Lotus Eletre 900-mile review. It might look good but there's a problem with this EV. Range.. 

Let's be honest, it's an absolute monstrosity! Electric cars still going the wrong way in terms of weight and power. Bring us efficiency over everything else

It's not a Lotus Car, it's a Geely car. It's not an English Car, it's a Chinese Car. That's it.

The main danger with camera mirrors for me is that its a fixed view. With mirrors you can move your head around to widen the view and cover blind spots. You cant do that with a camera mirror. Technology for technology’s sake.

Side mirror cameras are fixing a non existent problem

If ever there was a car where, if you removed badges, no level of inspection could possibly tell you what make it was…

In what world is £96k reasonable?!

Huuuuge respect as always to Harry for providing those maths, numbers and figures. A proper bit of consumer advice that is!!

Nice to see the Square steering wheel from the Austin Allegro has made a come back! 😁

Genuinely cannot believe we live in a world where that thing wears a Lotus badge

A little bit of my soul just died seeing a Lotus badge on this monstrosity

A very clear detailed , well filmed and put together review. Pity the car doesn't match, it's outrageous that a £100k car only just has a realistic range of 225 or so miles.

Look at Geoff Thomson (Geoff buys cars) and Lee "The MacMaster" (in his Porsche Taykan) their 3 reels on EV v ICE Just disastrous for EV. What surprised me was the cost of Charging £10's for a few miles of range!

I absolutely hate the fact that you have to turn off lane assist etc before every drive. I drive a Skoda and lane assist is just plain dangerous. It might work on a motorway, but it activates whenever it detects road/tar repair lines in the road and frequently wants to pull me in to the kerb or cyclists etc whenever I forget to turn it off. All to satisfy some daft directive.

Honestly, all these electric popup handles, video mirrors, LCD screen instruments. All things designed just to leave you stranded or locked in or out of your car when they fail/crash. It is getting ridiculous.

Some great videos this last year. Aston V8 and 288GTO to name just two. Looking forward to seeing what you get up to next year. For now, have a great Christmas.

96000 is crazy.. will depreciate .like you would not believe.

Great… Another colossal EV with an equally colossal price tag. Just what we need.

A proportion of road fund tax should be based on a vehicle's siza/weight to try to discourage this kind of nonsense.

For me the biggest problem with cameras as opposed to optical mirrors is refocusing. In an optical mirror you look into the distance. With a camera and screen your eyes have to focus on the screen.

Harry thank you so much for doing the equivalent in miles per gallon,, no one ever does that in these tests and that's the way I relate to these things. I appreciate it !

I think the fact they had to enlarge the lotus badge pretty much says it all ...

Simply cannot imagine the awful depreciation on this soulless car ,which unbadged you’d never tell its a lotus.

Love this soft sell by a latter day ‎Arthur Daley. ''Someone been using it for the School run.'' I cringed realizing my Mazda 2 won,t cut it anymore and I haven't even graduated to SUVs Still watching EVs but keep getting turned off, no pun intended. Saw a whole lot of bods waiting as their vehicles recharged and it reminded me of the Dialysis Ward in a hospital

Fascinating video, Harry, the wing mirror replacement package is worth more than my car. I always wanted to say something like that, but it is now true. My car is thoroughly reliable and economical. I am not sure that I am missing out on too much though. Interesting holey design, great for easy cleaning all the mud and stuff which will no doubt appear in every crevice.

A wise man once said "simplify and add lightness". Even after his death his legacy was great. It looks like it finally ends with this. RIP Mr Chapman.

I'm so sorry to see that some bugger has kicked the door in and then walked around the other side and kicked the other door in too.

Thanks for the early review. Can’t wait to see you review the new EV Range Rover. Also, appreciate the honest feedback on the camera mirrors at night. Don’t hear others talking about those short-comings.

Wow, this video was really educational. I now know to only shop for cars pre-2024. Having to use an inconvenient touch screen to turn off driver "aids" (an infection) every time I get in, is an instant no-sale.

It's a depressing car, all these things are, but putting a Lotus badge on it is really sad.

This just confirms to me that I will never buy a new car again, ever !

You were driving on a fairly cold day. How much energy did the heater use? I can IMAGINE range being quite affected by that variable. I don't know, haven't done the calcs.

13.8 mpg, 2.6 tons and £100k and this is progress! I'll stick to my ST Fiesta thanks 40mpg, 1,2 tons and £24k.

They give us touchscreens which are borderline dangerous and lane assist which is meant to help but doesn't. Then there's the wing mirror cameras.....just give us glass mirrors...they work!

If this was badged as a geely, I still wouldn't like it, the fact that it's badged as a lotus is a travesty

Just wondering if the power numbers were mixed up at the beginning? Should it be Eletre 303hp, Eletre S 603hp?

Please keep doing the cost range and eMPG calculations - love it

Lets save the planet with 2.6 ton EVs, larger than a Range Rover and with absolutely crap efficiency... Yup, that makes sense 🤨 It also completely dilutes the brand's heritage. Now, I am for evolution and change but somehow this doesn't feel right... Or I'm just getting old 🤷🏼‍♂️ PS: would love to know how long the batteries will last before rendering these vehicles worthless.

Those wheel well vents look like accident damage. Appalling bit of design.

We have a 2023 Ioniq 5 (dual motor) Namsan for our family run about and I was flabbergasted at the difference in range come Winter. When temps are in the 20C+ we would get close to 300 miles, below 10C and we are on almost 200 full charge. I have begun to like the camera mirrors but it took a long time. We live just down the road from Harry and the lane avoidance on the B-roads is borderline dangerous! If I'm not going on a motorway it gets turned off as soon as I get in. Hopefully Lotus will iron out some of the problems with updates and it will be interesting to see how the range differs come summer. But as many have said the biggest downside for me would be depreciation. There's a LOT of Taycan s/turbo GT used cars out there going very cheap and I've even heard stories of some Porsche dealers not wanting to take them back for trade-ins... To also add not having a rear wiper on a SUV in the UK is a nightmare, no matter how much rainX you put on its gets mucky very quickly.

Well done video and the deep technical investigations much appreciated Harry ! I see a lot of comments here, not liking the new way of Lotus at all. Well, I drove RRS and AMG SUVs the past years, but now here in Sweden you are more or less forced to change to EVs. After testing all kind of hybrids like X5, Volvo and the usual candidates like EQE/SUV, iX I found the Lotus Eletre the best deal. It simply has a large boot, making it useful for a family of 4 and a dog. Drove it in Gothenborg before Christmas and placed the order right after. Fascinating car, handling like a VW Golf in spite of it's size and weight, getting all the looks. I had no chance testing the range with a full battery charge, but even if it not as efficient as announced, for my purposes and daily driving range it is more than sufficient.

2 miles/kwh. 😮 Brand leveraging it's brand to make short term shareholders happy is a proven recipe for disaster.

I’d seriously much rather a review of a Renault 4.

Hello Mr. Harry. Would you give your feedback if the Eltre tester you have driven without The Lotus Dynamic Handling pack is sufficient enough for us not to pay extra for it as a costly option?

Lovely, clear critique. Very brave of Harry.

I've seen 2 of these now on the road near me. Both times I've thought they looked exactly like a Kia.

Harry, we need road testers and journalists to stop saying that things like LKA and automated speed restrictions are just something we need to accept and get used to. Manufacturers need to know that buyers don't want it and many will be putting off buying new cars for as long as possible because of it. Maybe then manufacturers will start to lobby governments on behalf of their customers. If this new barge is regularly incorrectly identifying speed limits and setting off a warning i would suggest it's not fit for purpose and either needs to be disabled until it can be fixed, or if that’s not allowed, the car should not be allowed to be sold until its ready.

That driver’s side “wing-mirror” screen seems to be angled to suit viewing it from somewhere near the passenger-side A-pillar, rather than from the driver’s seat…

I thought you had dented the doors before I realized it was "styling"

It’s unforgivable that it has such a massive battery, weighs 2.6 tonnes and struggles to achieve 2 mi/kWh.

Saving the planet with luxury 3 ton battery powered monstrosities.

I drove a Ford Transit LWB the other day and it was a van, a cavernous van, a 3.5 tonne cavernous van and I loaded it full. 205 miles for £49 of diesel = mind blown! This Lotus = mind confused!

Love your enthusiasm Harry, but this can not be the future. Where is the Lotus efficiency?

I'm 68, never owned a Lotus but dreamt about them as a young man, and always admired the Chapman philosophy born from guts, passion, and imaginative thinking to make a place in the racing world: I feel really, really sorry for all the young people today who will never experience what young men of my generation experienced...bye bye the automotive industry, it was a fun ride !! Oh, and thank you Mazda for my 2011 MX5 NC, bought second-hand in 2017, affordable, reliable and keeping that smile still on MY face :)

You cannot use a handheld device whilst operating a vehicle, as they are dangerous due to the distraction, rightly so, too.(unless you are a police officer as they are obviously special and highly trained and can do whatever they like) but you can use a computer whilst you are driving. Amazing.

I read the title and thought the range was 900 miles- so clicked (as that would be impressive). Imagine my disappointment!

With mirrors your eyes can focus to the same/similar distance as when you’re looking forward through the windscreen. With camera/screen mirrors your eyes have to adjust to focus on screens

This just further cements my declining interest and enthusiasm for cars, which for decades have been my passion. I'll sum it up by suggesting watching the into to the Cannonball Run movie with the sound turned off - it's just not the same. Without the visceral feeling of an internal combustion engine, EV's just don't do it for me. Watching some Tesla beat an ICE sports car in a drag race or whatever.... so what. I'm enjoying the last hurrah of ICE cars and will remain grateful I was alive at a time where I was able to do so. It's not about performance, it's about how they make you feel.

Great video Harry - thanks for posting. For a company whose mantra under Chapman was all about reducing weight, the company seems to have lost its way big style with this car!

What’s the wobble about as it goes down the road in the opening shot?

Although I couldn’t in a million years afford any of the cars that you review,you are still the best on u tube.Always interesting and informative keep up the good work.

It must be a beast for wearing out tyres.

When you first showed us the flank I thought you'd stoved the front door in!

Wow, it sounds amazing! I just love that V8 roar.

I'm a long time Tesla owner but I have to say I'm excited about the new Lotus EV's. The point is you don't NEED all the tech or the styling. If you are a car guy however, you WANT it. The look of these cars is outstanding. I just placed a deposit on an Emeya.

The old Chapman saying of “just add lightness” has not really been followed here……..😂😂😂😂

I really feel for you Harry. So sorry you had to do this.

Was the driver comfort heat on during 8 deg C runs I wonder?

What are those funny grey rhomboids for on the front bumper?

How the hell can that thing be £100000? Absolutely ridiculous.

It's not really a Lotus though, is it? And that range is appalling.

Thanks for the mpg comparison.

Just think the range in miles are kilometers and you're spot on!

I had a deposit on one of these from the start of the ordering process. Fortunately I was able to see it and sit in the car at the Fully Charged Live show. The only thing I liked about the car was the yellow paint and the quality of the interior, not the gaudy gold fittings. Cancelled when I got home and bought an ex demo Taycan Turismo Turbo for £40,000 off and love it. I stayed on the Eletre FB group and it has many software faults that will be fixed but why did Geely with their EV experience release it in that form? The fundamentals like poor efficiency won’t be fixed with an OTA though. Some love it but many have returned it and there are loads of cancelled orders on Autotrader. The next heavy depreciator and another reason I won’t buy a brand new EV at launch again.

Hateful thing, for many many reasons. I'd list why... but I just don't care enough. Sad. 😢 Thanks for the thoughtful review Harry

What’s making it inefficient? Purely weight, or something more complicated? Motor/ battery design?

I own the eletre s for few days now, it can do around 510km at max(tour mode), power consumption is around 22kwh/100 km, the range is much better then the taycan. So I am very surprised when harry can only do 220mlie, I think maybe it’s because the weather?

I feel sorry for anyone who purchased one of these now that I have watched Harry`s review. I suspect we are looking a future depreciation record holder. I do wonder how many people actually think they are buying a Lotus.

Harry always seems to be amazed how much space there is in cars the size of a tank...

Ah, yes.. heater controls on switches.. Here's a worthy discussion point imho: Switches versus massive touch screens in modern cars REGARDLESS of the car's motive power choice. One is driving down the road, which may have an uneven surface. One has had the car for a little while and thus is used to the controls. In my experience, i can adjust the heater switches/dials in my car without taking my eyes of the road to find the right area of a screen, especially if potholes are brought into the mix. The tactile feed back of physically operating a solid object is far better. Figher hets have had Hands On Throttle And Stick for decades, to keep the pilot's eyes out of the cockpit for safety, survival and winning the air battle 😊

Dear Mr. Metcalfe, I was going to change my Audi e-Tron RS GT for an Eletre R these days, everything was in readiness at my dealer in the South of France. I've cancelled this order and will now wait to buy an EMEYA instead, I understand that there are substantial improvements to the battery giving it a much more interesting range than my Audi. I hope you'll test the EMEYA as soon as available to you! May I suggest that you do so in France as the charging infrastructure is quite excellent now. With sincerest regards, Baron T.

I see the Rolls is back at last. As for the Lotus, I agree with others, this is not a Lotus. Its size and weight are so contrary to Colin Chapman's philosophy of lightness and nimbleness.

I’ve seen one in the wild today. It’s huge, and extremely ugly. It’s sad to see they’ve put a lotus badge on this monstrosity.

My neighbour's wife works for Lotus and has just arrived here in Essex with a bright yellow one as her company car! Nice work if you can get it!

Harry, what did Lotus say about the low efficiency? I assume you confronted them with your findings (especially that the on-board computer is unreliable regarding the remaining range). I would like to know their response …. Thanks for the review! 👍

I saw one recently in the flesh and was surprised how big and ungainly it looked. It just doesn’t look either premium, light or fast.

We all want Lotus to flourish after so many false starts, but really, this is totally against what that brand stands for. I fully understand the need to go into the SUV market for volume, but surely they could’ve come up with something better than this? if you took the badges off, this could be from any of a multitude of Chinese EV manufactures that are coming to Europe. iI’s not recognisably a lotus and it’s not for me, but is it for anyone?

Harry, what's the manufacturing and lifetime footprint of this object compared to what we have had previously?

My Renault Zoe has lane assist, I'm driving in rural Wiltshire all the time and I never have to turn it off. My biggest annoyance with the Zoe is that you push the gear selector (who needs one on an electric car) forward to go back and back to go forward. After 3 years I get this wrong when maneuvering and have been fortunate not to have hit anything, yet!

My little 1.0L 3-Cylinder Ford Fiesta has stopped being produced because the future is electric. But all the electric cars I see are huge, heavy and very expensive, with a debatable UK charging infrastructure.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I drove a Peugeot e208 recently. Felt quick despite 134bhp and extra weight of electrics etc. Despite the fact that I gave it the beans at every opportunity, I couldn’t make it do less than 4 miles per kilowatt. Driven sensibly it was closer to 5. It’s not even a dedicated EV platform. To not even match the Taycan is bordering on criminal. Plus, I think it’s pretty horrid to look at. Like the interior though.

Brilliant review, as an EV fan it's good to get honest assessments. Have had some Mercedes EQ range and they all were true to predicted range, looks like Lotus have a problem here?

I am waiting for the day when a car shows up and says"jump in I will drive..."Actually they do this, reminding me of the right speed, about traffic signs, trying to correct the stearing. So in the future we buy cars and then they can drive around the whole day if they like......I will stay at home !

Thanks Harry for the review. This creation is unfortunately a waste of resources. Would have been much better for Lotus to focus on a lightweight electric sports car (that prioritizes lightweight over range)

We’re all massive Lotus fans, that is literally the worst piece of design we’ve ever seen it’s totally awful it looks like a Pontiac Aztec, just for balance the new Emira is totally perfect 🤩 So we’re not being horrible 😊

So if I have got my sums right - that tank weighs the more than 3 Lotus Elans. Surely this goes against everything Colin Chapman stood for.

Love the honesty, as always Harry. Range aside, the looks seem so generic (almost boring?!...) although the interior seems a nice place to be.

Why would anybody want a Lotus that not only looks like this but is also so huge and bulky? I'm trying to think of how you'd justify it. I think it's awful.

What nobody is mentioning is the massive depreciation on EV’s. Once it’s getting close to 100k miles, nobody wants to be the one holding onto the car that needs a new battery so the values plummet. So soon we will have a massive glut of cars with shitty batteries that are worthless.

Lamborghini Urus - 20mpg 'magazine tested' with a 75litre tank that's about a 330 mile range. Lotus 2.16 mi/Kwh equivalent of 86mpg in a piston car, 1.62 mi/kwh is 65mpg - the Porsche mentioned at 3mi/Kwh would be 120mpg. So Lotus not that great compared to a Porsche but both way better at using energy compared to pistons.

Thank you for a great review, however, I’m not sure about this car (and many others like it), the whole electric car thing seems to be heading in the wrong direction; I also have to question the logic of a hole in the rear quarter between the rear wheelarch and the rear of the car!