Range Rover Velar review - MPG, running costs & CO2

The most efficient non-plug-in Range Rover Velar is the D200 mild-hybrid diesel, which is officially capable of up to 43.7mpg – or a little less if you opt for the larger alloy wheels.  As with almost all cars, upgrading the Velar’s engine reduces its economy. If you choose the D300 with its 296bhp 3.0-litre diesel, economy slips to a maximum of 38.6mpg, and business drivers will need to pay the highest Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rate.

The Velar’s petrol engine is pretty thirsty. You'll be lucky to get more than 25mpg (28.9mpg official) from the punchy 395bhp 3.0-litre P400, even when driven gently. That may be a cost you’re willing to bear, particularly if you want the performance to match the super-cool styling.

If you’re intending to run a Velar as a company car, your best bet is the P400e plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Thanks to a battery and electric motor that offer a range of up to 39 miles, it can return 169.1mpg and emits as little as 38g/km of CO2. This makes it the only Velar in a lower BiK band, and thus particularly attractive to business users. 

Charging using a 7kW home wallbox takes under two hours, and it's one of the few PHEVs capable of 50kW DC rapid charging for a public top-up to around 80% in 30 minutes – it’ll cost you to charge at those speeds, however, so we don’t reckon it’s worth it. Plug in and it’s pretty efficient, but economy drops rapidly once its electric range runs out – you’ll be lucky to get 30mpg on a motorway run, much less than a Volvo XC60 T8 or Lexus RX 450h.

Due to a starting price of over £40,000, all Range Rover Velars are liable for an additional VED (tax) surcharge in years two to six of ownership, dropping to the standard rates after that.

Insurance groups

The standard Velar range sits in insurance groups 34-47 out of 50, so premiums will be pricey. But in fairness, the BMW X3 ranges from group 28 to group 40 and the Audi Q5 starts in group 29.

Warranty

The three-year/60,000-mile warranty offered by Land Rover used to be average for the car industry, but with BMW, Mercedes, Renault, Toyota, Kia and a number of other manufacturers offering more generous guarantees, what’s seen as average has arguably moved on.

Servicing

Land Rover’s fixed-price servicing plans make budgeting for maintenance easy. Prices for the Velar’s plans start at around £700 for four-cylinder diesel models and include scheduled maintenance (including AdBlue top-ups for diesel engines) for five years or 50,000 miles, while a 75,000-mile plan costs £800. Service plans for six-cylinder models cost a little more, and no 75,000-mile option is offered.