Discovery Sport production ends; Evoque and Velar live on

Land Rover will end Discovery Sport production in December 2026 after more than 11 years, Autocar reports, as EU GSR2 safety rules bite. The SUV is already off order books in France, Germany and Spain, while Range Rover Evoque and Velar stay on sale for now.

Key Takeaways

• JLR confirmed Discovery Sport production will finish in December 2026 after a managed sunset in some markets.
• EU General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) requires safety kit the ageing model lacks, and margins made an upgrade hard to justify.
• UK buyers can still configure one for now, but European factory orders have already closed in markets such as France, Germany and Spain.
• Range Rover MD Martin Limpert told Autocar there are no immediate plans to wind down the Evoque, with market editions also backing Velar.
• The Discovery Sport’s exit is understood to clear space for the new Range Rover GT, while Defender Sport could later cover a similar niche.

For fans of British SUVs, this is a genuine end-of-an-era moment. The Discovery Sport launched in the UK in February 2015 and became one of the longest-running cars still on sale here. After it goes, Autocar notes the Volvo XC90 will be the UK’s oldest car still offered.

That then-and-now arc fits the mood of our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage: a volume hero from the mid-2010s quietly exiting as JLR pivots toward newer, more profitable Range Rover metal.

Why is Discovery Sport production ending this year?

According to Autocar, a JLR spokesperson said: “Discovery Sport production will end in December 2026, in line with normal product lifecycles. As part of this transition there will be a managed sunset of manufacturing ahead of this date for certain markets.”

The timing lines up with the EU’s updated General Safety Regulation 2, which came into force this month. GSR2 mandates several safety functions that are not fitted to the Discovery Sport.

JLR has updated other models to meet GSR2. Autocar says the Discovery Sport’s age—and comparatively thin profit margins—probably made a similar investment unviable. Porsche took a similar path with the petrol Macan, launched around the same era and also leaving production this month.

Paul Tan’s Automotive News, citing the same Autocar reporting, notes the SUV is still configurable in the UK, where GSR2 is not a legal requirement, but factory orders have already stopped in several European markets.

How big a seller was the Discovery Sport then versus now?

When it was new, the Discovery Sport was a serious volume machine. In 2016, its first full year on sale, it ranked as JLR’s top seller globally, with more than 122,000 examples sold.

A major 2019 overhaul—including a new platform and interior—helped it stay competitive for a while. By 2025, though, Autocar reports JLR sold less than a tenth of that 2016 figure, making the Discovery Sport the company’s slowest-selling model.

It even trailed the full-sized Land Rover Discovery, which Autocar says is also approaching retirement as the 10th anniversary of its unveiling nears. The Sport’s rise and fade is textbook mid-lifecycle nostalgia: from family-fleet staple to last-in-line survivor.

It isn’t yet clear exactly when UK order books will close. Autocar says JLR will likely stop taking new home-market orders ahead of the December retirement, even though GSR2 does not legally force the issue in Britain.

Will the Range Rover Evoque and Velar survive the cull?

Yes—at least for now. The Discovery Sport shares Halewood production on Merseyside with the closely related Range Rover Evoque, which raised natural questions about knock-on cuts.

Range Rover managing director Martin Limpert told Autocar last week the brand had no immediate plans to wind down the Evoque. Investment priority has been on Range Rover Electric and Range Rover Sport Electric, plus the new Range Rover GT—the first car on JLR’s EMA architecture.

“We’ve had a big focus on launching Range Rover [Electric] and Range Rover Sport Electric, which was a big pivotal moment that we had to get over the line,” Limpert said. “Range Rover GT is the first car built on our new EMA architecture, so obviously there was lots of focus to bring that to life.”

He added that the Evoque was refreshed about two-and-a-half years ago, and that market editions for Evoque and Velar—such as Belgravia and Hoxton—were launched to keep both models present. “We have loyal audiences for these cars, and we can’t do everything at once.”

Autocar understands the Discovery Sport’s retirement helps make room for the sleek Range Rover GT. The Evoque could remain until the more rugged Land Rover Defender Sport arrives next year. That Defender Sport could eventually serve as a replacement for both Evoque and Discovery Sport, given a similar footprint and expected positioning—though that remains forward-looking industry understanding, not a hard cancellation notice for either Range Rover model.

In short: Discovery Sport bows out at the end of 2026; Evoque and Velar live on while JLR stages its next act. For buyers and nostalgia watchers alike, Autocar’s reporting frames a clean break between an 11-year volume workhorse and the electrified, premium-led Range Rover roadmap now taking centre stage.