Range Rover Velar review - MPG, CO2 and Running Costs

The Range Rover Velar is different from more attainable Land Rover models such as the Evoque and Discovery Sport because there is no front-wheel drive version offered. Even the entry-level diesel is 4WD only, which fits with the car’s high-end target market.

It does, however, mean that the 178bhp diesel manages up to a respectable but not outstanding 42mpg on the claimed combined WLTP cycle, with CO2 emissions of 152g/km. 

If you want to step up to a the 237bhp twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel, the economy penalty isn’t too bad, either (it manages up to 41.1mpg combined and emits 165g/km). The V6 diesel in 271bhp D275 guise returns up to 38mpg and emits 169g/km. Opt for the 296bhp D300 version of this engine and those remain identical.

Do note however that regardless of CO2, all Velars are subject to the £320 a year road tax supplement (running from years two to six of the car's life) as the range starts at above £40,000.

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Unsurprisingly, the petrols fare less well when it comes to efficiency. The most frugal 247bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder manages up to 30.8mpg combined and emits 173g/km, while the 296bhp P300 posts figures of 29.8mpg and 182g/km.

The top-spec supercharged 5.0-litre V8 returns 23mpg on the combined cycle and emits 270g/km of CO2. Ultimately, buyers at this price point are more worried about range than fuel consumption; it’s the diesels which offer a greater distance between fill-ups.

Insurance groups

The Velar’s insurance looks to be roughly on a par with rivals from Audi and BMW, and cheaper than cars such as the Porsche Macan, which is a good achievement when you consider the Velar’s cost and desirability. The base diesel starts at group 31, and it rises to group 50 for the top-spec SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition model.

Depreciation

Land Rover hasn’t released residual value data for the Velar just yet, but we’d be surprised if it fared any worse than other JLR products. Smaller siblings like the Range Rover Evoque offer residuals that are well ahead of many premium rivals, so we’d expect to see the same again here, with the Velar rivalling the Porsche Macan for retained value after three years.