There’s nothing wrong with wanting a large SUV. Whether you have a large family to transport regularly or just like the feeling of driving a big machine, there are several great options out there. They do have their drawbacks, though. Generally, these larger vehicles aren’t always the most affordable options out there, and unfortunately, they very rarely have great resale value. This extends to the luxury models in the large SUV market, too; one might hope that the extra money spent leads to better value over time, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

Two leading names of the high-end, large SUV market are the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Land Rover Defender. Even though one comes from a mass-market brand, their starting prices are surprisingly close. A 2027 Land Cruiser starts at $57,880 (plus a $1,595 delivery, processing, and handling fee), while a 2027 Defender starts at $63,500 (plus a $1,950 destination and delivery fee). 

Despite the Land Rover being the pricier, more premium option, it depreciates much faster than the Land Cruiser. CarEdge estimates that a Land Cruiser will lose 35% of its initial value after five years, whereas it states a Defender will lose a whopping 48% over the same period. ISeeCars‘ depreciation averages are similar, with a 34.4% drop for the Toyota and 46.1% for the Land Rover. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, as Land Rover is historically one of the worst brands for depreciation.

Yes, a Land Rover Defender depreciates much more over time than a Toyota Land Cruiser, but that fact alone doesn’t show the full picture. One great aspect of iSeeCars’ data is that it doesn’t just show a single model’s expected depreciation; it also places the model in context, comparing it to other vehicles on the market. When you look at these numbers, you see that the Defender performs noticeably worse than average, especially the older it gets.

The average vehicle loses about 41.5% of its initial value after five years. With its 48% depreciation, the Land Rover is already falling significantly behind here. The Toyota’s 34.4%, for the record, is significantly better than average. Land Rover’s Defender is sub-par when compared to other SUVs, too, as the class averages 44.9% depreciation over five years. Things get even worse after seven years; the luxury SUV’s value truly craters then, with iSeeCars expecting a 69.2% drop in value. That’s over 13% worse than the SUV average and 16.5% worse than the typical vehicle. Meanwhile, a Toyota Land Cruiser will still not have crossed the 50% depreciation threshold.

Just because the Land Rover Defender has poor resale value doesn’t mean it’s not a vehicle worth considering, though. We really liked the 2025 Defender 110, and it’s a great option for those who like to mix luxury with off-roading. Just don’t expect a lot of money if you want to sell it down the road.