Lotus has cannonballed into the electric SUV pool with the Eletre, a self-proclaimed "hyper-SUV" that's a world away from its lightweight sports car heritage. The Eletre 600 is the gateway to this new era, but don't call it a base model; it's a tech-laden, high-performance beast aimed squarely at premium rivals. Blending exotic looks with family-friendly practicality and serious electric punch, it redefines what a Lotus can be. With a new price of €99,990 and a used price around €94,950, it offers a compelling alternative in the high-end EV space.
As a relatively fresh face on the scene, the 2025 Lotus Eletre 600 is more about refinement than revolution. The key updates focus on the software, with continuous over-the-air (OTA) updates enhancing the slick infotainment system and vehicle control units. Expect improved user interface responsiveness, tweaked driver-assistance features, and potentially new digital functions rolled out throughout the year. The hardware, which has been praised since launch, remains fundamentally unchanged, solidifying the Eletre's impressive initial offering for the 2025 model year with a more mature and polished digital experience.
The Eletre's design is pure theatre, full of aggressive lines and clever 'porosity' for advanced aerodynamics. It’s a huge car, measuring a massive 5,103 mm in length, 2,019 mm in width, and 1,630 mm in height, giving it incredible road presence. The Eletre 600 features striking matrix LED headlights and a full-width rear light bar that performs a cool animation. While it's slightly more subdued than the top-spec R model, it still boasts active aero elements, including a front grille that opens and closes, looking every bit the 21st-century hyper-SUV.
Step inside, and it’s clear this is a new-age Lotus. The cabin is stunning, dominated by a massive 15.1-inch central OLED screen and slim digital displays for both the driver and front passenger. Material quality is top-notch, with a focus on sustainable textiles alongside premium options. It's properly practical, too, with a cavernous 611-litre boot that expands to 1,532 litres with the seats folded. Need more space? There's even a handy 46-litre frunk under the bonnet for your charging cables. Standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included.
Despite its size, the Eletre 600 is blisteringly quick. The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup, using permanent magnet synchronous motors on both axles, unleashes a combined 450 kW and 710 Nm of torque. This propels the big SUV from 0-100 km/h in a scant 4.5 seconds. Thanks to standard active air suspension, it handles with a sharpness that defies its 2,565 kg weight, feeling surprisingly agile and true to the Lotus brand. It’s a comfortable cruiser when you want it to be, but has the performance on tap to thrill you in an instant.
The Eletre 600 is built for long hauls, packing a substantial 109 kWh usable battery pack. This delivers a Green Cars Compare calculated 'real-world' range estimate of around 496 km on a full charge, with an efficiency of 4.55 km/kWh. Thanks to its 800V architecture, charging is mega-fast. Hooked up to a powerful DC charger, it can accept up to 367 kW, zapping the battery from 10-80% in about 20 minutes. For home charging via its CCS Type 2 port, the standard 22 kW AC on-board charger is mightily impressive.
The Eletre is absolutely packed with safety tech, earning it a top five-star rating from Euro NCAP. A standout feature is its world-first deployable LIDAR system, which pops out from the roofline to provide an incredibly detailed view of the road ahead for advanced driver aids. Standard kit on the Eletre 600 is comprehensive, including adaptive cruise control with lane centering, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, and a full suite of collision avoidance systems, making it one of the most technologically advanced cars for safety on the market.
Lotus backs the Eletre with a competitive warranty package to provide peace of mind. In Europe, this typically includes a comprehensive vehicle warranty for five years or 150,000 kilometres, whichever comes first. The all-important high-voltage battery is covered for a longer period, usually eight years or 160,000 kilometres, with a guarantee against significant degradation (e.g., to retain at least 70% of its original capacity). Over-the-air software updates help minimize trips to the dealer, handling many system upgrades and potential bug fixes remotely for greater convenience.
