The Worst Luxury SUVs Still Cost a Pretty Penny

When you hear the term luxury in front of the type of vehicle you want to buy, do you instantly see more zeros at the end of the price? Even though luxury SUVs offer higher grade materials, more advanced driving dynamics, modern technology, and brand name recognition, they also come at a higher price. You don’t want to experience a dud or face high future repair costs when buying one of these models, but what are the worst luxury SUVs you can buy?

A top-ten list of the wrong luxury SUVs to buy

This video from Car Help Corner does a fantastic job of offering reasons why each model makes the list of 10 you should avoid. Whether it’s the reliability scores, reviews from experts, customer experiences, or lack of luxury qualities, these are SUVs you’ll want to avoid.

Car Help Corner List

• Volvo XC90
• Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Cadillac Escalade
• Lincoln Aviator
• BMW X5
• Mercedes-Benz GLE
• Jaguar F-Pace
• Maserati Levante
• Land Rover Range Rover

If you’re thinking to yourself, “I’ve never heard of this reviewer, why should I listen to them?” Don’t worry; that’s the same thing I thought when I started trying to find the list of the worst luxury SUVs. Even though the reviewer offers supporting documentation from trusted sources, you can benefit from a secondary list that should show some similarities.

Are there other models you need to avoid?

Let’s turn to one of the most trusted sources for consumers, Consumer Reports. They break down the list of luxury SUVs into a few categories. With that in mind, here’s a highlight of the lowest-scoring models:

Entry-Level Luxury SUVs

• Jaguar E-Pace
• Cadillac XT4
• Mercedes-Benz GLA
• BMW X1
• BMW X2

Compact Luxury SUVs

• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
• Land Rover Discovery Sport
• Jaguar F-Pace
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Land Rover Range Rover Velar

Midsize Luxury SUVs

• Tesla Model X
• Mercedes-Benz GLE
• Lincoln Aviator
• Genesis GV80
• Land Rover Defender

Large Luxury SUVs

• Mercedes-Benz GLS
• Infiniti QX80
• Cadillac Escalade
• Buick Enclave
• Lincoln Navigator

What does this tell us about the worst luxury SUVs?

Some models show up on both lists, including:

• Lincoln Aviator
• Cadillac Escalade
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Jaguar F-Pace
• Mercedes-Benz GLE

These five models are SUVs that you might think twice about before buying. They could be good as leased vehicles, but owning some of them beyond the warranty timeline puts you at risk of extremely high repair costs.

The number of Land Rover models on the Consumer Reports list might steer you clear of that brand entirely. While the Maserati Levante and Land Rover Range Rover are part of the Car Help Corner list, they have not been tested by Consumer Reports. Could they end up on the list with some of the other bottom feeders?

The Volvo XC90 competes in the midsize segment, which doesn’t put it in the bottom five models for Consumer Reports. Even so, the XC90 is closer to the bottom than the top of the list.

Note: Consumer Reports doesn’t have the Jeep Grand Cherokee listed as a luxury SUV, which is the case for most vehicle reviews.

One model where these lists differ

The BMW X5 is the top-rated luxury SUV in its class, according to Consumer Reports, but Car Help Corner has it as one of the ten worst you can buy. Even though these two lists differ, Car Help Corner does admit the X5 could be a good luxury SUV to lease or own during the warranty period.

How much do the worst luxury SUVs cost?

 With both sources in agreement for most of the list (4 out of 5 dentists, right), the price you’ll pay for some of the worst models in the luxury market is:

• Volvo XC90 $50,900 – $72,600
• Jeep Grand Cherokee $37,785 – $70,000
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio $45,550 – $84,650
• Cadillac Escalade $76,295 – $108,595
• Lincoln Aviator $50,870 – $88,230
• BMW X5 $60,600 – $106,100
• Mercedes-Benz GLE $56,150 – $79,800
• Jaguar F-Pace $50,900 – $86,600
• Maserati Levante $79,400 – $153,100
• Land Rover Range Rover $93,800 – $215,200

Are you willing to pay for the worst of the lot?

Will you think twice about buying any of these luxury SUVs, or will you still dive in with both feet? Several great options could be better ways to spend at least $50,000 or more for the luxury qualities you want when you drive.

Next, check out this special Volvo SUV, or learn more about the worst luxury SUVs by watching the video below:

This article was updated on 8/24/2022.