$42,990 Chery Omoda E5 SUV arrives to battle BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV

Reborn Chinese brand Chery has introduced its Omoda E5 small crossover electric SUV, priced from $42,990 before on-roads.

The 430km-range EV joins combustion Omodas in Chery’s line-up, and its price undercuts the strong-selling and slightly larger BYD Atto 3 (from $44,499) plus pricier Korean rivals Hyundai Kona Electric (from $54,000) and Kia Niro EV (from $66,590).

Price champion remains the MG ZS EV, the small SUV being Australia’s cheapest electric car at $34,990 drive-away, although its electric range is only 320km.

The Omoda E5 uses 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, with energy use quoted at 15.5kWh/100km.

Its 61.1kWh battery has a maximum charging speed of up to 80kW – slow by modern standards – so Chery only quotes a DC recharge time of 30 minutes from 30-80 per cent charge. Faster charging batteries in most rival EVs will take less time to go from the more oft-quoted 10-80 per cent charge.

Two Omoda E5s are offered – 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 to be in the traffic.

Standard inclusions from entry-level shows Chery’s being true-to-form in offering plenty of features at a tempting pricepoint.

The BX has 18-inch alloys, LED lights, 18 different driver aids (let’s hope Chery’s improved their operation over other Omodas), 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.

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.

Look out for our first drive review of the new Chery Omoda E5 later this week.