Comfort, opulence, presence, performance and the latest technology. These are just some of the things we want, no expect, a luxury car to deliver. It should be as good to drive as to be driven in.
The luxury car market is changing. Once upon a time, a luxury car meant a four-door saloon with acres of space in the back and the most relaxing experience this side of a long weekend at a luxury spa.
Today, a luxury car is just as likely to be an SUV, such as a Range Rover or Bentley Bentayga. If you prefer riding high, check out Motoring Research’s guide to the Best Luxury SUVs. Here, we have rounded up the finest ‘traditional’ luxury cars you can buy, with our choices presented in alphabetical order.
Audi A8
At £83,000, the Audi A8 is one of the ‘cheapest’ cars on our list. Not that many A8s will leave a showroom at that price; flagship models command a six-figure price tag, and that’s before you start perusing the options list.
You don’t need to splash out on a pricier model though. Even the entry-level A8 Sport features the kind of equipment and technology that will delight the most demanding of gadget freaks. Petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains are available, along with a 571hp 4.0-litre V8 in the high performance S8.
We said: ‘The Audi A8 is a deeply impressive machine. It fulfils demands for luxury, space and discreet performance, and now has a statesman-like appearance that at least makes it the equal of its rivals, or a viable alternative to the Bentley Flying Spur. Whether all this will be enough to entice more buyers into the A8 fold, however, remains to be seen.’
Read our Audi A8 review
Bentley Flying Spur
Most luxury cars are best enjoyed from the sumptuous surroundings of the back seat. The advantage of the Bentley Flying Spur is that it’s just as great to drive. Whether you choose the Mulliner or the Speed, you may want to give the chauffeur the weekend off.
If you’re doing the driving, you’ll want the Flying Spur Speed, which is the fastest and most powerful four-door car Bentley has ever built. Thanks to a twin-turbocharged V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain producing 782hp and 737lb ft of torque, the Speed will sprint to 62mph in 3.5 seconds, maxing out at 177mph.
We said: ‘A couple of decades ago, cars such as the Flying Spur would have handled like yachts at sea. Now they deliver both comfort and dynamic prowess. You can keep your £650 million floating gin palace – and you can keep Monaco. But can I keep the Bentley?’
Read our Bentley Flying Spur preview
BMW 7 Series and i7
In the battle between the 7 Series and S-Class, the BMW has always been the luxury car of choice for keen drivers. It’s not as comfortable or opulent as the big Mercedes-Benz, but it handles corners like a smaller BMW saloon. It doesn’t come cheap, though, with prices of the most affordable 7 Series – the fully electric i7 – starting from £102,000.
For that, you get a limo that offers up to 387 miles of range if you choose the xDrive60 version, plus one of the most tech-rich interiors available in 2025. If the 14.9-inch curved display isn’t enough, rear-seat passengers can be treated to an optional 31.3-inch theatre screen and a Sky Lounge panoramic sunroof. Oh, and both the i7 and regular 7 Series are available in ‘Protection’ guise, if you’re somebody who requires an armoured vehicle.
The 7 Series is a more traditional alternative to the i7, albeit with a thoroughly modern plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Even the ‘entry-level’ 750e xDrive will hit 62mph in just 4.8 seconds, while the M760e xDrive manages the sprint in 4.3 seconds.
Amazingly, despite the car’s weight and luxury trimmings, the plug-in hybrid offers up to 55 miles of electric range – if you remember to recharge its battery.
Genesis G80
Genesis is the luxury division of Hyundai and it’s been doing a grand job of muscling in on the premium and luxury establishment in South Korea and the US. It’s taking a little longer to grow in the UK, but on the evidence of cars like the G80, Genesis deserves to succeed.
It’s not the Korean brand’s largest luxury saloon – the G90 flagship isn’t available in the UK – but with Bentley-esque styling and a level of quality that’s more than a match for the Germans, the G80 is worthy of your shortlist. Along with the electric version, the G80 is also available with a 2.5-litre petrol engine and in three trim levels: Premium, Luxury and Sport.
We said: ‘As a line-in-the-sand car, the Genesis G80 is a good introduction to this new premium brand. It’s got a lot of work ahead, to draw people from their BMWs and Mercedes-Benz – and to cement itself as a successful alternative (Lexus), rather than a pointless failure (Infiniti).’
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Short of entering the world of Bentley or Rolls-Royce, no other four-door saloon does luxury quite like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. For generations, it has been accepted as the ‘best car in the world’ and a shop window for future technology.
The current S-Class is no exception. It’s based on an all-new platform and boasts next-generation infotainment and driver assistance tech. Prices start from around £98,000, with only long-wheelbase versions available in 2025.
We said: ‘Whether you’re relaxing in the back or at the wheel, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is one of the most comfortable cars on sale. Few vehicles offer such a delightful blend of quality, sophistication and dazzling technology.’
Read our Mercedes-Benz S-Class review
Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
In the same way that the Sandero Stepway is little more than a crossover version of the standard Dacia Sandero, one could argue that the Maybach S-Class is just an even more opulent version of the S-Class.
It’s much more than that, though. With a price tag of £176,000 before you’ve added a few options, this is an S-Class designed to rival a Rolls-Royce. The plushest materials, the largest alloy wheels (20 inches as standard) and some of the priciest option packs you can buy. A two-tone paint job costs £13,650 – almost enough for a new Sandero.
We said: ‘The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class – or S 650, to be more precise – is essentially the standard S-Class saloon with the lux-o-meter cranked to the max. The list of equipment is extensive and the level of opulence is, well, on another level.’
Porsche Panamera
With a starting price of £82,500, the Porsche Panamera is one of the cheapest options on our list of the best luxury cars. But that’s just the beginning, because the flagship Turbo S E-Hybrid maxes out at around £169,000.
Yes, the Panamera is a hatchback, but this is as luxurious as a Porsche can get, albeit on par with a Cayenne SUV. Some versions are as quick as a 911 Turbo, while others offer enough electric range to tackle the daily commute.
Reviewing the Panamera GTS, we called it ‘sports car in a saloon car suit’, adding that it ‘strikes a deft balance between luxury and performance’. We also said ‘this isn’t a tyre-smoking hooligan’, praising ‘its refinement and sheer breadth of ability that make the Panamera easy to live with’.
Read our Porsche Panamera review
Porsche Taycan
Can a car be sporty and luxurious? It can when it’s a Porsche Taycan. Whether you opt for the standard car or the more practical (and cooler?) Sport Turismo and Cross Turismo models, the Taycan looks great, is brilliant to drive and boasts a beautifully appointed interior.
Choose a rear-wheel-drive Taycan with the 105kWh Performance Battery Plus pack and you can look forward to an official 421 miles of range between charges, but even the high-performance versions are knocking on the door of 350 miles. In the company of some of the other cars on this list, it’s relatively affordable, while the running costs will be considerably lower.
We said: ‘When Porsche set out to build a bold, high-end electric performance car, the Taycan was the result. Here was a fast, highly charismatic Porsche for a new age. You will like this car. Put simply, in the growing world of EVs, the Taycan 4S looks and feels like a wonderfully premium thing. It has road presence in spades, plus one of the most sought-after badges in the business.’
Read our Porsche Taycan review
Rolls-Royce Phantom
The Rolls-Royce Phantom takes luxury to a higher plane – and we’re not just talking about the executive jet that will inevitably form part of the owner’s stable of transport options.
Once again, power is sourced from a 6.75-litre V12 engine, but the difference here is that the oomph is more likely to be enjoyed by the chauffeur. This leaves the owner to relax in one of the most opulent and spacious interiors. Reclining rear seats are optional.
We said: ‘Frankly, whether you’re asleep on the autobahn or simply chauffeuring your mum to her 70th birthday lunch, the Phantom endows every journey with a sense of occasion. And I can’t think of a better car for an epic, cross-continental road trip.’
Read our Rolls-Royce Phantom review
Rolls-Royce Spectre
We could have included the Rolls-Royce Ghost as our final luxury car, but with the Phantom taking care of four-door duties, why not slip into something more elegant? Besides, the Spectre is the company’s first electric car, so it represents a vision of the future.
This isn’t your typical impractical coupe; it’s 432mm longer than a Range Rover with ample space for four people. Its 102kWh battery delivers 329 miles of a range, which is arguably the most underwhelming part of the car. In every other respect, the Spectre delivers a fabulous sense of occasion in near-silence.
We said: ‘The Spectre offers the comfort and craftsmanship of a traditional Rolls-Royce, but with electric power. Unlike most coupes, the Spectre can accommodate four adults in comfort, even if you’re sitting behind somebody tall. From behind the wheel, there’s little to suggest this is an EV: just the familiar mix of hand-crafted veneers, tactical analogue controls and slick, BMW-derived infotainment.’
Read our Rolls-Royce Spectre review
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