01
How to start it
Step on the brake, press the small START/STOP button on the right side of the steering column. The V12 starts with no audible cue — you'll only know by the Power Reserve dial lifting off zero.
Spectre
CuratedCurated
The 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre combines Dual-Motor Electric with AWD. Its catalog figures are 577 hp, 6,559 lb, and a price near $423K. The catalog lists 0–60 mph in 4.4 seconds and a 155 mph top speed.
Research links
Trims
Choose a trim · 2 available
Tap a trim to open its full page — specs, features, build configurator and a maintenance schedule tailored to that trim.
Features
What this car offers
Safety & driver assistance
- Active cruise
- Lane departure
- Night vision
- 8 airbags
Performance hardware
- Performance brake package
- Launch control
- Adaptive / magnetorheological dampers
- Torque-vectoring AWD
- Multiple drive modes (Comfort / Sport / Track)
Cabin & technology
- Digital instrument cluster
- Sport upholstery
- Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
- Over-the-air software updates
- Premium audio system
- Heated and cooled seats
Safety rating
5/ 5
Value score
7.4/ 10
Performance, build, and ownership-cost composite.
Overview
About the Rolls-Royce Spectre
Rolls-Royce claims electrification was always the destination, and cites Charles Rolls predicting in 1900 that electric cars would be noiseless and clean but limited by charging. The Spectre is the company acting on that a century later, and it makes more sense than any other luxury EV.
The technical decisions are unusual. Rolls-Royce didn't chase acceleration or range records; it built the pack into the aluminium spaceframe as a structural and acoustic element, using it as roughly 1,500 lb of sound insulation, which makes the Spectre the quietest car the company has ever produced. Output is 577 hp, and 0–60 mph takes a leisurely-by-EV-standards 4.4 seconds, delivered as a single uninterrupted swell rather than a shove.
The chassis hardware is the flagship's: Planar suspension with a stereo camera reading the road, dampers that can decouple the anti-roll bars so each wheel works independently over broken surfaces, and four-wheel steering. It weighs around 6,500 lb and disguises it completely.
The body is the widest use of the coach-door two-door format since the Phantom Coupé, with the largest single doors fitted to any modern car — nearly 5 feet each, power-closing because nobody could shut them otherwise.
Its position is unopposed: there is no other ultra-luxury electric coupé. The Spectre's real achievement is that silent propulsion turns out to suit Rolls-Royce better than a V12 ever did.
How to use
Owner's walkthrough
Practical guide for everything a new owner asks on day one — starting the car, finding the gear selector, drive modes, infotainment, driver aids, and easy-to-miss features.
02
Where the gear selector is (and how to use it)
Slim column stalk on the right of the steering column — silent click up for R, down for D, push the end for P. Wipers live on the left stalk.
03
Drive modes
Drive modes are accessed via (no drive-mode selector — Rolls hides it; the car self-adapts). Available modes typically include Auto. Each mode reshuffles throttle mapping, steering weight, adaptive dampers (if equipped), exhaust valves, and stability-control thresholds. On performance trims, an 'Individual' or 'Custom' slot lets you save your favorite combination so you can recall it with one click instead of nesting through menus.
04
Cluster & head-up display
The driver display is a 12.3-inch digital cluster (Power Reserve dial, not RPM). Use the steering-wheel left thumb-pad to cycle layouts (Classic, Sport, Navigation, Minimal). When in Sport / Track mode the cluster automatically swaps to a wide tach with gear indicator and tire-temperature readout. The head-up display brightness, height, and content are configured from Settings → Displays → HUD.
05
Infotainment & voice control
Infotainment runs on Spirit 2.0 with bespoke graphics. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard; pair from Settings → Connections the first time, then it auto-connects whenever your phone is in range. "Hey Spirit" wakes the in-car assistant for nav, climate, calls, and messaging without touching the screen. The main display also hosts vehicle-specific apps: tire pressures, performance data recorder (where fitted), drive-mode customizer, and the camera views.
06
Driver assistance
Standard driver aids include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Toggle each system individually from the driver-assist menu (steering-wheel left-pad → Assistance). Highway-driving assist (hands-off in marked lanes on supported roads), automatic lane-change on indicator tap, traffic-jam assist for stop-and-go, and a 360° surround camera with transparent-hood mode are all available and worth enabling for the first time before driving in heavy traffic.
07
Charging
DC fast-charging happens through the CCS1 (or NACS, for newer 2025+ US-market models) port. Plug in, the car negotiates power automatically — typical 10–80% takes 18–28 minutes on a 350 kW charger. Level-2 home charging via J1772 covers a full charge overnight (8–11 hours). The car app schedules charging during cheap off-peak hours and pre-conditions the cabin while still plugged in so you don't drain range warming up.
08
Keys & phone-as-key
Beyond the physical key, this car supports Rolls-Royce Connected key. Set up phone-as-key from the Whispers (owners-only) / Connected app: it provisions a secure credential to your phone's wallet so a tap on the door handle unlocks the car and placing the phone on the wireless charging pad authorizes ignition. You can also share temporary keys to family members (with optional speed and area limits on performance trims) directly from the app.
09
First-week tips & easy-to-miss features
A few things every new owner tells us they wish they'd known on day one:
- Enable one-pedal driving in the dynamics menu — once you adapt (about 30 minutes), you'll rarely touch the brake in town and regen does the slowing.
- Pre-condition the battery before fast-charging by entering the charger in nav — the car warms the pack for full-speed charging.
- Download the brand app (Whispers (owners-only) / Connected) and pair it with your VIN before your first long trip — remote climate, charging/fuel-level checks, and remote lock-status save you walking back to the garage in winter.