Land Rover will discontinue the Discovery Sport by the end of 2026, bringing the entry-level SUV’s production run to a close after more than a decade. Manufacturing will end in December 2026 as the model reaches the end of its lifecycle, with production already being phased out in some European markets.
The Discovery Sport, which replaced the Freelander in 2015, was once among JLR’s strongest-performing products. In its first full year on sale, the SUV recorded global sales of over 122,000 units, making it the brand’s best-selling model in 2016. However, demand has declined steadily in recent years despite receiving a mid-life update in 2020 that brought revisions to its platform and interior.
By 2025, the Discovery Sport had become JLR’s lowest-selling vehicle, with annual sales falling to less than one-tenth of the volume achieved in 2016. The larger Land Rover Discovery has also witnessed declining demand and is expected to be phased out in the coming years, although the company has not officially confirmed its timeline.
The Discovery Sport’s withdrawal from several European countries also coincides with the European Union’s latest General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2), which requires manufacturers to equip new vehicles with additional safety technologies. Rather than updating the ageing SUV to comply with the new regulations, JLR appears to have opted to end production, a strategy similar to Porsche’s decision to discontinue the internal combustion-powered Macan in Europe.
While the Discovery Sport is heading for retirement, JLR has indicated that the closely related Range Rover Evoque will continue to remain part of the lineup. According to Range Rover managing director Martin Limpert, the company is prioritising the launch of the electric Range Rover and Range Rover Sport while continuing to support the Evoque and Velar through updates and special editions. He added that JLR cannot replace every model simultaneously and continues to see demand for both SUVs.
The end of Discovery Sport production is also expected to create additional manufacturing capacity at JLR’s Halewood facility in the UK. Reports suggest the plant will eventually produce the upcoming all-electric Range Rover GT based on the company’s new EMA platform. Although speculation points to the arrival of a Defender Sport in the near future, JLR has not announced a direct successor to the Discovery Sport.
