Electric Moke 2024 Review | First Drive

In the late 1950s, the British Army was on the hunt for a new lightweight vehicle that could be parachuted into deployment all over the world. The BMC was among the list of manufacturers who put forward a proposal in the form of the ‘Buckboard’, but it was ultimately unsuccessful due to its low ground clearance and tiny 848cc engine.

Despite making a raft of changes including incorporating four-wheel drive, and giving it a new name: the ‘Mini Moke’, the Army remained unimpressed and the BMC was eventually forced to rethink its plans. A lot of money had been spent on development of the Moke, so it was instead modified for civilian use.

It was launched in 1964 and quickly gained the attention of many high-profile celebrities, the likes of the Beatles, Brigitte Bardot and the Beach Boys. It garnered quite the reputation as the gateway to a glamourous coastal lifestyle. The Moke remained on the market for the best part of 30 years, appearing in four James Bond films and becoming an icon around the world, with subsequent production runs in Australia and Portugal, where the final Moke was built.

25 years later the Moke name was revived, and a new team set about rebuilding a brand that had been lost to time. After an initial production run in the Caribbean, the Moke returned to the UK as an EV, which is set to be sold all over the world, and we’ve now driven.

Before we talk about the look of the car itself, it’s worth considering what the Electric Moke is attempting to do. This is more than a reinvention of the brand; this is a continuation of an icon that was once a major influence on celebrity lifestyle. That same intention remains in this new era, and Moke has been busy collaborating with a huge list of global stars, the likes of George Russell, Henry Cavill, Madonna and Jenifer Lopez. Seeing the Moke in such glistening company is if anything more important than what the thing actually looks like.

If we may just shift Gorgeous George out of the way for a moment, the Moke is exactly as we remember it in this new electric guise. It has been made bigger in all directions so as to adhere to modern day safety regulations, but the Moke’s acquisition of European and US certificates means it can once again become a global product.

And actually, unless you parked one of these new ones alongside an original Moke the chances are you won’t even notice it’s bigger, you might even appreciate a little extra room inside. It certainly wouldn’t make for a very interesting game of spot the difference, because almost every single detail has been carried over from old to new, even the grille which is no longer needed on this electric car, has been retained to maintain the style of the original.

This is a great looking car. The tiny steel wheels still give a wonderful ‘60s feel while the angular bodywork complete with rivets and screws makes for a wonderfully reminiscent homage to the original.

When driving this car you very quickly get an idea of what’s important. It would be remiss of us to dwell too long on things like performance figures because simply put none of that really matters. It doesn't take very long for your mind to start wandering off to the Mediterranean, or perhaps the Californian coast.

What you have is a car that is designed from the ground up to bring you holiday vibes and a stress-free lifestyle. Getting from A to B is no longer the primary objective, in fact you're inclined not to consider the location of B at all, instead simply enjoying the process of getting there.

And what is perhaps unsurprising is how much fun you can have in the Moke. You could make loose comparisons to a Caterham Seven, where the sheer sense of occasion overrides anything else. The Moke is at the opposite end of the performance spectrum, but the result is no less joyful.

With the roof down you're prone to the elements, protected only by the windscreen and the roll bars that protrude over your head. The view you have of the road is unique, with those wide open sides you get a strange and slightly disconcerting sense of speed, but get used to that and you'll embrace the holiday spirit all the more.

That is, if you can forgive the Moke for some pretty eccentric driving characteristics. The steering is almost modular in feel, you turn and turn again to pile the lock on, and it took a good while to get the read on the response from the front axle. It's pretty light once you're up to speed, and actually comes into its own once you are flowing along an open road.

The brakes also take a bit of getting used to. They feel very much like how we imagine the original Moke's did, with an incredibly long pedal that isn't particularly progressive. The brakes themselves work perfectly fine out on the road, you won't have any problem stopping with traffic, but driver feel is at a premium – hit the pedal and see how much it stops.

If you were interested in the numbers, the Electric Moke's rear-wheel-drive powertrain puts out 45PS (33kW) and has a top speed of 50mph – no 0-62mph times here. Power delivery is smooth and cumbersome in the best possible way, it encourages easy progress by taking away the urge to reach for more kilowatts.

We mentioned eccentricity, nowhere is that more profound than in the driving position, which is almost comical for now. There are plans in the pipeline to address this, but for our outing in the Electric Moke we had to make do with what we had. The seats were all fixed to the floor, which meant having to contort our right leg around the steering column and ignition key (yes, the Electric Moke starts with a key) to find the pedals. Strangely, this was more a quirk than a complaint, and didn't at all hinder our ability to drive safely, and didn't actually cause any comfort issues, even for a driver in excess of six foot.

In fact, what struck us most was just how comfortable the Moke actually is. The ride is remarkable for such a simplistic machine as the seats themselves. The chassis doesn't rattle around when the surface gets a little rough either, it feels genuinely well built.

There are four seats, each with plenty of head and leg room, and there's a decent amount of storage space split between the main luggage space in the rear and a useful cubby built into the side structure next to the driver.

The juxtaposition of past and modern technology in the Electric Moke is fascinating. In terms of functionality, it's distinctly analogue with buttons and switches and long clunky stalks for the lights and wipers. Then there's the huge travel on the pedals, and the wonderfully old school dials and switches on the dash. Yet the tech underneath the '60s mask is very 2024. There's a USB port for your smartphone, which will basically be acting as your infotainment should you want it, with additional Bluetooth connectivity to the two waterproof speakers.

The lithium-ion battery for the powertrain sits under the bonnet in place of the engine; it can be charged to 100 per cent in four hours with a standard three-pin plug (80 per cent in two hours) for a 54-mile range.

Operating the pop on roof is a manageable one-person job, providing you have hardy fingers, and travelling with the roof down is really the only way to go. A synthesised sound plays from the car while you're travelling at slow speeds for alert pedestrians of your whereabouts.

It's always going to be quirky, by its very nature the Electric Moke is not intended to conform, rather absolutely nail its specific purpose which is to engage holiday mode at all times. There's a reason Moke is keen to prioritise the holiday rental business model for now, it fits perfectly.

Private sales are part of the plan, but at £35,995 they aren't priced particularly keenly, and frankly the only people who will consider that cost are those who will look to drive it from their second home in the South of France. If that is you, you absolutely need a Moke.

It's a faithful recreation of an icon, and one that does the original justice with a substantial scoop of added modernity. Making the Moke electric is the ultimate master stroke, even with all the quirks that must surely eventually be ironed out, this car is achingly cool, and a must have accessory for those with the means to flaunt it.