10,000 Miles With My Range Rover 5.0 - Has it been RELIABLE? 

I own a 2018 Range Rover D300 Velar with 38,000, under warranty and it’s been in the garage 5 times in the last 6 months. Came from a BMW 4 Series Coupe, not one issue in 4 years of ownership. I’m loosing my patience with it now and thinking about selling. Toying with going back to a BMW.

Having the engine light coming on is not ok, having this happening on a new car is not acceptable. My 10 year old 100k miles BMW X5 has never had such an issue

I don’t think the more things you have the more you can expect to go wrong is a justification. A £100k car shouldn’t have multiple issues in a year. My Merc doesn’t, I’m not saying Mercs are reliable btw as I’ve had numerous issues with them previously. Manufacturers really need to improve quality of their products

I don’t think people think of “being left stranded” as the same as reliability causing inconveniences, image the door not closing whilst in the city or carpark as you’re there for a meeting, or an airport carpark as you’re about to take a flight, that’s a reliability issue and especially not on a vehicle with little mileage or of age… (not yours but anyone’s)

I've only had 2 cars actually let me down in the last 30+ years. Both JLR products. My 3.0 Velar stranded me in Devon with 2 passengers (one disabled). It was 18 months old. Personally, if I had this RR it would be gone by now. 3 visits in 10K miles is a pain in the arse. You're an enthusiast Matt, and absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some that are harsh on the marque are so because of experience.

To be fair profession car reviewers and insurance companies world wide all say that the RangeRover is not very reliable. It’s not just the man on the street who has never had one.

If I spent 70k odd on a car I would be pissed off if ANYTHING went wrong with it in the first year of owning it. Ridiculous.

In short, he knows the Land Rover receptionist by first name. My sister had a RR 10 years ago and experienced the same issues, clearly reliability hasn’t improved. It’s still no1 most unreliable car in the UK 💀 I had a 2013 Defender, experienced a similar lock issue when it got nippy and had to climb through the boot, my window wiper motor also failed yearly and the whole dashboard had to come out to replace it. I can confidently say I’ll think twice before getting any form of Land Rover product again ☺️.

Love how you belittle all the evidence of it's unreliability..😅

I know that you like Range Rover a lot, mate, but saying that "I haven't been left stranded" when your driver door is not closing... That's not serious, I am sorry. Of course that you are left stranded. You needed to call emergency service to help you sort out the problem. What if you were on a motorway or out of town? Moreover, it happened twice. I am not saying that it is an unreliable car, it actually looks like the perfect car. I am saying that you are not being honest about this situation.

The need for a warranty does not support the argument for getting one of these cars. For that to work, your statement should be 'I paid for a warranty, but it was wasted money as it wasn't needed'

It's a posh, oversized status car. Noghting exciting there.

Lol my friend traded his brand new 2023 Range Rover L. It was already giving him problems with the RWS actuator causing clunky noises, stability problems, the door handles keep getting stuck and one wouldn’t come out at all. Also RWS is a very old technology and there’s a reason they stop implementing it in to cars and now that crap is coming back.

I had a range rover sport HSE ... Needed an engine replacement after 20,000 miles... Thankfully under warranty, until the electrical issues developed... This is when I got rid of it. Now drive BMW's. Had 3 in the last 5 years, and over 150,000 miles covered. Not one issue in any of them.

I've heard some absolute horror stories on this model, I would not even consider one.

With all your said, doesn’t sound very reliable to me. I get it, it’s comfortable and feels great being in it but still for a car this price the door should close in cold weather!!! But what do I know? I’m a poor peasant :(

I'm in the market for a new car and every time I go towards a range rover I end up going towards a landcruiser amazon.

Great vid, as always. But I’m confused because of logic, and this thread’s typical: there’re always many devotees and defenders of the faith saying “owned mine for 15 years - never had a problem, etc…” So, why are there also legions of disgruntled owners on FFRR forums? And why are FFRRs always bottom of the table in reliability surveys, worldwide? It’s illogical. Sure, FFRRs are complex, but so are Land Cruisers and Lexus GXs…

I have never owned a JLR car, but I have read many reliability surveys ( Warrenty Wise Extended ,ect )over the years, they always seem to be at the bottom or very near it. If you have to drive back to the dealer for anything its a pain.

nice video, BUT, I'd go for for a Toyota, every time!

I drive around the country a lot. I see loads of land rovers / range rovers and their stablemates at the side of the road awaiting rescue. Lots more than any other manufacturer.

I suspect that level of reliability is simply unacceptable to anyone with less job/time flexibility than you enjoy.

My fact not statement is that the LEXUS LS430 is the BEST car in the world and it has that reputation

Big fan of yours Matt, but that's a very charitable assessment of reliability over a year with a low mileage, pampered car which had two check engine lights requiring a trip to the dealer and a door problem which essentially meant you couldn't use the car until it was fixed, twice. I'm not entirely convinced a similarly spec'ed similar age Mercedes GLS63 or BMW X5M would be less reliable than your L405.

Had my 2017 4.4 diesel exactly three years last week . Still under LR extended warranty and zero issues , not so much as a dust cap replaced just like my previous 2015 model. As you say Matt , best car in the world !

Funny, I've owned an L494 diesel for two years and 10,000 miles, and it's been nothing but trouble. I won't own another diesel as a result. It hasn't been expensive because I do all my own work, but the engine light is on more than it is off. There is very little information on how to repair things, because most Range Rover owners just take them to a dealer to sort out, and finding parts is tricky because of the lack of information as well. Just recently the car was a no start, and after hours of searching for the problem, I found water in the ECU, which destroyed it. I can't even imagine what that would have cost to sort at a dealership. Oh, mine's a 2017 with only 42,000 miles. Again, constant problems (clogged DPFs due to either a bad throttle or a small EVAP leak), Oxygen Sensors, bad solenoids, etc. I love the way the car drives but I'm done with the diesels.

10k miles is nothing! 3 times in the shop in 10k miles is horrible.

The most recent Landcruiser Amazon is at least as complex as the range rover, but doesn't break down.

Don't get me wrong they are nice and comfortable cars, but those problems on a 100k car is unacceptable. If you want to make excuses for those inconveniences because you like it that's fine but God knows what else will be a problem down the line. I appreciate your honesty tho.

Nice spec. Two engine lights, a drivers door wouldn’t close. 1 roadside call-out as stranded, 3 dealer drop offs, 3 pickups, 3 non scheduled days without the car, £1k without a warranty. This is low level reliability.

Engine light on a almost new low mileage range rover yep it's unreliable

Go out in the outback in one come back in a landcruiser😊

Great cars, but NOT dependable. I’ve owned and have had 3. I like to buy and hold onto my cars. Now I just buy a seven year extended warranty and get rid of it before it ends. All started having problems from 13k - 20k miles, Fuel pump failed, ac compressor, etc. this does not include gremlins, which disappear when you show the dealer or restart. After 40k miles - it’s 4-8k a year in service and repairs - why I get rid of them before extended warranty is over. Wonderful design, very capable, but I think I’m a sucker for punishment - having said that my friends Mercedes are not great either - I suppose that’s why everybody leases.

So it did leave you stranded. The door wouldn’t close so you couldn’t drive away?

I like how you matched the colour of the wood to your hair.

The most reliable LR is a Toyota 4 runner!

I love RRs, and I have had two, but reliability are the very things you mention. Things they go wrong than shouldn’t. To be honest like for like, you’ll end up dropping your RR at the garage way more than your German equivalent.

I’m going to allow the excuses for the RR niggles. Not sure there are any valid excuses for the ripped jeans?

Make a reliability test after 100k miles 😅 . The result will be completely different

Always in JD report of unreliable cars that says it all normally top 5 worst every single year so talk what you like the report says it all

90% of all landfovers are still on the road,,,,,,,,,The other 10% made it home

Well I've had 7 mates over the years who've bought into Range Rovers. All have had significant issues all cases have cost them a LOT of money. Unless you can afford a new one or a very comprehensive warranty they're a serious liability that could bankrupt you very easily. I'd love one, but no way worth the risk IMO

JD Power - quantitative proof that Land Rover is one of the most unreliable brands you can have the misfortune to own. But yes, if you don’t mind the inconvenience of regularly sharing your car with a mechanic and paying handsomely for that pleasure, by all means buy one. Just don’t be that guy who claims Land Rovers are completely faultless because he has owned two of them and never had any problems. That’s called ‘statistical nonsense’.

If your wealthy enough to buy one, then your wealthy enough to fix/ repair one..... But they are still glorified shit heaps.

Sorry man, we have to disagree on this one. They're lovely to drive, but the software in the user-facing displays is a dumpster fire. It's dog-slow, unresponsive, badly organised, poorly implemented, the hardware is underpowered. My wife owns a Velar - currently maybe 10K ahead of yours - and it's got the same internals as your Sport. The software lets it down so badly, she only ever uses Apple Carplay. Even the remote app starting is patchy and doesn't work half the time. Also - you've only done 25,000 miles. If you've had an engine light already, I mean... FFS. Your car has actually been *less* reliable than hers has, in terms of core engine reliability. RRs are lovely cars, but they're only for people who want to spend a lot of cash fixing small issues all the time. Comparing that car to a diesel golf is disingenuous as well. You should be comparing like for like with - e.g. - a big luxury car... ;plus, you could apparently buy this outright, most people would need some kind of finance, so it's not £5000 odd, is it...? I get you love the car, who wouldn't, but this is 13 mins of "I love my car and I'm ignoring the inconvenient truths"... ps - glad you have a good RR dealer. We don't, they suck balls - terrible customer service, no callbacks on service requests, just awful. :-D

Land Rover Basingstoke said it’s shocking how many cars including brand new ones fail and some are off the road for several months. Even brand new range rovers are returned due to serious failures. Some brand new ones have been painted before the customer collects them due to knocks and dinks. This why they are voted the most unreliable car. But to be fair my brand new £65k Touareg broke down in the handover bay at West London VW and was beyond any repairs due to software issues, took 6 months to get my money back! It’s a fact the more complicated the car the more chance of issues.

I'm sure it's a great car but at that price I would be expecting JLR to collect it on a trailer leaving me a similar or improved spec model with a full tank to use while they fixed it and returned it cleaned and polished, on a trailer.. I'd be disappointed if my car have those faults within 10,000 miles. And it has just about been to the moon already.

Enjoyed your video but I'm not a fan of anything JLR, and that's based on personal experience. Their dreadful reputation for poor build quality and woeful reliability is still at the bottom of the pile. A stat they've proudly retained over 20 years. (Source JD Power) I would rather anything but a Landrover.

You have 4x O2 sensors , two before the catalytic converters "Up Stream" one per bank of the V8, and two after the Cats "Downstream". The upstream are there to control engine fuelling, the downstream are primarily there to ensure the Cats are doing their job.

Beautiful car, among the best in the world in terms of luxury, comfort and the feel-good driving experience. But let's be honest, they are terrible for reliability. You'll get better reliability and arguably equal luxury in a GLE AMG Merc or Porsche Cayenne GTS

You need to rethink your gauge 😂…. 10,000 miles and talking about reliability…..Seriously 😂😂😂😂😂

The soft close motor not working is a CATASTROPHIC FAILURE! These type of cars like the Full Size Range Rover are luxurious grand touring, mile munchers. You could be in a different country or a some far away place and not being able to close your door is a safety concern both if you want to drive or if you want to take shelter in the winter time. The fact that an assistance technician was close in your case is a favorable circumstance. If you were in a ski resort in your OFF ROAD SUV !!! in a village in the alps and you arrive at Friday night and it is snowing - you have to leave your door not fully closed. Since Range Rover pride themselves on off road capabilities the door SHOULD work in Siberia without a problem. This one part where the should over engineer it. I am happy you are OK but this is unacceptable.

I hear only horror stories about the unreliability of land/range rover ! I personally would not risk my money on one! It's a pity cause they look great. Apart from the very iritating advert demo, i appreciate the terrific review 👍

Glad your year with the Range Rover has gone relatively well. As a Cheshire resident myself I must say though that it’s quite common to drive past Knutsford Range Rover and see an AA transporter outside

Rubbish on wheels, but yours is faultless of course.

Do we have to start a fundraiser for you to buy new trousers? 😂😉

The best ad for Land Rover extended warranty, ever.

Back in 2011 my sister-in-law ordered a brand new Discovery 4 HSE. In its first week is broke down with a major electrical fault that took Land Rover several weeks to resolve. The car was kept for 6 years covering over 80k miles and never had any problems after that first week. At the same time I ran a Lexus GS300 SE-L that was nothing but trouble.

I have had an L322, D4 and currently a D5. Apart from the normal wear and tyre items never had any issues. Yes when something does go wrong it can be expensive but that's what the warranty is for. No matter what I'll always go RR or LR cannot beat these cars!! Another great video @highpeakauto, I just love your honesty plus the fact you love a RR/LR!!

The fact that you are talking about it's reliability after just 24000 miles is proof enough of JLR's quality.

Thanks Matt, cheered me up on a dull day. Currently 3 years into my first RR (17 Plate 4.4 V8 Diesel Autobiography) and happy. The only issue i have is oil dilution with Diesel, so annoying as i'm only getting about 3,500 miles between oil changes - and now i know its a common fault on this engine. So my 'man maths' is kicking in and currently looking at changing to a L405 3.0ltr Petrol (hopefully 21 plate).

My boss had a Discovery 5, it had to have a new engine and was in and out of the dealer. So he bought a second hand Range Rover 3L D, he drove it out of the dealer on Friday, it broke down on Sunday, new turbo and EGR valve required. He then found out it had a new engine fitted under warranty. I cannot comment on its age, except it was covered under LR warranty.

As an ex roadside recovery truck driver, I can say the unreliable reputation is well deserved. Not only are they unreliable they are a pain in the arse to get on the bed of a truck, especially the automatics. When they won't start, to get them in emergency neutral you have to remove the air intake box to move a leaver on the autobox and keep it in place with a screwdriver. They are fantastic when they are working, I absolutely love driving them. But they will leave you stranded when you need them most.

It’s a gorgeous car Matt and I’m glad you went with that supercharged V8, that whine sounds phenomenal! I’ve got to say I’m impressed with the fuel economy too. I’ve had two Lexus ISF’s with the 416bhp 5.0 V8 NA and I was getting 23 round town and 28 on a run, although 30 was possible but that wasn’t any fun.

For the price of them, I would expect them to be super reliable. I think you're seeing it from a professional viewpoint rather than from the normal buyers viewpoint. Just taking time off to go to the main dealers is a hastle. Mix that with running a business, organising family life etc, a car that has been in the garage three times in only 10,000mikes, ie once every 16 weeks is, I would have thought, considered unreliable.

2:41 what an amazing sound!

Great video Matt but, as tempted as I am by a Range Rover, these reports keep putting me off. Do you think your view of what’s ‘normal’ for big expensive complex cars might be being skewed by the fact that you’ve got used to driving land rovers? I’ve done nearly 30k miles in my 2019 X5 and have had no problems at all. My only opportunity to test the dealer’s coffee has been when it’s been serviced…

Matt, I used to drive Glasgow to Bournemouth and back once a week for a year. On the way I’d play a game where I kept a tally of car brands broken down. Over 45,000 miles there was an undoubted trend between: 1. J Land Rovers 2. Mercedes

Ripped-knee jeans? Really?

Have the same model, bought 2nd hand one year ago, and I LOVE it! Have also just passed 10.000 miles since buying it and no problems at all! I have had lots of luxury cars, but this one is the best!

The only good land Rover is the one that had a Toyota land cruiser POWERTRAIN swapped

Thanks for the update, Matt. Interesting to hear from an actual owner of one of these vehicles. 👍

Have to say it, I often skip ads but i was in awe with how flawless u advertised with no script, on an open road. Props to u

My best mate bought one 18 months old with 16k on the clock, 2 months in, engine seized, was given a bmw for 6 months whilst they wrangled over who should fix it as it was not a customer error.

This reminds me of the analogy of a chap dating the most beautiful girl in the world gracious sophisticated and when she speaks sounds like Sylvester Stallone. Regarding the car 7,000 miles is hardly a long term test and considering the size of the engine some might say after a total of 24,000 miles it's just outside its running in period, yet requires the pampered attention of a mechanic 3 times albeit under warranty. I'm still researching why such a beautiful, capable, luxurious comfortable car is not a first choice as opposed to a land cruiser as a daily in remote parts of the world like the Sahara desert.

I own a 2015 SDV8 Autobiography that’s now covered 40K & I’ve had no problems apart from standard wear & tear. The full fat Range Rover IS THE BEST VEHICLE, I adore it. Cheers for the great entertaining videos

It's still new so......24k is nothing. Hopefully you will keep it to 150k or so and we will see how it does

I have a few colleagues that work at JLR, some in management some on the production line. Some stories of what goes on on the production line I cannot genuinely repeat on here, needless to say none of them own land rovers or would own one. Read into that what you will. They did say that Jags had slightly better reliability and care whilst in production. Regardless of that, one thing I can’t argue with is the styling of the Range Rover, simply the best and to this day I still have the urge to buy one.

Nice video Matt. I just bought an L405 5.0 (2017, 35k mile) and am loving it. I had an L405 SDV8 for 4 years/40k miles before that.The (slowish) 120 mile trip back when I collected it averaged 29mpg, which surprised me. A spirited 250mile round trip this weekend, 24mpg. I agree, they're the best all-round cars in the world. PS I had an L405 SDV8 for 4 years/40k miles before this - brilliant engine but am doing more short journeys so fancied petrol and the extra power before I had any oil dilution issues etc.

Have to agree with the sentiment of this video, if you drive regularly having a high quality vehicle that you enjoy driving is worth the extra money. I used to do 200 miles a day and after a few weeks of that decided to get a 330Ci BMW because it was a joy to drive and made those miles something to look forward to rather than a chore. Only thing I would change about that Range Rover is the colour, amazing vehicle.

I'm glad they dont put Tata Motors badging on them.

Matt, that is a beautiful car. I had a 2008 Range Rover HSE for 8years. Got a lot of negative comments regarding reliability but loved telling people what a great car it was. No issues. Now I have 2 Range Rovers one a 2013 sport and the other one a 2017 Range Rover supercharged 6. Unfortunately they are both in the shop for shock issues. Thank god the 2017 is under warranty that the dealer sold me. Oh well, the joy of owning these awesome cars. Can’t wait to get in them and drive them. Also did the Range Rover driver experience at the Biltmore in Nc. It will really make you appreciate these cars. Ok, that’s enough rambling for now. Great video. I really enjoyed it today. Keep up the good work!😊

Good video Matt, there is nothing else that can strike a balance between luxury, practicality and off road ability and until I owned 2 L405's from new, I was the same as everyone else, owned 2 P38's, 2 L322's, L320 and 2 D4's and other than routine servicing, nothing went wrong with them. Both L405's were bought from new, one was the TDV8, that was bought back by the dealer and replaced by a P525, that lasted 2 weeks before needing a new engine.

A truly stunning motor matt sounds amazing you work hard and deserve the fruits of a fine motor so hopefully another decent 12 months motoring before you move it on for your next range rover keep the videos and updates coming matt love em 👍

My friend's Evoque engine died within 3y. He sold it and bought a Lexus RX. Happy days are back again

Had to laugh when you said it’s been back to Land Rover, but not in a bad way. Happy for you that you’ve enjoyed this car so much! Enjoy the videos, keep it up!

Hi Matt I’ve had my 2008 L322 for over seven years now and apart from routine servicing it’s been absolutely faultless I do think it’s how you look after them if you neglect them they are going to break down and leave you stranded but if you look after them like I have with mine it’s been faultless great video Mat and yes you are definitely correct about being the best car.................In the world as Jeremy Clarkson would put it hope you are well best wishes ian

Another class viewing Your love for the brand convinced me to stray away from my usual German brands… & I’m glad I did’ I love my new Discovery’ makes me smile every time I get in it 👍🏼

How wonderful to hear an honest and sensible report on the true reliability of Range Rover….I have had perfect service over 14 years with my 09 Freelander II and then my 17/17 Discovery Sport. My DS was a JLR build with every possible option except the garage door opener and a tow bar but it surely is the most complex DS you can buy…not one thing has gone wrong with the electronics and the only issues were a missing bonnet seal (from new and the reason why some cars suffer diesel fume problems when the dpf burns off!) and a flush and refill of the rear differential to cure a faint whine on full lock(strange but true!). The rear screens, TV, DVD player, internet, head up display, “everything” seats, all terrain progress etc etc…all fine and no glitches once set up on delivery. I have cruised many miles at 100+mph on the Autobahns, it does town, country, motorways etc without a blink and the preheat cold start up works every time. I have battled the keyboard warriors many times and most are noise makers one claiming to drive “6000 cars a year”…which in fact means he loads them onboard ships for exports. He describes RR’s as utter rubbish with low fuel and flat batteries..3% don’t start!…he would never buy one but it takes moments to discover he doesn’t own a car and rides a bike to work!! So yes..Land Cruiser would be perfect…and deeply boring but I don’t want to look like a UN Taxi driver nor carry Orla Guerin about from one war to the next! I will stay will JLR…it is good enough for me and even if a few glitches take me back to the showrooms and that is not exactly bad either! 😀😀😀😀Stay safe!

I have just switched to Mercedes after owning LR products for almost 30 years. My last full size Range finally broke it for me. The engineering is poor. The LR service is a disaster (always has been). It’s a $100K +++ car designed to last 3 years. There are no quality standards, either in manufacturing or in service. Again, that is after almost 30 years of owning LR products. Enough of giving them another chance.

That's all well and good in the UK where there are lots of LR dealers. But in Australia they are thin on the ground, and you might have to drive hundreds or even thousands of KMs to get the car back to a dealer. I do love LRs, and I have had more than 10 Range Rovers/Discoveries/Defenders in the past, so I have a special place in my heart for these cars. I also know very well the service department of my local LR dealer, and how they can ream you. Still - I loved driving those cars. But as I get older, I've gone back to reliability and dependability and more economic motoring and in Australia, for outback driving, that means Toyota Land Cruiser or Toyota Prado.

A Green Flag break down guy, without any hesitation exclaimed that the most break downs he has attended was Land Rovers or similar.

Interesting video as always, Matt. Your 50p per mile running cost is very good considering..... Many years ago I ran a L/R Discovery 3 with the V8 petrol, converted to LPG. A fabulous motor, really comfortable etc., and my total running cost inc depreciation for 100,000 miles was 72p per mile. It had its faults but never left me stranded.

Mate, these videos are getting slick AF. Rich in useful info, no waffle. Quality 👍

I've had two Range Rovers. They were both shit. I now drive a Lexus😃

Beautiful car. Especially petrol ones. And it has been designed for people who have money. And if it is to be a bit unreliable and breaks down every now and again, you can always have two so you can drive one while the other one's being fixed. I can't see any problem for people who really can afford cars like this. And if you are a guy like me and you can't really afford a car like that, there's always Fiat Panda out there somewhere on the market 😉 Brilliant video, Matt 👍.

I have a RR Sport V6 diesel, 2013 with 108,000 kms on the clock and fallen in love with it. I have had the odd little issue with it, but never stranded me and never been expensive to fix. Having had 2 LR Discovery before, I can;t see myself in a brand other than LR again now. They are lovely cars and I love driving it. It is a jack of all trades and tows my caravan with ease. A definite keeper

With you Matt, I have owned multiple Landrovers & Range Rovers over the last 30 years both in Africa and the UK. I have always maintained them myself as in Africa we overlanded extensively throughout South Africa. One trip in 4 weeks Durban to Namibia's Skeleton Coast we did 9600 KM (5900miles) without issue in a Discovery 3 fully loaded with supplies and rooftop tent without incident. The main issues as others in the know have found its either poor maintenance by the owner or maintained by inexperienced techs. I include main dealerships in this category as I have corrected poor workmanship from a vehicle only maintained by Landrover. The Disco 3/Range Rover started the mix of the most comfortable capable vehicle in the world by a country mile.

I guess it is about your level of tolerance. If I had one morning where I woke up and the door on my car wouldn't work properly I would never want to see that car again. The idea that in 2023 that your car door wouldn't work but you'd say it was sufficient explanation that it was a bit of a nippy morning - no thanks. Getting a bit of WD40 and giving it a spray... Jesus. How much did you pay for this car again? You called it a 'false alarm' after you sat for 20 minutes to warm the car up and then another hour for a recovery vehicle to come and find you. I'd love to explain to my boss that me being 1 hour 20 minutes late for work was a false alarm. I think Range Rovers look incredible, and I have never driven one, but I bet I'd feel like a King if I did, but I could never accept that level of entirely predictable unreliability.

To have 3 malfunctions within 10000m and 24000 miles total is actually a lot, but, if you feel that the car is the best car in the world and you are enjoying it.. 3 malfunctions is nothing. Keep enjoying Matt, all the best.