Bentley's first electric car has broken cover, as test prototypes hit public roads in preparation for an unveiling next year.

Pitched as "the world's first true luxury urban SUV", the unnamed new model will be the shortest Bentley yet, at less than five metres long, and will slot in underneath the Bentayga. It is due to be revealed in the middle of 2026, ahead of customer deliveries getting under way in the second quarter of 2027.

These new images show the SUV's production bodywork for the first time, demonstrating the influence of Bentley's new brand-shaping EXP 15 concept in its monolithic surfacing, bluff proportions and relatively low-slung silhouette.

Bentley hasn't yet confirmed any technical details of the new concept, but it will be based on a version of the Porsche-and-Audi-developed PPE EV platform and as such is expected to be closely related to the Porsche Cayenne Electric.

The new Cayenne is offered exclusively with dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrains putting out between 400bhp in the base car and 805bhp in the top-rung variant (rising to nearly 1000bhp with launch control). A 108kWh battery is estimated to supply a range of up to 373 miles in the most efficient variant and can be charged at up to 400kW.

There has been no confirmation of how closely related the two cars will be, but at just under 5.0m long, the Cayenne Electric is expected to be almost exactly the same size as the electric Bentley, suggesting scope for close collaboration.

The 'urban SUV' has been spotted the day after Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser told Autocar that a substantial reorganisation of sibling brand Porsche's EV plans will have an impact at Crewe as well.

Walliser said Bentley still plans to launch a new plug-in hybrid or fully electric car every year from 2026, beginning with the urban SUV, but will pursue a balanced powertrain mix to cater to slow premium EV demand over the coming years.

“There is a dip in demand for luxury electric vehicles, and customer demand is not yet strong enough to support an all-electric strategy. The luxury market is a lot different today than when we announced [our] Beyond100 [plan]," he said.

"Electrification is still our goal, but we need to take our customers with us."

The move is likely to mean the current Bentayga, Continental GT and Flying Spur will once again offer pure-petrol powertrain options in certain markets, having been planned to go PHEV-only. The new model, though, will be exclusively electric - with the slightly larger Bentayga continuing to serve as Bentley's sole ICE SUV offering.