Range Rover Velar review

While it might look like a result of branding experts playing with Scrabble letters over a few drinks, the Range Rover Velar’s name actually has a lot of history behind it. You see, when Land Rover was developing the original Range Rover, it gave it the codename Velar, derived from the Latin word "velare", which means to cover or hide. 

So, what is it? Well, put simply, the Velar is a five-seat SUV that fills the sizeable price gap between the smaller Range Rover Evoque and the bigger Range Rover Sport. And while it's the most road-biased Land Rover yet, it's still very capable off-road.

Range Rover Velar video review

In 2024, the Velar received upgrades to its interior and a bigger battery for its plug-in hybrid option. But are those changes enough to get the Velar ahead of rivals including the Audi Q5, BMW X6, Mercedes GLC Coupé and the petrol Porsche Macan?

In this review, we’ll learn how it stacks up for everything from performance to practicality, and comfort to costs. 

What’s new?

- September 2020 - P400e plug-in hybrid (PHEV) introduced – offering 33-mile official range
- April 2022 - High-performance Velar HST introduced – available with P400e or D300 engine, 21in black alloy wheels and air suspension
- February 2023 - Minor styling tweaks, larger 19.2kWh battery fitted to P400e for 40-mile official EV range, pixel LED headlights added, 11.4in curved glass touchscreen introduced, Active Noise Cancellation introduced as an option

The fastest Range Rover Velar is the P400e plug-in hybrid (PHEV), which is capable of 0-60mph in 5.1sec, with engine and electric motor working together. Performance is slightly more sedate in electric mode, but it’ll easily get you up to motorway speeds and can officially run for up to 39 miles on a single charge. 

If you want effortless performance without having to worry about charging up, consider the 296bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel (D300), which can officially manage 0-60mph in 6.1sec. It pulls more than hard enough from low revs and you’ll never struggle for oomph.

Our recommended engine, though, is the cheaper D200 four-cylinder diesel. It’s just over a second slower to 60mph than the D300, but it’s still strong enough for fuss-free acceleration. There's also a six-cylinder P400 petrol option promising similar pace to the PHEV but we've yet to drive that.

The Velar is a fairly versatile towing car: the D200 can pull 2,400kg, with the D300 and P400 upping that to 2,500kg. The P400e manages 2,000kg.

The Velar's standard non-adaptive suspension is softly sprung, and delivers a more supple ride than you get in a Porsche Macan on standard springs. As a result, it deals with bigger lumps and bumps well, but pockmarked surfaces still cause it to fidget if you’ve picked the bigger, flashier 21in wheels.

If you want the cushiest ride, you should go for the optional air suspension, which is available on all versions except the P400e and allows you to adapt the Velar to suit your mood or the terrain.

In Comfort mode, the air suspension copes better with big wheels than the standard set-up does, although there is still a slight thud through potholes and some floatiness over undulations at motorway speeds. Dynamic mode makes the ride more settled.

Range Rovers have never been known for pin-sharp handling or delicate levels of driver feedback, and the Velar doesn't change that, but that’s not to say it handles badly. Around town, its light steering makes life easy, yet it offers enough precision on faster roads to let you place the car's nose where you want it.

Still, you can't get away from the fact that the Velar feels heavier and less agile than many of its rivals. Whichever suspension set-up you go for, the Velar leans more than a BMW X6 or petrol Porsche Macan, although if you switch air-sprung Velars into Dynamic mode, the gap isn't as big.

Mind you, the Velar is far more impressive off road than all its rivals, especially with air suspension fitted. Indeed, with the right setting selected, it’ll scramble up steep, rocky slopes with surprising ease, and its hill-descent control system helps you come safely down the other side. The Velar's official wading depth is 53cm on standard suspension and 58cm with air suspension.

The Velar P400e’s four-cylinder petrol engine sounds more hot hatch than SUV when worked hard, but it settles into the background most of the time and switches between electric and petrol power smoothly.

As for the diesels, the D300 is hushed at low engine speeds, transmits next to no vibration through the controls, and only becomes vocal when you have your foot down. Impressively, it’s a bit more refined than the equivalent BMW diesel, and challenges the Audi offering too. The D200 is pleasantly hushed too, but its engine transmits more resonance into the car than the D300 unit.

An eight-speed automatic gearbox is standard on all models but can be laggy when you want a burst of pace. That said, the more expensive Audi Q8 has an even more dim-witted auto gearbox. Switching the gearbox into Sport mode sharpens its responses and makes it slightly snappier to react. If you really get frustrated, you can take control of gear changes yourself using the steering-wheel mounted paddles.

The Velar’s motorway manners are pretty good. Road noise is well contained at speed, and while there is some wind flutter around its big door mirrors, it’s still quieter overall than the petrol Macan. That said, the Velar does generate a noticeable amount of suspension noise around town.

“A 39-mile official electric-only range isn’t terrible, but a plug-in hybrid version of the BMW X5 would likely travel twice as far on electric power in the real world. I find the smooth diesel options in the Velar are the easiest engines to recommend in the line-up.” – Doug Revolta, Head of Video

Even in entry-level S spec, the Range Rover Velar has 14-way electrically adjustable front seats (including fine-tuning for the lumbar region) that are heated and remain comfortable for hours.

Less impressively, Land Rover has removed the Velar's simple rotary climate controls as part of the car's mid-life refresh. Now you have to use the infotainment touchscreen, which is far more distracting to do on the move.

In all Velars, there's a 12.3in digital driver's display instead of traditional analogue dials. It’s clear and puts lots of information just in front of the driver, although it’s not as easy to configure as the Virtual Cockpit system in the Audi Q5.

Thanks to the Velar’s lofty driving position, the driver's view straight out of the front and to the sides is good. The wide windscreen pillars can obscure your vision slightly at junctions, though, and seeing out of the back could also be easier, because the rear window is small.

Fortunately, all Velars come with front and rear parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera. If you're really worried about parking, a park-assist system that will find a space and steer you into it is optional.

Entry-level S models get LED headlights with high-beam assist as standard to allow you to keep them set to main beam without dazzling other drivers. On top-spec Autobiography cars they're upgraded to pixel LED lights, also with high-beam assist.

Previous versions of the Velar had two 10.0in touchscreens, but the latest model has one 11.4in screen with smart-looking graphics and menus that prove easy enough to navigate once you're used to them.

That said, it would be easier to operate the infotainment system functions without taking your eyes off the road if you also had a rotary scroll dial and proper shortcut buttons, as you do in a BMW X6.

You can bypass the Land Rover software using Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity. Among other things, they let you use Google Maps or Waze sat-nav apps instead of the built-in sat-nav.

The main areas you look at and interact with in the Velar are suitably stylish, and the higher-spec models have plenty of soft leather on the dashboard and door tops.

Even basic trims are fitted with leather seats and, in the main, Velars feel sturdily put together, although they're not quite as consistently robust as the Audi Q8 or the BMW X6. If you poke around a bit, you’ll find plastics that feel a little flimsy and some panel gaps.

“When I’m behind the wheel of the Velar I feel like I’m sitting in a big, plush SUV, which is precisely what you want when you’re spending this sort of money.” – Doug Revolta, Head of Video

The Range Rover Velar is a big car, so front space is generous. There’s plenty of head room and the seats go back a long way to accommodate taller drivers, with a wide gap between them so you won’t be rubbing shoulders with your passenger when you both use the split centre armrests.

There are lots of storage spaces dotted around. The door bins can each take a 500ml bottle and a few oddments, and the cupholders behind the gear selector are a healthy size.

Passengers in the back seats of the Velar are unlikely to complain about head room: even with a panoramic glass roof fitted, six-footers will have plenty.

Leg room isn’t quite so generous. A six-footer can fit behind an equally tall driver, but they will have precious little space between their knees and the back of the front seat. The petrol Porsche Macan is tighter in the back while the Audi Q8 and BMW X6 are roomier.

If you try to fit three people in the rear of the Velar, the middle passenger has to straddle a sizeable hump in the floor. There's also limited elbow room and the middle seat is particularly narrow. The rear door bins are smaller than those in the front, but still useful.

Like the driver's seat, the front passenger seat features 14-way electric adjustment as standard.

All Velars have a handy 40/20/40 split rear bench so you can carry long items, such as skis or a ladder, between two passengers. A sliding rear bench – like the one you get in the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC90 – isn’t available in the Velar, though.

We recommend adding the optional release handles, which are mounted on the sides of the boot, to drop the rear seatbacks. It’s a bit cheeky that Land Rover charges extra for them on such an expensive car, but they do save you having to walk round and open the rear doors to drop the rear seats.

The Velar’s boot space is a lot more usable than rivals' – even the Audi Q8’s. We managed to fit 10 carry-on suitcases inside, compared with eight in the Q8. That said, the PHEV version (the P400e) has a slightly smaller boot because of the big battery under the floor.

The bottom of the Velar's tailgate opening is quite high off the ground, which is something to bear in mind when you need to lift things up and into the boot, but at least there isn't a lip at the entrance with a big drop down to the boot floor behind it. Air-sprung models can be made to lower when you park, aiding access.

A powered tailgate is standard, plus you get a few hooks in the boot, and several partition and storage options are available.

“The Velar has a great boot. Granted, the plug-in hybrid version has about 50 litres less overall capacity than the rest of the line-up, but I could still fit in eight carry-on suitcases in the back, which is the same you’d get in a Q8.” – Doug Revolta, Head of Video

If you avoid the petrol-powered non-PHEV versions, running costs for the Range Rover Velar shouldn't be too painful. The D200 diesel has the best official fuel economy – aside from the P400e PHEV's optimistic figure of 169mpg (expect around 25mpg when the battery is depleted). The far punchier D300 is capable of more than 30mpg when driven sensibly.

The P400e, by the way, can accept a CCS fast charge, meaning 0-80% charge in half an hour at a fast public charger – not something all plug-in hybrids can manage. Meanwhile, on a home charger, 0-100% will take two and a half hours. 

The P400e will be the best company car choice, sitting in a lower BIK tax bracket than other versions. Its high list price, however, means that private buyers will be better off with one of the entry-level engines, like our favourite D200. It’s quite a bit cheaper than most of its rivals, including the Audi Q8 and BMW X6 – partly because most competitors offer only bigger six-cylinder diesel engines. 

Even entry-level S trim gives you 19in alloys, adaptive cruise control, automatic headlights and windscreen wipers, keyless entry, ambient interior lighting, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control, heated washer jets, a heated windscreen and a heated steering wheel.

Unless you want one of the more powerful engines, we don’t think it’s worth stepping up to Dynamic SE or above. If you did, however, Dynamic SE adds 20in alloys, an upgraded Meridian sound system, sportier exterior styling and blindspot monitoring. 

Top-spec Autobiography, meanwhile, comes with everything you could ever want, including even larger 21in wheels, a sliding panoramic roof, bespoke exterior styling, a Meridian 3D sound system, even more adjustable front seats, an upgraded adaptive cruise control system, electronic air suspension and additional off-road modes. 

In the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, Land Rover finished fifth from bottom out of 31 manufacturers included, and below all of its rivals. The Velar itself did even worse, placing third from bottom in the large SUV class.

So what’s your back-up? Well, the standard warranty is three years, with no mileage limit, and you might want to consider extending that if you’re keeping the car for longer. Make sure you extend it within the manufacturer’s warranty, though – once it’s lapsed, you can only buy an approved used warranty, and that might not cover as many eventualities.

The Velar picked up the full five stars from Euro NCAP for safety in the event of a crash, but that rating was earned back in 2017 and has now expired. Looking at its test results from back then, there were a few weaknesses noted in its rear passenger chest and whiplash protection, but nothing serious. 

It’s hard to directly compare the Velar’s rating with that of its rivals, because they were tested more recently and under more stringent criteria. Even so, the Audi Q8 and Porsche Macan both scored five stars and could be safer as a result. 

All versions get automatic emergency braking (AEB), a driver condition monitor and lane-keep assist as standard, along with six airbags. Dynamic SE and above also adds blind spot assist and rear traffic monitoring. Meanwhile, an intrusion sensor is fitted to help with security.

“I understand why someone would be tempted with a range-topping Autobiography version, complete with all kinds of advanced and luxurious features. But it’s a shame that, given the high price, you’d still need to pay extra to have massaging seats.” – Doug Revolta, Head of Video

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here