Land Rover Confirms the Discovery Sport Will End Production in December 2026 After 11 Years
The Discovery Sport launched in 2015 and peaked at over 122,000 global sales units in 2016.
Summary
JLR will conclude production of the Land Rover Discovery Sport in December 2026 after an 11-year manufacturing run
The decision to retire the entry-level SUV stems from the European Union's updated General Safety Regulation 2 mandates which the aging model does not support
While the Discovery Sport will be discontinued the closely related Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar will remain in production for the immediate future
Land Rover will officially end production of the Land Rover Discovery Sport in December 2026. The entry-level SUV launched initially in February 2015 as a successor to the Freelander and quickly became a high-volume success for the British marque. Global sales peaked at over 122,000 units in 2016 during its first full year on the market. Demand dropped significantly in recent years with 2025 volumes representing less than a tenth of that peak figure.
The decision to retire the model coincides with the implementation of the European Union’s updated General Safety Regulation 2 mandates. This phase of the legislation requires specific driver assistance and safety functions that the older SUV lacks. Jaguar Land Rover representatives noted that overhauling the vehicle’s architecture to meet these new commercial standards proved financially unviable. Porsche recently adopted a similar strategy by discontinuing the internal combustion Macan rather than re-engineering it for compliance.
Halewood manufacturing facilities will now transition toward building next-generation vehicles on the Electrified Modular Architecture. This future lineup includes the recently previewed Range Rover GT which serves as a sleek electric flagship designed to lead the brand’s shift away from combustion engines. Insiders suggest a more rugged compact SUV named the Defender Sport could eventually serve as a unified replacement for both the Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque.
Despite sharing a production line and underlying architecture with the outgoing model the Range Rover Evoque will remain available alongside the Range Rover Velar. Range Rover executives confirmed the company will support these remaining entry-level vehicles with special market editions. This approach allows the automaker to maintain a competitive footprint in the compact luxury segment while directing major investment toward electrifying its highly profitable flagship models.
