Land Rover Defender Review 2026: Prices, specs & verdict

What is the Land Rover Defender?

The Land Rover Defender is one of the most famous 4x4s by far. Its origins stretch back to 1948, when Land Rover launched the Series 1. And over the years the Defender has evolved into a British four-wheel drive icon.

After a production run of almost 70 years and two million vehicles, Land Rover replaced its world famous 4x4 with an-all new model in 2020. It also moved the car’s production from the UK to Slovakia.

Reinventing an icon is no easy task, but Land Rover has revived the Defender with SUV-like comfort and on-road performance, while also improving its off-road credentials.

The latest Defender went through 62,000 tests, covering millions of miles ranging from altitudes of 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to sub-40-degree temperatures of the Arctic and 50-degree heat of the desert.

Land Rover’s dedication has made the latest Defender its most-popular model, outselling the Discovery, Evoque and Discovery Sport. However, given the highly competitive nature of the SUV market, the Defender needs to be at the top of its game to take on the best family SUVs and off-roaders.

Indeed, the Defender rivals a huge array of accomplished SUVs and 4x4s, which include the Audi Q7, BMW X7, Ineos Grenadier, Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Land Cruiser.

Is the Land Rover Defender good enough to cut it against the best SUVs? Read our review to find out.

Verdict: is the Land Rover Defender a good car?

The Land Rover Defender is a very accomplished car. Well designed, brilliantly engineered and fantastic to drive, the latest Defender betters its predecessor on every conceivable level.

Land Rover poured 70 years of experience into the latest Defender and the result is a class leading off-roader with a model range that’s broad enough to rival the best luxury and high-performance SUVs. Only its sheer size and relative cost count against it.

Pricing, specs & rivals

The Land Rover Defender is available in three body styles. At the time of writing, prices for the three-door Defender 90 start at £57,135 while the five-door Defender 110 is available from £62,795.

The Defender 130 is available with up to eight seats and will set you back at least £84,070. All three variants can be made a lot more expensive with Land Rover’s multitude of option packs and extras.

The high-performance Defender OCTA starts from £148,045.

With so many versions, the Defender competes with a huge array of SUVs. The Defender 90 rivals the Audi Q5 (£53,060) and BMW X3 (£53,305). The Defender 110 competes with the Toyota Land Cruiser (£80,740), Ineos Grenadier (£62,495) and Audi Q7 (£73,105). The Defender 130 rivals the best family SUVs, which includes the BMW X7 (£93,160) and Volvo XC90 (£66,270).

Standard equipment is high across the range, with all versions getting alloy wheels, LED lighting, heated front seats, four-wheel drive and Land Rover’s famous Terrain Response system that lets you adapt the car’s set up the car to tackle everything from mud to heavy snow.

Land Rover offers a lot of personalisation options, too. This means there is a wide range of trim lines and accessory packs that let you add kit such as roof ladders, wheel arch protection and side steps.

If you plan to use your Defender for camping, you can add an air compressor for inflating mattresses and a cold-water rinse system for washing muddy boots.

Rivals

The Land Rover Defender rivals some of the best 4x4s and luxury SUVs on sale. This includes the Toyota Land Cruiser, Ineos Grenadier, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60.

The Defender 130 is available with eight seats and competes with the Audi Q7, BMW X7 and Volvo XC90. You may also want to consider luxury rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Porsche Cayenne.

Interior comfort, quality & technology

Spacious, luxurious and practical, the interior of the Land Rover Defender is a charming and comfortable place to spend time.

There are lots of nods to the original Defender with big grab handles, exposed metal, chunky bits of trim and washable floor coverings. However, you also get lots of soft-touch and high-quality materials, which gives the interior a luxurious yet utilitarian appearance that makes it feel quite unique.  

The elevated driving position is perfect, while the driver’s seat has 12-way adjustment as standard which makes it easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. High-spec versions get 14-way adjustment with a memory function.

There is no shortage of space for passengers, the high roofline and wide body shape provides lots of head, shoulder and legroom across the front two rows.

On the Defender 90 and Defender 110, you can replace the centre console with a ‘jump seat’, which allows you to carry six people with three side-by-side in the front.

The Defender 110 can be specified with a third row of seats to carry up to seven people, but Land Rover does not allow you to have the jump seat in this configuration.

The Defender 130 is the largest model in the line-up, offered with five or eight seats. As an eight-seater, the second row of seats have a sliding function to provide those in the back with more legroom if they need it.

The overhead windows provide lots of natural light, which means the cabin always feels airy and relaxing.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Since 2025, all versions of the Defender get a 13.1in touchscreen for the infotainment system as standard. It is simple to master and you get a pair of rotary dials for the climate control, which we really like.

The system is fully compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can pair your phone and mirror its display on the touchscreen without having to mess around with any wires.

However, we find Land Rover’s built-in navigation to be easy to use. And the touchscreen is quick to respond to finger touches, while the menu system is simple to use when on the move.

Below the touchscreen and rotary dials, you get shortcut keys that allow you to demist the windscreen, adjust the vehicle’s ride height (if air suspension is fitted) or activate the heated front seats.

If you prefer cars with simple push button controls, the Defender will feel like a refreshing change to rivals like the XC90 that has many of its key in-car controls in the touchscreen.

The 10-speaker Meridian sound system will be sufficient for most music lovers, but if you want the best audio experience then higher-spec versions with the 14-speaker setup will be more to your liking.

You don’t get a wireless phone charging pad as standard across the range, which is a shame. But charging mobile devices shouldn’t be a problem with a pair of 12V power supplies and two USB sockets in the front.

In the second row, occupants have two USBs and a pair of 12V charging points. When the third-row seats are fitted, they come with a USB outlet and 12-volt socket. The loadspace also includes an additional 12-volt socket while a three pin 230V socket available as an optional extra.

How practical is the Land Rover Defender?

At 2,105mm wide (including the door mirrors), the Land Rover Defender is a large car. However, the level of practicality you get will depend on the version you choose.

Measuring 4,583mm in length, the three-door Defender 90 is the smallest model in the line-up. It has sufficient space for four adults, but getting in/out can be a challenge for those in back due to the fact you must fold the front seat and climb over it to get in/out.

We think the Defender 110 strikes the best balance between size and practicality. At 5,018mm in length, it is considerable, but you get four proper doors. There is also more legroom for those in the back, which means large adults or tall teenagers can stretch out and relax.

The 110 is available as a seven-seater and adults will comfortably fit in the third row, while the sliding function for the middle row allows you provide more legroom for those in the back.

At 5,358mm long, the Defender 130 is the largest model in the range. It is a huge car, providing up to eight seats.

Storage and boot space

The interior of the Land Rover Defender pairs luxury with workmanlike simplicity. This means you get large door pockets, huge cup holders and a vast central storage box.

The Defender 90 is suitable for people who travel light, with its modest 297-litre boot providing limited storage. The Defender 110 has 786 litres of boot space, which drops to 160 in the seven-seater version. When the third row is not needed, the seats can be folded in the boot floor to give you 786 litres again.

The Defender 130 provides 1,094 litres of boot space that drops to 290 with the third row of seats in use.

The square shape of the boot is very practical, with a 1.1 metre load width between the rear wheel arches. However, accessing the boot can be tricky, as you need quite a lot of space to swing the tailgate open.

This is an issue you also get with the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, while the BMW X7 has a split tailgate which lets you open the top part to access the boot.

Five-seater versions of the Defender get a second row of seats that split 40/20/40, while seven-seater models split 60/40.

Performance & drive: What is the Land Rover Defender like on the road?

Comfortable, refined and surprisingly easy to drive, the Land Rover Defender feels more like a luxury SUV than a hardened 4x4 off roader.

All versions of the Defender get four-wheel drive that is linked to a silky smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox, with a twin-speed transmission for low-range ratios for towing or off-road driving.

Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 is fitted as standard, which includes a water wade programme and a configurable off-road system to optimise traction in all conditions. There is an array of cameras and sensors to help you navigate challenging off-road tracks while ground clearance is up to of 291mm.

The Defender has a maximum wading depth of 900mm, while a camera shows you area of the car that is usually hidden by the bonnet.

The Defender is available with diesel, petrol or plug-in hybrid power. The 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel engines are all impressive with lots of low-gear torque. They all feature mild-hybrid technology as standard.

The diesels are branded D200, D250, D300 and D350, which indicates the hp power output. The D200 produces 200hp, while the D250 offers 250hp and provides a decent all-round mix between performance and running costs.

If you want your diesel Defender with more straight-line punch, we recommend spending extra on the D300 (300hp) or D350 (350hp).

The D350 is our favourite, it has mountains of torque and covers 0-62mph in six seconds.

The plug-in hybrid is only available on the Defender 110 and has an all-electric range of up to 31-miles. It uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery for a combined power output of 300hp.

The V8 petrol versions of the Defender are high-performance focused badged P425 and P635.

The halo model is the Defender Octa with 635hp. It is noisy, dramatic and Land Rover’s answer to the Mercedes-AMG G-Class and Porsche Cayenne. The 0-62mph sprint takes less than four seconds.

Power, 0-62mph times 

• Land Rover Defender 90 D250 250hp / 7.6 seconds
• Land Rover Defender 89 D350 350hp / 5.9 seconds
• Land Rover Defender 110 D250 250hp / 7.9 seconds
• Land Rover Defender 110 D350 350hp / 6.1 seconds
• Land Rover Defender 110 PHEV 300hp / 7.4 seconds
• Land Rover Defender 130 D350 350p / 6.4 seconds
• Land Rover Defender 110 P425 425hp / 5.8 seconds
• Land Rover Defender Octa P635 635hp / 3.8 seconds

Ride and handling

The Land Rover Defender handles extremely well for its size. You don’t get any of the usual 4x4 harshness, which means the ride and handling is on par with the best family SUVs.

Our test car came with height adjustable air suspension, which soaks up even the hardest of road bumps and potholes. We have not tested the Defender on steel coil spring suspension, however.

The steering is light at low speeds but progressive at higher speeds, which means you get lots of feedback. As a result, the Defender is surprisingly composed for its size on the open road, with a predicable manner and excellent body control.

Noise and refinement

Despite its block-like shape and powerful array of diesel and petrol engines, the Defender is a calm and composed motorway companion.

It will quietly cruise on the motorway and even a heavy dose of acceleration will result in a hushed but deep burble from the engine that is unlikely to disturb your passengers.

Euro NCAP: is the Land Rover Defender a safe car?

The Land Rover Defender scored a maximum five-star rating when it was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2020.

Both adult and child occupation protection was 85%, while vulnerable road user protection was 71%.

Safety equipment includes lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, cruise control, parking sensors, cameras and a driver condition monitor that will notify the driver if it thinks they are tired and need a break. 

Fuel economy and running costs

The Land Rover Defender is a large, powerful and heavy car, so fuel efficiency takes a clear hit. Official fuel economy for the 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesels is 31-34mpg, depending on body style and spec.

On paper, the plug-in hybrid model is the most efficient, with Land Rover claiming 110mpg – but this figure will be dependant on the battery having a full charge at the start of every journey.

How much does the Land Rover Defender cost to insure?

Insurance for the Land Rover Defender 90 starts group 27 for the D200 diesel and rises to 43 for the higher spec version with the D350 engine.

The Defender 110 starts from group 31 and rise to 50 for the higher powered and spec models, while the 130 starts from group 46.

The high-powered Defender Octa sits in the maximum group 50, which is on a par with competitors.