How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Land Rover?

A Land Rover rents for $395 to $795 a day before delivery. The Land Rover Defender and the Range Rover Sport start at $395. The full-size Range Rover runs $595 to $795. Each car carries a $1,000 deposit and includes 100 miles a day.

The body you pick sets what it costs to rent a Land Rover, far more than the paint or the city. Pick the Defender for a canyon weekend. Pick the Range Rover Sport when you want to drive. Pick the full-size Range Rover when the back seat matters most.

Land Rover rental prices by model

Each car below has its own page, and these are the daily rates those pages show, cheapest first.

• Land Rover Defender X, black over black, based in Orange County, $395 a day
• Range Rover Sport, black over black, based in Orange County, $395 a day
• Range Rover Sport, Portofino Blue over light grey, based in San Diego, $395 a day
• Range Rover Sport, white over black, based in Palm Springs, $445 a day
• Range Rover SE, black over black, based in Orange County, $595 a day
• Range Rover Sport, Varesine Blue over tan, based in Los Angeles, $695 a day
• Range Rover HSE, Lantau Bronze over ivory, based in Los Angeles, $795 a day

Extra miles cost $3 a mile on the black Sport, the SE, the Varesine Blue Sport and the HSE. They cost $4 a mile on the Defender, the white Sport and the Portofino Blue Sport. So the Land Rover daily rental price is only part of the bill on a long trip.

Picture the black Range Rover Sport pulling up to a restaurant in Newport Beach after dark. The door handles stay flush with the body until the car unlocks, so the body shows almost no visible hardware. A valet there treats it like an owner's car, not a rental.

Why the Defender and the Range Rover Sport share a price

The Defender X and the cheapest Range Rover Sport both rent for $395 a day, but they're built for different days. Both use a 3.0 liter turbocharged straight six with a mild hybrid boost. The Defender X makes 395 hp, and the Sport makes 355 hp.

A mild hybrid uses a small electric system that helps the engine pull from a stop. On the Defender, an electric supercharger fills the gap before the turbo spools. So the step-off from a stop is instant, even in a body this tall and square.

Climb into the Defender and you sit upright and high over a flat hood. The body is squared off, with exposed fixings and a spare wheel on the rear door. The X trim adds a gloss black roof and hood, orange brake calipers and 22 inch wheels. Take it up Santiago Canyon Road and the high seat gives you a clear view into each bend.

One rule surprises Defender renters. The Defender can wade through 900mm of water, but off-road driving is not permitted on any rental, the Defender included. You rent it for the shape, the high seat and the way it handles rain and canyon roads on pavement.

The Range Rover Sport sits 20 mm lower than the full-size Range Rover. Its body is 35% stiffer, so it settles after a bump instead of swaying. It's the Range Rover you drive yourself, and on Pacific Coast Highway the black one is quiet enough that you mostly hear the tires.

What the full-size Range Rover adds

The full-size Range Rover starts at $595 a day for the black SE in Orange County. The HSE in Los Angeles rents for $795 a day. You pay the extra for a longer body, more rear legroom and a taller seat.

Both full-size cars make 395 hp. Each one reaches 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. At parking speed, all-wheel steering turns the rear wheels opposite the fronts. So a nearly 17 foot SUV can U-turn on a side street in Beverly Hills.

The HSE wears Lantau Bronze, a light champagne metallic, over an ivory cabin with an ivory steering wheel. Walk up to it and the door handles slide out while the car lowers on its air springs. Open the rear door at a hotel entrance and the ivory seats are the first thing people see.

The black SE has flush glass and hidden handles, so the body shows almost no detail. It looks best in evening light along the harbor in Newport Beach. Book the SE when the back seat matters more than the driver's seat.

How much does it cost to rent a Land Rover for a week

The daily rate drops on its own as the rental gets longer, and you don't have to ask for the discount. Here is the ladder.

• 1 to 2 days, full daily rate
• 3 to 4 days, 10% off
• 5 to 6 days, 15% off
• 7 to 13 days, 20% off
• 14 to 20 days, 30% off
• 21 to 27 days, 40% off
• 28 days or more, 50% off

A week in the Defender X comes to $2,212 before delivery. That is $2,765 at the daily rate, less 20%. A week in the Range Rover HSE comes to $4,452 before delivery.

A week also pools your miles, so seven days give you 700 miles to use however you like. The Varesine Blue Sport in Los Angeles suits that kind of week. Its light blue paint looks right in Malibu, and the tan seats show through an open door.

Delivery is quoted by address and charged on every rental, weekly ones included. The length discount comes off the daily rate only. If you know the trip runs long, tell us at booking and we'll price the extra miles in ahead of time.

The cheapest Land Rover rental and what you need to book it

The lowest rate on a Land Rover is $395 a day. The Defender X, the black Range Rover Sport and the Portofino Blue Sport each rent at that rate. Pick between them by where your day starts.

The Portofino Blue Sport is based in San Diego. Its dark blue paint looks black in direct sun and shows blue along the shoulder line. Roll it over the bridge into Coronado at sunset and the light grey seats show through the glass. The black Sport and the Defender are both based in Orange County.

We place a $1,000 hold on your card when the rental starts. The hold comes off once the car is back in the shape it left in. A curbed wheel comes out of the hold. Bigger damage goes to your own insurance, subject to your deductible.

To rent any of them, you need to be 18 or older with a valid driver's license and full coverage insurance in your own name. A larger deposit may apply if you're under 25.

Your own policy has to extend collision and comprehensive coverage to a rental car that isn't listed on it. That is called non-owner vehicle coverage, and it can't be bought for a single weekend. Before every rental, we call your insurance carrier and confirm the coverage with an agent on a recorded line.

Book the Land Rover you want one to two weeks out for most dates. Summer weekends, holiday weekends and wedding Saturdays go first. Same-day is sometimes possible on a weekday, and it's always worth asking.

A Land Rover next to a G-Wagon and an Escalade

A Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon starts at $595 a day for the G550. That is $200 more than the cheapest Land Rover. The G-Wagon is boxy like the Defender, but it carries a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8.

A Cadillac Escalade starts at $295 a day for the Escalade Sport. It seats seven, and each Land Rover above seats five. So pick the Escalade when you have more than five people.

Park a Range Rover next to either one at the LAX curb and the difference is plain. The G-Wagon is square and upright, and the Escalade is long and tall. The Range Rover has smooth sides, flush glass and no visible handles until it unlocks.

A Land Rover costs $395 a day at the floor and $795 at the top. The extra money buys a longer body and a calmer back seat. Decide who rides in back before you decide the price.