Abstract Frequency diverse array‐multiple input multiple output (FDA‐MIMO) radar not only has the advantage of waveform diversity but also can realise azimuth‐range correlation map, so it can realise high precision azimuth‐range joint estimation and has the ability to distinguish different range unit targets in the same azimuth. However, the existing research mainly adopts uniform linear array (ULA) model and mainly focusses on incoherent targets. At present, the elevation‐range joint estimation algorithm of metre wave FDA‐MIMO radar based on ULA has the problems of sharp decline in angle‐range measurement accuracy of ultra‐low altitude targets and large fluctuation of elevation‐range measurement accuracy with changing elevation. In order to solve the above difficult problems, starting from the perspective of reducing the influence of multipath effect by array structure, this paper innovatively combines sparse array with FDA‐MIMO radar, establishes the low elevation‐range joint estimation model of metre wave FDA‐MIMO radar based on sparse array, and puts forward the low elevation‐range joint estimation method suitable for this model, and it fills the gap of low elevation‐range measurement method based on sparse array metre wave FDA‐MIMO radar. Simulation experiments compare two typical sparse arrays with ULA of equal array elements, which verify the superiority of low elevation‐range measurement performance of monostatic metre wave FDA‐MIMO radar based on sparse array and the effectiveness of the proposed method.