By Gloria Nosa
A Clash Between Safety and Green Ambitions
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been told he cannot rely on an armoured electric Range Rover for his official transport because the vehicle does not meet bomb-protection standards.
Despite the government’s push for a green transition and the rapid uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) across Britain, security experts and engineers have concluded that electric armoured cars cannot yet deliver the level of safety required for a head of government.
For now, this means that Starmer’s prime ministerial fleet will remain firmly in the petrol-powered category, specifically using V8-engine Range Rover Sentinels and other specialist vehicles designed to withstand both ballistic and explosive threats.
The decision is more than a personal inconvenience. It highlights the tension between environmental policy and national security needs, forcing questions about how far—and how quickly—the zero-emission agenda can realistically go when lives are at stake.
Why EVs Struggle With Armour
At the heart of the issue lies the engineering challenge of blending heavy protective armour with battery-powered drivetrains.
Armoured vehicles like the Range Rover Sentinel are fitted with:
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Ballistic-resistant glass and steel plating, designed to repel high-calibre bullets.
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Bomb blankets and reinforced flooring, meant to absorb blasts from explosives planted beneath the car.
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Emergency features, such as run-flat tyres, onboard oxygen supplies, and escape hatches.
All of these modifications add hundreds of kilograms of extra weight. In petrol or diesel cars, the trade-off is managed with larger engines that can generate the extra power needed to move quickly in an emergency.
But in an EV, the problem compounds. Batteries themselves are already extremely heavy, and when paired with armour plating, the result is a vehicle that loses range, accelerates sluggishly, and takes too long to recharge—fatal disadvantages in a high-risk scenario.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Britain’s largest carmaker, has been candid in admitting the limits. In documents released via Freedom of Information requests, JLR argued that “the required safety levels and blast protection cannot be achieved” with current EV technology.
Politics, Optics, and Global Competition
The revelation comes at an awkward moment for the government. On one hand, Starmer’s administration has reaffirmed the UK’s target to phase out sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the coming decade. On the other, the country’s most visible political leader is now confirmed to be travelling in petrol-powered convoys for the foreseeable future.
The situation also exposes a gap between British and German engineering. While JLR says its electric Range Rover Sentinel is not viable, BMW has unveiled the i7 Protection, an all-electric armoured saloon boasting reinforced floors and ceilings to withstand both roadside bombs and drone attacks.
This raises questions: is the problem unique to JLR’s designs, or does it signal a deeper structural issue with battery technology? For now, the UK government continues to source its prime ministerial fleet largely from JLR, supplemented by German-made armoured Audi A8s after Jaguar discontinued its XJ line.
Starmer himself, who visited JLR’s Solihull manufacturing plant earlier this year alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves, has championed Britain’s green industrial policy. Yet his reliance on petrol-powered vehicles is likely to fuel debate about the pace of the transition and whether security exemptions will quietly undermine the credibility of EV mandates.
The Road Ahead: Can EVs Ever Be Blast-Proof?
The clash between sustainability goals and security imperatives is unlikely to disappear. Armoured vehicles are a small but profitable niche for luxury carmakers like JLR. They serve government leaders, diplomats, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. For this market, safety trumps symbolism—and no leader can afford to compromise on bomb resistance in the name of going green.
Still, the race to develop a viable armoured EV is far from over. Advances in solid-state batteries, lighter composite armour materials, and faster charging technologies could close the gap in the coming years. If successful, the Prime Minister of the future may eventually ride in a zero-emission vehicle that also meets the highest levels of protection.
Until then, however, the message is clear: for Keir Starmer, petrol power remains the only secure option. His Range Rover Sentinels, built in Solihull and upgraded by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations, will continue to be the backbone of Downing Street’s fleet—reminders that, sometimes, security cannot wait for technology to catch up with policy.
