The best luxury cars – driven, rated and ranked

Best for: Being chauffered

BMW may have knocked it out of the park with the latest 7 Series, but the S-Class is still a fine alternative – and has gained a host of new features as part of a 2026 facelift. 

Something so long and heavy has little right to handle as tidily as the S-Class does.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

The new model can boast new engines and technology but, while we await its arrival, the current S-Class is still good enough for a high-ranking position here. 

Its interior is still one of the most luxurious on the market and one of the materially comfortable places to sit while on the move by some distance. The many digital screens are practical rather than jarring to the eye too. 

Petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains are available, ranging from the 317bhp entry-level S350d to the 620bhp AMG S63 E Performance.

If electric power is more your vibe, there’s the equally upmarket EQS. 

Best for: Off-road ability

The latest, fifth-generation Range Rover is a very long way from the mildly gentrified farm truck that it once was. 

In cabin isolation and ride composure, it’s unrivalled by anything in this class and, we would wager, a few classes either side of it.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

With its lighter construction, finely-honed air suspension, 48V active anti-roll bars and the availability of four-wheel steering, it handles with precision and agility. A mix of petrol, diesel and hybrid engines means there's a Range Rover for everyone – and there’s an electric version on the way too. 

The P460e and P550e plug-in hybrids both offer up to 70 miles of electric-only range, making for 6% benefit-in-kind tax. You can also have a BMW-sourced V8 with either 523bhp or 607bhp. 

Inside, the Range Rover effortlessly melds traditional club-class quality and comfort with all the latest tech. The price of entry has risen to just shy of £100,000, which is a lot, but it's a mark of the car's abilities that it easily justifies this figure and more besides.

Best for: Driving dynamics

The Cayenne is near the top end of the luxury car rankings, thanks to its seriously impressive blend of sports car-like driving dynamics, high-quality finish and ergonomic excellence. 

If you have been waiting for an uncomplicated, relatively traditional and really enjoyable luxury SUV to go all in on and keep forever, this may be it.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

While other cars in the segment can offer a slightly more settled ride, few can match its effective V8 and its overall dynamic edge. 

The Cayenne's interior is one of breath-taking quality, its ride refinement gives away almost nothing to the most comfortable in the class and its performance is as strong as ever, backed by a broad range of engines. 

You can also have the rakish Cayenne Coupé, should the regular Cayenne somehow not seem desirable or special enough.Then there's the wild GT, which infuses this SUV with genuine 911 GT3 driver appeal. 

Best for: Electric motoring

People were quick to judge the iX for its radical looks when it was launched in 2021, but an update last year has helped to sharpen its aesthetic. 

The iX has compelling fitness for purpose and a real completeness of appeal as a near-£100,000 luxury car.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

Several versions are available. The line-up opens with the xDrive45, which makes 402bhp and 516lb ft. A large 94.8kWh battery means that even this model can travel up to 374 miles on a charge. The 536bhp xDrive60 brings even more range, with a headline figure of 426 miles. And if you want your organs to be rearranged, the 659bhp, 811lb ft M70 is the derivative for you. 

Regardless of powertrain, the iX has a relaxing and understated luxury ambience, with world-class rolling refinement and drivability, instant and effortless performance and creditable real-world range that's unmatched by other electric SUVs.

Best for: Refinement and quality

How the Bentayga manages to offer such an abundance of performance, refinement and grandeur without sacrificing on ride comfort, interior quality or practicality is a real achievement. 

Any quibbles about the interior layout or fuel economy all but pale into insignificance in the context of this luxury SUV's hugely impressive attributes.

Felix Page, Deputy editor

You can have it with either a 3.0-litre V6 PHEV powertrain or a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 making 542bhp and 568lb ft. If that isn’t enough, there’s also the Bentayga Speed, which uses the same V8 tuned to 626bhp and 664lb ft. 

The quality of the Bentayga’s fixtures and fittings is a cut above, and while its dashboard is relatively unchanged from the car that first appeared in 2015, its analogue style is quite refreshing in 11 years on. 

A brilliant car, then, if you can stomach the six-figure price and poor fuel economy. 

Best for: PHEV performance

Four-door luxury GTs will struggle to match the Flying Spur when it comes to material quality, interior fit and finish and overall appeal. Every surface is covered in some form of lavish material, plus there’s generous levels of room both front and rear. 

What I love most about Azure-spec Bentleys is the way they embrace the chrome brightwork that Crewe does so brilliantly and reject oh-so-fashionable gloss black body trim. Some cars deserve to be shiny.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

A pair of electrified twin-turbo V8 engines are available. There’s the High Performance Hybrid, which makes a combined 671bhp, and the Ultra Performance Hybrid, which puts out a searing 771bhp.

Electric-only range is impressive, at up to 47 miles – almost double that of the old V6 hybrid. 

The Speed is the missile of the line-up: its 738lb ft of torque tells you all you need to know. It's expensive, but try hard and you can sneak the overall price under £200k. 

Best for: Performance

The last Range Rover wasn’t a small car, but the new one is truly gargantuan on European roads. Four-wheel steering and straight sides make it manageable, but you might just want the Range Rover experience in a slightly smaller package. 

The Range Rover Sport does everything we expect of a luxury SUV, a proper off-roader and a big, enveloping driver’s car.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

That's where the Range Rover Sport comes in. It shares much with its full-sized sibling, not least its outstanding mechanical refinement and luxury appeal.

Where the Sport really distinguishes itself is its capacity to control its considerable mass, to sharpen the precision of its responses and to distinguish itself as something of a driver’s car. It's tactile and at least a little communicative.

But while it is a great car to drive, the perceived quality of its interior materials doesn’t quite stack up, hence it’s not quite as luxurious as the Range Rover. 

Best for: Practicality

Don't think of the X7 as an enlarged X5, says BMW, but rather a jacked-up 7 Series that has been readied for limited off-road work.

The X7 doesn’t reward like the Cayenne, but there is satisfaction to be had from behind the wheel and probably to a greater degree than in any other full-size SUV able to muster so much in the way of rolling refinement.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

That description doesn't much account for the fact that the X7 is a seven-seat, two-box car with an extended roofline, of course, but it does tell you about the priorities that BMW's designers and engineers had when it came to refining and tuning the car, which has now been facelifted to bring in line with the 7 Series.

On the road, the X7 handles its size and bulk well, feeling surprisingly precise and athletic when cornering, while its ride is comfortable without running out of control. 

The X7 offers a strong powertrain line-up including mild-hybrid straight-six petrol and diesel engines. We've driven the former in smooth and eager 375bhp xDrive40i guise, but we suspect the torquey and efficient 347bhp xDrive40d will be the best foil to the X7.

For those wanting the ultimate in conspicuous consumption, there's the M60i, complete with a new M-fettled 523bhp twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 that helps it sprint from 0-62mph in just 4.7sec – numbers for which you would have needed an M5 not too long ago.