The 10 slowest-depreciating SUVs

It's an unfortunate fact that every new car begins losing value the moment you drive it away from the showroom, but the rate at which models shed pounds and pence varies wildly.

SUVs are now some of the most popular cars on UK roads, and that desirability means they can be protected from the dreaded hand of depreciation better than some other classes of car. Still, the gap between the best and the worst is vast indeed. Here we list the 10 models of SUV that lose the least value in their first three years and 36,000 miles of life.

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Model RWD | List price £44,990 | 36k/3yr resale value £24,150 | Price drop £20,840 | Retained value 53.7%

Tesla builds very popular and desirable electric cars and the Telsa Model Y SUV holds onto more of its value than the Model 3 saloon. This entry-level RWD model can officially travel up to 283 miles on a single charge and can rocket to 62mph in a swift 6.6sec. In real-world conditions, we got a decent 272 miles out of the RWD's battery.

As well as being quick, the Model Y also practical, with more leg and head room for rear passengers than the Model 3, and enough space for 10 carry-on suitcases in its boots – yes, you read that right, there's a 'frunk' at the front and a more traditional boot in the rear. That's more than you can get into the Audi Q4 e-tron.

When you need to plug your model Y in, you can do so using Tesla's super-fast and ultra-reliable Supercharger network, which came fifth in our most recent test of the best public charging networks.

Strengths

• Rapid acceleration
• Great range between charges
• Tesla’s charging infrastructure

Weaknesses

• Unsettled ride
• Noisy for an EV
• A Model 3 is cheaper and better to drive

Model 3.0 D350 Dynamic HSE | List price £73,125 | 36k/3yr resale value £39,850| Price drop £33,275 | Retained value 54.5%

Like the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Defender, the Land Rover Discovery is about as capable in the rough stuff as most drivers are likely to need.

The Discovery is also absolutely massive – its sheer width makes sitting three abreast in the second row a comfortable experience, for example, and passengers in the third row will find they have more room to stretch out than they would in the Audi Q7, Mercedes GLE or Volvo XC90. Only the BMW X7 is more spacious for seven people.

This 3.0-litre D350 diesel engine should have no trouble hauling you, your family and all of the luggage you might wish to take with you to motorway speeds, and should help to keep running costs sensible too. Just watch out for reliability gremlins – Land Rover doesn't have the best track record in that department.

Strengths

• Brilliant off road
• Roomy third row seats
• Attractive PCP deals

Weaknesses

• Rivals are quieter
• Wallowy handling
• Terrible reliability

Model Techno 87kW Long Range | List price £40,995 | 36k/3yr resale value £23,075| Price drop £17,920 | Retained value 56.3%

Where the old model was a fairly frumpy family MPV, this new Renault Scenic is a pin-sharp electric SUV which counts the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 among its key rivals.

Entry-level versions get a 60kWh battery pack and 167bhp electric motor, while pricier models get a larger 87kWh battery and power boosted to 216bhp. With a comfortable ride and light steering, the Scenic makes easy work of most roads, but it's not the kind of car you'll be taking for a B-road blast at the weekend – it's competent, but not overly engaging.

Inside, the Scenic offers a comfy driving position and reasonable space for your passengers, while our favourite Techno trim comes with everything you're likely to want. That the Scenic is expected to hold its value so well spells good news for buyers on a PCP finance deal, because low depreciation typically means lower monthly costs.

Strengths

• Bigger battery version offers a long range
• Cheaper than many rivals
• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating

Weaknesses

• Rear seat versatility could be better
• Spongy brake pedal feel
• Not particularly quick

Model 3.0 P460e Autobiography | List price £104,720 | 36k/3yr resale value £59,200 | Price drop £45,520 | Retained value 56.53%

If you like the look of the Range Rover, but don't fancy putting quite so much money down, then the Range Rover Sport is worth looking at, because it offers many of the same benefits. Despite its size, it's surprisingly agile and easy to move around tight city streets, plus it's comfortable and spacious for your family.

Even better, this version is a plug-in hybrid, so could help to reduce your running costs if you keep its battery topped up, and you can expect to travel for around 50 miles in real-world conditions before its 3.0-litre petrol engine joins the fray.

There's no getting around the fact that you'll pay around 20% 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 those cars.

Strengths

• Offers lots of Range Rover qualities for a lower price
• Incredible ability off-road
• Fantastic range on the PHEV model

Weaknesses

• Cheaper than a Range Rover, but still very expensive
• Rivals are sharper to drive
• Land Rover’s reliability record is a concern

Model P460e SE | List price £115,805 | 36k/3yr resale value £65,475 | Price drop £50,330 | Retained value 56.54%

If the end of the world was nigh, it's easy to see why you might choose to drive through the apocalypse in a Range Rover. After all, it's got much the same off-road ability as its more hardcore Land Rover Defender sibling, has more space for passengers and luggage than you're really likely to need, and thanks to its glitzy interior and high-quality materials, is a thoroughly nice place in which to wait out the end of days.

Granted, finding a charging point to top up the battery of this P460e plug-in hybrid model in the fallout might be tricky, but at least there's a 3.0-litre petrol engine to keep you moving once its substantial electric range has run out. Plus, should you happen across a wasteland dealership, you'll get a good chunk of your initial purchase price back when you come to sell it.

Only Land Rover's questionable reliability record might spoil the fun, with the brand having come 28th out of 32 car makers in our latest rundown of the most reliable cars on sale.

Strengths

• Fabulous driving position
• Fantastic off-road ability
• Useful seven-seat versatility

Weaknesses

• Very expensive
• Reliability is a concern
• More physical controls for the infotainment would be preferable

Model 1.5 C Classic Auto | List price £29,340 | 36k/3yr resale value £16,800 | Price drop £12,540 | Retained value 57.3%

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.

Strengths

• Gutsy engines
• Spacious and flexible rear seats
• Competitively priced

Weaknesses

• Awkward driving position
• Fiddly infotainment system
• Interior quality could be better

Model 2.0 P300e X-Dynamic HSE 110 | List price £77,088 | 36k/3yr resale value £44,800 | Price drop £32,288 | Retained value 58.1%

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 plug-in hybrid P300e model which will keep the most value over three years. As a bonus, it should allow most drivers to complete the school run and at least part of their working commutes on electric power alone.

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.

Strengths

• Comfortable on the road, excellent off it
• Up to eight seats
• Slow depreciation

Weaknesses

• Higher trim levels are very pricey
• Fuel economy and CO2 emissions are poor
• Tiny boot in 90 models

Model R 112kWh | List price £121,305 | 36k/3yr resale value £73,725 | Price drop £47,580 | Retained value 60.8%

There was a time, not so long ago, when the idea of Lotus building a heavy electric SUV would have been considered sacrilege. But despite its heft, the Lotus Eletre feels as nippy as you'd hope, with the range-topping R model getting a scarcely believable 905bhp. The result is a car with relentless pace, even if you don't get the same sort of enjoyable handling as you'd find from the Aston Martin DBX707 or Porsche Macan Electric.

The Eletre is more comfortable than the rival Audi SQ8 e-tron on the motorway, but at lower speeds potholes and the like can cause rather abrupt body movements which feel out of place in a six-figure car.

Elsewhere, the Eletre's interior feels rock-solid in terms of quality, and while the BMW iX continues to set the standard for usability thanks to its physical buttons, the touch surfaces in the Eletre are quick to respond to your inputs, and their graphics are high-resolution.

Strengths

• Supple and controlled high-speed ride
• Composed handling
• Appealing interior

Weaknesses

• Too much road noise on the motorway
• Overly firm in town
• Glitchy infotainment system

Model G500 AMG Line Premium Plus | List price £146,095 | 36k/3yr resale value £91,050 | Price drop £55,045 | Retained value 62.3%

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.

At least the 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine fitted to this G500 model should provide all the pulling power you could want – and you won't lose much value in depreciation.

Strengths

• Great sense of theatre on the road
• Interior looks and feels luxurious enough
• Excellent off-road ability

Weaknesses

• Handles like a supertanker
• Expensive in every way
• Lumpy ride

Model 4.0 TFSI V8 S | List price £185,651 | 36k/3yr resale value £134,775 | Price drop £50,876 | Retained value 72.6%

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 mid-range Range Rover Evoque with the value the Urus will lose over three years, for example.

Strengths

• Mind-bogglingly fast
• Comfortable ride
• Sharp handling

Weaknesses

• Rear head room is a little tight for tall adults
• Fuel economy in the low 20s
• Hefty purchase price