2026 Zeekr 7X Long Range RWD Review: Is this actually the 7X to buy?
There’s no doubt the Zeekr 7X has made an impact since launching in Australia late last year.
The Chinese premium electric SUV has now passed 7500 local deliveries and in July accounted for a hefty 33 per cent of the SUVs priced above $65,000 segment.
We’ve already spent a week with the flagship 475kW Performance AWD and came away seriously impressed. But now we’re testing what might actually be the sweet spot of the range, the $63,900 (plus on-road costs) Long Range RWD.
It gives away the Performance’s dual-motor punch and sophisticated suspension, but costs $9000 less and stretches claimed range from 543km to 615km. So is this the smarter 7X?
READ MORE: 2026 Zeekr 7X Performance AWD Review: Take note, Tesla fans, because this could be the best Chinese EV yet!
READ MORE: Zeekr 7X priced for Australia: Latest Chinese electric SUV undercuts Tesla Model Y as premium EV brand goes for mainstream sales
READ MORE: Leapmotor B10 tops Zeekr 7X and Kia EV4 in latest ANCAP testing: Cheapest EV stars against more expensive opposition
2026 Zeekr 7X Long Range RWD price and equipment
The Long Range RWD sits in the middle of the Zeekr 7X line-up, priced at $63,900 before on-road costs.
The entry-level RWD costs $57,900, the Performance AWD is $72,900 and the Black Special Edition tops the range at $75,900.
There’s a lot of competition in the $60-$70K band for the 7X LR RWD, including EV sales heavyweights such as the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7.
The 7X Long Range asks another $6000 over the cheapest 7X, but there are some significant updates for the money.
Most importantly, the 75kWh LFP battery is replaced by a 100kWh NCM unit. Claimed WLTP range jumps from 480km to an impressive 615km, while the rear-mounted electric motor continues to produce 310kW and 440Nm and drive the rear wheels. Zeekr claims 0-100km/h in about 6.0 seconds.
The 7X is built around an 800-volt electrical architecture and the Long Range can accept up to a substantial 420kW DC charging rate. Zeekr claims a 10-80 per cent recharge in as little as 16 minutes under ideal conditions. AC charging is an unusually useful 22kW and there is also 3.3kW vehicle-to-load capability.
The Long Range also adds equipment over the RWD, including power steering-column adjustment, a head-up display, more passenger-seat adjustment, front-seat ventilation and massage and the excellent 21-speaker Zeekr Sound Pro audio system in place of the RWD’s 10-speaker set-up.
Standard equipment also includes 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic glass roof with powered sunblind, heated front and rear seats, powered reclining rear seats, tri-zone climate control, dual 50W wireless phone chargers, a powered tailgate and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The dashboard is dominated by a 16-inch 3.5K central touchscreen, backed by a 13.02-inch digital instrument display and a huge 36.21-inch head-up display.
Unlike the Performance, however, the Long Range sticks with conventional double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension. The flagship gets continuously controlled dampers and single-chamber air suspension, as well as 21-inch wheels.
Happily, the Long Range misses out on the Performance’s infuriating powered doors. You still get frameless doors, flush exterior handles and electronic releases, but they behave much more like normal doors. Sometimes less really is more.
Safety equipment includes seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, driver monitoring and a 360-degree camera.
The entire 7X range has a five-star ANCAP rating, scoring 91 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection and 78 per cent for both vulnerable road-user protection and safety assist.
Zeekr recommends servicing every two years or 40,000km, although optional health checks are offered annually or every 20,000km. The 20,000km check is free, but then you start paying.
2026 Zeekr 7X Long Range RWD: What we think
First things first, the Long Range RWD is still a very fast car.
No, its 310kW/440Nm and circa-six-second 0-100km/h claim don’t sound especially spectacular in the increasingly crazy world of Chinese EV outputs. But there is effortless acceleration whenever you ask for it and enough performance to make the Long Range feel deceptively rapid.
In fact, for a family SUV there’s an argument this is all the performance anyone actually needs. The 475kW/710Nm Performance AWD is claimed to hit 100km/h in 3.8 seconds, but how often are you really going to exploit that?
The more significant difference between the two cars is how they behave when the road gets rougher.
The Long Range rides quite softly and comfortably much of the time and tyre noise is well contained. But on lumpier and more challenging roads it can feel big, heavy and a little clumsy. Larger bumps can set the body moving and it sometimes takes longer than expected to settle again.
There was also an occasional hollow, resonant thump from the rear suspension that seemed to echo through the rear of our test car.
Having previously driven the Performance AWD, the difference is noticeable. The Long Range simply doesn’t feel as resolved as the flagship with its adaptive dampers and air suspension.
That doesn’t make it a bad drive. Far from it. The steering is easy and predictable, there’s plenty of grip and the 7X is manoeuvrable for something measuring 4787mm long and 1930mm wide. But the Long Range is happier settling into a cruise than being hustled along a challenging road.
The seats are big and comfortable, the cabin is quiet and there’s a sense of substance to the whole thing. The design isn’t radical inside or out, but the materials look and feel good and there’s generous storage, including a deep centre-console bin, more space beneath the bridge-style console and twin wireless phone chargers.
Rear-seat space is generous and the powered reclining backrest adds another layer of comfort. The panoramic roof also gets a powered internal blind, something we continue to appreciate in Australian conditions.
But Zeekr’s obsession with putting controls into the touchscreen can become frustrating. Adjusting the exterior mirrors requires calling up the function on the screen and then using the steering-wheel controls.
The power steering-column adjustment works in similar fashion. Climate functions including vent direction are also screen-based. None of this is impossible to figure out, but conventional controls would be faster and easier.
There is an enormous amount buried in the infotainment system. Drive modes, regenerative braking, steering weight, driver assistance, charging functions, V2L, pet mode, camping mode, car wash mode and numerous other functions can all be adjusted. There are also several different routes to some of the same settings.
Regenerative braking offers standard and strong settings as well as one-pedal driving. We’d still prefer steering-wheel paddles that allowed regen to be changed without going into the screen.
The driver-assistance systems can at least be switched off and, importantly, our chosen settings remained off when the car was restarted. The 360-degree camera is also excellent and helps enormously when manoeuvring what is a fairly substantial SUV.
Rearward visibility isn’t great, though, and unlike some newer Chinese EVs the 7X uses a conventional interior rear-view mirror rather than a camera display.
We also had persistent problems with Apple CarPlay. It disconnected during our test and then refused to reconnect the following day. Since our drive Zeekr has rolled out its first Australian 7X OTA software update, which specifically included claimed improvements to CarPlay performance and reliability, so hopefully that particular glitch has now been addressed.
2026 Zeekr 7X Long Range RWD: Verdict
The Zeekr 7X Long Range RWD makes a compelling argument for itself. For $63,900 it combines a huge 615km claimed range, genuinely rapid charging capability, strong performance, lots of equipment and a spacious, comfortable and convincing premium cabin.
But there is a catch. Having driven the Performance AWD, its more sophisticated suspension makes a noticeable difference. The Long Range can become a little loose and cumbersome over challenging roads in a way the flagship doesn’t.
So is it the 7X to buy? If maximum range matters, absolutely consider it. But the Performance costs another $9000 and doesn’t merely buy silly acceleration and another driven axle; it also buys the suspension hardware that helps make the 7X a more polished drive.
That makes choosing between them much tougher than the numbers initially suggest.
SCORE: 4.0/5
2026 Zeekr 7X Long Range RWD specifications
Price: $63,900 plus on-road costs
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, RWD
Range: 615km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 100kWh NCM
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Motor: Rear-mounted, 310kW/440Nm
Drive: Rear-wheel drive
AC charging: 22kW, Type 2
DC charging: 420kW, CCS combo
V2L: 3.3kW
0-100km/h: Approx. 6.0 seconds
*European PR imagery, not indicative of test car.
