The 10 slowest-depreciating SUVs

Model 4.0 TFSI V8 S | List price £197,054 | 36k/3yr resale value £137,525| Price drop £59,529 | Retained value 69.8%

The outrageous, angular Lamborghini Urus has unmistakable looks and is enormous fun to drive, thanks to its thunderous V8 engine which gives you 657bhp to play with – that's enough grunt to haul this SUV to 62mph in just 3.5sec, or 3.3sec if you go for the more extreme Performante version.

Standard-fit air suspension helps to iron out the worst lumps and bumps of UK roads, but the Urus is more fidgety than the Bentley Bentayga. Four-wheel steering helps you to place this enormous car in car parks and tight city streets, though, as well as increasing agility at higher speeds.

Inside you'll find lots of premium materials, an infotainment system that's fairly easy to get along with, and good space for your family and their luggage. Given all that, plus the appeal of the Lamborghini badge, it's no surprise that the Urus extremely desirable, which is why it retains more of its value over three years than any other SUV on sale today.

Although its hangs on to the best percentage of its original value, it's worth bearing in mind that because you're paying so much in the first place, the hit in depreciation still equates to a lot of money – you could buy a high-end Range Rover Evoque with the value the Urus will lose over three years, for example.

Read our full Lamborghini Urus review

Model G580 EQ Tech AMG Line | List price £154,870 | 36k/3yr resale value £99,800 | Price drop £55,070 | Retained value 64.4%

It's big, brash, and will cost you a lot to buy and run, but for some buyers, the Mercedes G-Class defines the top-end luxury SUV market. As often seen driving around Knightsbridge as scaling mountains or tackling deserts, the G-Class aims to blend go-anywhere ability with luxury.

There's no denying the sense of theatre you receive when driving the G-Class, and its interior looks and feels premium enough, but thanks to a lumpy ride and the fact that it handles like a supertanker, it doesn't rank among our favourite SUVs. And while your family is unlikely to complain about space on board, the G-Class doesn't do anything especially clever with its interior to make it stand out. You'll fit more luggage into the boot of a Porsche Cayenne, for example.

This version is powered by electricity, and despite weighing in at more than three tonnes, it feels pleasantly sprightly. With 579bhp and a colossal 859lb ft of torque, the G580 is powerful over any terrain – it can reach 62mph in just 4.7sec. Its 116kWh battery officially allows you to travel up to 294 miles between charges.

Read our full Mercedes G-Class review

Model 3.0 D350 X-Dynamic SE 90 3dr | List price £65,240 | 36k/3yr resale value £41,100| Price drop £24,140 | Retained value 63.0%

Unlike the previous Land Rover Defender, which was a favourite of farmers but rather fell to pieces on Tarmac, the latest model matches its prodigous off-road ability with outstanding on-road talent, resulting in a luxurious SUV that's at home no matter what surface you're driving it on – or in what conditions. 

You can have petrol or diesel power in the Defender, but it's the D350 diesel which we think will suit most buyers the best, with masses of low-down pulling power which make it ideal for towing.

Inside, drivers of all shapes and sizes will have no trouble getting comfy, because the Defender offers lots of standard adjustment for its seat and steering wheel. We like that the interior layout has been designed with ease of use in mind, with the clear digital dials and infotainment screen supplemented by chunky buttons which are easy to operate while you're wearing gloves.

Read our full Land Rover Defender review

Model 1.5 C Classic Auto | List price £29,100 | 36k/3yr resale value £17,745 | Price drop £11,625 | Retained value 60.1%

With Instagram-friendly looks and a price tag which puts it within reach of plenty of family SUV buyers, it's easy to see why the latest Mini Countryman should be a popular choice – plus, it's the cheapest car here by some margin.

It's not quite the premium product you might expect, though. The infotainment system, for example, seems to have been designed to look good rather than to operate easily, and while there's lots of colour and variety to the Countryman's interior, both the Volkswagen Tiguan and Volvo XC40 feel sturdier and show less harsh plastics. The Countryman's driving position is flawed, too, because its steering wheel is offset from the seat.

More positively, the entry-level Countryman C's 168bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine offers decent pace, meaning you don't need to spend more on the nippier 215bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine in the Countryman S. The C handles appropriately for a family SUV, too – that is to say that it's not especially exciting, but there's more grip on offer than in the Tiguan, and it stays upright through corners better than the XC40.

Read our full Mini Countryman review

Model 1.2 Hybrid 110 Icon | List price £18,540 | 36k/3yr resale value £10,975 | Price drop £7565 | Retained value 59.2%

This version of the Grande Panda swaps the electric power of the Grande Panda Electric for a 1.2-litre petrol engine. Its 0-62mph sprint time of 10 seconds is unlikely to turn many heads, but its mild hybrid technology might go some way to shortening your fuel bills – and in the face of rising costs, that's something to be grateful for.

A couple of six-foot passengers will be perfectly comfortable on the rear bench of the Panda, provided that the journey isn't too long. And you can fit more into the boot than you can in the rival Kia Stonic or Seat Arona, which is to say that a couple of your holiday suitcases are unlikely to pose much of a threat.

You'll already pay less for the Grande Panda than you would for many other small SUVs, so it's equally gratifying to see that it also holds on to its value very well. Plus, partly because it costs so little in the first place, it loses the least value of any car here.

Read our full Fiat Grande Panda review

Model T | List price £61,000 | 36k/3yr resale value £35,800 | Price drop £25,200 | Retained value 58.7%

The Macan is one of the best sports SUVs money can buy – and as its presence on this list shows, it's also a solid investment, returning more of its original value than any other key rival – including the Audi SQ5 and now-discontinued Jaguar F-Pace.

This Macan T gets the same 2.0-litre petrol engine as the entry-level car, whcih puts out 261bhp. But thanks to some extra tweaking, it can hit 62mph in 6.2sec (0.2sec fastert than the regular Macan). Like any other Macan, the T is great to thread along a country roads, helped by confidence-inspiring steering. But thanks to it being lighter than regular models, it's the most agile car in the line-up.

While fitting a third passenger onto the Macan's rear bench will be a squeeze, a couple of six-footers should find they have plenty of space to stretch out. And while the Audi Q5 or BMW X3 can, on paper, swallow more in their boots, the difference is marginal – we still managed to fit eight carry-on suitcases below the Macan's parcel shelf, which should suit the needs of most families.

Read our full Porsche Macan review

Model 3.0 D250 S | List price £76,350 | 36k/3yr resale value £44,475 | Price drop £31,875 | Retained value 58.3%

The Range Rover Sport offers many of the same benefits as its full-size Range Rover sibling – but crucially, it costs substantially less to buy, and as our data shows, will hold on to even more of its original value. Despite its size, it's surprisingly agile and easy to move around tight city streets, plus it's comfortable and spacious for your family.

While previously it was the plug-in hybrid versions of the Range Rover Sport which performed best in terms of depreciation, it's actually the diesel-engined versions which hold their value the best these days – with this entry-level D250 model doing the best of the lot.

There's no getting around the fact that you'll pay a fair amount more for the Range Rover Sport than you would for many other luxury SUV rivals, including the Audi Q8 and BMW X5, but the Land Rover will get you a larger percentage of your money back when you come to sell it than with those cars.

Read our full Range Rover Sport review

Model 1.5 Urban | List price £30,915 | 36k/3yr resale value £17,550| Price drop £13,365 | Retained value 56.8%

This former What Car? Car of the Year is holding on to its value incredibly well – especially given that it won't cost you very much to buy in the first place. Nor will it cost you much to run, because the LBX's hybrid technology should save you a bundle on your fuel bills.

The LBX is a truly class act inside, where high-quality materials dominate the surfaces you touch regularly, and the infotainment system is easy to get along with. Plus, the driving position will be sound for 99% of people – only very tall drivers might wish that the seat slid back a little further. And while you'll get slightly more into the boot of an Audi Q2 or Volkswagen T-Roc, we still managed to fit six carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf.

Entry-level Urban models come with most of your kit needs covered, including 17in alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, dual-zone climate control and keyless start. Don't forget, either, that Lexus' reliability record is nothing short of stellar.

Read our full Lexus LBX review

Model 400e 4Matic Urban Edition | List price £83,490 | 36k/3yr resale value £47,250| Price drop £36,240 | Retained value 56.6%

Odd though it may seem, this coupé-styled version of the Mercedes GLE out-performs its regular SUV-shaped sibling when it comes to depreciation, with this 400e plug-in hybrid model being the best of the line-up. With an official electric range of 69 miles, you could cover the school run, your commute, or both, without the petrol engine joining in. That's further than plug-in hybrid rivals such as the Audi Q7 TFSIe and Volvo XC90 T8 can manage.

The interior of the GLE Coupé is comfortable enough, with lots of high-end materials used on the places your hands touch regularly, and two 12.3in screens for infotainment and instrumentation which look suitably flashy.

You get plenty of active safety and assistance kit as standard, but it's worth keeping an eye on reliability, since Mercedes as a brand finished a lowly 22nd out of 31 manufacturers in our latest Reliability Survey for cars up to five years old.

Read our full Mercedes GLE Coupé review

Model 1.5 eTSI eHybrid Match | List price £44,515 | 36k/3yr resale value £24,825 | Price drop £19,690 | Retained value 55.8%

It's best to think of the new Volkswagen Tayron as being a seven-seat version of the big-selling Volkswagen Tiguan family SUV. And while taller adults will complain if you regularly stick them in the third row – larger seven-seat SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento are better bets if you regularly travel with every seat filled – it's fine for occasional use.

It's the lower-powered plug-in hybrid version we're recommending here, and with an official electric-only range of up to 76 miles between charges, there's a good chance that you'll be able to cover your weekday commute without using a drop of petrol. And when longer trips do beckon, you'll have a peppy 1.5-litre petrol engine to call in for backup.

The Tayron has a slightly firmer ride than the rival Nissan X-Trail or Peugeot 5008, but that doesn't mean you'll be jostled around in your seat, and the upside is that the Tayron controls its body movements well, settling down soon after you go over any lumps or bumps.

Read our full Volkswagen Tayron review

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