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Compare the best luxury SUVs

High quality premium SUVs from rated and reviewed dealers

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Rated 4.6/5 from 49,181 reviews
white porsche cayenne driving

Most luxurious SUVs of 2024

Luxury and SUV are perfect bedfellow: a high-sided SUV’s spacious interior and long-travel suspension combine perfectly to create exactly the sort of comfort and refinement that luxury buyers are looking for. And when carmakers also add high performance and real handling prowess, you end up with the ultimate in luxury SUVs.

We’ve driven all the models on sale and chosen our top 10 premium SUVs.

Porsche Macan

1. Porsche Macan

9/10
Porsche Macan review
Considering that the Macan is quite heavy and based on two-generation-old Audi Q5 hardware, it has absolutely no right to be as good as it is. Porsche has recently simplified the Macan line-up, getting rid of diesel engines but adding an extra-sporty GTS version with a 440hp output. All versions are properly entertaining to drive, though.
Land Rover Defender 110

2. Land Rover Defender

9/10
Land Rover Defender 110 review
Although the concept might be bewildering to owners of original Defenders, the new model is, whisper it, a luxury SUV. It takes about 90% of the comfort and refinement of a Discovery and adds about 10% more in off-road prowess, while the cabin looks somewhat utilitarian, but is actually hugely comfortable and, well, just huge (in 110 and 130 models at any rate). Soft air springs also give the Defender terrific ride comfort.
BMW iX

3. BMW iX

9/10
BMW iX review
Battery range up to 382 miles
Slowly but surely, EVs are replacing the petrol and diesel cars we’re used to – even in the luxury SUV category. BMW's big electric SUV is high-class, huge and rapid, with a cabin that is has plenty of luxury touches and technology. The brutal futurist styling of the exterior might be off-putting for some, but any qualms should be eased by the knowledge that it has a range of up to 380 miles and, in the iX M60 variant, a 619hp output.
Aston Martin DBX

4. Aston Martin DBX

9/10
Aston Martin DBX review
A serious contender for the best-looking big SUV, this Aston-in-platforms has a lovely interior, too, with a cabin that takes inspiration from its lower, lither sibling, the DB11. Everything feels very high-quality cabin, although some of the Mercedes-Benz cast-off buttons and displays do jar a little, undermining the Aston Martin vibes. In the rear, there’s limo-like space, but the front seats are a little on the pinchy side – but you’ll forgive it that for the way it corners.
Mercedes GLC

5. Mercedes GLC

8/10
Mercedes GLC review
Available either as a traditionally boxy SUV or sloping-roofed coupe, the GLC might be compact in this class, but it’s not out of place alongside the likes of the Porsche Macan. There is a base specification with a 2.0-litre diesel, or even a choice of petrol or diesel plug-in hybrids, but our eyes are always drawn to the mighty AMG 43 and 63 models: they offer up to 510hp and enough acceleration to satisfy speed freaks. The cabin design might be a little long in the tooth now, but it’s all beautifully built.
Range Rover Sport

6. Range Rover Sport

8/10
Range Rover Sport review
Battery range up to 24 miles
The all-new Range Rover Sport is available in a pair of plug-in hybrid versions with electric ranges of up to 70 miles, but there’s also a new 4.4-litre V8 (shared with BMW). Inside, you’ll find a pared-back, but still luxurious version of the cabin from the new Range Rover.
Mercedes G-Class

7. Mercedes G-Class

8/10
Mercedes G-Class review
If by old school you mean a design that has barely changed since the late 1970s,then the G-Class is certainly that. If you also factor in an off-road prowess that you’d need a Land Rover Defender to match and enough AMG V8 power to create the world’s fastest garden shed, then the G-Class is more old school than The Sugarhill Gang. Then again, a fully-electric version of the ‘Geländewagen’ is coming to blow all of our minds.
Porsche Cayenne

8. Porsche Cayenne

8/10
Porsche Cayenne review
Along with the BMW X5, the Cayenne took the original Range Rover recipe of luxing up an off-roader and added a sporty twist of its own, with impressive performance and true driver appeal. Two decades on, Porsche has done little to mess with a winning formula. Apart from active aerodynamics. And a full-digital cockpit. Oh, and a 680hp plug-in hybrid version.
Bentley Bentayga

9. Bentley Bentayga

8/10
Bentley Bentayga review
One of those cars that only a designer’s mother could love, the Bentayga is big and… there’s no way to sugar-coat it… ugly. But it’s also exceptionally good to drive, belying its weight and height when cornering. And it offers the sort of refinement and relaxation that you expect from a Bentley. The mighty W12 engine is glorious, but taking the more ‘sensible’ V8 or hybrid options result in just as soothing a drive.
Rolls-Royce Cullinan

10. Rolls Royce Cullinan

8/10
Rolls-Royce Cullinan review
Under the skin, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a Phantom saloon, but with a loft conversion grafted on – in the most tasteful way, of course. Carried along by a 6.75-litre turbo V12, which is glassy-smooth and electric quiet, the Cullinan’s relatively understated interior is incredibly comfortable. It does, however, have a most un-Roller-like firm ride at times, though, which is just not the done thing, old chap.

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It used to be that this was a pretty straight fight between the BMW X7 or the Mercedes-Benz GLS (which has a super-luxury Maybach version), but the newly-arrived Range Rover has put the British cat amongst these German pigeons. The addition of extra seats in the boot (and about time, too!), plus new engine tech that means plug-in hybrid versions can go for 70 miles on electric power alone, have brought the Range Rover bang up to date.

With so many diesels being phased out in recent years, this title probably comes down to the new Range Rover Sport P460e plug-in hybrid, which has a big enough battery to enable a range of up to 74.6 miles a claimed 392.6mpg(!) on the official WLTP fuel economy test. 

If you want the best small luxury SUV, it’s very hard to look past the Porsche Macan , especially when it comes to driving. It might not be as mechanically up to date as some rivals, but it is seriously impressive to drive and it has the high-quality cabin you expect in a Porsche.

The only thing that gets close is the Mercedes-Benz GLC, which impresses with its refinement and smart cabin. If you want smaller still, and more affordable, there’s also the Range Rover Evoque, which feels more luxurious inside than some larger and more expensive SUVs.

Porsche has a reputation for  build quality and technical expertise that is second to none, so it’s no surprise to learn that the Cayenne and Macan provide solid long-term reliability. It’s a similar story for anything from Audi, Mercedes, or BMW.

However, if you want the ultimate in engineering quality, the Lexus’ RX450h hybrid benefits from the kind of reliability that has seen Lexus consistently winning awards.

All the premium brands have smaller SUVs in their model line-ups, so you might want to look at the BMW X1 (or all-electric iX1), Audi Q2, Mercedes-Benz GLA or Range Rover Evoque. None will have the luxury touches of their bigger and more expensive siblings, but they’re still stylish, built to a high standard and a great way to get into a premium car brand for a modest cost.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the clear leader here, edging out the Bentley Bentayga by managing to mix ludicrous levels of luxury with a sense of decorum and refined taste that others seem to miss. It’s luxurious, of course, but it does that very British thing of not seeming to show off about being luxurious.

However, at a more affordable level, the Land Rover Defender has a fantastic cabin design that reflects the car’s rugged nature, through exposed bolts, powder-coated metal and open shelves. It feels perfectly fit-for-purpose and is surprisingly comfortable on a long journey, so it’s more satisfying by far than interiors in more obviously opulent rivals.

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