The 10 slowest-depreciating SUVs

Model 4.0 TFSI V8 S | List price £214,750 | 36k/3yr resale value £136,800 | Price drop £77,950 | Retained value 63.7%

The outrageous, angular Lamborghini Urus has unmistakable looks and is enormous fun to drive, thanks to its thunderous V8 engine which gives you 657bhp to play with – that's enough grunt to haul this SUV to 62mph in just 3.5sec, or 3.3sec if you go for the more extreme Performante version.

Standard-fit air suspension helps to iron out the worst lumps and bumps of UK roads, but the Urus is more fidgety than the Bentley Bentayga. Four-wheel steering helps you to place this enormous car in car parks and tight city streets, though, as well as increasing agility at higher speeds.

Inside you'll find lots of premium materials, an infotainment system that's fairly easy to get along with, and good space for your family and their luggage. Given all that, plus the appeal of the Lamborghini badge, it's no surprise that the Urus extremely desirable, which is why it retains more of its value over three years than any other SUV on sale today.

Although its hangs on to the best percentage of its original value, it's worth bearing in mind that because you're paying so much in the first place, the hit in depreciation still equates to a lot of money – you could buy a high-end Range Rover Evoque with the value the Urus will lose over three years, for example.

Read our full Lamborghini Urus review

Model G500 AMG Line Premium Plus | List price £146,095 | 36k/3yr resale value £90,825 | Price drop £55,045 | Retained value 62.2%

It's big, brash, and will cost you a lot to buy and run, but for some buyers, the Mercedes G-Class defines the top-end luxury SUV market. As often seen driving around Knightsbridge as scaling mountains or tackling deserts, the G-Class aims to blend go-anywhere ability with luxury.

There's no denying the sense of theatre you receive when driving the G-Class, and its interior looks and feels premium enough, but thanks to a lumpy ride and the fact that it handles like a supertanker, it doesn't rank among our favourite SUVs. And while your family is unlikely to complain about space on board, the G-Class doesn't do anything especially clever with its interior to make it stand out. You'll fit more luggage into the boot of a Porsche Cayenne, for example.

At least the 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine fitted to this G500 model should provide all the pulling power you could want – and you won't lose much value in depreciation.

Read our full Mercedes G-Class review

Model 3.0 D250 X-Dynamic SE 90 3dr | List price £61,435 | 36k/3yr resale value £37,900| Price drop £23,535 | Retained value 61.7%

Unlike the previous Land Rover Defender, which was a favourite of farmers but rather fell to pieces on Tarmac, the latest model matches its prodigous off-road ability with outstanding on-road talent, resulting in a luxurious SUV that's at home no matter what surface you're driving it on – or in what conditions. 

You can have petrol or diesel power in the Defender, but it's the D250 diesel which we think will suit most buyers the best, with masses of low-down pulling power which make it ideal for towing.

Inside, drivers of all shapes and sizes will have no trouble getting comfy, because the Defender offers lots of standard adjustment for its seat and steering wheel. We like that the interior layout has been designed with ease of use in mind, with the clear digital dials and infotainment screen supplemented by chunky buttons which are easy to operate while you're wearing gloves.

Read our full Land Rover Defender review

Model 400e 4Matic Urban Edition | List price £82,360 | 36k/3yr resale value £49,100| Price drop £33,260 | Retained value 59.6%

Odd though it may seem, this coupé-styled version of the Mercedes GLE out-performs its regular SUV-shaped sibling when it comes to depreciation, with this 400e plug-in hybrid model being the best of the lot. With an official electric range of 69 miles, you could cover the school run, your commute, or both, without the petrol engine joining in. That's further than plug-in hybrid rivals such as the Audi Q7 TFSIe and Volvo XC90 T8 can manage.

The interior of the GLE Coupé is comfortable enough, with lots of high-end materials used on the places your hands touch regularly, and two 12.3in screens for infotainment and instrumentation which look suitably flashy.

You get plenty of active safety and assistance kit as standard, but it's worth keeping an eye on reliability, since Mercedes as a brand finished a lowly 22nd out of 31 manufacturers in our latest Reliability Survey for cars up to five years old.

Read our full Mercedes GLE Coupé review

Model D200 S | List price £44,755 | 36k/3yr resale value £26,350 | Price drop £18,405 | Retained value 58.9%

Whether it's new or used, the Range Rover Evoque is consistently one of the most popular cars among What Car? readers. It's easy to see why, too, with a wide range of engine and trim options to choose from, a comfortable interior, and the caché of that Land Rover badge on the bonnet.

The latest Evoque is comfortable and handles well, and while some buyers – such as company car drivers – might well be lured by the low running costs offered by the plug-in hybrid version, it's the diesel-engined D200 model which performs best for depreciation. With plenty of low-down grunt and decent fuel economy, it's a solid option for most situations, especially if you'll be covering lots of miles.

The Evoque's interior matches the very best family SUVs, including the Volvo XC40, and its infotainment system is better to get along with than in the Volvo. S trim has most of your equipment needs covered, with 18in alloy wheels, electrically adjustable seats and leather upholstery coming as standard.

Read our full Range Rover Evoque review

Model 1.5 C Classic Auto | List price £29,340 | 36k/3yr resale value £16,850 | Price drop £12,490 | Retained value 57.4%

With Instagram-friendly looks and a price tag which puts it within reach of plenty of family SUV buyers, it's easy to see why the latest Mini Countryman should be a popular choice – plus, it's the cheapest car here by some margin.

It's not quite the premium product you might expect, though. The infotainment system, for example, seems to have been designed to look good rather than to operate easily, and while there's lots of colour and variety to the Countryman's interior, both the Volkswagen Tiguan and Volvo XC40 feel sturdier and show less harsh plastics. The Countryman's driving position is flawed, too, because its steering wheel is offset from the seat.

More positively, the entry-level Countryman C's 168bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine offers decent pace, meaning you don't need to spend more on the nippier 215bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine in the Countryman S. The C handles appropriately for a family SUV, too – that is to say that it's not especially exciting, but there's more grip on offer than in the Tiguan, and it stays upright through corners better than the XC40.

Read our full Mini Countryman review

Model xDrive30e M Sport | List price £59,010 | 36k/3yr resale value £33,725| Price drop £25,285 | Retained value 57.2%

The latest BMW X3 is an SUV for keen drivers, with a ride that's firmer than that of the rival Lexus NX, and handling which outshines almost any other rival barring the sporty Porsche Macan. This plug-in hybrid model throws low running costs into the mix too, and while you won't manage to match the official fuel economy figure of 282.5mpg, you will find your running costs slashed if you keep the battery charged up and drive mostly on electric power.

Thanks to the xDrive30e's battery, you can do that for a fair distance, with its official electric range of 55 miles beating that of the NX in 450h+ form. As is the case with most plug-in hybrids, though, you sacrifice some boot space to accommodate that battery, with the xDrive30e losing around 110 litres of boot space compared with its combustion-engined siblings. Still, there should still be enough space for your holiday luggage.

Read our full BMW X3 review

Model 1.6 T-GDI 207 HEV GT-Line | List price £35,985 | 36k/3yr resale value £20,050 | Price drop £15,935 | Retained value 55.7%

A perrenial What Car? favourite, the Kia Sportage is our reigning champion in the family SUV market. And while it's already a bit of a bargain – its price undercuts the rival Ford Kuga, Honda ZR-V and Renault Austral – the fact that it will also outperform all of those models on depreciation turns it into a real hero.

It's not like the Sportage will cost you a lot to run, either, because this hybrid version can run for short distances using electric power alone, and that's especially useful in urban traffic.

Your passengers will be big fans of the Sportage, too, with more space in the rear seats than in most rivals and a big boot that's suitable to carry your holiday luggage. Plus, GT-Line cars come with lots of kit.

Read our full Kia Sportage review

Model 3.0 D250 S | List price £80,193 | 36k/3yr resale value £44,100 | Price drop £36,093 | Retained value 55.0%

If you like the look of the Range Rover above, but don't fancy putting quite so much money down, then the Range Rover Sport is worth looking at, because it offers many of the same benefits. Despite its size, it's surprisingly agile and easy to move around tight city streets, plus it's comfortable and spacious for your family.

While previously it was the plug-in hybrid versions of the Range Rover Sport which performed best in terms of depreciation, it's actually the diesel-engined versions which hold their value the best these days – with this entry-level D250 model doing the best of the lot.

There's no getting around the fact that you'll pay around 20% more for the Range Rover than you would for many other luxury SUV rivals, including the Audi Q8 and BMW X5, but the Land Rover will get you a larger percentage of your money back when you come to sell it than with those cars.

Read our full Range Rover Sport review

Model R 112kWh | List price £129,950 | 36k/3yr resale value £71,000 | Price drop £58,950 | Retained value 54.6%

There was a time, not so long ago, when the idea of Lotus building a heavy electric SUV would have been considered sacrilege. But despite its heft, the Eletre feels as nippy as you'd hope, with the range-topping R model getting a scarcely believable 905bhp. The result is a car with relentless pace, even if you don't get the same sort of enjoyable handling as you'd find from the Aston Martin DBX707 or Porsche Macan Electric.

The Eletre is more comfortable than the rival Audi SQ8 e-tron on the motorway, but at lower speeds potholes and the like can cause rather abrupt body movements which feel out of place in a six-figure car.

Elsewhere, the Eletre's interior feels rock-solid in terms of quality, and while the BMW iX continues to set the standard for usability thanks to its physical buttons, the touch surfaces in the Eletre are quick to respond to your inputs, and their graphics are high-resolution.

Read our full Lotus Eletre review

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