Most Expensive SUVs
Most Expensive SUVs – Back in 2021, when he was still in charge of Bentley, current Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark told an interviewer, “If you’re not in SUVs, you’re nowhere.”
And it would seem that the overwhelming majority of his peers agree.
In 2024, 57 percent of the new vehicles sold in the U.S. (along with 54 percent of those sold in Europe) were SUVs, according to JATO Dynamics.
The numbers have been trending in this direction since the start of the millennium, which is why even the brands that are usually resistant to change, like sports car maker Ferrari (which now sells the Purosangue) and luxury marque Rolls-Royce (the Cullinan), have introduced high-riding models of their own in recent years.
McLaren, one of the biggest names that’s yet to release an SUV, has even admitted it’s thinking about developing one.
As the profile of SUV makers has changed, so have the vehicles themselves.
Models like the Lamborghini Urus proved that a vehicle from the class was capable of putting up supercar-like performance numbers, while the Bentley Bentayga offers up luxe amenities on par with those of a classic limousine.
This new class of premium SUV has also, unsurprisingly, pushed prices ever skyward.
Most Expensive SUVs – Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan $472,750
Leave it to Rolls-Royce, the preeminent luxury automaker, to take the SUV to opulent new heights with the Cullinan.
The company’s first entrant into the class borrows several design cues from the eight-generation Phantom and is its second-largest model at a length of 17-and-a-half feet.
As commanding an SUV as you’ll find on the market today, it’s also as decadent as they come, especially if owners opt for the ultra-plush four-seat option (a five-seat version that includes a rear bench is also available).
The model comes exclusively with a 6.75-liter V-12, which, in the range-topping Black Badge spec, makes 563 hp and 627 ft lbs of torque.
Debut: 2018
Seats: Up to five
Top Powertrain: 6.75-liter V-12
Power: 563 hp and 627 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 4.5 seconds
Top Speed: 155 mph
Ferrari Purosangue $433,686
The Ferrari Purosangue is one of the best-looking SUVs out there, just don’t tell the Italian marque that.
The brand considers the model another one of its famous sports cars, despite its size, shape, and extra set of doors. In a way, it’s easy to see the company’s thinking.
The Purosangue—which is named for the Italian horse breed—looks like a blown-up version of the discontinued Roma, though the SUV is powered by a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 rather than a 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-8.
That mill makes 715 hp and 528 ft lbs of torque, enough to push the four-seater from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds.
Debut: 2023
Seats: Four
Top Powertrain: Naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12
Power: 715 hp and 528 ft lbs ot torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.3 seconds
Top Speed: 192 mph
Most Expensive SUVs – Bentley Bentayga Mulliner Extended Wheelbase $339,850
Bentley beat rival Rolls-Royce to the ultra-luxury SUV segment by three years with the Bentayga.
The older model shares a platform with some of the parent company Volkswagen’s best SUVs, including several entries from this list, like the Audi Q8, Porsche Cayenne, and Lamborghini Urus.
But the Bentayga is the most refined of these—by a mile.
It features a stylish exterior with lights like those on the Flying Spur, while the ultra-luxe interior is available with up to seven seats (those who go for this option get a third row that can be folded down when they need more cargo room).
Unfortunately, the SUV is no longer available with a twin-turbocharged V-12, but a hybrid 3.0-liter V-6 and 4.0-liter V-8 provide respectable levels of pep.
The most powerful version of the latter makes 641 hp and 568 ft lbs of torque.
Debut: 2015
Seats: Up to seven
Top Powertrain: 4.0-liter V-8
Power: 641 hp and 568 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.4 seconds
Top Speed: 193mph
Aston Martin DBX S $300,000
It may not have a V-12, but the Aston Martin DBX is easily the premier British performance SUV.
The model, which was introduced in 2020, looks like a stretched-out version of one of the marque’s famous sports cars.
Unlike them, though, this one has room for five. It’s still a joy to drive, though.
The top-spec S is powered by an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 that makes well over 700 hp, more than any previous version.
Thanks to that, it can reach 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, which is exactly the kind of acceleration you expect from an Aston.
Debut: 2020
Seats: Five
Top Powertrain: 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8
Power: 717 hp and 664 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.3 seconds
Top Speed: 193 mph
Most Expensive SUVs – Lamborghini Urus SE $262,631
Looking for proof that an SUV can be fun? Look no further than the Lamborghini Urus.
The legendary supercar maker’s first entry in the class is its best-selling model by a mile, and has been since its first full year of release.
The new plug-in hybrid version, the SE, features exactly the kind of bold design language people expect from a Raging Bull, room for five, and an electrified 4.0-liter turbocharged V-8 that makes 789 hp.
That’s enough to push this SUV to an extremely impressive top speed of 190 mph.
Debut: 2017
Seats: Five
Top Powertrain: Plug-in hybrid-assisted 4.0-liter turbocharged V-8
Power: 789 hp and 700 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 62 mph: 3.3 seconds
Top Speed: 190
Most Expensive SUVs – Lotus Eletre Carbon $229,000
Lotus, like basically every other automaker on this list, knows that the best way to drum up sales is to release an SUV.
So, in 2022, the famed British sports car maker introduced the Eletre.
The Chinese-made vehicle is bigger than the brand’s usual fare, but its typical design language is present in its sculpted body.
The interior is roomy and modern, though a sloping roofline does cut down on some of the usable cargo space.
It is still a Lotus, of course, which means it’s meant to be driven fast.
Powering the EV is a dual-motor setup, which, in the range-topping Carbon spec, makes over 900 hp. Not bad for a first try.
Debut: 2022
Seats: Five
Top Powertrain: Dual-motor electric powertrain
Power: 909 hp and 727 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 165 mph
Range: 300-plus miles
Land Rover Range Rover SV $215,350
The oldest entry on this list, the Range Rover, is aging with grace.
The fifth generation of the plush SUV is easily the sleekest version yet.
Despite its more refined lines, the vehicle holds onto the character that’s made it so popular over the decades.
Although it can seat up to seven, the ultra-luxe SV model has room for just four, with the rear of the cabin taken up by two rather large Executive Class Comfort Plus seats.
Luxury doesn’t come at the cost of performance, though.
The model’s 4.4-liter V-8 makes over 606 hp. Thanks to that, it can reach a very impressive top speed of 168 mph.
Debut: 1970
Seats: Five
Top Powertrain: 4.4-liter V-8
Power: 606 hp and 553 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 4.3 seconds
Top Speed: 162 mph
Most Expensive SUVs – Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT $210,600
Porsche, one of the world’s preeminent sports car makers, is also responsible for the Cayenne Turbo GT, one of the most impressive performance SUVs there is.
The range-topping version of the long-running mid-size model is as muscular as ever and has a cushy five-seat cabin that a car like the 911 can’t match.
Its performance isn’t all that far off from the iconic sports car, either.
The 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 makes 650 hp and 626 ft lbs of torque.
That’s enough power to rocket the SUV from zero to 60 mph in just 3.1.
Debut: 2002
Seats: Five
Top Powertrain: 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8
Power: 650 hp and 626 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.1 seconds
Top Speed: 190 mph
Mercedes AMG G 63 — $187,250
It’s little surprise that Mercedes’s most iconic SUV, the G-Class, is also its most expensive.
The top-of-the-line ICE version of the 4×4, the AMG G 63, retains the same boxy shape that’s been a trademark of the model since its introduction in the late 1970s, along with a leather-covered cabin.
Since it’s an AMG model, the G 63 also comes with a hand-crafted 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 that, thanks to a hybrid integrated starter-generator, makes 577 hp and 627 ft lbs of torque.
Not bad for one of the most glamorous SUVs out there.
Debut: 1979
Seats: Five
Top Powertrain: 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 with hybrid assist
Power: 577 hp and 627 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 4.2 seconds
Top Speed: 149 mph
Most Expensive SUVs – BMW XM Black Label — $186,700
First things first: Yes, the BMW XM does look like a warthog.
But if you can get past its cartoonish front end, you have yourself a true beast.
The first electrified M vehicle has a hybrid-assisted 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 under the hood.
That mill makes well over 700 horses, an incredible amount for any vehicle, let alone one priced more accessibly than a supercar.
The full-size model can sprint from zero to 60 thanks to all that power.
Debut: 2022
Seats: Five
Top Powertrain: 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 paired with an electric motor
Power: 738 hp and 738 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.6 seconds
Top Speed: 175 mph
