This Once Best-Selling Vehicle Is One Of The Fastest Cars To Be Resold

The Land Rover Discovery Sport was once Jaguar Land Rover's best-selling car, but that changed in 2023 as other Land Rover models took the lead, per BBC Top Gear. But now the luxury SUV is tops in another category. According to an October 2025 iSeeCars report, the Land Rover Discovery Sport had the highest resale rate in its first year of ownership. The study, which looked at more than 18.5 million vehicle transactions of new cars sold within their first year between 2023 and 2024, found that 28.3% of Discovery Sport owners sold their vehicles within the first year. This was almost eight times the average first-year resale rate of 3.6%, the iSeeCars report added.

The iSeeCars report also found that the 10 vehicles with the biggest resale rates within a year were all luxury brands. This suggested that buyers may have overextended themselves financially, Karl Brauer, executive analyst for iSeeCars, stated in the report. (Indeed, there are an alarming number of Americans who pay more than $1,000 per month for their cars.) The returns might also have to do with buyers not doing enough research or being "incredibly fickle when it comes to their new car purchases,"  Brauer added.

But why does the Land Rover Discovery Sport have the highest buyer's remorse rate? The iSeeCars report doesn't say, although it wasn't the only Land Rover or Jaguar on the list. Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery (sans Sport), and Jaguar F-Pace also have high rates of return.

Jaguar's controversial rebranding isn't likely to have had much impact on the iSeeCars report, considering it was launched in mid-November 2024. However, Discovery Sport's poor reviews do offer a clue on why so many folks may have had second thoughts.

According to Car and Driver, while the SUV does well in the off-roading department, on pavement, the Discovery Sport's acceleration is lethargic, while its 20 miles per gallon fuel consumption makes it "thirsty" compared to other luxury compact vehicles.

The Land Rover Discovery Sport, which averaged at $55,188 new per iSeeCars, won't earn many points with fickle luxury SUV buyers either. The model hasn't had a significant redesign since 2015, according to Consumer Reports. The CR also slammed the Land Rover Discovery Sport for being overpriced due to its slow transmission, underpowered four-cylinder engine, and overall lumbering and stiff performance. And while the interior was generally comfortable, its infotainment system was slow to respond as well, CR added.

The Discovery Sport isn't just pricey to buy. It's also costly to fix. Per CarEdge, it costs $17,262 to maintain a Discovery Sport in its first 10 years, a rate that is $4,809 more than the average luxury SUV. Plus, there's more than a 51% chance that a Discovery Sport will need a big repair in that period, a rate that is about 13% worse than similar vehicles.

Expensive luxury vehicles can also depreciate quickly in value soon after you buy them. This is certainly the case with the Jaguar I-Pace, an electric vehicle that iSeeCars reported as having terrible resale value. And that's the case with the Discovery Sport, which was ranked by CarEdge No. 201 out of 216 luxury vehicles for its ability to hold value after five years. In that span, the Discovery Sport can depreciate by 59%, per CarEdge.

Plus, in just one year, a Discovery Sport can lose more than 29% of its resale value, per CarEdge. But, for the used car buyer who isn't picky about a frustrating transmission or a small infotainment screen, acquiring a preowned Discovery Sport that is two years old can save $20,560 and still have a useful longevity left, CarEdge added.