Chery Omoda E5 Australian First Look

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The Omoda E5, built on the same platform as the petrol-powered Omoda 5, has a futuristic sporty SUV design which is pleasing to the eye.

The electric Omoda E5 has distinct design differences compared to the petrol Omoda 5 including a smoother front end with longer and more angular LED daytime running lights and reshaped headlights. It also features aerodynamic-looking wheels a different rear bumper which does away with the plastic exhaust tips.

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Similar to the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV, the Omoda E5's charging port is positioned on the front of the car, just under the bonet. This will make it particularly convenient for side-mounted public EV charging stations.

Other EVs like the BYD Atto 3, Renault Megane E-Tech have their also have their charging ports on their front wheel fenders, requiring cables to be twisted or awkward parking angles in order to reach the port, especially on DC fast charging stations.

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Inside, Chery has a modern but conservative design aesthetic. It has a conventional dark grey with silver and metallic details littered throughout; Through the middle of the dash and centre console is a glossy wooden surface. Up to 90% of the E5's interior has been updated compared to the Omoda 5 to give it a more premium and minimalist feel which buyers have become accustomed to when it comes to EV interior design.

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The quality of interior materials is probably a notch below the BYD Atto 3 but is still solid and well built based on our limited time with the Omoda E5.

The Omoda E5's electric tailgate opens up to a modest 380-litre boot that expands to 1340-litres when the rear row seats are folded down. Underneath the main boot area however is a full size spare wheel, one of the few EVs which offers this option.

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The Omoda E5 features a frunk, albeit one of the smallest and least practical with a paltry 1.9 litre of storage.

The small crossover's seats are wrapped in a vinyl-like synthetic leather material that feel reasonably comfortable. Rear passenger space is sufficient albeit there is slightly less leg and headroom compared to a BYD Atto 3 and MG4, both of which have a longer wheelbases.

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The Omoda 5 features a dual 12-inch infotainment screen and LCD HD instrument display. The shape and layout is similar to the dual setup in the Kia EVs such as the EV6 and Niro EV.

In our brief time with the Omoda E5, the interface appeared snappy and east-to-use. The user interface was bright and featured large font, making the information on display easy to see.

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Importantly, it will support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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I’m pleasantly surprised by the Omoda E5.

It is a good looking, feature-laden small crossover SUV that should put up a good challenge to the other options in the segmenting including the BYD Atto 3, MG ZS EV, Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV.

Its key specifications closely match that of the competition while also including useful features such as V2L support of up to 3.3 kW.

Like all new entrants to the EV market, particularly budget-oriented Chinese brands, pricing strategy will be key to its sales success. If priced below the likes of the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV, the Omoda E5 should sell in reasonable numbers.

On a positive note, Chery has sold over 6000 vehicles since launching in 2023 through over 70 dealers around the country, meaning there is a solid footprint for aftersales support – which is somewhat of a weak point for upstart EV brands such as BYD and Tesla.

Overall, the Omoda E5 seems like a solid value-driven product which will give customers another option in the rapidly growing small electric SUV segment.