In the luxury SUV world, $50,000 does represent a relatively affordable price point. Many models, including entry-level versions, can reach prices much higher than this mark. When you’re willing to part ways with this amount of money, you want a vehicle that offers quality and reliability, befitting the class and price you pay. Here are five luxury SUVs you’ll want to avoid.

Stay away from the Range Rover Evoque luxury SUV

If you can’t afford a “real” Range Rover, you might not want to settle for the Evoque. This luxury SUV comes with problems that will make you hate it soon after you begin to drive it. In the video from ReDriven, you see below, you’ll have a lot of problems with the Evoque, including:

• Loss of steering control
• Transmission failures
• Fuel and oil leaks
• Suspension failures
• Electronic problems

The Range Rover Evoque finished last in a recent reliability study making this an SUV you need to avoid according to Consumer Reports.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a luxury SUV you want to avoid

The beauty, joyful driving, and elegance of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio don’t make up for the troubles you’ll have with this SUV. This SUV looks great, but it suffers from:

• Major engine and transmission issues
• Fuel system issues
• Electronic problems
• Drive system problems
• AWD failures
• Inconsistency in reliability

Some owners have never had a problem with the Stelvio, while others face all the problems listed and then more. Should you take this kind of gamble with $50,000?

The Land Rover Discovery Sport can give you troubles

Another model from the Land Rover family makes it on the list of luxury SUVs you want to avoid. The Discovery Sport is so unreliable that nearly 43% of owners report problems with it. This SUV offers serious challenges that include:

• Major engine and transmission problems
• Electronic malfunctions
• Trim problems inside and out
• Braking and suspension problems

With the Discovery Sport, you’re taking a chance on facing these problems. This is another case of whether or not you want to gamble on a nearly 50% failure rate.

The Range Rover Velar is a luxury SUV that looks great but isn’t

On the outside, the Range Rover Velar looks great. It offers a sleek, modern style with an aggressive stance that makes it seem like it could be a winner. Once you get behind the wheel, you find out differently as this SUV offers:

• Electronic failures which impact nearly the entire vehicle
  • Door handles
  • Engine
  • Transmission
  • Touchscreen
  • Suspension
  • Braking

The Range Rover Velar is attractive, impressive, and futuristic. Almost everything in this luxury SUV uses a touchscreen or some form of electronics, which is the biggest challenge you’ll face when driving the Velar.

The Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are the worst luxury SUVs you can buy

These two models are practically joined at the hip and offer a long list of faults and failures that make them two of the worst vehicles you can buy. You’re certainly better off spending your $50,000 somewhere else. These two Range Rovers frustrate owners with major issues for more than half of the models built.

Why are Land Rover and Range Rover models in four spots on this list?

While it’s mostly speculation, the change of ownership of the Land Rover name could contribute to why vehicles from this brand hit the bottom five as hard as they do. At one time, Land Rover was one of the most highly-respected British brands in the automotive market, but it changed hands from BMW to Ford to its current ownership by Tata and Chery. This change might be enough to create reliability issues for this brand.

Does Consumer Report agree with this list of worst luxury SUVs?

The list of luxury SUVs reviewed by Consumer Reports shows us the models on this list fall at the bottom of the compact class.

• Land Rover Velar
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Land Rover Discovery Sport
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport didn’t fare well in the midsize luxury SUV class either. The Range Rover doesn’t have a Consumer Reports rating yet.

These results are low enough to put all of these SUVs in the bottom part of their respective classes.

What luxury SUV should you buy instead?

When looking for luxury models under $50,000, CR offers:

• Buick Envision
• Cadillac XT5
• BMW X3
• Audi Q5
• Mercedes-Benz GLC
• Volvo XC60
• Infiniti QX50
• Acura RDX
• Mercedes-Benz GLB
• Genesis GV70
• Lexus RX

Choose one of these 10 models that start at less than $50,000, and you’ll have a more reliable luxury SUV than the five that hit the bottom of the market.

Next, check out the new Lotus Eletre or watch the worst luxury SUVs in the video below:

This article was updated on 8/24/2022.