Rolls-Royce Ghost review

The Ghost is the smaller, less expensive Rolls-Royce four-door saloon. These things are relative though – it’s still larger and costs more than some stately homes. It sits below the Phantom in the hierarchy, and though the Cullinan SUV is arguably now the ‘entry-level’ Roller, you might presume the Ghost is somehow the poor relation, the silver medal.

But don’t. This car is an utter magnificence – in fact, it has you wondering why Rolls-Royce makes any other cars at all…

Isn’t it just a BMW 7 Series wearing a tiara?

Used to be. Not any more. The first Ghost did indeed borrow undergussets from the top-line Beemer, but for the second-gen Ghost which arrived back in 2021, Rolls-Royce put a stop to that and built the car on its AOL (Architecture of Luxury) platform. Forgive the name: it’s an aluminium spaceframe which also underpins the larger Phantom. 

If you’re exceedingly familiar with modern BMW’s you’ll spot the infotainment is a Rolls-reskinned iDrive. The key is faintly BMW. But otherwise, everything you see, taste, hear and touch is 0% Munich, 100% Goodwood. So no, it’s not a BMW with an English accent.

When was the Ghost most recently updated?

In 2025, Rolls-Royce revealed the Ghost Series II model – what regular hoipolloi calls a facelift. Slightly blockier bumpers and vertical LED running lights aped the revised Cullinan’s face – thankfully not too much. The taillights get a clearer, almost cut crystal aesthetic which apes the all-electric Spectre. 

Chiefly, the changes actually centre on one of Rolls-Royce’s most profitable success stories. There are already more spec and trim combinations than stars in the night sky (or on Rolls-Royce’s fibreoptic ‘Starlight’ headliner, and that’s been taken to even greater heights with new wood veneers and fabric made of bamboo, apparently. 

There’s better device connectivity and the dashboard doubles as a digital picture frame. More in the Interior section…

Engineering wise, Rolls-Royce left the V12 engine and suspension made from 100 per cent real clouds alone, because it realised you don’t fix what ain’t broke. You just aim to up the options spend per car, which was already around £30,000. 

So it hasn’t gone all-electric or hybrid?

Stubbornly not, with Rolls-Royce clearly aware that at the stratospheric end of the car market, buyers who are cross-shopping your cars with new private jets, mansions and pleasure cruisers don’t really care for plugging in or Eco Mode. Besides, there’s the (excellent) Spectre to cover that base.

The Ghost maintains its twin-turbo 6.75-litre V12, which is also far from a BMW leftover – in fact you can’t buy this V12 anywhere in the BMW range. It’s a Rolls-bespoke powerplant, developing a thoroughly adequate 563bhp, and a mighty 627lb of gold-plated torque at just 1,600rpm. See, you don’t need an e-motor to generate colossal, instant shove. 

And should that not be enough for sir and madam, there’s the M Division version. Only joking – Rolls would never be so gauche. But you can specify something a little more thrusting in the shape of the Ghost Black Badge – a moodier, more menacing trim with the V12 upped by 29bhp and 37lb ft. It also holds onto gears longer for brisker acceleration, and you can even adorn it with carbon fibre lashings. A shame, we reckon – save that for the commoners in their AMGs and enjoy wood veneers that belong in the Tate Modern instead. 

Often, there’s an implied inferiority about the ‘baby’ or entry-level’ or little brother to…’ model in a car’s range. A sense you’ve undercooked it, bought the imitation – the reaching, grasping, aspirational version rather than the flagship you really wanted. 

But you simply cannot level that accusation at the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Not any more. It is such a deeply complete, fabulously indulgent and well-engineered execution of the luxury motor car, you can’t imagine ever wanting for anything else. Need more room? There’s the Extended version, so you needn’t demand a Phantom. Want more ride height? Jack the seat up (lord knows there’s sufficient headroom to) and raise the suspension a jot. No need to debase yourself with the much less elegant Cullinan. 

Some people will tell you a mere car can never be worth £300k+. That’s a house-sized lump of money, after all. But to step aboard a Ghost is to realise sometimes, very rarely, a car can be worth that colossal amount of money. This is quite simply among the very best cars in the world.