Jaguar I-Pace Review (2018-present)

The Jaguar I-Pace was the first pure electric vehicle from the British brand, having first gone on sale in 2018. Complete with 396bhp and permanent four-wheel drive in the sole EV400 model currently on offer, the Jaguar I-Pace is aimed squarely at premium electric SUVs, including the Audi E-tron, BMW iX3, Mercedes EQC, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y.

The official claimed driving range is 292 miles (WLTP), but the biggest disappointment with the I-Pace is how far short its real-world range is compared to the official. You’ll get around 240 miles in warm weather and varied use, while motorway miles and colder weather will see that range drop to as low as 180 miles. Every electric car’s range will suffer in cold weather and faster speeds, and very few electric cars get close to their official range in real-world use, but the Jaguar’s disparity is bigger than most, so don’t be misled by the official numbers.

Still, the I-Pace’s real-world range is very similar, if not slightly better than those of comparable electric SUVs like the Audi E-tron and Mercedes EQC, although its charging speed is a fraction slower. A full charge from a standard 7kW home wall box will take around 14 hours. It’ll take a 50kW rapid charge from a DC CCS station (of the sort routinely found in motorway services), which will add 100 miles of charge in around 45 minutes to an hour. That same 100-mile top-up time will drop to around 30 minutes if you can find one of the increasingly common 100kW chargers.

Practicality isn’t the reason you buy the Jaguar I-Pace, but it’s also unlikely to be a problem for any family motorist. You’ll get two adults sat in the rear seats comfortably, and there’s a decent amount of luggage space in the 577-litre boot, plus a useful cubby under the bonnet for storing cables. Even so, in terms of rear passenger space an E-tron, Mach-E, Model Y and EQC are all a bit more spacious, let alone the vast Tesla Model X or BMW iX, both of which are rivals for more top-end versions of the I-Pace as far as price is concerned.

Up front, any shape or size of driver will be able to get comfortable, and the seat drops nice and low for a rather hatchback-like driving position; great for a sportier-feeling setup, although if you want a traditional SUV driving position you might feel that the seat is a bit low. There are plenty of storage cubbies for your phone and wallet, too.

This is the Jaguar’s real trump card. It’s one of the best sports SUVs to drive, electric or otherwise, with the sort of playful, enthusiastic responses that make the I-Pace a genuine thrill on a decent road. It's in another realm of driver reward to the Audi E-tron and Mercedes EQC, and even the Ford Mustang Mach-E. It's savagely rapid as well. It’ll do 0-62mph in 4.8sec, and the way it punches off the line from a standstill feels even faster than that figure suggests.

For all that, it’s also comfortable and super-refined as a cruiser or around-town commuter. Try to avoid the biggest wheels if you want to maximise ride comfort without sacrificing the fun factor. That said, even on the enormous 21-inch alloys that you can spec it still offers a ride that is generally composed, if perhaps a little restless on scruffy roads. Optional adaptive air suspension is available on higher spec models, and brings slightly more forgiving low-speed ride.

The I-Pace has two levels of brake regeneration, which is a system that helps to harvest energy from the car’s natural forward motion when you brake or let the car ‘coast’. While it’s a shame that the variable settings aren’t easier to toggle through, it’s always easy to predict how aggressively the I-Pace will slow down when you lift off the throttle.

Essentially, this is a sublime car to drive whether on a frustrating commute or a favourite road.

There are three trims on offer in the I-Pace: S, SE and HSE, and there are the swanky style-oriented Black and Black HSE, too. Even entry-level S gets LED headlights, partial electric seat adjustment, leatherette upholstery, 19-inch alloys, surround-view camera, cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, a huge colour touchscreen infotainment system and a 12.3-inch digital drivers display.

Yet, for all that we’d still recommend going for SE as it’ll hold its value better, plus it gets a more broadly adjustable driver’s seat, powered tailgate, higher quality leather, blind spot assist and bigger wheels. HSE adds even more goodies, but to our mind, the SE hits the sweet spot for value and luxury. The Black models add styling upgrades, notably 20-inch, gloss-black alloy wheels.

The infotainment in the I-Pace is very decent, although it’s not as easy to use on the move as the BMW’s touchscreen and rotary controller combo, or the Tesla’s bigger, more logically laid-out touchscreen. If you’re buying used, it’s reassuring to know that even the older I-Pace models have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but if you can stretch to a post 2021 facelift car, which got an upgrade to the usefully more intuitive Pivi Pro system and a slightly more responsive screen, it’s worth doing.

The Jaguar I-Pace is competitively priced if you’re buying new, and undercuts alternatives such as the Audi e-tron and BMW iX, if costing a little more than the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Since the energy price rises of 2022, the average cost of a kWh of electricity from a home car charger has risen to roughly 28p/kWh, which works out at £23.80 for a full battery from empty in the Jaguar I-Pace. Given that it’ll do between 180 and 250 miles in the real world, depending on conditions, it works out at between 9-13p per mile – still around half the price of fuelling an equivalent petrol or diesel car.

Charging the I-Pace at a motorway rapid charger will likely cost around double, or even triple that, and will amount to a similar amount per mile of running a combustion engine car, so factor that in if you’re looking for running costs and expect to use public chargers regularly.

Because it has far fewer parts than a combustion-engine car, the I-Pace only needs servicing every two years or 21,000 miles, but Jaguar charges £1,000 for three years of servicing despite the long intervals. You can pay that up front or in monthly payments.

Depreciation isn’t bad on the I-Pace; it drops in value initially but then holds on to it quite well, which is great if you’re selling a used I-Pace but does mean that it’s quite expensive if you’re buying. It’s not a dissimilar pattern to other used EVs.

Lease costs aren’t cheap, either, but free entry to London’s congestion zone helps to make up for it, as does the fuel and tax savings. Every electric car is free of Vehicle Excise Duty, and also of the pricey ‘premium car’ tax that hits the Jaguar’s petrol, diesel and hybrid rivals.

The Jaguar I-Pace fared quite poorly in the 2021 What Car? Used Car Reliability Survey (which rates cars of three years old or more). It came last in the electric car class, with some 30% of owners reporting an issue – most ancillary electrical problems, and all covered under the manufacturer’s standard three-year warranty. The battery is covered for 100,000 miles and eight years.

Battery longevity in electric cars is proving to be better than many expected. It’s hard to predict accurately, but a lithium-ion battery will always degrade over time and, as a rough guide, you should expect to lose around 15% of the car’s maximum driving range over 100,000 miles and 10 years. Always ask to see a prospective EV with a full battery when you view it, to get some idea of what the real world range is, bearing in mind that it may also be affected by how it’s previously been driven. Keeping the battery charge between 20-80% whenever possible, and not routinely using rapid chargers, will also help to maintain the battery condition and driving range.