Jeep has revealed the 2026 Recon, its first fully electric, Trail Rated SUV, and it feels like the moment the brand had to prove something. Jeep loyalists have spent years insisting that electrification would somehow ruin the magic - the sound, the climb, the sense of mechanical honesty.
Jeep’s answer is to build an EV with removable doors, proper off-road hardware and enough torque to snap a small tree if you’re not careful. This isn’t a Wrangler with a battery wedged underneath. It’s a clean-sheet electric platform with Jeep DNA baked into.
The important number isn’t the range
The Recon’s headline figure is 650hp, backed up by 840Nm of torque delivered without any delay. It will do 0 to 62mph in around 3.7 seconds, which is objectively hilarious for something with the aerodynamic finesse of a filing cabinet.
Jeep quotes up to 250 miles of range, which isn’t going to worry a Model Y buyer but probably doesn’t need to, either. This is a car for people who think “range” means “how far to the next trailhead.”
What matters more is how the power is served. Jeep’s engineers say the throttle mapping is deliberately slow and precise at crawl speed so you don’t bounce yourself off a rock and into a large repair bill.
The rear axle also gets a proper locking differential, and the front axle can disconnect for efficiency when you’re back on normal roads.
Built to get dirty
Jeep wants the Recon to be taken seriously as an off-road EV and so the Moab trim looks like the one that proves the point. It gets 33-inch tyres, 9.4 inches of ground clearance and approach and departure angles that aren’t far off a Wrangler.
Selec-Terrain returns with settings for sand, snow, sport and everything in between. Rock mode slows the throttle to walking pace and brings in a hill-hold for awkward climbs. There’s also Selec-Speed Control, which is essentially cruise control for crawling so you can focus on not falling off things.
Jeep has gone heavy on underbody protection, including armour for the 100kWh battery pack. The important takeaway is this isn’t a soft EV crossover wearing a Jeep badge. The hardware is legit.
A proper Jeep silhouette
A good electric Jeep needed to look like a Jeep and this one does. The seven-slot grille is now outlined with illuminated rings, the windscreen is as upright as ever, and the side profile still has that chunky, go-anywhere stance.
The removable bits are what give the Recon its personality. The doors come off without tools, as does all the rear glass. You can open it up like a Wrangler but without the faff or the toolkit rattling around in the boot. The optional Sky One-Touch roof turns it into a mobile viewing platform on a summer’s evening.
Jeep is also pushing a broader colour palette than usual, ranging from loud and bright to the more muted, utilitarian shades that feel right on something built for mud.
Cabin is functional, not fancy
Inside, the layout is simple and upright, with a big grab handle reminding you what this thing is meant to do. Storage solutions are clever rather than clever-clever; there’s a two-tier centre console, modular door panels you can reconfigure, and a front trunk that’s just big enough to be useful.
2026 Jeep Recon EV interior. (Image: Stellantis)
The Moab trim gets a tan interior inspired by Joshua Tree, because of course it does. Materials lean towards durability with Capri synthetic surfaces and plenty of recycled content. Speakers have been moved under the seats so you don’t lose your music when the doors are off.
The big screens dominate - a 12.3-inch driver display and a 14.5-inch central touchscreen running Uconnect 5. EV-specific pages show state of charge and live range mapping, and TomTom supplies the navigation smarts.
First impressions
The Recon feels like Jeep trying to prove electric doesn’t mean soft. It has the stance, the off-road geometry and the silliness of something that can do 3.7 seconds to 62mph with no roof and no doors.
The range figure will raise eyebrows, and the final price will matter even more when it eventually reaches Europe, but Jeep appears to have avoided building a compromised EV crossover. It feels like a Jeep first and an electric car second.
If the brand can deliver the driving feel to match the spec sheet, this could be the first electric off-roader that Jeep people (may) actually want.
