Range Rovers are a reference in their market segment, but that comes at a cost: they are also considered expensive to buy, and to keep over the years. Why exactly does that happen?
Why are Range Rovers so Expensive?
Range Rovers are expensive because the strategy of this brand is to build a sophisticated and premium quality cars with many advanced features and cutting-edge electronics that many models in the same segment don’t have.
Reason 1: It’s truly sophisticated
The Range Rover is considered the first luxury SUV.
It was created to stand out in the crowd by offering a standard of general comfort similar to that of urban sedans, which placed it miles ahead of the other SUVs of that time. Since that characteristic quickly made it successful in the market, Land Rover made sure to keep enhancing it over the years.
Nowadays, the model offers amenities such as multiple seating options, massaging seats, cabin air ionization, automatic height decrease to help entering/exiting the car, ambient interior lighting, automatic sun blind, and many other items of comfort and convenience.
All of that is offered without taking even a penny from the off-road capability budget: the model is continuously improved with mechanical and electronic systems of all kinds focused on making the model prepared to withstand even the most severe driving conditions.
Also read: 5 Serious Reasons Why Mercedes are so Expensive
Reason 2: Cutting-edge electronics
Like any other high-end car, the Range Rover uses all the latest technologies.
From adaptive cruise control to a modern infotainment system, Land Rover’s flagship SUV offers the same level of electronic aid seen on, for instance, any sedan manufactured by a German company. It has definitely put an end to the era when SUVs were considered utilitarian.
Besides dazzling potential buyers, those items make the car easier to use and control, safer, more comfortable and more efficient. Unfortunately, they are also a common source of malfunctioning, which often makes maintenance expensive.
Reason 3: Electrification
Land Rover is gradually embracing electric propulsion.
Both the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport now feature plug-in hybrid electric versions, which can be understood as halfway between regular internal combustion engines and battery-operated electric propulsion.
While that is important to any car model, it becomes particularly interesting in SUVs because they are designed to endure severe driving conditions, where demand from the powertrain is higher than usual. Meeting such demand with comparable levels of capability as those of models with combustion engines require high-cost technology.
Are Range Rover Repairs Expensive?
Range Rover is one of the most expensive brands to maintain. If your Range is 3-year-old, you should expect to pay at least $1000 per year for maintenance and repairs. Typical issues are air suspension, airbags, and the parking brake.
Even if you perform maintenance regularly, Range Rover is expensive.
While Range Rovers impress when they are new because of their long item lists and cutting-edge technology, some of those features become a source of problems over the years. Typical cases are the air suspension, the airbags, and the parking brake, which have a tendency to stop working.
Parallel to that, the sunroof is prone to leaking and the steering shaft may cause loud noises. All those issues can easily make your repair bill very expensive.
Is Range Rover Insurance Expensive?
Putting it in perspective, yes.
Insurance for the Land Rover Range Rover is estimated at $1,900 per year considering an average buyer profile. That is only matched by the Mercedes-Benz GLS’s price; direct competitors such as Lexus LX and Cadillac Escalade are slightly cheaper.
Unfortunately, choosing an older model does not help with this issue. Prices drop very little considering year after year until around five years old.
Also read: Are Infiniti Good Cars? Which Models Should You Avoid?
How Much is a Typical Range Rover Maintenance?
The estimated yearly cost is $1,170. One of the reasons for such a high price is that Land Rover has been applying cutting-edge technology to all its models, with the Range Rover being a special example because of its flagship position on the line-up.
The other one, as explained in the following topics, is the tendency to low reliability which persists despite the efforts of British automakers to revert their stereotype.
Are Range Rovers Overpriced?
We can only say that about the more expensive models.
Comparing base prices, the Range Rover is around $5,000 more expensive than the Lexus LX, sits around $15,000 above the BMW X7 and the Mercedes-Benz GLS, and almost $40,000 above the Audi Q7. However, it is necessary to mention that all those models are less equipped than Land Rover’s flagship model.
We can only match the Range Rover’s price considering specialty variations of competitors like those. The X7 and the Q7, for instance, have factory performance versions with much more similar prices. Audi also offers the Q8, focused on performance driving, and the fully electric e-tron, whose prices are comparable but offer different characteristics.
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Competitors only become more expensive once we consider niche versions. The high-performance Alpina XB7 starts at $141,000 while the ultra-luxury Mercedes-Maybach GLS sits at $160,500.
On the other end of the line-up, the Evoque faces tough competition at similar prices: Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC, for example, compete at the same $45,000 range.
It is not possible to draw an objective conclusion when it comes to the other two models because they have very specific purposes: the Velar is focused on style while the Sport is directly tailored to performance. As a result, they do not have direct competitors.
What are the Most and Least Affordable Range Rover Models?
The 2022 Evoque’s price currently starts at $43,775 while the 2022 traditional model starts at $92,000.
The Range Rover is now a whole line-up of SUV models, with the Evoque at the base and focused on younger drivers. The traditional model aims at a conservative crowd and has many variations to offer, including a long wheelbase.
Between those two models, Land Rover also offers the Velar, an SUV focused on style whose price starts at $56,900, and the Sport ($69,500), whose design has several features dedicated to high-performance driving.
Also read: 3 Most Reliable Range Rovers to Buy Right Now
What are Cheaper Alternatives for Range Rover?
The cheaper alternatives for the Ranger Rover Evoque are Audi Q7 and the BMW X7. For the Velar and Sport, the best alternatives are Audi SQ8 and the BMW X7 M.
If you are looking for alternatives to the Evoque, those with similar levels of image and equipment also have similar prices. On the other hand, most competitors work at several top segments with a single model while Range Rover has become a whole line-up. Therefore, models like the Audi Q7 and the BMW X7 have considerably lower base prices than the traditional Range Rover’s.
When it comes to the other models, the Velar and the Sport, finding alternatives is more difficult because they have unique characteristics. The Velar is focused on style, which is subjective, while the Sport is dedicated to performance; competitors such as the Audi SQ8 or the BMW X7 M are high-performance versions of regular models.
Does it Make Sense to Buy Used Range Rover?
As much as it does to buy used cars in general.
Land Rover used to have a bad reputation regarding reliability because of its troubled financial history. Years ago, several companies took advantage of its instability to acquire the company, use its know-how on off-road vehicles, then sell it back. Those conditions harmed the company’s management sector and, thus, affected its quality control.
Nowadays, Tata Motors’s ownership has helped the company improve in many aspects and to significant extents, but recent surveys such as J.D. Power’s show that Land Rover, just like sister brand Jaguar, still tail the competition when it comes to reliability.
On the other hand, it is necessary to mention that there is not a main source of problems: some cars have issues with the infotainment system, others with mechanical parts… unfortunately, Land Rover’s history of lack of reliability persists.
So,
If you want to buy a used Range Rover, it might be pretty risky, because of Range Rover’s troubled reliability history. Thus, it is highly recommendable to have a trusted mechanic inspect it beforehand. This way, you can assess the extent of its problems, if there are any, and estimate how much would it be necessary to repair them.
