2025 Chery E5 review

Chery’s first new-generation model in Australia quickly became its first all-electric vehicle in Australia too.

The Chery E5 (formerly called the Omoda E5) is the all-electric version of Chery’s distinctively styled C5 (formerly the Omoda 5) small SUV, which spearheaded the Chinese brand’s return to the Australian market in 2023.

Aiming straight at the likes of the BYD Atto 3 and MG S5 EV, the E5 is an attainable compact electric SUV that will cost you similar money to an up-spec petrol-fired Kia Seltos or Mazda CX-30 – and now it’s even more affordable.

Like its ICE-powered C5 sibling, the E5 trades hard on value and aftersales provisions, with affordable pricing and a long seven-year factory warranty. The E5 also offers competitive performance and range at this end of the market.

On test here we have the entry-level 2025 Chery E5 – now known as the Urban – which since being renamed has seen retail pricing drop by as much as $6000. It’s now priced listed from $36,990 plus on-road costs.

WATCH: Paul’s video review of the 2023 Chery Omoda 5

The Chery brand is steadily gaining momentum in the Australian market, registering 12,603 new vehicles in 2024 (up 114.0 per cent), with the Omoda 5 family (now C5 and E5) leading the charge (6162 units, up 14.7 per cent).

So far in 2025, the Chery C5/E5 has been supplanted as the brand’s top-seller Down Under by the more affordable Tiggo 4 small SUV, but it remains in second place within the Chery stable. Is this base EV version worth a look?

Note: The vehicle pictured is an MY24 Chery Omoda E5, which other than revised ‘CHERY’ badging replacing the old ‘OMODA’ script and some minor specification changes, is effectively the same vehicle.

How much does the Chery E5 cost?

For 2025, the Chery E5 has been renamed and repriced, with the base Urban now starting at $36,990 plus on-road costs.

To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Chery E5 like on the inside?

As with the Omoda 5 (now C5), the E5 offers a more premium cabin design than most of its Chinese competitors, with inspiration drawn from luxury marques like Mercedes-Benz.

It differs slightly from the petrol-powered C5 in some of the detailing, with its padded leather-look protrusion under the air vents and central display, and a unique centre console design. It’s even more Benz-like than the ICE version.

There’s a slickness to the straight lines and glossy finishes. The larger 12.3-inch displays are nicely integrated into a unified fascia, and the steering wheel design is lovely – though in the base grade it’s not leather or leatherette wrapped, just squishy plastic which feels a little rental-spec.

Piano black material adorns much of the bridge, tunnel, and dashboard. Nice in the dealership, not so nice once you start poking and prodding it with dirty fingers – best to keep a rag in the glovebox.

The sporty fabric and leatherette-clad seats are manually adjusted in the entry grade, but that’s fine in the scheme of things. They’re comfortable, with supple cushioning and decent support from the bolsters.

They aren’t quite as good as the beautiful front pews in the Mazda CX-30, but they’re comfy on long journeys. Unlike some other Chinese-branded cars, there’s better under-thigh support from the long base cushion, which goes a long way.

Now while those displays I mentioned earlier look schmick when the car isn’t moving, they’re not quite as slick in operation. The design and interface is very budget-Benz, but the screen is laggy to the point where things almost ‘tick’ as they animate, and the driver’s cluster doesn’t have a more conventional dial view like in petrol vehicles.

Thankfully, the wireless Apple CarPlay worked generally well during our testing, though there was the odd occasion where known blackspots would cause a disconnection and then a buggy reconnection – or no connection at all.

Chery Australia has also removed native satellite navigation from the E5 range, one of few changes made during the rebrand. So, these CarPlay quibbles can be a bit of a hassle if you’re using your phone to navigate somewhere and it suddenly disconnects and you can’t get it back online.

Build quality feels robust, and the design is more contemporary and cohesive compared than an MG ZST or GWM Haval Jolion. There’s decent storage too, if you have a habit of carrying loose items like wallets and bottles.

The E5 isn’t class-leading in terms of second-row space, but has ample room to house a pair of adults without much fuss. Just be mindful that the sloping window line might mean you knock your head on the way in – speaking from experience here…

Knee room is a little snug behind those chunky front seats, but otherwise 6″1′ me could sit behind my preferred driving position. Headroom is fine, though my voluminous hair was brushing the headliner in the back.

Your kids will be fine in the back provided the front seats don’t obstruct their view too much, and there are amenities like rear air vents, USB-A and USB-C charge ports (new for the updated model), map pockets, and bottle holders in the doors. There’s also a flip-down centre armrest with cupholders.

Speaking of the younger ones, the requisite ISOFIX and top-tether child seat anchor points are present as you’d expect.

Further back, the Chery E5’s boot capacity takes a hit compared to petrol models. It’s quoted at 300 litres with the rear seats in play and 1079L with them folded. By comparison, the Chery C5 offers 370L in five-seat configuration.

One highlight that’s pretty rare – especially for an EV – is the presence of a full-size spare wheel under the boot floor. Props to Chery for going against the industry trend on this one.

To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

All versions of the E5 are powered by a front-mounted electric motor making 150kW/340Nm, fed by a 61.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack – and there’s a 19-litre ‘frunk’.

To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Chery E5 drive?

The petrol Omoda 5 (now C5) is a little hit and miss in my experience, depending on the drivetrain, so I was keen to see if the torque-rich nature of electric motoring would be a marked improvement in the E5.

Pictured: MY24 Chery Omoda E5 BX

Often I find that drivetrain refinement in petrol-powered Chinese-branded cars needs a little work to really be competitive with legacy brands from Europe and Asia, but in the EV space it’s a much more level playing field.

Naturally, the E5 starts in complete silence, and setting off isn’t met with clumsy lurching like old Omoda 5 vehicles fitted with the dual-clutch automatic were prone to. It’s also very quiet, and the elevated driving position gives you a commanding view of the road ahead and makes this feel like a larger, more substantial vehicle.

While straight-line acceleration is effortless and responsive, provided you don’t mash the throttle and light up the front tyres, there’s a bit of a disconnect between the drivetrain and handling.

That big vehicle feel I mentioned earlier translates a little too much to the steering and handling, with very light weighting and minimal feedback, occasionally making the E5 feel a little vague and ponderous.

It’s pretty softly sprung too, so there’s a bit of body lean in corners, which combined with the tall driving position can exacerbate the top-heavy feeling behind the wheel. That said, it’s only really a drawback if you’re a keen driver, and this is priced to be economy-class zero-emissions transport.

Driven with a more measured approach in city and suburban environments, the E5 is a pretty comfortable and quiet runabout. It’s a good size for urban living too, with relatively compact dimensions, front and rear parking sensors and a decent reversing camera – you need the flagship Ultimate for the excellent surround cameras.

Outward visibility is good out the front and sides, though the rising belt line and slim rear window means the aforementioned sensors and camera come in handy, as does standard blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitors.

Things settle nicely on the open road too, with the E5 offering good sound insulation despite the absence of a combustion motor, and a settled ride that’s only ever upset by sharp surface imperfections like expansion joins at the national highway limit – not helped by the larger 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 215/55 Kumho rubber.

While it’s mostly a decent if not good showing, Chery’s driver assistance technologies still require some work. This is a complaint I’ve had about nearly every one of the company’s cars I’ve driven.

In fairness, it’s mainly the Integrated Cruise Assist, which combines adaptive cruise control and active lane keeping tooffer semi-autonomous highway driving, that’s not quite there.

The lane-centring function still can’t accurately keep the E5 centred in its lane, often jerking the steering wheel left as it dislikes the driver-side lane markings. Every now and then it’ll wrestle you towards the vehicle next to you or a concrete barrier if it can’t correctly detect the lane markings, which can be quite unsettling.

Chery’s driver monitoring system is also deserving of a common gripe made against Chinese brands, often chiming too eagerly even if you’re just doing a head-check or glancing over at the infotainment display.

To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

The Chery E5 range remains a two-variant model family in Australia, though the old BX and EX trims are now called the Urban and Ultimate.

2025 Chery E5 Urban equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Kumho PS71 215/55 R18 tyres
• Full-size spare wheel
• Eco, Normal and Sport drive modes
• LED headlights
• LED front fog lights with cornering function
• Automatic high-beam
• Proximity entry with push-button start
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB digital radio
• Voice assistant
• 50W wireless phone charger
• 6-speaker sound system
• Fabric upholstery with leatherette bolsters
• Folding rear armrest with cupholders
• Dual-zone climate control with rear air vents
• Gloss woodgrain effect trim with dark chrome accents
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• 3 x USB-A outlets (1 x dash, 1 x upper windscreen, 1 x rear)
• 2 x USB-C outlets (1 x front, 1 x rear)
• 2 x 12V outlets (1 x front, 1 x boot)

E5 Ultimate adds:

• Sequential rear indicators
• Power sunroof
• Acoustic front door glass
• Rear privacy glass
• Power tailgate
• Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
• Heated steering wheel
• Leatherette upholstery
• 6-way power driver’s seat
• 4-way power passenger seat
• Heated front seats
• Heated outboard rear seats
• Colour-adjustable ambient lighting
• 8-speaker Sony sound system

Is the Chery E5 safe?

The Omoda E5 has the same five-star ANCAP safety rating as its petrol-powered siblings, based on 2022 test criteria.

The tests were conducted by Euro NCAP, but when awarding the electric version the same five-star rating, ANCAP confirmed additional testing was conducted on the E5 to determine the integrity and safety of the E5’s battery and high-voltage electrical system.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 7 airbags
• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver attention monitoring
• Lane-keep assist
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Integrated Cruise Assist
• Traffic Jam Assist
• Parking sensors – front, rear
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Safe exit warning
• Speed limit information
• Multi-collision brake
• Reversing camera
• Tyre pressure monitoring

Ultimate adds:

To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Chery E5 cost to run?

As with the wider Chery lineup, the Omoda E5 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the high-voltage battery in EV models covered by a lengthy eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

To see how the Chery E5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Chery E5

Since I drove this vehicle in MY24-spec, Chery has made a substantial change to the retail pricing which helps the value equation by some margin.

A whole $6000 drop – even if there were sharp drive-away deals at the time of testing – is nothing to sneeze at, and the base Urban’s new $36,990 sticker puts it in the company of a variety of legacy-branded combustion-powered SUVs.

For a cheap electric crossover it drives well enough, it’s equipped well enough, and it’s arguably styled to look more expensive than it is. Keen drivers like me might find it underwhelming or boring on the road, but it’s fine for what it is.

The finicky driver assistance tech remains a complaint, but this is common to the bulk of Chery’s lineup including even its new Omoda Jaecoo portfolio. It’s an area where BYD and MG have made pretty good strides – though their equivalent models cost more.

While it may lack some of the polish of the similarly sized BYD Atto 3 and MG S5 EV, the Chery E5 is thousands more affordable and offers more range than its Chinese rivals. That alone will be a key selling point for many.

CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Chery E5. Click here to get a great deal.

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MORE: Explore the Chery E5 showroom