Introduction
What Car? says...
The Range Rover Velar has a pretty odd name for a large SUV (or any type of car, really). Believe it or not, it’s not the result of Land Rover's brand experts playing with Scrabble letters over a few glasses of wine – there’s a history to it.
You see, when Land Rover developed the original Range Rover at the end of the Sixties, the firm wanted to conceal the model's identity, so it called it Velar, from the Latin word 'velare', meaning to cover or hide. This latest Velar inherited the name, but with its stylish coupe roof, it does little to hide from the crowd.
Our road testers have driven the Range Rover Velar, rating it in all the important areas, and over the next few pages of this review, we’ll tell you all about its performance, handling, reliability, practicality and more. We'll also let you know which engine and trim are best.
If you've already been seduced by the Velar's sleek lines, or have another model in mind, you can find some of the best savings by searching our free What Car? New Car Deals pages. It's a good place to find the best new large SUV deals.
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Used Range Rover Velar buying guide >>
FAQs
Not particularly. Land Rover came second from bottom out of 30 brands featured in the 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey (only Fiat did worse). Indeed, the manufacturer has consistently produced some of the least reliable cars on the road. Focusing specifically on the luxury SUV class, only other Land Rover models – including the Discovery and Range Rover Sport – were found to be less dependable than the Velar. Read more here
You can’t buy an electric car version of the Range Rover Velar, but there is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model called the P400e. Officially, this can do up to 33 miles on battery power alone, and it’s surprisingly fast when its powerful petrol engine is helping out. Most of the other engines in the Velar range have mild-hybrid technology. This brings small fuel economy benefits but there’s no option to drive along using only battery power. Read more here
It depends. We reckon the Range Rover Velar D200 is the pick for those buying outright or signing up to a finance agreement. Performance is perfectly adequate and the 2.0-litre diesel engine is relatively quiet. If you’re a company car driver, it’s hard to look past the P400e PHEV model because of its low benefit-in-kind tax rate. Either way, we reckon S trim (plus a few choice options) makes the most sense. Read more here
HSE is the most luxurious trim level in the Range Rover Velar line-up and comes with more standard equipment than SE. Even SE cars come with loads of kit, though, including 20in alloy wheels, electrically adjustable leather seats and adaptive cruise control. HSE adds even bigger (21in) wheels, massaging front seats and some additional safety aids. If you’ve got one eye on value for money, we’d go for the cheaper S trim and add a few options. Read more here
All Range Rover Velars have a 10in touchscreen that controls the main infotainment functions plus a second 10in screen just below it that can display some useful information, such as the music you’re listening to. The Audi Q7 and BMW X5 both have better systems, but the Velar’s is perfectly good and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring as standard. Read more here
You’ll get a big boot if you go for a regular petrol or diesel Range Rover Velar – bigger than in the rival Audi Q8. We managed to fit an impressive 10 carry-on cases below the parcel shelf. Luggage space is reduced in the P400e plug-in hybrid model – blame the drive battery under the floor – but not by enough to put off most buyers. Read more here
| RRP price range | £54,105 - £80,030 |
|---|---|
| Number of trims (see all) | 4 |
| Number of engines (see all) | 5 |
| Available fuel types (which is best for you?) | hybrid, diesel, petrol |
| MPG range across all versions | 152 - 43.7 |
| Available doors options | 5 |
| Warranty | 3 years / No mileage cap |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £906 / £5,754 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £1,811 / £11,508 |
| Available colours |
