This is the definitive ranking of the best and worst large SUVs on sale in the UK.

How can we make such a bold claim? Because this list isn’t just based on our opinion. We’ve pulled together tens of millions of key data points on every new car (as well as a growing number of near-new used cars), including more than 15,000 new car reviews from 35 of the UK’s top motoring websites. We also factor in complete safety data from Euro NCAP, reliability data and five-year running cost information.

All this adds up to the most comprehensive analysis of expert opinion and real-world data found anywhere in the motoring world.

While the unstoppable rise in SUV sales has extended to large SUVs, this is one sector that has grown in a very different way to its smaller siblings. In addition to budget and mainstream models, there has been a huge rush from luxury car manufacturers to push out large and expensive SUVs to cash in on the craze.

While the tumultuous rise in SUV sales has extended to large SUVs, this is one sector that has grown in a very different way to its smaller siblings. Some very long-serving mainstream models are still around in their latest forms, such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Nissan X-Trail, and they have been joined by a number of newcomers, typical examples being the Skoda Kodiaq, SEAT Tarraco and Volkswagen Touareg.

It’s upmarket where the most changes have happened, however. Brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have expanded their SUV line-ups to challenge traditional big hitters such as Jeep and Land Rover, while at the very top just about all of the luxury manufacturers have joined the market in recent years.

Once it would have been unthinkable to be able to buy SUVs wearing the badges of Aston Martin, Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, even Rolls-Royce, but today you can. All of these luxury SUVs are flagship models with price tags to match, and remarkably virtually all of them also boast qualities no longer found in most other SUVs – the ability to go seriously off road.

Electric offerings in this market are like the medium SUV sector, few and led by Tesla with its Model X, but expect this to change quickly, and to include some luxury models.