Range Rover Velar PHEV Review

Is it worth buying the Velar PHEV over its petrol or diesel relations?

Make sure you can charge it regularly, or else you’re lugging around the extra weight of its battery and motor for nothing and your mpg figure will be similar to a regular petrol Velar. But if you can charge overnight at home and even a few hours while you’re at work, it’s bound to pay dividends.

How many miles can I do on electric only?

Land Rover claims 33 miles on a full charge, but this will be without a car full of kids and paraphernalia – and the rigmarole of stop/start driving. So let’s say 20 to 25 miles in the real world if you’re driving sensibly.

And how long will it take to charge?

With its 17.1kWh battery being much smaller than a fully electric car’s, charging times and costs are much slimmer. On a 7kW wall box at home or in public, expect a full charge in just under two hours. Hook up to a fast DC charger in motorway services and you’ll zing back up to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes. Though with a petrol engine on board as well, it’s less urgent here and you might be best hooking up to slower, cheaper chargers when you get the chance.

Can the Range Rover Velar PHEV tow?

Absolutely – with a 2000kg towing capacity, your Velar can haul along a typical caravan, horsebox or motorboat and trailer. And it’ll still wade through water and crawl over rocks like a Land Rover should, too, even if such terrain is unlikely to lie between most owners and the school gates or their place of work…

Which trim level would you have?

The Velar is all about style, right? So we’d upgrade from base SE spec to R-Dynamic S – a miniscule jump from £65,195 to £65,235 – for its satin grey paint, more assertive styling pack and smart 19in wheels, which ought to offer a nice compromise between aesthetics and ride quality.