The Omoda E5 is a small electric family crossover claiming to offer a lot. Can it deliver? Jonathan Crouch decides.

Ten Second Review

Chinese brand Omoda's initial foray into the UK market depends largely on this car, the Omoda E5. This all-electric compact family crossover enters a tough segment but brings value and fashionable design for those prepared to try something a little different.

Background

After years of promising to flood our market with electric vehicles, China finally has, with all manner of new EVs from unfamiliar brands arriving to take on the established makers. Here's another, the Omoda E5, a Chery automotive group product that sells alongside the conventional petrol version of this car that was launched just before it. As with other Chinese EVs from brands like the BYD, MG, GWM Ora and NIO, this one primarily sells on value, technology and design. You probably aren't yet familiar with the Omoda 5; it's a lower mid-sized Qashqai-sized family SUV aimed in this guise primarily at cars like the Hyundai Kona electric and the Kia Niro EV. So why might you choose this Omoda over these established players? Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

The top version of this Omoda E5 is powered by single front-mounted 201bhp motor. That's energised by a 61.4kWh battery that when fully charged is claimed to be able to take the car up to 257 miles. The 62mph from rest sprint occupies 7.6s en route to 107mph, about the same as a comparably-sized (but far pricier) Lexus UX300e. If you don't need to go that fast, a 134bhp model with a smaller 48kWh battery will also be later available (range around 217 miles). Neither variant will feature the paddles on the steering wheel you get with some rivals to control the strength of regen braking. Handling was developed in Europe and benchmarked against what the brand sees as this car's closest rival, the Hyundai Kona Electric. The suspension, steering and anti-roll bars have all been re-tuned over the Chinese market model to cater for differing European tastes. Don't expect cutting-edge handling or particularly feelsome steering but the drive dynamics will certainly be class competitive. There are various drive modes provided - 'Sport', 'Comfort' and 'Eco': obviously, to get anywhere near to the quoted efficiency stats, you'll need to spend most of your time in the 'Eco' setting.

Design and Build

Compared to the petrol Omoda 5, this EV version has, according to manufacturer Chery, been 'optimised for aerodynamics'. Which means a unique rear spoiler, a bespoke front grille and modified front side wings. Omoda is determined that fashionable design should be a major selling point of its models, which is why you'd be unlikely to mistake this car for anything else. Certainly not the two cars this 4-metre-long compact family EV crossover is primarily pitched against, the Hyundai Kona Electric and the Kia Niro EV (both of which are a little shorter). The main visual talking point is a huge grille which is almost completely flush with the front bumper. The rear gets a full-width light bar and if you opt for the plusher 'Noble' spec level, you get various red-coloured external trim elements. All models have a rakish profile with blanked-out C-pillar. Inside, where everything is of surprisingly high quality for a mainstream brand, there's a high-mounted 10.25-inch infotainment screen. And a digital instrument cluster of the same size built into a single wide panel mounted on top of the dashboard. You're going to need to like smudge-worthy gloss black-trimmed panelling, but everything is decently screwed together and the things you interact with regularly are soft to the touch. Plus there's adjustable ambient lighting that varies itself with the selected drive mode. Despite the gently sloping rear roofline, there's plenty of headroom in the back, even with a sunroof fitted. And decent leg room for six-footers too. Out back, there's a 380-litre boot (the same as a Golf). The trunk area lacks bag hooks but gets a low loading lip, so it's easier to slide heavy items in.

Market and Model

Unlike its Chinese counterpart BYD, Omoda isn't immediately trying to match prices against the established players in this segment. The Omoda E5 model in base 'Comfort' form is likely to cost around £33,500, with a further £2,000 required for the plusher 'Noble' version with all its red exterior coloured trim elements. For perspective, the conventional 1.6-litre petrol model is priced from £24,000. You might expect a new largely-EV brand to be selling online, with agency models and subscription services. But no: Omoda will be selling its cars here via traditional dealerships, with 50 open at launch and double that number by the end of 2024. They cover most major UK centres and you can find your nearest one by going to omodauk.com. The brand has lent heavily on advice from its partner Jaguar Land Rover for its launch into the UK; Omoda parent company Chery handles local Chinese production of the Evoque, the Discovery Sport and Jaguar's XF and XE models for that Far Eastern market. As you'd hope, there's lots of equipment included as standard. Like powerful LED headlights with T-shaped daytime running lights. And matrix taillights with 3D-effect illumination. Inside, the sporty front seats can be heated and ventilated and feature a variety of electrical adjustments. As you'd want, there's a full suite of intelligent ADAS systems for driver assistance. The portfolio includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping and automatic low/high beam switching.

Cost of Ownership

As we said in our 'Driving' section, the top 61.4kWh model's battery (60.4kWh usable) has a claimed range of around 257 miles - think around 228 miles in the real world. Energy efficiency is rated at 4.0mpkWh. It only charges at up to 80kW but will replenish itself from a DC public charger from 10 to 80% in about 40 minutes. There's no 22kW charging option (unlike the rival Nissan Ariya), so buyers will be restricted with 11kW AC charging. Most new brands offer comprehensive warranties and this one is no different. Omoda includes a 7 year/100,000 mile warranty with all its cars. As for servicing for the petrol model, the service needs to be done at either 6,213 miles (10,000km) or 6 months, whichever comes first. The second service will be at 15,534 miles (25,000km) or after the first year, whichever comes first. After the second service, the intervals are every 15,534 miles or 12 months from the last service, whichever happens first.

Summary

You can't imagine that Omoda is going to sell too many conventional petrol-powered Omoda 5 models here, but we'd expect a brighter sales future for this EV version. If you're already switching into the unknown with an EV, then also switching to an unknown brand might not seem too much of a further step. Especially as this electric Omoda is either significantly better value or larger than most of its direct competitors - or both. Of course you're going to need to like the divisive looks. And you'll need to be within reach of one of the relatively small number of UK Omoda dealers. If you're OK on both those counts, there's potentially a lot to like here.