2024 Chery Omoda E5 review: is it too flawed to challenge the BYD Atto 3?

September 28, 2024September 27, 2024 Iain Curry 2428 Views chery omoda e5, Omoda E5, omoda e5 review, omoda electric

At the risk of going all ‘Okay, Boomer,” the Chery Omoda E5 electric SUV arrives with baggage.

We older lot have long memories, you see.

Ten years back, Chery was flogging hatchbacks in Australia from $9990 drive-away, championing low prices and reasonable features.

Clearly built to a budget, they proved horribly unreliable, drove like bouncy castles and were recalled for containing asbestos. Then Chery disappeared.

But the Chinese brand relaunched here in 2022 after an eight-year absence, and is already shifting 6000 cars a year – more than Jeep or Peugeot – thanks to improved product.

Its strongest seller is the cheapie Omoda small SUV, and it’s an electric version of this that Chery’s using to make its first step into the EV market.

But it’s landed at a tricky time.

Chinese EVs are suddenly everywhere, so rivals include the BYD Atto 3, MG ZS, MG4 and Smart #1, and that’s before XPeng and Zeekr rock up.

The Omoda E5 starts at $42,990 before on-roads, which isn’t going to wash for bargain basement EV shoppers.

An MG4 is about $15k less after its haircut to $30,990 drive-away, while the MG ZS EV plays in the same SUV playground for much cheaper: $34,990 on the road.

While the Chery Omoda E5 has solid stats and goodies (see below), its price flirts not far under non-Chinese talents such as a Hyundai Kona Electric (from $54,000) and the Tesla Model 3 (from $54,900).

2024 Chery Omoda E5: price and equipment

It’s a ‘large’ small SUV available in two grades: a BX from $42,990 plus costs, and a higher-specification EX from $45,990 plus costs. Drive-away prices differ between states, but expect roughly $3000 on top of those numbers.

Both use a single front-mount electric motor offering 150kW and 340Nm – matching a BYD Atto 3’s power, but trumping its torque by 30Nm. Claimed performance is 7.6 seconds to 100km/h.

Range of 430km trumps entry-level Chinese rivals, using a 61.1kWh battery and with energy use of 15.5kWh/100km.

Less positive is poor maximum charge speed of up to 80kW. DC recharge time is 30 minutes from 30-80 per cent charge, Chery choosing not to reveal how long it would take from 10 per cent charge, as is the norm.

Inclusions are generally very strong, giving this Omoda E5 decent on-paper appeal versus rivals.

The BX has 18-inch alloys, LED lights, 18 different driver aids, dual 12.3-inch screens for infotainment and driver display, sat-nav, Sony sound system, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless phone charging and – in a first for an electric car – a full size spare wheel.

The $3000 extra for the EX adds a power tailgate, upgrades cloth seats to synthetic leather, better Sony audio, ambient lighting, 360-degree camera, heated front and rear seats and a power sunroof. Solid inclusions.

The safety list is no less impressive. Autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and prevention, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert and braking, plus driver monitor, are all standard.

Premium paint adds $500 and a black roof another $600.

Chery offers a seven-year/unlimited km warranty (battery warranty is eight years), and capped price services are a cheap $950 for the first five (annual or every 20,000km), or $1586 for the first seven/140,000km.

2024 Chery Omoda E5: What we think

Credit where it’s due, the Omoda E5 is a decent-looking SUV.

Slimline LED lights, coupe-like roofline and quite cosmic rims all help, although it could still be mistaken for any number of sharp small SUVs with their homogenised shapes and dimensions.

It also appears awkwardly high at the rear, over-exposing the underside suspension guts. And those rims really don’t sit quite right in the arches.

But you know what’s bloody clever? That full-size spare wheel. You’d be surprised how much of a deal-breaker that is to Aussie buyers, although it compromises boot space – 300L isn’t much at all versus rivals.

I also really like the charging port being in the nose. This pops open at the touch of a cabin button, meaning you can nose-in to charging stations and not have to worry if the cord will reach.

Chery Omoda E5 pop-up nose to reveal the charge port.

The drive is very much a mixed bag, and we were able to test it over a few hundred kilometres driving Canberra’s streets and surrounding countryside.

Positively, the cabin feels spacious front and rear, seats are comfy, plastics are soft, and the brace of 12.3-inch screen merge into one to give a bang up-to-date look.

Then – mystifyingly – Chery’s fitted a cheap-feeling polyurethane steering wheel to the entry-level model. This is your always touch-point, and it really brings down the otherwise impressive presentation.

If you’re shopping, it’s absolutely worth spending the extra $3k for the EX grade to improve the seat and steering wheel quality, plus the aforementioned upgrades.

The electric motor offers solid pace, but get too greedy on the throttle and swervy torque steer keeps you busy.

There are three regeneration modes, but even the strongest won’t bring you to a complete stop – this would be welcome for one-pedal driving in town.

It’s also hard to drive with finesse. Lift slightly off the throttle – even on the highway – and there’s a minor jerk as if you’ve dabbed the brakes. I had to remind my passenger it was the car doing this, not my poor driving.

As a town car it’s fairly agreeable, although suspension’s surprisingly firm. I’d hoped this would translate into reasonable cornering abilities, but again if feels not quite the finished article – it wobbles around, and isn’t helped by numb steering.

The driver assist systems – a generous 18 in total – also need a bit of work. Switching them off – or changing their tolerance/level of beepiness – involves far too much complication and menus within menus through the touchscreen. User friendly it ain’t.

Lane departure prevention panics unless you’re dead centre of the road, and the driver monitor punishes anything but brief glances away.

On a smooth highway – and with most of the driver aids disabled – things are much-improved. Select adaptive cruise control and life’s far more serene, while the Sony sound system (it’s pretty good) drowns out the tyres’ road noise.

For family buyers, again the EX grade is the pick. Dual zone climate control, rear vents, two rear USB ports, ambient lighting, rear folding arm rest and even heated back seats are lovely inclusions. Kids can even keep drinks chilled in the centre console arm rest.

Our test showed 400km was a realistic EV range – ample for most buyers, and showing solid efficiency.

2024 Chery Omoda E5: Verdict 2.5 Stars

There’s the makings of a very good, small family sized EV here, but the Omoda E5 needs fine-tuning to the overall drive experience and driver assist systems.

Performance, range, features and safety all hit the mark for your dollars, while it presents well both inside and out.

But competition is ever-increasingly tough, and those who value a smooth, relaxing drive above generous equipment will likely look elsewhere.

2024 Chery Omoda E5 price and specifications

Price: From around $45,500 drive-away
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, FWD
Range: 430km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 61.1kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/unlimited km
Energy consumption: 15.5kWh/100km
Motor: 1 front 150kW/340Nm
AC charging: 9.9kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 80kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 7.6 seconds

Iain Curry

A motoring writer and photographer for two decades, Iain started in print magazines in London as editor of Performance BMW and features writer for BMW Car, GT Porsche and 4Drive magazines. His love of motor sport and high performance petrol cars was rudely interrupted in 2011 when he was one of the first journalists to drive BMW's 1 Series ActiveE EV, and has been testing hybrids, PHEVs and EVs for Australian newspapers ever since. Based near Noosa in Queensland, his weekly newspaper articles cover new vehicle reviews and consumer advice, while his photography is regularly seen on the pages of glossy magazines.