Bentley’s first electric car is fascinating – and disappointingly forgettableThe TelegraphAndrew EnglishWed, September 23, 2026 at 6:15 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleThe anticipated Bentley Torcal EVBentley's new Torcal electric vehicle (EV), revealed today, is arguably this year's worst-kept secret in the motor industry. Something of a climbdown, too, since it wasn't long ago that the Crewe-based, Volkswagen-owned firm boasted that its entire range would have all-electric drivetrains by the end of this decade.As chief executive Frank-Steffen Walliser says: "Ten years ago, the EV market was different. Early adopters wanted to show they were driving an EV with design that looked like a spaceship. Now it's changed and people aren't that interested in how the car is powered, they just want a beautiful car."The Torcal will be the first pure EV in Bentley's 107-year historyIs it beautiful? You be the judge. What we are certain of is that the Torcal will cost from £173,000 when it goes on sale next year.What is it?The Torcal (named after an Andalusian mountain) is the first pure EV in Bentley's 107-year history; there will be others, although Bentley's existing V8 and hybrid models will continue to be built – and replaced.AdvertisementAdvertisementIf you speak to insiders, Bentley has been working on the Torcal for some years, watching as others, such as Porsche and Audi with their over-hyped Taycan and e-tron GT, respectively struggle in the rarefied market for luxury EVs. Even Rolls-Royce, whose £333,185 Spectre was well received at launch, sold (according to some sources) only 1,002 last year.Competition for the Torcal is starting to ramp up, with next year's inaugural Jaguar Type 01 and Jaguar Land Rover's other big EV offering, the Range Rover Electric. There's also the 1,050bhp, £500,000 Ferrari Luce with its polarising looks penned by superstar product designers Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Will this strange-looking car, with its Apple iPhone-inspired cabin, change the tastes of a new generation of buyers? Indeed, is the Bentley Torcal old hat before it's even in the showroom?New buyers are exactly what Bentley will be hoping for with this SUV which, at 5m long and 2m wide, is slightly more compact than Bentley's existing hybrid and V8-engined Bentayga SUV.How fast, how far?Interestingly, Bentley has chosen not to release the full potential of the 113kWh lithium-ion battery drivetrain, so the figures are modest compared with the £140,000 sister Porsche Cayenne Electric Turbo, which musters 1,140bhp/1,106lb ft, with a top speed of 183mph and 0-62mph in 2.5sec.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Torcal has a total power output of 876bhp, with 996lb ft of torque spread around the four wheels. It weighs a hefty 2,795kg so the 0-62mph acceleration in 2.9sec and top speed of 162mph are probably more than adequate.The range is quoted at up to 375 miles in the WLTP cycle and on the fastest 400kW DC chargers a 10-80 per cent charge can be achieved in 16 minutes. The battery cathode construction is reinforced with aluminium to allow the secure transfer of ions at high speed when charging from low states of charge; this is said to help battery durability and reliability. The battery pack is warrantied for up to 10 years.There is room for five in the Bentley SUVIs it for you?With the £173,000 price tag, the yet-to-be identified target buyers aren't going to be on their uppers, and sales of the Rolls-Royce Spectre show that they probably have other luxury models at their disposal, most notably cars with petrol drivetrains. So the Torcal's role won't involve off-roading, but instead wafting around glitzy megacities between chi-chi gyms, restaurants and art galleries. In practice, owners will rarely push the limits of the 375-mile range.How does it look?Designed in-house by Bentley's design director, Robin Page, and his team in Crewe, the looks are certainly dialled back compared even with Bentley's initial renderings. The profile seems almost shockingly simple, with a strange disconnect between the haunchy, curvaceous rear and the straight-edged front, although the flat trim line running from the bonnet to the bottom of the windows sort of holds it all together.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe details, though, are fabulous, almost as if they parked the ungarnished body in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter and said: "You finish it."The crystal-encrusted grille, which in anyone's estimation is a Marmite proposition more reminiscent of Damien Hirst's crystal skull sculpture For the Love of God than a car. The pattern is repeated in the slit-like rear lights, the puddle lamps under the doors and the displays on the touchscreen – it takes some liking.What's more, the grille lights up under a polycarbonate screen and forms part of the headlight systems, although you can bet that the 76 LED elements won't be cheap to replace.Two cars were offered for inspection. The straight silver bodywork was a darn site easier on the eye than the satin-finish lime green.The crystal-encrusted grille also forms part of the headlight systemInside jobThe Torcal isn't exactly over-endowed with space, although I could sit in the back seats without touching the back of the front seat or the headlining. So there's enough space for five, just. Unlike the Bentayga, the rear seat isn't set higher than those in the front, so in the back it feels more like a conventional saloon than an SUV.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe facia features a lovely 1970s-feel lateral-cut wood veneer across the door tops and dashboard, a curved central touchscreen with a rotary controller and rather nice touch tiles to activate functions. Bentley is renowned for its interiors, and it has pulled it out of the bag with this effort.Of course, near-silent peregrination is one of an EV's fortes, but the Torcal has a trick up its sleeve, which is a modified recording of a group of drummers (mainly the timpani) giving a speed-dependent off-beat noise. This was intended to mimic the off-beat rumble of Bentley's venerable 6.75-litre V8 engine. No mere recording of an internal combustion engine, then, but a reinterpretation. It's actually rather good.The Telegraph verdictClearly Bentley's ownership by VW has allowed it to access (and help amortise the scary cost of developing) electronic drive systems and software. It will have helped to keep costs down, although engineers have had to work hard to add that elusive Bentley feel into the driving dynamics and the ride quality.As to how it looks, I walked back down Strand, where a giant pangolin was being assembled as part of London Design Week. Back at The Telegraph's offices on Buckingham Palace Road, I could picture that amazing animal's shape well enough to sketch. Of the Torcal, however, like the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the whole car had vanished from my memory, leaving just a crystal grille…Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.