Omoda E5 Review

Introduction & model history

Well, if you’ll forgive the fence I’m sitting on… Maybe! 

To start at the beginning, Omoda is a recently launched brand from Chinese car-making giant, Chery. It’s aimed at the European and UK markets, and it’s starting with this – the Omoda E5. At just over 4.4m long, it’s a similar size to the Renault Scenic, BYD Atto 3, Kia Niro EV, and MG4, but it’s expected to be priced very competitively, and is likely to start at around £32,500. Finance deals are expected to be very good, too, and it’ll be sold from well established car dealership chains such as Peter Vardy and Listers - so you’ll be able to go and physically see, touch and test-drive the cars. Something that I know I would want to do before committing to a big purchase like this, especially when it’s such an unknown brand.  

Range, Battery & Charging

The Omoda E5 uses BYD ‘Blade’ batteries. These use LFP cell technology, and are also used by Tesla and MG, as well as BYD itself, so it’s a tried and tested battery tech that is also well known for being very safe, and offering decent efficiency and longevity. Useable battery capacity is 60.7kWh usable battery capacity, with a total capacity of 61.7kWh, making for an official WLTP range of 257 miles. Not bad, even if others – including the MG4 and VW ID.3 – offer a bigger battery and longer range option. We haven’t spent enough time in the E5 to really gauge real-world efficiency, and our test car was a prototype, so we’ll bring you real-world efficiency info when we’ve had a proper drive in the production car. 

As for charging, the E5’s peak DC charging rate tops out at 80kW, which is good enough to rapid charge the battery from 10-80% in around 45 minutes, but a lot of rivals can add a similar amount of range in more like 30 minutes. Still, the Omoda does use CCS and Type 2 socket, which are the European standard sockets that almost every electric car uses, so it’ll be compatible with just about all public chargers in the UK and Europe. Plug into a 7kW home wallbox, and it’ll be fully charged in roughly 10 hours. 

One great feature of the Omoda E5 is that it gets vehicle-to-load charging as standard, so that you can plug in your kettle, camping fridge or any other electrical device, and charge or run it from the car’s high voltage battery. The MG4, Kia Niro EV and Hyundai Kona Electric all offer this really useful feature, too, so it’s great to see it becoming more common. Volkswagen and Peugeot are among other brands that are following with standard vehicle-to-load functionality soon, too.

Practicality & Boot Space

Rear passenger space is pretty good, so a couple of average-sized adults will be comfortable, although headroom is a bit tighter than in the ID.3 or Kia Niro EV and there’s very little foot space beneath the front seats. It’s on a par with the MG4 EV, though, so still perfectly usable for small families. And you get a rear centre armrest, which some rivals (I’m looking at you, MG…) don’t have.

Having said that, the boot has a small 292-litre claimed capacity, which is much smaller than the claimed boot capacity of most rivals. However, that is factoring in a truly unusual feature – a full-sized spare tyre! I thought I’d never see the day when we got a full spare tyre in an electric car, as it’s very difficult to package around the battery in the floor, but I’m pleased that Omoda has done it. I’m not so pleased that it means the boot is small, but I’d take that figure with a pinch of salt as, in practice, the boot is big enough for most every day needs. And it’s possible that Omoda will offer the E5 with the tyre as an option, which will make for more space. Don’t get me wrong – all of those rivals we’ve mentioned are probably better for you, if you’ve got a chunky buggy to lug about, or if you’ve got a big dog to worry about. But if you’ve got more luggage-light existence, you’ll probably be fine. And there’s a ‘frunk’ for your cables, too. 

Interior, Design/Styling & Technology

The Omoda E5 is a budget buy, next to rivals like the Kia Niro EV and VW ID.3, but Chery intends for it to eventually be seen as something of more premium brand. You can tell that from the generally classy-looking materials, not to mention neat touches like a vanity mirror that offers changeable warm- or bright-white lighting, and a double wireless phone charging pad that is also ventilated to prevent your phone from overheating. Some of the trim does look a touch tacky, by European standards. The top-spec Noble prototype test gets rather overly shiny, chrome speaker covers, and the wave pattern on some of the plastic trim is perhaps a touch in-yer-face. 

Even so, I really like the screen brightness controls on the panel next to the steering wheel. I have very light-sensitive eyes; it’s a pet hate of mine when it’s difficult to turn down screen-brightness at night, so having permanently visible controls for that is a winner. Less of a winning idea are the back-lit, touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel, which are impossible to see if you turn the headlights on when it’s still daylight outside, as they dim right down automatically.

A big, 12.3-inch touchscreen is housed together with the digital driver’s readout. The prototype car that I drove didn’t have the latest version of the software that’ll be going into dealerships, but it needs to be a big update, as the infotainment system we experienced feels dated. It’s hard to find some of the settings that are buried in many menus, and the graphics aren’t the best, either. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, so you won’t have to use the native system very often, anyway.

Motors, Performance & Handling

The way it drives isn’t why anyone’s going to buy the Omoda E5, but it’s also unlikely to be a reason that you wouldn’t. The 204bhp electric motor powers the front wheels (there’s no four-wheel drive version) and will get the E5 from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds, which is spritely enough by any standard. That power comes in smoothly, and acceleration is easy to modulate, but there’s also a fair amount of body lean and the steering is very short on feedback and feel, and could also be more consistent. It’s wieldy and confident enough, but it’s not going to worry any of its established rivals when it comes to how nice it is to drive. 

Which isn’t to say that it’s unpleasant. You can make good progress in the Omoda E5, and ride comfort is okay, especially at town speeds where it soaks up bumps quite nicely. It’ll do the job, is a phrase that springs to mind when summing up the driving experience in the Omoda E5. 

Running Costs & Pricing

There will be two trim levels on offer; Comfort or top-spec Noble. The Omoda E5 Comfort is still well-equipped with all of the infotainment stuff that you expect, as well as 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera, part leatherette upholstery, electric driver’s seat adjustment and more.

The Omoda E5 Noble adds style features including the contrast roof, as well as an opening sunroof, ambient lighting in the back, a powered bootlid and a 360-degree parking camera. 

Pricing is yet to be finalised, but expect it to start from £32,500, and that will include a seven year, 100,000 mile warranty on the car, and an eight year, 100,000 mile warranty on the battery. You’ll be able to go and test drive the cars in some 64 dealerships across the UK, with sales starting this summer. Naturally, a critical factor will be the PCP finance and lease deals, and we’ll update this review when we’ve got further details. For now, we’d be willing to bet that deals will be very competitive, with monthly prices from close to £300. 

Verdict

I wouldn’t say that the Omoda E5 is a car that you’ll ever buy because you love it, but it is a car that you shouldn’t overlook if you’re after an electric family car with a decent range, low purchase and running costs, and a long warranty. The brand has work to do if it’s to establish itself quickly in such a competitive market, but the E5 is a solid start. 

Like the Omoda E5? Try these...

BYD Atto 3 Review

Hyundai Kona Electric Review

​

MG4 Review