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Used test: Audi SQ7 vs BMW X6 vs Range Rover Velar costs
These luxury SUVs are fast, spacious and ooze desirability, but is the Audi SQ7, BMW X6 or Range Rover Velar the best used buy?...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety
The BMW X6 is the cheapest car here to buy, with used examples going for around £35,000. The Range Rover Velar demands £42,000, while the Audi SQ7 is £45,000.
Keep in mind that these prices are based on examples found with the same engine and trim spec as our test cars. Mileages waver around the 50,000 mark as well. Another point worth mentioning is that the X6's steeper depreciation is a double-edged sword. It will cost you the least to buy right now, but it will likely also cost you the most in the long run.
The big mark against the Velar is reliability. In our most recent 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey, it finished fifth out of eight cars in the luxury SUV category, while Land Rover as a brand placed a dismal 29th out of 30 manufacturers featured.
The X6 wasn’t in the same study, but the closely related BMW X5 came in third place, with the Audi Q7 ending up in second. Audi as a brand ranked 18th, while BMW finished 13th.
All three cars will attract the additional luxury car tax of £335 per year because none of them cost less than £40,000 when new. You'll only have to pay one year of this at most, though – the fee runs from years two to five of a car's life. You'll also have to pay £155 each year in road tax if your example was registered after April 2017.
There are differences in servicing costs, though. Audi should have the least expensive service plan, followed by BMW, and finally Land Rover. Expect insurance to be pricey, because all insurance groups rise above 40.
The SQ7 will drink the most fuel, officially averaging 39.2mpg, but that's hardly a surprise considering that it is the most powerful car here and its 4.0-litre, eight-cylinder diesel is the largest engine here. Its rivals here both have similarly sized 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engines, but it's the X6 that manages to consume the least fuel, averaging 44.8mpg, compared with the 44.1mpg of the Velar.
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