2021 Jaguar I-Pace

After a brief pause during which it built no vehicles, Jaguar is transitioning to an all-electric luxury brand. In years past, Jaguar was best known for its legendary sports cars, including the E-Type of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and luxurious sedans such as the XJ. The brand was reborn under Ford’s ownership in the 1990s, then sold to India’s Tata Group where it was merged with Land Rover. Eventually, big cars with wood-and-leather interiors gave way to sportier, fun-to-drive models including some compact and midsized SUVs. Jaguar’s first attempt at an EV, the I-Pace, failed to keep up with the competition, and the XF sedan continued on for years without major updates. Both Jaguar and Land Rover share some parts and underlying vehicle designs. Neither brand has shed its reputation for reliability issues, which makes it difficult to recommend used models—even though the XE and XF still offer impressive driving excitement and luxury.

The Jaguar I-Pace all-electric crossover seats five, has an official range of 234 miles, and is a quick and quiet car that handles nimbly and doesn't consume a drop of gas. The ride is firm, yet comfortable. The interior is luxurious with an attractive combination of charm and high-tech, including dual screens for the infotainment system and a pushbutton gear selector. The I-Pace is the first real challenger to Tesla and can be an alternative to either the Model S sedan or X SUV. But we found it takes quite a while to charge, about 13 hours to charge the 90 kWh battery from nearly empty through a 240-Volt connection. Jaguar says that on a DC fast charger, the I-Pace can be charged to 80 percent in 40 minutes. 2024 is the final year for the I-Pace.