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Used Car of the Year Awards 2021: Luxury SUVs

With demand for used cars on the rise, you’ll want to know which are the best buys. That’s where our annual Used Car Awards come in. These are our favourite luxury SUVs...

Used Luxury SUV of the Year
(and best buy less than £35,000)

Audi Q7 (2015-present)

Used Car Awards 2021 logo

Last year, the Audi Q7 won its price point in this category but not the overall award. This year, however, its sheer value is simply too good to ignore.

With £35,000 to spend on a used luxury SUV, your choices include the likes of the BMW X6, Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Velar. As good as those cars are, though, none is as versatile as the Q7.

Audi Q7

Whether you’re going on a family holiday or tackling the school run, the Q7 will take you there in comfort and style. It rides better than the Volvo XC90 and offers more leg room for rear passengers than the BMW X5, and opting for our recommended SE trim gives you dual-zone climate control, sat-nav and xenon headlights as standard.

Go for the higher-powered 3.0 TDI 272 diesel engine and you’ll enjoy great performance mixed with sensible running costs and fantastic refinement.

The Q7 is our favourite luxury SUV as a new car, but if anything it’s even better used, because pre-facelift models have a more user-friendly infotainment system and a smoother automatic gearbox.

2019 Volvo XC90 long-term cornering

Best buy less than £25,000

We love the XC90’s seven full-size seats, clever safety kit and high-quality interior, and, at this price point, where you can only buy older generations of the Audi Q7 and BMW X5, you can grab the latest version of this top-notch Volvo. We’d shop for the D5 diesel in generously equipped Momentum Pro trim.

Read our full used Volvo XC90 review >>

Find used Volvo XC90 for sale >>


BMW X5 2019-present

BMW X5 45e front cornering - 69-plate car

Best buy less than £45,000

The X5 is better to drive than a Mercedes GLE or a Volvo XC90, while our favoured xDrive30d model has loads of grunt yet won’t cost too much to fuel. Although not quite as practical as some rivals, the X5 is just as classy and luxurious inside. A year-old example represents a great saving over a new one.

Read our full used BMW X5 review >>

Find used BMW X5 for sale >>


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Read about more Used Car of the Year 2021 winners >>