as possible.

Design highlights include the split headlights, a sharp, vertical bow line which draws the eye rearward to Spectre’s fastback, and the seamless roofline. It’s a lovely flowing design, that looks like it’s moving, even when it’s not.

To match Spectre’s generous proportions, Rolls-Royce has equipped it with absolutely massive 23-inch wheels.

Climb inside and you’re surrounded by luxurious leathers, woods and metals. It’s like a cosy hug, and despite being a modern electric car, Rolls-Royce hasn’t filled it with giant touchscreens and RGB lighting – it has kept things very traditional with plenty of physical controls.

For the first time on a series production Rolls-Royce, the Spectre includes Starlight Doors, which incorporate 4,796 softly illuminated ‘stars’ into the door panel.

The celestial theme continues with Spectre’s illuminated fascia on the passenger side of the dashboard. It incorporates a nameplate surrounded by a cluster of over 5,500 stars.

Also new for the Spectre is a seat design inspired by British tailoring. The front seats have lapel sections that can be rendered in contrasting or matching colours to the main base. These seats hug you more than traditional Rolls-Royce seats – belying the Spectre’s sporty nature.

And, of course, as with all Rolls-Royce models, the Spectre’s interior suite offers customers near-infinite customisation possibilities.

Rolls-Royce Spectre review: drive

The Spectre is fitted with two electric motors, the front motor produces 190kW / 365 Nm, while the rear motor delivers 360kW / 710 Nm. This equates to an internal combustion engine of 430kW (584 hp) with 900Nm of torque.

In terms of acceleration, that means the Spectre can launch from 0 to 60mph in 4.4 seconds.

Despite those impressive figures, the Spectre is incredibly smooth to drive. In fact, Rolls-Royce has engineered the Spectre to drive just like its petrol-powered models and that was very evident during my test drive.

The Rolls-Royce Spectre has a confirmed range of 329 miles (WLTP). There are obviously large cars with longer ranges available, such as the Mercedes EQS and BMW i7, but a range of around 300 miles is more than enough for everyday driving.

If you need to drive over 300 miles, then Rolls-Royce claims their clients have an average of more than seven cars in their garage so you can take one of those instead. Or you could take a helicopter.

To eke out that range, the Spectre has regenerative braking which puts excess energy back into the battery. The default setting is low recuperation, mimicking the driving style of an internal combustion engine Rolls-Royce, but you can activate ‘Brake Mode’ which is essentially a single-pedal driving mode. I found this very useful for driving in traffic and town.

What’s more impressive is how good that brakes actually work. The Spectre feels very natural when it’s stopping, despite weighing over 2.8 tonnes.

Of course, the true highlight of a Rolls-Royce is the comfortable ride and the Spectre is no different. It features an evolution of the Planar Suspension System originally launched on Ghost. It floats down the road, with sensors constantly monitoring steering, braking, power delivery and suspension to maintain a perfect ride.

When it finally comes to charging the massive 102kWh lithium-ion battery, the Spectre can charge from 10 to 80% in 34 minutes using a 195 kW (DC) fast charger.

Rolls-Royce Spectre review: technology

In terms of technology, the Spectre includes the best of today’s tech, rather than anything truly groundbreaking. For example, Spectre is equipped with Active Lane Centring and Adaptive Cruise Control to make long journeys easier, but you don’t get any fully autonomous driving modes. That’s good enough for me, but people who enjoy testing the very latest driving tech might want to look elsewhere.

In the cabin you get a large HUD which displays the satnav as well as driving data, a Digital Dashboard with an attractive simplified UI, and a central touchscreen which runs a modified version of BMW’s iDrive.

The central touchscreen’s UI is one of the better systems on the market, although it does have a learning curve (like all new systems). I’m happy to report the changes that Rolls-Royce has made to the system make it feel luxurious.

If you prefer, you can use Apple CarPlay or, for the first time in a Rolls-Royce, Android Auto.

One of the most impressive pieces of technology is, funnily enough, the doors. They’re made 100 percent aluminium to reduce weight and are equipped with a new specially developed iteration of the Effortless Doors power-assisted system. The door can be closed automatically by pushing a button on the external handle, when a button is pushed in the cabin, or when the driver presses the brake pedal (a feature unique to Spectre).

When exiting the vehicle, you can pull and hold the handle to activate the power assistance opening.

Finally, the car’s companion app, Whispers, allows owners to interact with their cars remotely. You’ll be able to check charging progress, or access a 24/7 concierge, for example.

Rolls-Royce Spectre review: verdict

The Rolls-Royce Spectre is the most impressive electric car I’ve ever driven. It’s hard not to be enamoured by the sheer opulence on offer here – this is truly an electric car without any compromises or gimmicks. It looks amazing, with its aerodynamic bodywork and unlimited customization options. Those looks are backed up by stunning performance, but, perhaps best of all, the interior is unrivalled when it comes to craftsmanship and quality. This is an electric car you can cover many, many miles in.

Tech specs

Motor	190kW / 365 Nm (front motor) + 360kW / 710 Nm (rear motor)
Battery	102 kWh
Power	430kW (584 hp)
Torque	900Nm
0-60mph	4.4 seconds
Top speed	155 mph
Range	329 miles (WLTP)
Charge rate	195 kW
Cargo volume	380 litres