The Land Rover Defender, known for its rugged off-road style and luxurious design, is set to enter the electric era. According to a report from AutoWeek, Land Rover will introduce a redesigned Defender in 2026, along with its first-ever all-electric SUV.
This new model is expected to be named the “Defender Sport” and will be positioned as an entry-level electric SUV. With a length of approximately 4.5 meters, similar in size to the BMW X1, it will fill the gap in Land Rover’s lineup between the Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque.
The Defender has always stood out with its distinct, tough image, differentiating it from luxury competitors like Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. By launching an electric version, Land Rover aims to leverage the Defender’s strong brand identity to expand its footprint in the new energy vehicle market.
The new vehicle is expected to retain the Defender’s signature design cues, such as pronounced wheel arches and a high body posture. Sources indicate the Defender Sport will be built on Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) EMA platform, which was originally designed for pure electric vehicles and will underpin several other future electric models, including the successor to the Range Rover Evoque and potentially an electric Discovery, provided the Defender Sport doesn’t replace the Discovery Sport.
JLR has faced some technical hurdles in its electrification journey. Earlier this year, JLR’s Chief Commercial Officer, Lennard Hoornik, told Autocar that developing an electric Defender was more challenging than anticipated. He noted that while the current “L663” model (based on the D7x platform) is highly capable, creating sufficient space for batteries within its chassis is not a simple task.
Despite these challenges, Hoornik emphasized JLR’s commitment to launching electric models under each of its brands: Range Rover, Defender, Discovery, and Jaguar. As a major step in this transition, JLR will launch its first all-electric Range Rover SUV later this year, with over 61,000 customers already on the reservation list.