2026 Jeep Recon Rugged Electric SUV Is Getting a Little More Real
Jeep reveals first real images of the Recon electric SUV, due on sale later this year and expected to wear a $60,000 price tag in base form or just south of that mark, prior to any incentives.
The rugged Wrangler-sized model, based on the STLA Large platform shared with the Dodge Charger Daytona and Wagoneer S, is expected to receive a 100.5-kWh battery, and offer dual-motor layout in base form.
The electric SUV, which will follow the Wagoneer S, will be Jeep's third electric model but only the second to be offered in the US.
Many of us didn't expect Europe to receive Jeep's first battery-electric model, or for an electric Wrangler to not be among the first three electric Jeeps.
But that's exactly how the automaker's EV strategy is unfolding, so at least they get points for unpredictability and for not recycling old nameplates all the time.
And instead of an electric Wrangler, we'll first have to get used to a different boxy and burly model to keep the Wagoneer S company.
Following its SuperBowl ad debut with Harrison Ford, the automaker has quietly revealed more glimpses of the Recon, which is due on sale later this year as a 2026 model.
The latest images are notable for showing off the removable doors, as well as other near-production design details that haven't been shown to date, while also giving an improved sense of scale for the new model.
After all, it's not like there's an old Recon we can compare it to.
The newly revealed images give a glimpse of its production-intent grille, which Jeep watchers might note differs quite a bit from the renderings shown in the past.
So these photos are the real deal—this is our first non-CGI look at the Recon.
Just how serious of an off-road toy the Recon will be remains to be seen.
Jeep has been aiming for a more domesticated version of the Wrangler with this upcoming EV, giving it a solid roof and slightly more conventional SUV proportions, along with greater interior space.
So it's clear it won't be as spartan as the Wrangler inside, while offering about the same footprint or a slightly larger one.
Perhaps it's easier to think of the Recon as an electric Land Rover Defender rival.
But the Recon is also getting plenty of items we've grown accustomed to on the Wrangler, including the spare mounted on a swing-open rear gate, recovery hooks front and back, off-road tires, flared wheel arches, and very short front and rear overhangs.
So the Recon will be far more useful off-road than the Wagoneer S—this much is clear—but it will still be about the size of the Wrangler when it comes to footprint.
The boxy Jeep will be underpinned by the STLA Large platform, also used by the Dodge Charger Daytona and Wagoneer S, which means it could indeed see the massive 100.5-kWh battery underneath.
We might have had more modest expectations for its battery pack to make the model more easily digestible as a Wrangler alternative, while also keeping enough space from the Wagoneer S.
But buyers these days demand range, and to take it off road it will need to cover some distance first just to get there.
Two motors instead of one seem assured in the base model, and combined the two should offer 500 hp or a little less to keep things palatable in everyday traffic, especially in winter weather.
A range rating north of the 300-mile mark also seems assured with the 100.5-kWh pack, we expect, though it's worth noting the Wagoneer S only manages 303 miles with the same battery and 600-hp motors.
Hopefully the Recon will err on the side of range rather than pure horsepower.
When it comes to price, the base Recon should land near the $60,000 mark or just below it, simply due to the cost of the battery and all the beefy hardware on board.
This will place it some modest distance away from the plusher and more road-biased Wagoneer S, while also keeping the price of entry fairly realistic.
The Wagoneer S electric SUV is barely out but it's already getting massive dealer discounts, having landed with relatively little fanfare in an uncertain EV market.
A boxy model positioned just south of it in price should be the ticket for Jeep's electric hopes in America—at least in theory.
Will the Recon do well upon its launch later this year, or are EV shoppers in this price range more interested in upscale road-biased models? Please comment below.
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