Aston Martin Valhalla (2026) Review: A $1 Million Plug-In Hybrid | WIRED

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Rating:9/10

Open rating explainerInformation

WIRED

Excellent design. Agile and exciting on both the road and track. Genuinely innovative engineering and aerodynamics.

TIRED

Only 9-mile EV range. No luggage space at all. Road noise is noticeably loud. Interior screens not top-shelf.

It's been quite the waiting game for Aston Martin’s first plug-in hybrid. Seven long years have gone by, as well as four CEOs, while Ferrari and Lamborghini have both delivered plug-in hybrid supercars that cost half as much as the new $1 million Valhalla. Much is riding on this car, too, as the fortunes of the celebrated British auto brand are not good. Losses in 2025 jumped more than 50 percent to exceed $650 million, and the company is cutting a fifth of its workforce to help manage costs and cut debt. Oh my.

Aston has blamed a combination of “extremely disruptive” US tariffs and “extremely subdued” Chinese demand for the current miserable state of its finances. However, a glance at the considerable losses over the past five years shows that Aston's problems clearly go way beyond President Trump's tariff playbook and China's increasingly impressive EV offerings.

Still, 999 Valhallas will be produced as a limited run, and, at a million bucks a pop, if all are sold, this should give the company some much-needed breathing room, and maybe even mark a turnaround in its fortunes.

Courtesy of Aston Martin

Ragnarok

It should sell them, too, because this supercar is superb. One of the best cars I've driven in some time. A 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine is paired with three electric motors—two on the front axle—offering up a combined output of 1,100 newton-meters (Nm) of torque and 1,064 brake horsepower. The Valhalla rockets from 0 to 62 mph in a blistering 2.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 217 mph. Active aerodynamics generate more than 600 kg of downforce at 150 mph in Race mode, with an active front wing and a rear wing that can react to drive conditions within 0.5 seconds.

Those twin front-axle e-motors mean the Valhalla boasts torque vectoring, technology that independently controls power sent to each wheel, dramatically improving cornering and traction. Reversing is handled completely by the electrics, too, as well as torque filling power gaps during combustion acceleration and gear shifts. Aston's F1 division has been heavily involved, evidenced by the additions here of Drag Reduction System (DRS) and air braking courtesy of a giant movable rear spoiler.

For the WIRED EV faithful, this is also Aston’s first car with a pure electric mode, with the 6.1-kWh liquid-cooled battery capable of delivering just 9 miles under e-motor power only. The Valhalla is basically front-wheel-drive only in this mode, not that you'd be doing the school run or shopping trips in this thing, which would be very hard considering the complete lack of trunk space.

Yes, it's a supercar, but it's also sold very much as a track and road car, one that accommodates a passenger, all of which means road trips and weekend-away stays are very much possible. Well, they would be if there were anywhere at all to store luggage. Lamborghini managed to find some luggage space in its Revuelto design, so there's no excuse here, really.

The design department otherwise has had a field day. Top-mounted exhausts, dihedral doors, and even an F1-style roof snorkel to accompany that air-braking rear wing deliver an exterior that is nothing short of arresting. Somehow, none of this looks garish or out of place on the Valhalla in person. Everything has a purpose, and nothing seems to scream as flexing or showing off. There's a cohesion to the Valhalla aesthetic that others might not manage.

Inside, it is much more comfortable than you would imagine. The one-piece carbon-fiber seats look like they are going to be tricky, but on my two-hour road drive, they were supportive and, yes, comfortable. Visibility is surprisingly good, but a camera system is required for the rear view mirror because there's no rear window. The rest of the interior is minimal, but the steering wheel is excellent (which, as Jony Ive will tell you, is no mean feat) and neatly signals some motorsport cool.

Photograph: Jeremy White

The one gripe for the interior is the dash and center screens, which are clear and responsive, and offer up the usual smartphone mirroring options, but they aren't luxurious. We're seeing a lot more effort these days with screen design from Ferrari's new Luce as well as BMW in the iX3 and i3, but here, Aston has decidedly functional, off-the-shelf-looking displays. If I were parting with a million dollars, I might want more consideration here.

Odin's Beard

On the road and track is where the Valhalla excels. Impressive doesn't come close, and, despite the delays, the p