Bentley’s first electric car may be called Barnato
Bentley is preparing to unveil its first fully electric model in the second half of 2026, and trademark filings in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom point to one name in particular, Barnato. It would be a deliberate choice. The name ties Bentley’s new luxury electric SUV to the legacy of Woolf Barnato at a moment when the Crewe brand is stretching its full electrification target to 2035, yet still wants its first battery powered model to arrive with weight, character and a sense of lineage.
Bentley has not officially confirmed the name, but the clues all point in the same direction. According to several reports, the company filed a trademark application for Barnato on 20 August 2025, covering not only vehicles but also charging accessories related to electric cars. Reports also note that Bentley filed for the Barnato name in the European Union and the United Kingdom, even though Torcal continues to circulate as an alternative. The timing only strengthens the theory. Bentley wants to reveal its first EV before the end of 2026, and the model is expected to appear in the second half of that year.
The name itself carries real substance. Woolf Barnato invested in Bentley Motors in 1926, pulled the company out of financial trouble and later became chairman. He also grew into one of the defining figures of Bentley’s golden age, winning Le Mans in a Bentley in 1928, 1929 and 1930, then sealing his legend with the famous Blue Train challenge. Bentley’s current EXP 15 concept already draws clear inspiration from the 1930s Blue Train Speed Six, which suggests the brand has already started weaving the Barnato story into its electric future.
The positioning of the car points in the same direction. Bentley does not appear to be building a simple electric replacement for the Bentayga. Under its official Beyond100+ strategy, the first Bentley BEV will arrive in 2026 as what the company calls a true luxury urban SUV. It will be designed and built in Crewe, and Bentley sees it as the opening act in a new product cycle. Taken together, reports from Reuters, Autocar and Motor1 suggest the model will sit below the Bentayga, use the Volkswagen Group’s PPE architecture and remain electric only. Walliser has already ruled out both an internal combustion version and a plug in hybrid derivative, making it clear that Bentley wants to attract a new audience without blurring the Bentayga’s role.
That makes the name even more important. Bentley needs its debut EV to carry more than technical credibility. It needs emotional authority too. The brand has pushed its full electrification target back to 2035, will continue with plug in hybrids in the meantime and, according to Car and Driver, does not plan to launch a second fully electric model before 2030. At the same time, the business is operating in a harsher market. Bentley reported revenue of €2.6 billion in 2025 and an operating profit of €216 million, while deliveries fell by five per cent, largely because demand in China weakened. The Guardian adds pressure from United States tariffs, currency effects and internal restructuring. In that climate, Barnato would do more than name a car. It would anchor a technological pivot in Bentley’s most valuable asset, its heritage.
That is why this looks less like a model change and more like an identity move. If Crewe confirms Barnato as the name, Bentley will frame its first electric car as a symbol of continuity, racing pedigree and innovation, all at once. It is a neat way of telling buyers that an electric Bentley should still mean what the marque’s great names always meant. In the luxury market, where hesitation around electrification still lingers, that may be the smartest story Bentley can tell.
