UK royals have always been big automotive fans, with the Queen’s automotive collection reported to total around 25 cars valued at over £10,000,000. With the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday beginning from 2 June to 5 June, Vanarama wanted to celebrate this by taking a deep dive into eight of the most interesting cars that the Queen and other members of the royal family have owned through the years.
Bentley State Limousine
The Bentley State Limousine is by far the most expensive vehicle at the royal family’s disposal – and they have two of them! A single one costs around £10,000,000 and is mainly used for official state business such as public engagements.
It comes equipped with security features that one would expect the royal family to enjoy. Armoured bodywork and glass protect the occupants inside the cabin of the car from external threats, while internally, the car is completely air-tight to guard against potential gas attacks. The car also comes equipped with a blast-resistant chassis and Kevlar-reinforced tyres.
Land Rover Range Rover LWB Landaulet
The Land Rover Range Rover LWB Landaulet is for when the Queen wanted to go places and be seen. The custom Range Rover features backwards-opening doors and an open top so they can wave at crowds. A royal flag is mounted on the bonnet to set it even further apart, although there aren't many cars to confuse the Landaulet with! Features in the vehicle include pure electric mode, which means that car travel up to a single mile using electric.
The new hybrid version that has been used recently replaced a previous petrol model, which dates back to 2002. Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine that can produces around 335bhp.
Bentley Bentayga
The Queen was lucky enough to receive the first Bentley Bentayga to ever roll off the production line in 2015, with Bentley CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer commenting at the Frankfurt Motor Show that they had "reserved the number one car for her". At the time of production, the Bentley Bentayga was the fastest SUV ever produced, and this particular model came equipped with a full list of mod cons fit for a head of state.
The starting price for the vehicle was £160,000, although we expect this one might have cost a little bit more. The interior boasts leather seats with feature stitching and a quilted diamond design.
Daimler Double Six
Although the royal family no longer owns this car, it has a rather special feature which meant we had to include it. The Daimler Double Six was auctioned by Sotheby's in 2019 and fetched around £80,500. The car boasted an interior finished in parchments and a specially manufactured, full-length bench seat, installed to make journeys more comfortable for the Queen's three corgis.
The car was manufactured with no rear headrests or seatbelts. For security purposes, a blue convoy light above the rear-view mirror enabled security systems to recognise the car more easily at night.
Jaguar Daimler V8 Super LWB
The Jaguar Daimler V8 Super LWB is a specially built model used to drive around Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. At the time of the car being auctioned, Her Majesty managed to rack up around 15,000 miles on the odometer over their ownership of the car.
It has a factory-adapted armrest to hold the Queen's handbag, and also several extra switches to operate the windows from either side. The interior of the car was specifically made with no cigarette lighters and the ashtray was converted to a security lighting system. In the boot, the car has a direct line to Downing Street for instant communication. It was auctioned in 2013 and sold £30,000.
Land Rover Defender
The Queen has owned over 30 Land Rover Defenders. This particular model has specially added mod cons, such as heated seats and electric windows – features you rarely find on a Defender, which normally has a back-to-basics outlook on tech. It was built specifically for the royal family by Land Rover in 2002 and was bought by Sandringham, despite the estate typically leasing cars rather than purchasing them. After the Defender was auctioned, shotgun cartridges were left in the glove box from a hunting party.
Aston Martin DB6 Volante
The Aston Martin DB6 Volante was bought by the Queen and Prince Philip as a gift to Prince Charles on his 21st birthday. Famously said to be "powered by wine", the car uses around four and a half bottles of wine for every mile it travels, after the Prince converted it for bioethanol in 2008 to be kinder to the environment. On converting the car, the Prince said, "At first, the engineers weren't convinced that the conversion would work, but I insisted that it would. When the conversion was done, they had to admit that the car now performs better than ever."
The car was used as Will and Kate's going-away car during the royal wedding.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante
Another gift to Prince Charles, his V8 Vantage Volante, is the second Aston Martin in his collection. The car was given as a gift by the Emir of Bahrain in 1986 during an official visit to Britain. Strangely, Charles wanted the car to have the performance of a Vantage but the look of a standard model. To achieve this, he removed the spoilers, side skirts and wheel arches. Also, Aston Martin removed the standard ashtray and replaced it with a small compartment for his sunglasses. Only 22 cars were every built matching the Prince of Wales' specification.
The car is powered by a 5.3-litre V8 engine and can reach speeds of up to 170 mph.
Which Is The Queen's Most Expensive Car?
Unsurprisingly, the most expensive car is the custom Bentley State Limousine, of which there is two. A single one costs around £10,000,000 and was built to celebrate the Golden Jubilee in 2002. Both are stored in the Royal Mews.
The second-most expensive car on our list is Prince Charles' Aston Martin DB6 Volante, valued at £1,000,000.
The other cars that the royal family owns are relatively affordable, despite them being fit for royalty.
Make sure to bookmark the Vanarama blog page for more interesting automotive content. Alternatively, check out our car leasing deals page to find your next ride.
