Land Rover Range Rover running costs and mpg

• Avoid any of the thirsty V8 petrol engines
• Plug-in hybrid boasts bold fuel economy claims
• V6 diesel offers decent performance and frugality

This is clearly a car aimed at the well-heeled given both the purchase price and running costs. With Land Rover keen to emphasis both the car’s on-road refinement that can compete with and beat luxury saloons and provide the best capability off-road, the Range Rover’s running costs could be seen as one cost for two cars.

That’s certainly what you’ll get if you pick the hyped-up supercharged V8, which will be very thirsty and potentially a bit of a tyre-muncher if you maximise the performance on offer - officially it's an eye-watering 18.9mpg and 338g/km for CO2 emissions. However, drive it sedately and it's a relaxed, much less thirsty engine. On a gently motorway run a figure in the high-20mpgs is realistic. In truth, if you're considering one of these, running costs aren't likely to be much of a concern anyway.

On paper, the P400e plug-in hybrid is the best of the bunch with an electric-only range of 25 miles. Under the latest WLTP tests, it's rated at 75.7-85.1mpg, with CO2 emissions of 75-85g/km. Be aware that once you've used up all of that electrical energy, efficiency drops to the low-30mpgs, resulting in something at the worse end of the miles per pound scale 4.0 - 18.2 mpp. This is the model to pick if you're attracted by shorter bursts of EV driving and low Benefit-in-Kind bills.

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Best all-rounder is the SDV6 3.0-litre diesel. Its official rating of 29.1-31.5mpg is realistc, but the CO2 emissions of 235-255g/km will ensure it remains costly to tax.

Clearly a large, luxury 4x4 is not the way to demonstrate one’s eco credentials. On the plus side the Range Rover’s emissions are significantly lower than the previous model.

It also features an all-aluminium body, and as well as a reduced mass, that means the car can be constructed without lots of spot welding, offering a doubly reduced environmental impact.

But parts such as brakes and tyres, as well as servicing and insurance will all be expensive on such a large and complex vehicle.

How reliable are Range Rovers?

• Catalogue of official recalls
• Lots of rust-proof aluminium
• Engines used elsewhere by JLR

If you'd hoped Land Rover would have nailed a raft of problems with its cars by now, then prepare to be disappointed. the DVSA official recall site lists a wealth of maladies that have affected this generation of Range Rover fro fuel leaks, stability problems, braking issues and even the electronic instruments failing. If you're considering buying a used one, it's imperative to ensure all of the work has been undertaken.

For newer models it's likely these issues won't occur, but given the technical complexity of the cars, you'd be forgiven for being concerned.

Much of the engine technology is also on the new side, particularly the four- and six-cylinder Ingenium petrol engines and plug-in hybrid system.

At least it won't rust thanks to a body and understructure that's fabricated - expensively - from aluminium.