Some auto brands will leave Australia, predicts Suzuki Queensland boss
"I think there'll definitely be brands that don't make it [in Australia]. I think there'll be brands in China that won't last – they're cutting each other's throats over there at the moment already," the general manager of Suzuki Auto Co, Paul Dillon, told CarExpert.
"If you talk to [Pitcher Partners automotive analyst] Steve Bragg, somebody like that in that part of the industry, their advice to dealers is just to be very careful about which Chinese brands they take on and spend money developing their dealership for. Are they going to be there in the future?
"We've already seen Chinese brands come in and go previously."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
Indeed, the first wave of Chinese brands from 2009 into the 2010s saw various brands come but eventually go, including JMC and ZX Auto.
That wave also included the first attempts in the Australian market by Chery and Geely, both of which left but have re-entered this decade with factory-backed operations.
And as Mr Dillon notes, some Chinese brands have even failed or appear close to death in their own market, including HiPhi, Hycan and Weltmeister, and the Evergrande Group-owned Hengchi.
The latest deluge of Chinese brands into Australia has far surpassed that of this earlier era in our market's, however.
In 2023, Chery returned to the Australian market to join existing existing players BYD, GWM and MG.
Above (clockwise from left): Geely EX5, GAC GS3 Emzoom, Leapmotor C10, Chery Tiggo 4
Leapmotor, Deepal, JAC, Xpeng and Zeekr followed in 2024, with Geely and Omoda Jaecoo commencing deliveries this year, and Foton soon to give it another crack after having previously exited our market.
GAC is also set to enter the Australian market this year, and even more brands are expected to come. That will see well over 60 brands competing for a market that, compared to more populous nations like the US, is small fry – around 1.2 million vehicles were sold here last year.
Almost all of the new brands entering our market come from China, with automakers from that nation eager to enter the fray here.
They're doing so in many cases not only to eke out a share of the Australian market, but also to use our market as a test bed for other markets (as Chery has confirmed) and to help bolster their global presence – something particularly crucial as competition among Chinese brands in their home market becomes ever more brutal.
They're also typically coming here with sharp pricing that undercuts established brands from Japan, South Korea and other countries.
Many of those Chinese brands "undoubtedly" pose a threat to legacy brands like Suzuki, said Mr Dillon.
"The legislation's almost leaning towards them, isn't it?" he added, referring to the federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) emissions scheme, which he argued was poorly thought-out.
"When you see if the NVES has the impact that it probably will have, does that mean everything else other than the Chinese stuff starts getting more expensive?
"It doesn't mean that over the next two years there's going to be a dip in the national sales of cars. Do we go from 1.1 million to a number less than that, once the shock of price increases?
"That said, looking at the recent VFACTS, some of their brands are certainly rapidly increasing in volume but the overall Chinese share of the national market isn't increasing that quickly I don't think.
"There are still some people that prefer to stay with a legacy brand."
Sales of vehicles built in China were up by 8.6 per cent in 2024, after having overtaken sales of Korean-built cars in 2022.
But while brands like BYD and Chery have soared, overall sales growth for Chinese-built cars isn't as impressive as it was in 2023, when their sales increased by 57.5 per cent, or in 2022 when they rose by 61 per cent.
And since 2021, Suzuki has managed to maintain a total share of our market of between 1.4 and 2.0 per cent, though this year it may struggle thanks to interrupted supply of key vehicles like the Jimny.
Suzuki finished 16th overall in our market in 2024 with 21,278 deliveries, finishing behind Chinese brands MG (seventh place, 50,592 deliveries) and GWM (10th, 42,782 deliveries) and just ahead of BYD (17th, 20,458 deliveries).
So far this year, Suzuki is behind all three of those brands, plus Chery. It's sitting at 9653 deliveries, down 21 per cent year-to-date, while Chery has overtaken it with 17,272 deliveries, up 235.2 per cent.
Moving forward, Suzuki will also need to keep an eye on rapid risers like Geely in its rear-view mirror, while new entrants like GAC will be competing in some of the same segments as the Japanese brand.
Suzuki Australia, which manages the sale and distribution of Suzuki vehicles everywhere in Australia bar Queensland and the Northern Rivers region of NSW, says it won't start a price war with purveyors of affordable Chinese vehicles.
"We offer products that are good value for money that can be applicable to most buyer types around the world. And that's part of Suzuki's philosophy: to produce a car for everybody," Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota told CarExpert.
"With that said, there's no compromise ever on quality, so you get what you pay for.
"With respect to that, I don't think it's a race to the lowest price if a competitor is down there. It's based on producing a vehicle that's right for the consumer, and it's a quality product without any compromise.
"We own our lane. We're good in it. We're the small-car specialists, and we deliver – and I keep saying it – undeniably reliable, quality product."
MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss
MORE: Suzuki Australia won't start price war with Chinese rivals
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
The boss of Suzuki Motor Corporation's distributor in Queensland and northern New South Wales predicts some automotive brands will withdraw from the Australian market, including some of the newer Chinese entrants.
"I think there'll definitely be brands that don't make it [in Australia]. I think there'll be brands in China that won't last – they're cutting each other's throats over there at the moment already," the general manager of Suzuki Auto Co, Paul Dillon, told CarExpert.
"If you talk to [Pitcher Partners automotive analyst] Steve Bragg, somebody like that in that part of the industry, their advice to dealers is just to be very careful about which Chinese brands they take on and spend money developing their dealership for. Are they going to be there in the future?
"We've already seen Chinese brands come in and go previously."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
Indeed, the first wave of Chinese brands from 2009 into the 2010s saw various brands come but eventually go, including JMC and ZX Auto.
That wave also included the first attempts in the Australian market by Chery and Geely, both of which left but have re-entered this decade with factory-backed operations.
And as Mr Dillon notes, some Chinese brands have even failed or appear close to death in their own market, including HiPhi, Hycan and Weltmeister, and the Evergrande Group-owned Hengchi.
The latest deluge of Chinese brands into Australia has far surpassed that of this earlier era in our market's, however.
In 2023, Chery returned to the Australian market to join existing existing players BYD, GWM and MG.
Above (clockwise from left): Geely EX5, GAC GS3 Emzoom, Leapmotor C10, Chery Tiggo 4
Leapmotor, Deepal, JAC, Xpeng and Zeekr followed in 2024, with Geely and Omoda Jaecoo commencing deliveries this year, and Foton soon to give it another crack after having previously exited our market.
GAC is also set to enter the Australian market this year, and even more brands are expected to come. That will see well over 60 brands competing for a market that, compared to more populous nations like the US, is small fry – around 1.2 million vehicles were sold here last year.
Almost all of the new brands entering our market come from China, with automakers from that nation eager to enter the fray here.
They're doing so in many cases not only to eke out a share of the Australian market, but also to use our market as a test bed for other markets (as Chery has confirmed) and to help bolster their global presence – something particularly crucial as competition among Chinese brands in their home market becomes ever more brutal.
They're also typically coming here with sharp pricing that undercuts established brands from Japan, South Korea and other countries.
Many of those Chinese brands "undoubtedly" pose a threat to legacy brands like Suzuki, said Mr Dillon.
"The legislation's almost leaning towards them, isn't it?" he added, referring to the federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) emissions scheme, which he argued was poorly thought-out.
"When you see if the NVES has the impact that it probably will have, does that mean everything else other than the Chinese stuff starts getting more expensive?
"It doesn't mean that over the next two years there's going to be a dip in the national sales of cars. Do we go from 1.1 million to a number less than that, once the shock of price increases?
"That said, looking at the recent VFACTS, some of their brands are certainly rapidly increasing in volume but the overall Chinese share of the national market isn't increasing that quickly I don't think.
"There are still some people that prefer to stay with a legacy brand."
Sales of vehicles built in China were up by 8.6 per cent in 2024, after having overtaken sales of Korean-built cars in 2022.
But while brands like BYD and Chery have soared, overall sales growth for Chinese-built cars isn't as impressive as it was in 2023, when their sales increased by 57.5 per cent, or in 2022 when they rose by 61 per cent.
And since 2021, Suzuki has managed to maintain a total share of our market of between 1.4 and 2.0 per cent, though this year it may struggle thanks to interrupted supply of key vehicles like the Jimny.
Suzuki finished 16th overall in our market in 2024 with 21,278 deliveries, finishing behind Chinese brands MG (seventh place, 50,592 deliveries) and GWM (10th, 42,782 deliveries) and just ahead of BYD (17th, 20,458 deliveries).
So far this year, Suzuki is behind all three of those brands, plus Chery. It's sitting at 9653 deliveries, down 21 per cent year-to-date, while Chery has overtaken it with 17,272 deliveries, up 235.2 per cent.
Moving forward, Suzuki will also need to keep an eye on rapid risers like Geely in its rear-view mirror, while new entrants like GAC will be competing in some of the same segments as the Japanese brand.
Suzuki Australia, which manages the sale and distribution of Suzuki vehicles everywhere in Australia bar Queensland and the Northern Rivers region of NSW, says it won't start a price war with purveyors of affordable Chinese vehicles.
"We offer products that are good value for money that can be applicable to most buyer types around the world. And that's part of Suzuki's philosophy: to produce a car for everybody," Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota told CarExpert.
"With that said, there's no compromise ever on quality, so you get what you pay for.
"With respect to that, I don't think it's a race to the lowest price if a competitor is down there. It's based on producing a vehicle that's right for the consumer, and it's a quality product without any compromise.
"We own our lane. We're good in it. We're the small-car specialists, and we deliver – and I keep saying it – undeniably reliable, quality product."
MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss
MORE: Suzuki Australia won't start price war with Chinese rivals
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
The boss of Suzuki Motor Corporation's distributor in Queensland and northern New South Wales predicts some automotive brands will withdraw from the Australian market, including some of the newer Chinese entrants.
"I think there'll definitely be brands that don't make it [in Australia]. I think there'll be brands in China that won't last – they're cutting each other's throats over there at the moment already," the general manager of Suzuki Auto Co, Paul Dillon, told CarExpert.
"If you talk to [Pitcher Partners automotive analyst] Steve Bragg, somebody like that in that part of the industry, their advice to dealers is just to be very careful about which Chinese brands they take on and spend money developing their dealership for. Are they going to be there in the future?
"We've already seen Chinese brands come in and go previously."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
Indeed, the first wave of Chinese brands from 2009 into the 2010s saw various brands come but eventually go, including JMC and ZX Auto.
That wave also included the first attempts in the Australian market by Chery and Geely, both of which left but have re-entered this decade with factory-backed operations.
And as Mr Dillon notes, some Chinese brands have even failed or appear close to death in their own market, including HiPhi, Hycan and Weltmeister, and the Evergrande Group-owned Hengchi.
The latest deluge of Chinese brands into Australia has far surpassed that of this earlier era in our market's, however.
In 2023, Chery returned to the Australian market to join existing existing players BYD, GWM and MG.
Above (clockwise from left): Geely EX5, GAC GS3 Emzoom, Leapmotor C10, Chery Tiggo 4
Leapmotor, Deepal, JAC, Xpeng and Zeekr followed in 2024, with Geely and Omoda Jaecoo commencing deliveries this year, and Foton soon to give it another crack after having previously exited our market.
GAC is also set to enter the Australian market this year, and even more brands are expected to come. That will see well over 60 brands competing for a market that, compared to more populous nations like the US, is small fry – around 1.2 million vehicles were sold here last year.
Almost all of the new brands entering our market come from China, with automakers from that nation eager to enter the fray here.
They're doing so in many cases not only to eke out a share of the Australian market, but also to use our market as a test bed for other markets (as Chery has confirmed) and to help bolster their global presence – something particularly crucial as competition among Chinese brands in their home market becomes ever more brutal.
They're also typically coming here with sharp pricing that undercuts established brands from Japan, South Korea and other countries.
Many of those Chinese brands "undoubtedly" pose a threat to legacy brands like Suzuki, said Mr Dillon.
"The legislation's almost leaning towards them, isn't it?" he added, referring to the federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) emissions scheme, which he argued was poorly thought-out.
"When you see if the NVES has the impact that it probably will have, does that mean everything else other than the Chinese stuff starts getting more expensive?
"It doesn't mean that over the next two years there's going to be a dip in the national sales of cars. Do we go from 1.1 million to a number less than that, once the shock of price increases?
"That said, looking at the recent VFACTS, some of their brands are certainly rapidly increasing in volume but the overall Chinese share of the national market isn't increasing that quickly I don't think.
"There are still some people that prefer to stay with a legacy brand."
Sales of vehicles built in China were up by 8.6 per cent in 2024, after having overtaken sales of Korean-built cars in 2022.
But while brands like BYD and Chery have soared, overall sales growth for Chinese-built cars isn't as impressive as it was in 2023, when their sales increased by 57.5 per cent, or in 2022 when they rose by 61 per cent.
And since 2021, Suzuki has managed to maintain a total share of our market of between 1.4 and 2.0 per cent, though this year it may struggle thanks to interrupted supply of key vehicles like the Jimny.
Suzuki finished 16th overall in our market in 2024 with 21,278 deliveries, finishing behind Chinese brands MG (seventh place, 50,592 deliveries) and GWM (10th, 42,782 deliveries) and just ahead of BYD (17th, 20,458 deliveries).
So far this year, Suzuki is behind all three of those brands, plus Chery. It's sitting at 9653 deliveries, down 21 per cent year-to-date, while Chery has overtaken it with 17,272 deliveries, up 235.2 per cent.
Moving forward, Suzuki will also need to keep an eye on rapid risers like Geely in its rear-view mirror, while new entrants like GAC will be competing in some of the same segments as the Japanese brand.
Suzuki Australia, which manages the sale and distribution of Suzuki vehicles everywhere in Australia bar Queensland and the Northern Rivers region of NSW, says it won't start a price war with purveyors of affordable Chinese vehicles.
"We offer products that are good value for money that can be applicable to most buyer types around the world. And that's part of Suzuki's philosophy: to produce a car for everybody," Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota told CarExpert.
"With that said, there's no compromise ever on quality, so you get what you pay for.
"With respect to that, I don't think it's a race to the lowest price if a competitor is down there. It's based on producing a vehicle that's right for the consumer, and it's a quality product without any compromise.
"We own our lane. We're good in it. We're the small-car specialists, and we deliver – and I keep saying it – undeniably reliable, quality product."
MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss
MORE: Suzuki Australia won't start price war with Chinese rivals
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
The boss of Suzuki Motor Corporation's distributor in Queensland and northern New South Wales predicts some automotive brands will withdraw from the Australian market, including some of the newer Chinese entrants.
"I think there'll definitely be brands that don't make it [in Australia]. I think there'll be brands in China that won't last – they're cutting each other's throats over there at the moment already," the general manager of Suzuki Auto Co, Paul Dillon, told CarExpert.
"If you talk to [Pitcher Partners automotive analyst] Steve Bragg, somebody like that in that part of the industry, their advice to dealers is just to be very careful about which Chinese brands they take on and spend money developing their dealership for. Are they going to be there in the future?
"We've already seen Chinese brands come in and go previously."
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
Indeed, the first wave of Chinese brands from 2009 into the 2010s saw various brands come but eventually go, including JMC and ZX Auto.
That wave also included the first attempts in the Australian market by Chery and Geely, both of which left but have re-entered this decade with factory-backed operations.
And as Mr Dillon notes, some Chinese brands have even failed or appear close to death in their own market, including HiPhi, Hycan and Weltmeister, and the Evergrande Group-owned Hengchi.
The latest deluge of Chinese brands into Australia has far surpassed that of this earlier era in our market's, however.
In 2023, Chery returned to the Australian market to join existing existing players BYD, GWM and MG.
Above (clockwise from left): Geely EX5, GAC GS3 Emzoom, Leapmotor C10, Chery Tiggo 4
Leapmotor, Deepal, JAC, Xpeng and Zeekr followed in 2024, with Geely and Omoda Jaecoo commencing deliveries this year, and Foton soon to give it another crack after having previously exited our market.
GAC is also set to enter the Australian market this year, and even more brands are expected to come. That will see well over 60 brands competing for a market that, compared to more populous nations like the US, is small fry – around 1.2 million vehicles were sold here last year.
Almost all of the new brands entering our market come from China, with automakers from that nation eager to enter the fray here.
They're doing so in many cases not only to eke out a share of the Australian market, but also to use our market as a test bed for other markets (as Chery has confirmed) and to help bolster their global presence – something particularly crucial as competition among Chinese brands in their home market becomes ever more brutal.
They're also typically coming here with sharp pricing that undercuts established brands from Japan, South Korea and other countries.
Many of those Chinese brands "undoubtedly" pose a threat to legacy brands like Suzuki, said Mr Dillon.
"The legislation's almost leaning towards them, isn't it?" he added, referring to the federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) emissions scheme, which he argued was poorly thought-out.
"When you see if the NVES has the impact that it probably will have, does that mean everything else other than the Chinese stuff starts getting more expensive?
"It doesn't mean that over the next two years there's going to be a dip in the national sales of cars. Do we go from 1.1 million to a number less than that, once the shock of price increases?
"That said, looking at the recent VFACTS, some of their brands are certainly rapidly increasing in volume but the overall Chinese share of the national market isn't increasing that quickly I don't think.
"There are still some people that prefer to stay with a legacy brand."
Sales of vehicles built in China were up by 8.6 per cent in 2024, after having overtaken sales of Korean-built cars in 2022.
But while brands like BYD and Chery have soared, overall sales growth for Chinese-built cars isn't as impressive as it was in 2023, when their sales increased by 57.5 per cent, or in 2022 when they rose by 61 per cent.
And since 2021, Suzuki has managed to maintain a total share of our market of between 1.4 and 2.0 per cent, though this year it may struggle thanks to interrupted supply of key vehicles like the Jimny.
Suzuki finished 16th overall in our market in 2024 with 21,278 deliveries, finishing behind Chinese brands MG (seventh place, 50,592 deliveries) and GWM (10th, 42,782 deliveries) and just ahead of BYD (17th, 20,458 deliveries).
So far this year, Suzuki is behind all three of those brands, plus Chery. It's sitting at 9653 deliveries, down 21 per cent year-to-date, while Chery has overtaken it with 17,272 deliveries, up 235.2 per cent.
Moving forward, Suzuki will also need to keep an eye on rapid risers like Geely in its rear-view mirror, while new entrants like GAC will be competing in some of the same segments as the Japanese brand.
Suzuki Australia, which manages the sale and distribution of Suzuki vehicles everywhere in Australia bar Queensland and the Northern Rivers region of NSW, says it won't start a price war with purveyors of affordable Chinese vehicles.
"We offer products that are good value for money that can be applicable to most buyer types around the world. And that's part of Suzuki's philosophy: to produce a car for everybody," Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota told CarExpert.
"With that said, there's no compromise ever on quality, so you get what you pay for.
"With respect to that, I don't think it's a race to the lowest price if a competitor is down there. It's based on producing a vehicle that's right for the consumer, and it's a quality product without any compromise.
"We own our lane. We're good in it. We're the small-car specialists, and we deliver – and I keep saying it – undeniably reliable, quality product."
MORE: Australia's new emissions regulations are poorly thought out, says local car brand boss
MORE: Suzuki Australia won't start price war with Chinese rivals
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
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There's decent storage too, if you have a habit of carrying loose items like wallets and bottles. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert The E5 isn't class-leading in terms of second-row space, but has ample room to house a pair of adults without much fuss. Just be mindful that the sloping window line might mean you knock your head on the way in – speaking from experience here… Knee room is a little snug behind those chunky front seats, but otherwise 6″1′ me could sit behind my preferred driving position. Headroom is fine, though my voluminous hair was brushing the headliner in the back. Your kids will be fine in the back provided the front seats don't obstruct their view too much, and there are amenities like rear air vents, USB-A and USB-C charge ports (new for the updated model), map pockets, and bottle holders in the doors. There's also a flip-down centre armrest with cupholders. Speaking of the younger ones, the requisite ISOFIX and top-tether child seat anchor points are present as you'd expect. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert Further back, the Chery E5's boot capacity takes a hit compared to petrol models. It's quoted at 300 litres with the rear seats in play and 1079L with them folded. By comparison, the Chery C5 offers 370L in five-seat configuration. One highlight that's pretty rare – especially for an EV – is the presence of a full-size spare wheel under the boot floor. Props to Chery for going against the industry trend on this one. To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool All versions of the E5 are powered by a front-mounted electric motor making 150kW/340Nm, fed by a 61.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack – and there's a 19-litre 'frunk'. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The petrol Omoda 5 (now C5) is a little hit and miss in my experience, depending on the drivetrain, so I was keen to see if the torque-rich nature of electric motoring would be a marked improvement in the E5. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert Pictured: MY24 Chery Omoda E5 BX Often I find that drivetrain refinement in petrol-powered Chinese-branded cars needs a little work to really be competitive with legacy brands from Europe and Asia, but in the EV space it's a much more level playing field. Naturally, the E5 starts in complete silence, and setting off isn't met with clumsy lurching like old Omoda 5 vehicles fitted with the dual-clutch automatic were prone to. It's also very quiet, and the elevated driving position gives you a commanding view of the road ahead and makes this feel like a larger, more substantial vehicle. While straight-line acceleration is effortless and responsive, provided you don't mash the throttle and light up the front tyres, there's a bit of a disconnect between the drivetrain and handling. That big vehicle feel I mentioned earlier translates a little too much to the steering and handling, with very light weighting and minimal feedback, occasionally making the E5 feel a little vague and ponderous. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert It's pretty softly sprung too, so there's a bit of body lean in corners, which combined with the tall driving position can exacerbate the top-heavy feeling behind the wheel. That said, it's only really a drawback if you're a keen driver, and this is priced to be economy-class zero-emissions transport. Driven with a more measured approach in city and suburban environments, the E5 is a pretty comfortable and quiet runabout. It's a good size for urban living too, with relatively compact dimensions, front and rear parking sensors and a decent reversing camera – you need the flagship Ultimate for the excellent surround cameras. Outward visibility is good out the front and sides, though the rising belt line and slim rear window means the aforementioned sensors and camera come in handy, as does standard blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitors. Things settle nicely on the open road too, with the E5 offering good sound insulation despite the absence of a combustion motor, and a settled ride that's only ever upset by sharp surface imperfections like expansion joins at the national highway limit – not helped by the larger 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 215/55 Kumho rubber. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert While it's mostly a decent if not good showing, Chery's driver assistance technologies still require some work. This is a complaint I've had about nearly every one of the company's cars I've driven. In fairness, it's mainly the Integrated Cruise Assist, which combines adaptive cruise control and active lane keeping tooffer semi-autonomous highway driving, that's not quite there. The lane-centring function still can't accurately keep the E5 centred in its lane, often jerking the steering wheel left as it dislikes the driver-side lane markings. Every now and then it'll wrestle you towards the vehicle next to you or a concrete barrier if it can't correctly detect the lane markings, which can be quite unsettling. Chery's driver monitoring system is also deserving of a common gripe made against Chinese brands, often chiming too eagerly even if you're just doing a head-check or glancing over at the infotainment display. To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Chery E5 range remains a two-variant model family in Australia, though the old BX and EX trims are now called the Urban and Ultimate. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert 2025 Chery E5 Urban equipment highlights: 18-inch alloy wheels Kumho PS71 215/55 R18 tyres Full-size spare wheel Eco, Normal and Sport drive modes LED headlights LED front fog lights with cornering function Automatic high-beam Proximity entry with push-button start Rain-sensing wipers Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto DAB digital radio Voice assistant 50W wireless phone charger 6-speaker sound system Fabric upholstery with leatherette bolsters Folding rear armrest with cupholders Dual-zone climate control with rear air vents Gloss woodgrain effect trim with dark chrome accents Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment 3 x USB-A outlets (1 x dash, 1 x upper windscreen, 1 x rear) 2 x USB-C outlets (1 x front, 1 x rear) 2 x 12V outlets (1 x front, 1 x boot) E5 Ultimate adds: Sequential rear indicators Power sunroof Acoustic front door glass Rear privacy glass Power tailgate Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel Heated steering wheel Leatherette upholstery 6-way power driver's seat 4-way power passenger seat Heated front seats Heated outboard rear seats Colour-adjustable ambient lighting 8-speaker Sony sound system The Omoda E5 has the same five-star ANCAP safety rating as its petrol-powered siblings, based on 2022 test criteria. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert The tests were conducted by Euro NCAP, but when awarding the electric version the same five-star rating, ANCAP confirmed additional testing was conducted on the E5 to determine the integrity and safety of the E5's battery and high-voltage electrical system. Standard safety equipment includes: 7 airbags Adaptive cruise control Autonomous emergency braking Blind-spot monitoring Driver attention monitoring Lane-keep assist Emergency lane-keep assist Integrated Cruise Assist Traffic Jam Assist Parking sensors – front, rear Rear cross-traffic assist Safe exit warning Speed limit information Multi-collision brake Reversing camera Tyre pressure monitoring Ultimate adds: To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool As with the wider Chery lineup, the Omoda E5 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the high-voltage battery in EV models covered by a lengthy eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Since I drove this vehicle in MY24-spec, Chery has made a substantial change to the retail pricing which helps the value equation by some margin. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert A whole $6000 drop – even if there were sharp drive-away deals at the time of testing – is nothing to sneeze at, and the base Urban's new $36,990 sticker puts it in the company of a variety of legacy-branded combustion-powered SUVs. For a cheap electric crossover it drives well enough, it's equipped well enough, and it's arguably styled to look more expensive than it is. Keen drivers like me might find it underwhelming or boring on the road, but it's fine for what it is. The finicky driver assistance tech remains a complaint, but this is common to the bulk of Chery's lineup including even its new Omoda Jaecoo portfolio. It's an area where BYD and MG have made pretty good strides – though their equivalent models cost more. While it may lack some of the polish of the similarly sized BYD Atto 3 and MG S5 EV, the Chery E5 is thousands more affordable and offers more range than its Chinese rivals. That alone will be a key selling point for many. 2025 Chery E5 Credit: CarExpert CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Chery E5. Click here to get a great deal. MORE: Explore the Chery E5 showroom Sharp pricing Strong performance, long range Upmarket design inside and out Driver assists still need work Wallowy handling Plastic steering wheel in base spec
