By FREDA LEWIS-STEMPEL, MOTORING REPORTER
When King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Sunday's church service in Sandringham in their new electric Lotus, it caused something of a stir.
Rather than being shuttled in the cossetted comfort of a Bentley or Range Rover, HRH was chauffeured in his Eletre hyper-SUV - a vehicle brimming with race car DNA that he recently added to his fleet after being enamoured with one he'd had on loan.
Pictured at his Norfolk estate getting out of the electric car, the King joked to the press that the Eletre is 'silent but deadly'.
Charles' Eletre is finished in a unique Royal Claret colour - a choice befitting of our monarch and an almost £140,000 car.
It's believed to be his latest electric daily run-around, joining the royal garage alongside two new BMW EVs and newly-installed charging points at his Royal households.
While Lotus is a British brand steeped in heritage dating back to the 1950s and founder Colin Chapman, its recent existence has been under the guise of Chinese parent company Geely - with its new range of performance EVs produced in a state-of-the-art facility in Wuhan, famously the Covid-19 epicentre.
But I know why the King has fallen for the Eletre's charms. Having driven it both on the road and track, I can concur that if, like the King you have the money to spare, it's a drool-worthy performance car to own - and one that doesn't produce any tailpipe-emissions.
The Lotus Eletre is an electic, luxury, hyper-SUV from the Hethel-based heritage brand Lotus. The zero emission car is the latest addition to King Charles' fleet
We don't believe King Charles will be piloting the Eletre himself, but his driver is a lucky individual because this is an EV any petrolhead would enjoy being behind the wheel of.
Lotus has updated the Eletre for 2026 with six trims to choose from. Before, when I had it on loan, there were just three.
The newly-added 600 spec come with 603hp and the 900 trim come with - yes, you guessed it - 903hp.
Are they quick? You bet. Zero to 62mph is dispatched in 4.5 seconds or 2.95 seconds respectively - and for a car that weighs over 2,500kg, that's putting in a serious shift.
Motorway slip roads disappear into dust, the weight is handled well even at higher speeds (although don't get overzealous on tight, winding roads), bumps are glossed over, and the steering is brilliantly precise.
But most overwhelming of all is the Eletre's Lotus DNA, which puts a grin on your face for the entirety of a journey. It's a sign that Hethel's inspiration reigns strong despite the SUV being made in China.
The low centre of gravity and suspension and stiff body structure is what people would expect of a Lotus.
Drives like you want a hyper-SUV to drive: The 600 trims come with 603hp and the 900 trims come with, yes you guessed it, 903hp. 0-62mph is 4.5 seconds or 2.95 seconds respectively - and for a car that weighs over 2,500kg that's putting in a serious shift
Lotus' owner Geely in July 2022 opened the car company's new headquarters in Wuhan - the notorious epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak. It is here where it will spearhead its electric vehicle technology
A state-of-the-art Lotus manufacturing plant in Wuhan also opened in the summer of 2022, complementing the existing UK sports car manufacturing and performance facilities in Hethel and Norwich. It is Wuhan where the Charles' Eletre will have been built
The rear spoiler - which generates 112.5kg of downforce to push the car into the road - adds that extra bit of sports car flare.
And I'd recommend flicking into Sport Mode any day - there's a noticeable difference as the car lowers and stiffens, and it's worth eating through range for.
Fun though it is, you really don't need 903hp - 603 is plenty. Not many people are going to be hitting the track in a hyper-SUV after all.
Are there any downsides?
If I had to be particularly picky, the brakes are a tad sharp for such a weighty car.
And the range is also mildly disappointing.
I got about 65 per cent of the predicted range out of the 373-mile Eletre S on test.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have today been seen for the first time in their new electric £140,000 Lotus Eletre sports car - finished in Royal Claret
You can order an Eletre in a four or five-seat configuration - and we imagine the King has gone for the four-seater setup to guarantee maximum space and comfort.
As well as the usual adjustable heated seats, heated steering wheel and many other creature comforts, the Eletre has a cabin of sleek, understated class.
It was the first model to have Lotus' new Hyper OS infotainment system. The 12.6-inch OLED instrument cluster works in perfect tandem with the 15-inch centre screen and the passenger's own 12.6-inch touchscreen.
The best part of this full cockpit of tech is that the driver's cluster is so slim - it doesn't distract from driving.
The ambient lighting is incorporated in a very natural and sympathetic way, adding just enough pizzazz when needed - like pulsing light along the strip screen when the car is charging.
There's enough 'manual' feeling in the cabin as well, with the drive selector in the centre console, quick access buttons and a flat-bottomed steering wheel with flappy paddles.
I loved the sleek, super skinny 12.6-inch OLED instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, that works in perfect tandem with the other 12.6-inch screen and 15-inch screen
Sustainable interior: Lotus introduced 'Re-Fibre' with the Eletre, which is made from fashion industry waste fabric, – it feels like a mix between cotton and silk – as well as carbon neutral Alcantara and Econyl carpets made from recycled consumer waste
But it's probably the sustainable interior that attracted our environmentally-conscious monarch most - a man who, let's not forget, also owns a classic Aston Martin DB5 that runs on bioethanol fuel made of a high concentrate (85 per cent) mix of surplus English white wine and whey (a cheese-making byproduct) combined with unleaded petrol (15 per cent).
Not only is the interior impressively finished, there's a range of recycled and waste materials used.
Lotus introduced 'Re-Fibre' with the Eletre, which is made from fashion industry waste fabric and feels like a mix between cotton and silk. It also boasts carbon neutral Alcantara and Econyl carpets made from recycled consumer waste.
The other interior perk is KEF Premiun 23-speaker surround system with Dolby Atmos. You can change the settings on the info system from 'Spatial' to 'Stage' which, as the name suggests, blasts the music out as if you're front row at a show.
As the King is a big of Kylie Minogue's 1987 hit 'The Loco-Motion', perhaps he's pumping that out as he goes about his royal engagements.
There's also a 688-litre boot and a 45-litre frunk - perfect for packing for Balmoral weekends.
The Eletre has 'Lotus DNA' but is made in China as Lotus in now owned by Chinese car giant Geely
Most people have no idea what car the Eletre is when they see it. Most people think it's a Urus before doing a double take
It's little surprise to see the King's Eletre garner so much coverage since its weekend debut appearance.
This car perhaps turned more heads than any other car I can remember driving. And it's not because of the engine noise. Or because of its Esprit-esque flat nose or open-mouth grille, or that the angular aerodynamic cut outs look fantastic. Or even because of its sheer size.
It's because most people have no idea what this car is.
You can see people think 'that's a Lamborghini Urus' and then reassess as they realise it's not, it's electric and they have no idea what it is. So, it will certainly be a talking point for royal watchers.
The two-curved blade front spoiler and rear spoiler add even more drama and make it look like a crocodile - in a good way. And get the 23-inch alloys with red calipers to add extra road presence.
Don't expect it to be easy to park though - it's bigger than the vast majority of spaces.
The Eletre charges from 10-80% in just 20 minutes using a 350kW DC ultra-rapid charger. It costs between £89,990 and £139,990
While the Royal Family can afford a circa £100k car, not everyone can.
However if you're in the fortunate position where you also can treat yourself to a luxury hypercar then the pricing is as follows: £84,990 for the 600 (entry level), £89,990 for the 600 GT, £94,990 for the GT SE, £104,990 for the 600 Sport SE, £129,990 for the 900 Sport and £139,990 for the 900 Sport Carbon.
Range goes from 254 miles for 900 Sport version up to 373 for the 600 version.
The Eletre is equipped with 350kW DC Hyper-fast charging so you can load 250 miles of range in just 20 minutes while on-the-go.
