Every so often, a British car arrives that changes how people see a brand, and sometimes how they see British cars altogether. The Mini did it in 1959, the E-Type did it in 1961 and the Range Rover did it in 1970. After seeing the Jaguar Type 01 revealed last night, we think there's a real chance it joins that list.
Update your garage so we can let you know when your tax and MOT expires. You'll automatically be entered into a draw to win a £500 Smyths Toys voucher.* Tap here.
That's a big claim for a car that has divided opinion from the moment the Type 00 concept appeared in pink two years ago. But landmark cars rarely please everyone at first. The ones that matter tend to make people stop and argue, and the Type 01 has certainly done that.
Why the Jaguar Type 01 could be a landmark car
The Type 01 is a large four-door electric grand tourer with a long bonnet that deliberately echoes the E-Type, a low roofline and the kind of road presence you'd normally expect from a Bentley. It's the first car of Jaguar's all-electric future, and it arrives after the brand stopped selling its old range in the UK in late 2024, which means a great deal is riding on it.
What makes it feel significant is the scale of the reset. Alongside a new model, Jaguar has torn up its logo, its range, its price point and its customer base in one go, and the Type 01 is the first chance anyone has had to judge whether that was worth it. For a British brand with more than a century of history, that's about as bold as it gets.
We backed Jaguar's rebrand early, at a time when most of its own customers didn't. When the new direction was first announced, a Regit poll of 1,000 Jaguar owners found more than 80% were against it. Nearly two years on, Jaguar says more than 50,000 people have registered interest in the Type 01 and 78% of them have never owned a Jaguar before. That's the clearest sign yet that the gamble on a new audience is starting to work.
Why was the Jaguar Type 01 launched in New York?
The Type 01 was revealed at a glamorous event in New York, following the Type 00 concept's debut in Miami in 2024, and we can't help picturing how it might have looked closer to home. Imagine it unveiled in the shadow of Big Ben, or rolling across Tower Bridge with the City lit up behind it. For a car that so openly borrows from the E-Type, from a brand whose story runs through Coventry, Le Mans and the Swinging Sixties, that would have been a proud moment for British motoring and one hell of a photo.
The business logic is easy enough to follow. The US is a huge market for luxury cars, the sort of buyers Jaguar now wants are well represented there, and a New York launch with Florence Pugh among the guests guarantees global attention in a way a British event might not. It's also fair to point out that the E-Type itself was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, so revealing a great British car abroad is nothing new.
Even so, the choice of New York feels like part of a wider pattern. Jaguar wants to be seen as a global luxury brand first and a British one second, and we'd love to see it make a little more of one of the strongest cards it holds.
Is Jaguar losing its Britishness?
The rebrand has always pointed this way. The leaping cat was redesigned, the classic typography was replaced and the launch campaign featured models and colour rather than cars, all aimed at a younger, wealthier audience that may not care much about Jaguar's past. With two US reveals in a row, the Britishness that once defined the brand is clearly being dialled down.
We understand why. Jaguar's traditional buyers were getting older and fewer, and sales had fallen to 26,862 cars in the 2024/25 financial year, down 85% on 2018, so standing still was never an option. But heritage is one thing rivals like BMW, Mercedes and the fast-growing Chinese luxury brands can't buy, and the Type 01's E-Type-inspired bonnet shows Jaguar knows that too. We'd like to see it tell its British story a little more loudly.
Jaguar Type 01 price and specs
The Type 01 starts at £130,000 in the UK, which puts it up against Bentley and the most expensive models from Porsche and Mercedes-AMG. Jaguar says its three electric motors produce around 1,000bhp and claims 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds, while JLR quotes a range of up to 320 miles at sustained motorway speeds, with official UK figures still to come. Orders are due to open in the coming months, with the first cars expected next year, and you can find more on the interior and technology in our Jaguar Type 01 preview.
Our verdict
We think the Type 01 is a stunning car and a brave one, and we're backing it to succeed. It looks like nothing else on the road, it has the performance to match its price and it gives Jaguar something it hasn't had for years, a car people can't stop talking about.
Our one reservation is the brand direction around it. A car this clearly inspired by the E-Type deserved a launch that celebrated where it came from as well as where it's going. If Jaguar can get the balance right between its new, younger audience and the British heritage that makes it special, the Type 01 could well be remembered as the car that saved one of Britain's great motoring names.
*Competition closes on 15th December 2026 at 11.59pm. Update your garage by adding a new vehicle or updating the due date of either your; MOT, tax, insurance, breakdown, service or warranty. You'll be entered into the draw automatically. One winner selected at random on 16th December 2026. The competition winner has 24 hours to claim their prize before it's rolled down.