Range Rover Evoque

[Holibobby]

My car completley died on Friday! I’ve been looking around a few car garages today as I need a replacement as soon as possible. Fell in love with a Range Rover Evoque, 66 plate automatic for £10,500, 60k on clock. Drove nice on test drive.

I know these cars get a really bad press but for that amount it feels cheaper than some other SUVs such as the MG and Audi (not sure of the models). I am going to be paying half cash, half bank loan.

Any advice?

Seriously, get an independent mechanic to examine the car before you buy - try ClickMechanic for instance. What about the Volvo XC40? A neighbour, who has had many premium end cars, speaks highly of his. His previous car was a Skoda Superb Estate which had the most amazing dark red wine paintwork because it contained metallic flecks - huge boot space.

Seriously you don't have to look far or hard to see a raft of problems reported about the Evoque. Have you not come across any of these points while researching it?

• Engine stalling or misfiring – Especially in colder conditions or during idling.
• Turbocharger failure – Notably in earlier models (2012–2017), leading to costly repairs.
• Excessive oil consumption – Some owners report needing top-ups far too frequently.
• Cooling system faults – Including radiator leaks, thermostat issues, and water pump failures, which can lead to overheating.
• Central locking and alarm faults – Doors failing to lock/unlock properly or alarms triggering randomly.
• Electrical shorts – In some cases, wiring harness damage has led to power loss or even fire risk.
• Jerky gear changes – Rough shifting or hesitation, especially in automatic models.
• Complete transmission failure – Reported in some cases, requiring full replacement.
• Start-stop flywheel wear – Excessive vibration through the clutch pedal due to premature wear.
• Air suspension leaks – Resulting in uneven ride height or poor handling.
• Steering control issues – Difficulty turning or vague feedback, especially at low speeds.

Safety Recalls & Build Quality

• Fuel leaks – Particularly in models built between 2016–2018.
• Airbag and seatbelt malfunctions – Subject to multiple recalls.
• Tailgate misalignment – Can affect the reversing camera’s accuracy.
• Poor build quality in 2020 models – Including abrupt engine shutdowns and fire risks.

They get a bad rep because they are a complete pile of shit.

For that sort of money on a decade old car is asking for trouble.

Get a better more reliable car which is far better like a Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Lexus NX etc.

Buy that POS RR at your own peril.

Don’t touch it with a bargepole!
They’re a lovely drive when they’re actually working, but these times are few and far between! My brother had one, which he had to formally reject at 6 months old as it had spent more time in the garage than on the road due to software problems, he kept its replacement for 3 years and couldn’t get rid of it fast enough due to,,,,software problems…even the AA man who came out to it said he wouldn’t have one in a lucky bag

My ex has one. Same age and from nearly new and hasn’t had any problems with it. It does cost more to service than my VW though. Beautiful to drive. I guess it depends how ‘sensible’ you want to be. If you’re concerned about costs it’s probably not the right car for you.

I hate to say it, but I agree with the others. IF you get a good one they are lovely, but there are so many problems with them that it’s like finding a needle in a haystack to get a reliable one. They have a reputation for a reason (and I say this as someone who’s owned 4 thinning I was just unlucky!)

They’re literally the easiest cars to steal. I know someone who had trouble finding someone to insure him because they’re too high risk for theft.

They all get stolen round here.

That is exactly what I was going to say. Wouldn't last a week here. Even if you installed bollards, trackers and electronic sensor beams. They would steal it from the Tesco's car park the minute you went to do your shopping.

There can be lots of issues with anything that has Land Rover/Range Rover written on the bonnet, if you search google you will undoubtably find terrible reviews etc.

If you think that is the car for you then look for others incase you find a nicer one , if you are buying it because that one is local within budget and you 'want' it now then step away as you will find a better one after you buy it (colour/spec).

look at renting a car for a week whilst you make a decision, car dealers will get you 'on the road' in 2 days if they can, then when you have lived with the car for a week you decide its the wrong one. Ive done it with an Audi, hated it within a week

Check how much insurance will be - they all get nicked where I am so insurance is off the scale.

I lost £20k from purchase (second hand) price to when I sold it on with a Jaguar e-pace, within 3 year I think it was.

Diesels from JLR are absolute balls. The service frequency they recommend absolutely fucks the timing chain or belt, whatever it is. Fine if someone has had their head screwed on and done oil changes every 6 month, completely fucks the engine otherwise. Mine started with a knock and my husband plus my trusted garage basically said it was too far gone and would need a new engine fairly soon so to get shot of it as quickly as I could. I was gutted and still don't believe them fully but considering the massive lack of interest to buy it from dealers they were right.

That's not to mention all the other problems JLR cars seem to have. Absolutely avoid unless you're happy to come out with nothing after a few year max.

Also for what it's worth, I wanted the epace ultimately for my ego, because it was a Jag and looked nice. Now I drive a 14 year old city car which doesn't even have central locking but I know is a workhorse with so few 'bits' to it, it will probably outlive me. Completely given up on spending money on a car which I use for such a small percentage of my life.

I wouldn't but a Range Rover because

1. they get nicked
2. they develop complex issues that are impossible to fix. They are not alone though. In 2021 I threw away £12k on a ford kuga that had not been properly maintained which meant it needed a new gear box........

My friend had one brand new on lease and it spent more time in the garage than on her driveway. She now has a Volvo xc60.

We bought ours second hand (2 years old) , one owner from new, serviced by the same local main dealer. Car and owner known to the garage.

Beautiful car to drive, great to look at. My DS is a car fanatic and looked around at a range of cars with us. This met our brief.

Five years on, no issues, still looks and drives perfectly.

On a 66 plate if it's a Diesel it will be an ingenium engine. They can have issues with cam chains rattling and DPF issues.

No. And I work with land rovers

A relative of mine is a mechanic and did his apprenticeship at a JLR. His review of them is they are a pile of shite, over priced, unreliable and he wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole. Apparently they had the same cars in on a regular basis for repairs at an astronomical cost. He wasn’t overly complimentary about the dealerships either.

If you really want one, we quite often get stolen ones in our communal car park. They sit there for a couple of months then, as if by magic, they suddenly have new number plates and an MOT then they disappear. I’ll let you know next time one turns up.

I’m on my 2nd and absolutely love it! Apart from occasionally changing tyres and the yearly service and mot it doesn’t need anything other than screen wash and diesel. Once every few years the brakes need doing but they are a dream to drive and so comfy and turn so easily.

everyone has issues with any type of cars - that’s the luck of the draw

Thank you for all the messages, the quest is still on to find a car but this has helped narrow down my options

Does it need to be an SUV? Maybe consider an estate.

I’m sure there is an insurance stat that they are the most stolen car.

What engine is it? As a motor trader I think it’s one of the least reliable cars about, depending on which engine. In our 5 years trading we have had to put 2 engines in cars, both have been Land Rovers at a cost to us of £15000 and £9000. One was a 3.5 year old Defender with 40k on and full LR history, other one was a 6 year old Discovery with 60k on and full LR service history. Certain engines are simply NOT fit for purpose. And if you search for the country’s most unreliable model of car you will see it’s an Evoque.

Land Rovers were the most stolen car interestingly until last year and it’s now the Toyota Hilux, they’re being stolen to ship abroad. This really surprised me. But yes you will find insurance is very high for Land Rovers. As a motor trader our insurance covers any car worth up to £100,000 with a £500 excess for theft, except for Land Rovers and the excess is £3500.

The post-2019 Evoques are much much better. Avoid anything pre-69 plate. They did an updated model from 2019 which ironed out a lot of reliability issues.

The actual Range rovers, not the Evoques, are widely stolen due to a known weakness, but Evoques get tarred with the same brush so harder to insure.

I have a 70 plate Evoque which is fantastic, so far it's been reliable!

I hope it stays that way! My brother’s 21 and 22 plate Evoques tell a different tale…