The used Jaguar XJ to hunt for is a 5.0 V8 petrol with a stamped service book, since the 2.7 and 3.0 V6 diesels carry a known risk of spun crank bearings and a snapped crankshaft, right through to 2019.
3 known faults, 1 rated high severity in our database; owners report 35.3 mpg, 104% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Jaguar XJ advert (free) →A petrol XJ, ideally the 5.0 V8 in either its plain or supercharged form, is the safer buy, because it isn't one of the Ford-built V6 diesels. They have a known fault where the crankshaft bearings spin and the crank can break, with no warning light beforehand, and it's listed for 2008 and 2009 XJs with the 2.7 V6 diesel and for every 3.0 XJ from 2010 to the end in 2019.
Don't assume a late diesel dodges it. Two owners of 2016 XJ 3.0 V6 diesels have reported serious engine trouble: one car got a whole new engine under warranty, and the other had its crankshaft replaced at 2,200 miles before the engine failed at 12,500 miles. There's no year you can pick to be clear of the problem, so the whole run of diesels shares the same risk.
Little is on record about the petrol engines in this car, and that's not the same as a clean bill of health. The 3.0 V6 supercharged petrol appears in just one owner's report, and the only report on the 5.0 V8 came from an XK. Treat any XJ as a big, complicated car and buy the one with the fullest paperwork.
The older X350 (2003 to 2009) has too little on record to judge, and that's a gap, not a clean sheet. The crank bearing fault is listed for its 2.7 V6 diesel on 2008 and 2009 cars. The 2.7 also mounts its cambelt tensioner on the oil pump casing, which can break away and throw the belt, wrecking the engine; Land Rovers with this engine failed at 60,000 and 88,000 miles. Only buy a 2.7 with an invoice for the belt, tensioner and an upgraded oil pump.
The 5.0 V8 petrol is the engine to have, and the 3.0 V6 diesel is the one to treat warily. The diesel's crank bearing fault is rated High: the first sign is a heavy knock from low down in the engine or a sudden seizure on the move, which isn't something a test drive can rule out. One report says JLR's extended warranty won't pay for this failure because it's a design fault.
If it has to be a diesel, the 3.0's cambelt is due at 112,000 miles or seven years, whichever comes first (on the X350's 2.7 it's 105,000 miles or seven years), so ask for the invoice on any car near either mark. One owner of a 2018 XJ 3.0D, doing about 10,000 miles a year on a 19 mile commute, had oil dilution bad enough to need fresh oil every 3,000 miles, and the dealer blamed the driving pattern.
The 5.0 V8 has no known fault on file for the XJ, but an owner of a 2010 XK with the same engine had a warning light, limp mode and a timing fault at 101,000 miles after long service gaps. On the 3.0 V6 supercharged petrol, one 2013 XJL needed a water pump at 40,000 miles and the dealer said the supercharger wanted work too.
The 3.0 diesel has a second known fault, rated Medium: the actuator on its secondary turbo sticks or fails, dropping the car into a Restricted Performance limp mode, usually between 60,000 and 100,000 miles. The vacuum pipes and shut-off valve beneath the front of the engine can seize along with it. Owners of cars with this engine report extended warranties turning down the claim, on the basis that the actuator isn't strictly part of the turbo.
On a diesel, listen at idle and under load for a deep knock low down in the block, and don't buy one that's making it. Give it a few hard bursts of acceleration so the second turbo comes in, and treat a Restricted Performance message as the actuator failing. Ask how often the oil's been changed, since oil dilution has been reported, and past 112,000 miles or seven years, ask for the cambelt receipt.
Look inside both rear light clusters for condensation, since moisture getting in was reported early on. A tyre pressure warning can mean a failed sensor valve, another early report. One owner found the 19 inch Dunlops on theirs lasted about 14,000 miles, so check tread depth on all four and budget for a set if they're low.
Airbags going off without a proper crash have been reported twice: the bonnet airbags on one XJ after what the data called a 100g impact, and the airbags on a 2012 XJL while it was being reversed. Check there are no airbag warnings on the dash, and ask about any past deployment. On 2016 cars the service reminder can fail to show, so go by the service book, not the dash.
Two recalls in the US are worth asking about. One covered 2013 and 2014 XJs whose rear toe links could come away from the subframe, fixed with a new nut and washer. The other covered 2014 left-hand-drive cars where the accessory drive belt, power steering pump pulley or alternator battery cable could come loose. Ask the seller whether either applies to their car and whether it's been done.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
It's a good buy as a 5.0 V8 petrol and a risky one as a 3.0 V6 diesel, because the diesel's crank bearing fault covers every year of the X351. What it does well is the way it goes down the road: an aluminium body, air suspension and continuously adjusting dampers give it a supple ride without feeling heavy in bends.
The diesel's troubles come at both ends of its life. The crankshaft failure can strike very early, as one 2016 owner found with a new crankshaft at 2,200 miles, and gives no warning light first. Typically between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, the secondary turbo actuator can stick too, with limp mode under hard acceleration. The cambelt then falls due at 112,000 miles or seven years.
Whichever engine it has, check the rear lights for misting, any tyre pressure or airbag warning on the dash, and that the oil's clean and at the right level. Owners have reported airbags firing without a real crash and an oil leak that a dealer couldn't cure on a nine month old 2012 car, so ask what's been fixed and see the invoices.
Real-world economy on this generation: Jaguar XJ 37.1 mpg, Jaguar XJ 37.2 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Jaguar XJ advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 35.3 mpg across the Jaguar XJ engines with data, about 104% of the official figure, from 317 submissions.
Jaguar XJ Real MPG by engine →The used Jaguar XJ to hunt for is a 5.0 V8 petrol with a stamped service book, since the 2.7 and 3.0 V6 diesels carry a known risk of spun crank bearings and a snapped crankshaft, right through to 2019. Our database holds 3 known Jaguar XJ faults, 1 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
On a diesel, listen at idle and under load for a deep knock low down in the block, and don't buy one that's making it. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Jaguar XJ fault before you travel.
Owners report 35.3 mpg on average, about 104% of the official figure, from 317 submissions. Belt (3.0D, 3.0 V6 DIESEL, TDV6, SDV6): 112,000 miles or 7 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Jaguar XJ Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Jaguar XJ buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 52 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
CarAdCheck is not affiliated with Honest John or Volkswagen Financial Services. What happened to Honest John, and where each feature lives now.
The Jaguar XJ is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Jaguar XJ right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.