There’s an ongoing debate around off-roading in EVs. Some people see potential, and list benefits like the awesome torque electric motors can pack. Others point towards the negatives, like vehicle weight and the difficulty of rescue when someone runs out of juice.
Jeep clearly believes there’s an off-road future for EVs, which is why they’ve put so much into the new all-electric Jeep Recon. It’s the first “Trail Rated” electric vehicle to hit the market, and designed to handle rough terrain. It’s also pretty reasonably priced, and functions well as a daily driver.
I was recently invited out to California and given the opportunity to test out the new Recon. It was a pre-production build, so certain things may change by the time it hits North American dealerships.
I’d love to write something dramatic. A mountain rescue would be exciting. Or a wrong turn and a breakdown leading to a three-day survival story in an unusually arid bit of Northern California. But well-built vehicles tend to rob you of all that. Here’s what I actually experienced.
It has a good range of off-roading tools
Over 9 inches of ground clearance, AWD as standard, and 33-inch all-terrain tires cladding 18-inch rims are just a few of the features that make the new Recon all-electric a formidable off-roader.
You have an electronic locking diff at the rear, and plenty of underbody armor protecting that battery pack. Aside from the hardware, there are features like hill descent assist. These aren’t for everyone, but it is nice to have the option. Jeep’s Selec-Terrain® traction management system is also present, and allows you to easily fine-tune vehicle settings to the exact terrain you’re on.
So yes, on paper it looks like a solid off-roader. And it’s not bad on a trail either.
The Jeep Recon didn’t even need to air down
I’ve lost count of the number of press trips I’ve attended with “off-road sections.” However, it doesn’t take many trips to work out “off-road section” is a very vague term. Manufacturers tend to opt for a loop through some trees on a dirt road, and maybe a short drive through a bit of field. We’re talking about a route that shouldn’t even challenge the least off-road capable SUV on the market.
Then you have courses that actually provide some degree of challenge. The one Jeep designed essentially looped around a couple of California mountaintops, with plenty of steep gradients and tight turns. Some artificial elements were present, including a few trenches that were dug to demonstrate the degree of articulation the wheels can get. Jeep also prepared a water fording section and a rock crawl.
The two most challenging non-artificial parts involved a pretty steep climb over rocks and a rocky descent through the trees towards the end of the trail. The Recon All Electric handled the entire course without issue.
For the sake of honesty, there was one snag. At the time of the drive, California was going through a severe drought, which led to the approach to the prepared rock crawl degrading severely after a couple of hours of use. The dirt was torn up into a deep layer of silt that the Jeep would just sink into. A side-by-side could’ve handled it, but pretty much any SUV is sinking in that. I’d imagine that you could still get on the rock crawl if you had a winch (which the Recon does not have) and something to attach the winch to (which the course did not have).
It’s worth noting that the vehicle’s tires were close to fully inflated too, which can’t have helped with the loose terrain or rock-crawling sections. However, the fact you can do a somewhat challenging off-road section without airing down is very impressive in itself.
Beyond that, the course was difficult enough to actually have a failure point, which says a lot about the confidence Jeep has in the new Recon. I’m quite impressed by the 2026 Recon All-Electric’s off-roading capability.
There are some positives to off-roading with an EV
There is still a bit of ongoing debate about off-roading EVs. A lot of that centers around the fact you’re basically driving across a load of hard, sharp, and jagged things while sitting on top of a battery which will catch fire if punctured.
Jeep has solved this issue by heavily armoring the underneath of the vehicle. So even if it comes down on the pointy tip of a large jutting rock, you should be fine.
What it doesn’t have is a mechanical differential, which completely changes how you approach an off-road route. Normally, every line you take has to take a large metal box dangling in the middle of your rear-axle into account. Because if you break that box, you’re probably going to be stranded.
It has an electric locking differential instead, there’s nothing there to catch omn a rock. While deeply embedded off-roading trauma will still have you wincing at every clang, you aren’t actually going to get into trouble. So in most cases, the electric Recon is easier to off-road with than its ICE counterpart.
The Jeep Recon’s cameras can be handy on tough terrain
It was here that I discovered a bit of an issue. It’s either a pre-production flaw or a quirk by design, but if you access the forward-facing camera via the camera menu, it detects the rock or whatever you’re trying to roll over with the parking sensor and immediately switches you to the top-down view.
While the top-down view is ideal for parking in a city, its lack of wheel markers makes it far less suitable than the trail cam when off-roading. Still, this is something that can be fixed with a quick update and even without that it’s a problem you can apparently work around by selecting that camera from the off-road menu.
You can have the full Jeep experience, or something more refined
If you picture a Jeep in your mind for a second, there’s every chance it won’t have doors. This is a very Jeep thing, and a core part of the company’s heritage. De-dooring a Jeep is far easier with the all-electric Recon than it has been with anything previously. You can take the doors off in a few minutes and without any tools.
The same applies to the vehicle’s rear glass, which has a slot within the vehicle so you can keep it with you and in good condition. The doors have no such slot, so you should be sure of where you’re going and the weather before removing them for the day.
I had the doors on, and the part of California I tested the Recon All Electric in was still dry enough to fill the vehicle with a fine dust. Who knows how bad it would be if I attempted that off-road course door free. To me, it would be one of those things where you’re finding a bit of dust or grit under a seam or behind a panel 15 years later.
The Recon is fast, but no sports car
Jeep is being pretty ambitious with the new Recon. During the pre-test presentation, the company highlighted how it’s the fastest Jeep from 0-60 ever, and functions as a sports car as well as a utility vehicle and trail rated off-roader.
I can attest to the fact it’s quick in a straight line. But it handles like a Jeep, which is the polar opposite of a sports car. While certain off-road courses can have gnarly sections, taking that Jeep down a winding Northern California road was definitely the most intense thing I did that day. I was within the speed limit and trying to keep up with a chap on a motorcycle. And it was there that I became very aware of the vehicle’s weight, and ride height, and the amount of body roll it had, and the Miata right behind me which was having a great time.
This isn’t a criticism. I can be harsh from time to time, but I don’t expect Jeep to somehow break the laws of physics. Everything in life is ultimately about compromises and tradeoffs. Just as you have to choose between corrosion resistance, edge retention, and durability when picking a knife, you’re stuck choosing between off-roading ability and “sportiness” when it comes to vehicles.
I’m also pleased Jeep did take advantage of the EV platform and give the Jeep a sub-four-second 0-60 time too. Yeah, you shouldn’t be getting the hammer down on a winding back road in white trousers. But in terms of day-to-day practicality that instant burst of speed is amazing when you’re merging onto a highway, overtaking, or pulling out into a gap.
Has the Jeep Recon sold me on electric off-roading?
In my admittedly brief experience the 2026 Jeep Recon proved to be a surprisingly capable off-road vehicle. It’s only actual issues are the same problems all EVs have when they head off-road.
First, there’s weight. Heavier vehicles are more likely to get bogged down on certain terrains. Then there’s what happens if your batteries run out. You can’t just store emergency fuel or have a friend show up with a couple of jerry cans. You need a friend to show up with a couple of jerry cans and a generator, then you’ll both be spending a few hours staring at a tree while the battery recharges.
On the flip side, if you plan properly you aren’t going to run out of juice. There’s also enough room in the back for you to pack your own generator if you’re really worried, and while an EV will use more charge off-roading than it does on the tarmac it is far more efficient on rough terrain than an ICE equivalent.
So what’s the verdict? The 2026 Jeep Recon has impressed me, but I still wouldn’t buy an EV specifically for off-roading. But, if I bought a Recon as a daily driver I wouldn’t hesitate to take it down a trail or two.
As things stand, the Moab trim is the only Recon All Electric available and it starts at $66,995. Just as with other models, Jeep is planning to roll more trims out at different price points as time goes on. Some trims will likely have a more premium feel, while others could push the vehicle closet to the $50,000 sweet spot manufacturers like Lucid, Rivian, and BMW seem to be chasing.
