Range Rover Velar PHEV Review

Pricing

Prices for the P400e Velar plug-in hybrid start notably higher than entry-level models; a whole £20,000 higher, pretty much. But you are getting the most powerful model in the range, so you can cut Land Rover some slack for slapping on a premium. And there’s actually a reasonable amount of equipment as standard, though you’ll need to spend a little more if you want the 21in wheels that the exterior styling was clearly designed to house – even if it means giving up a little of the ride quality smaller wheels (and thus fatter tyre sidewalls) will bring. Plenty of pricey options await you if you’re click-happy on the configurator – another three grand can be added with an exterior black pack and laser LED lights, while you’ll pay the same sum again to swap leather for more environmentally friendly cloth textile seat trim. Another £2700 gets you the posh ‘Signature’ surround sound system.

Running costs

The ruse of the plug-in hybrid means that while Land Rover claims a paltry 49g/km of CO2 emissions and a whopping 130 miles per gallon of fuel, these figures are unrealistic away from the testing labs and, unless you’re charging the Velar for a good portion of the miles you cover, it probably won’t be much thriftier on fuel than the other models in the range. So make sure you’ll be able to charge frequently at home or work (or ideally both) if you want to get close to the claimed figures, though pottering about in near-silence with its 30-odd miles of EV range will be satisfying either way. With a much smaller battery than a fully electric car, charging times and costs are much slimmer. Expect to pay about a fiver to fully charge the battery at either home or latched to a public charger.