Jeep has been working on its Recon electric SUV for a long time (it was first teased in 2022). It’s been so long, in fact, that the world in which it was conceived, and the laws and policies with which it was meant to comply, just don’t exist anymore.
For starters, there is no more federal tax credit for electric vehicles. That situation is already a recipe for a tough uphill battle with the car-buying public, but it’s far from the only problem that Jeep created for itself with the 2026 Recon.
In short: The 2026 Jeep Recon is the brand’s first attempt at a “Trail Rated” electric SUV. It offers good power and torque, deeply disappointing range, and less grace off-road than the badge might suggest.
2026 Jeep Recon EV: Average, On Paper
On paper, the Recon has some fairly decent specs. The top-spec Moab trim (the only trim available at launch) packs a not-insubstantial 670 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque.
Because it’s an EV, that latter figure is available from 0 rpm, which means that the Recon always feels ready to boogie, should you need to pass or overtake someone. Jeep claims a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds, which is also impressive for something Jeep-shaped.
Not all the specs are good news, though. The Recon has an EPA-estimated range of 222 miles, which in 2026 borders on embarrassing. Notably, Jeep didn’t mention the Recon’s range even once during the whole drive program, which is pretty telling.
What About Off-Road?
The Recon has a bunch of off-road nice-to-haves, like available 33-inch all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels, a Selec-Trac off-road traction management system, and a full complement of steel underbody skid plates.
A locking rear diff is standard on the Moab trim, too, which can be a boon on tricky trails. Despite all this, though, the Recon’s “Trail Rated” badge feels more like a participation trophy than a badge of honor.
What do I mean by that? Surely I’d never impugn something as serious as Jeep’s Trail Rated badge? The Recon has less ground clearance than the Subaru Outback Wilderness we reviewed recently, for example. It has a wading depth of 2 feet, which is 6 inches less than the Jeep Wrangler and almost 15 inches less than the Kia Telluride X-Pro — both of which are internal combustion engines that need air to run.
During the test day I had with the Recon in California’s beautiful wine country, there was an off-road course. One would reasonably expect that an off-road course for a Trail Rated Jeep would be pretty gnarly. It wasn’t. Most of it was stuff I’d be comfortable attempting in a garden-variety crossover SUV on similar tires.
If this were any other brand, that’d be fine, but this is a Jeep. I’d just spent the morning hearing about how Jeep engineers tested the Recon at Moab and how it completed four trails there, including Poison Spider and Hell’s Revenge. These closed courses are designed by the vehicle’s manufacturer to show off the very best of what a car can do, and if this was the best the Recon could manage, that’s concerning.
On-Road Performance
Since most of the people who end up buying a Recon will, statistically, spend almost all their time on tarmac, I should talk about how it performs there. The good news is that as a road vehicle, the Recon is fine.
The interior is comfy and reasonably well-appointed in the top-spec Moab that I drove. The electric drivetrain is responsive and makes for entertaining freeway on-ramps, as is the case with basically every EV on sale today.
The Recon’s suspension works well on-road. It’s neither so soft that it wallows in corners, nor is it particularly stiff. The Recon’s steering is very light but feels accurate and is generally ignorable in the best sense.
Braking is less rosy, with two available regenerative braking settings: on and max regen. Changing this setting requires digging into menus, which is a bummer. But because there are only two settings, I suspect it’s not something people will be fiddling with too often. The transition from regenerative braking to the vehicle’s physical brakes is less smooth than I’d like, but it’s manageable.
Some people don’t like regenerative braking in their EVs, but I’m a huge fan. I would have liked to see paddles or buttons on the steering wheel to allow multiple levels of regen, which would also have been very helpful off-road, where the lack of a low-range gearbox means that you’re on and off the brakes a lot on descents.
But the Doors Come Off
The thing that Jeep’s engineers and PR folks spent the most time talking about during the morning presentation (more even than the Recon being Trail Rated) was the ability for owners to remove the doors and many of the windows for an “open air driving experience.”
I’ll confess right now to not being a Jeep person, because I’ve never once felt the desire to remove doors and glass from a vehicle I was driving. It seems like the kind of overall pointless feature that you’d spend a lot of time talking about if the rest of your vehicle wasn’t particularly impressive. But maybe I’m in the pocket of “Big Door,” or something. Still, it is cool that the doors and glass require no tools to remove or install.
Of note was the fact that when I asked Jeep’s people whether there would be an accessory rack or cart that you could store the doors on when they’re not in use (seeing as how they’re big, heavy, painted, and presumably expensive), I received blank stares and a vague answer about how the aftermarket would probably take care of that. For what it’s worth, the Recon does come with storage bags for the glass, so that’s something.
It Costs How Much?
Ultimately, the Jeep Recon is a perfectly nice electric SUV that looks cool on the exterior and has a decently comfortable interior. It’s not a bad car. It is a deeply average crossover that lets its nameplate down with unremarkable off-road performance.
The fact that Jeep is asking $68,998 (including destination) as a starting price for the Moab version, which (again) is the only trim available at launch, leads me to believe that the Recon is not long for this world — especially in the face of ever more robust competition.
Right now, the Recon’s biggest competitor is likely the Rivian R2, which wipes the floor with the Jeep in range and price. For context, a similarly equipped top-spec R2 is around $8,000 less than the Recon. That makes the Recon no kind of value proposition at all, unless you’re already a die-hard Jeep fanatic, and that’s a limited well from which to drink.
Add in the other electric SUVs coming to market from brands like VW’s Scout, and the future looks even more grim.
