Land Rover Defender 110 SE P300e vs Land Rover Range Rover Sport Dynamic HSE P460e

The step from $146,952 to $208,158 driveaway (as of August 2026) buys performance and finish, not capability. The Sport's 3.0-litre six-cylinder plug-in makes 338kW and 660Nm to the Defender's 221kW and 625Nm, cuts the 0-100km/h run from 7.6 seconds to 5.6, and posts the better 1.6L/100km lab figure. Inside, leather replaces cloth, a head-up display appears, and the body sits lower and sleeker. What the money does not buy: boot space (835 litres to 853), tank size (71 litres to 90), off-road geometry or towing, where the two are identical at 3000kg. Pay for the drive, not the working numbers.

The Sport, comfortably. Its 3.0-litre six-cylinder plug-in hybrid produces 338kW and 660Nm and claims 5.6 seconds to 100km/h with a 225km/h top speed. The Defender P300e's 2.0-litre four-cylinder plug-in makes 221kW and 625Nm and takes 7.6 seconds, topping out at 191km/h. Both run an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, and the Sport does its sprint despite weighing 203kg more at 2741kg. The Defender's outputs are entirely adequate for a 2538kg tourer, and torque is nearly level (625Nm to 660), but nothing in it answers the Sport for pace. If acceleration matters, the Sport is the pick without argument.

Yes, with a shared ceiling worth knowing before you order. Both PHEVs are rated to 3000kg braked, 750kg unbraked and a 300kg tow-ball mass, identical figures, so towing splits nothing between them. The catch is what the plug-in hardware costs: the D350 diesel versions of both cars tow 3500kg, so choosing either PHEV gives up 500kg of trailer. The Sport carries a slightly higher 6450kg gross combination mass against the Defender's 6300, paired with a higher 3450kg GVM. For a sub-3-tonne van or boat either works; if the trailer needs the full 3500kg, the answer is a diesel sibling, not either of these.

The Defender, on the load numbers. Both are strict five-seaters, so the split comes down to cargo and reach. The Defender holds 853 litres behind the second row and 2127 with it folded; the Sport manages 835 and 1860, a 267-litre gap once the seats go down. The Defender also carries the 90-litre tank to the Sport's 71 and sits higher for roof-rack and load-height duties, though its 1967mm height can complain in older shopping-centre car parks where the 1822mm Sport slips under. The Sport's cabin is the plusher place to sit. For gear, dogs and touring loads, the Defender is the practical pick.

Both are genuine off-roaders by any showroom standard. Each carries twin-speed low range, 900mm of wading depth and selectable drive modes, a rare spec sheet for plug-in hybrids. The Defender leads where the ground gets technical. Its 37.5-degree approach, 27.9-degree breakover and 41.9-degree departure clear obstacles the Sport's 33, 24.4 and 30 will touch, and its 292mm of ground clearance tops the Sport's 275. It is also 203kg lighter. The Sport counters with terrain-mode selection and hill descent control and matches the wading figure exactly, so it is no pretender. For hard tracks, the Defender takes it on the angles.

Neither is the risky choice. The Defender 110 carries a five-star ANCAP rating from 2020, scoped to the 110 body sold here, scoring 85 per cent adult occupant, 88 child occupant, 71 vulnerable road user and 76 safety assist. The Sport's five stars date from 2022 under a newer protocol: 85, 86, 69 and 84 on the same pillars. So the Sport holds the fresher test and the stronger assist score, while the Defender edges child occupant and vulnerable road user, and adult protection ties at 85. Both fit autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. Call it level, split by test vintage.

The maths usually favours the Defender. Lease costs scale with the financed amount, and $146,952 driveaway against $208,158 (as of August 2026) is a large gap to amortise whatever the tax treatment; check current FBT thresholds and caps with your provider, since eligibility rules shift. The Defender also publishes a $3,300 five-year servicing plan, a number your quote can carry, where the Sport's servicing pricing was not published in our data. Both are plug-in hybrids with the same warranty cover, so the packaging case is level. If the salary supports the Sport and the cabin matters, it works too; on the sums alone, the Defender leads.

The Defender P300e fits the double brief better. The touring half leans on its 90-litre tank, 853-litre boot (2127 folded), 292mm of clearance and the sharpest angles here, with 900mm of wading and low range for the tracks at the far end. The school-run half gets the 88 per cent ANCAP child-occupant score, the stronger of the pair, plus the full active-safety suite and a panoramic roof for the back seat. The Sport does the same trip more quickly and more quietly, and its leather cabin is the nicer daily, but its smaller boot and tank work against the loaded weeks away. One car for both jobs: the Defender.

Split it on what the money is for. Take the Defender 110 P300e if the plug-in has to earn its keep as a tourer: sharper geometry, the bigger boot and tank, a published servicing plan and a price about $61,000 lower driveaway (as of August 2026). Take the Range Rover Sport P460e if the drive and the cabin are the point: 338kW, a 5.6-second sprint, leather, a head-up display and the fresher 2022 five-star rating. Neither choice costs you the working brief, since both tow 3000kg, wade 900mm and carry low range. Buy the utility or buy the polish; the hardware underneath is honest either way.