2026 Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid review

Chery’s smallest SUV also offers Australia’s cheapest full hybrid powertrain.

The Chery Tiggo 4 (formerly Tiggo 4 Pro) has really made a splash Down Under, quickly rising up the sales charts to become a top-three contender in the small SUV segment in just its first full year on sale.

Following the successful launch of the turbocharged petrol version, Chery quickly pivoted to offering Tiggo 4 Hybrid (or HEV) variants in an effort to capitalise on increasing demand for hybrid models.

More than one in every 10 new cars sold in Australia this year feature a plugless hybrid powertrain, with 161,426 out of this year’s 1,014,027 total new vehicle sales so far (to October 31) being hybrids.

Priced from $29,990 drive-away – or $32,990 drive-away for this top-spec 2026 Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid Ultimate – the petrol-electric Chinese crossover undercuts the cheapest Toyota Yaris Hybrid hatch and GWM Haval Jolion HEV small SUV.

While hybrid is in-vogue at the moment, Chery still charges between $7000-$8000 more than the equivalent petrol-only spec in the Tiggo 4, so it might take you a while to make up for that in fuel savings alone.

Is it worth the jump? Let’s find out.

How much does the Chery Tiggo 4 cost?

You can get into a Tiggo 4 for as little as $23,990 drive-away, though the hybrid range kicks off from $29,990 drive-away. The flagship Hybrid Ultimate we have on test here costs $34,990 drive-away.

Chery is also offering a $2000 discount on the Tiggo 4 Hybrid Ultimate, valid until December 31, 2025.

To see how the Chery Tiggo 4 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

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What is the Chery Tiggo 4 like on the inside?

It’s all very familiar Tiggo 4 fare inside, meaning this really doesn’t feel like a ‘budget’ car, at least on first impressions.

As with Chery’s other products, the glossy screens and leather-look surfaces with contrast top-stitching initially present as premium, especially at a price point known for dour design and hard, scratchy plastics.

Even if all these elements aren’t quite as slick to touch or operate as they present, at the Tiggo 4’s incredibly cheap price point it’s much more acceptable than in the Chinese brand’s larger models like the Tiggo 7 and 8.

Up front the driver and passenger are perched high in the cabin, giving a commanding view of the road ahead. The bucket-style front seats with integrated head restraints are trimmed in faux leather in the Ultimate, and you get six-way power adjustment for the driver in the top-spec too.

While shorter people might be fine with this setup, helped by the tilt and telescopic-adjusting steering wheel, my lanky 6’1″ frame found the front seat to lack under-thigh support, and like a lot of Chinese cars you can’t adjust the base cushion angle to compensate, annoyingly.

Dual 10.25-inch displays sit within one housing, one for the digital instrument cluster and the other for the infotainment touchscreen.

The graphics are generally pretty clear but the response and refresh rate is a little lacking. While it all works ‘fine’, it cheapens the feel of the user interface and is at odds with the premium-leaning presentation.

For example, the power meter and speedo can often be a ‘tick’ behind what’s actually happening, and I had a few glitchy moments with the infotainment system when using wireless Apple CarPlay with my iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The interface apes a couple of other brands, namely previous-generation Mercedes-Benz models. The tiled touchscreen menus is a little like an Apple/Android smartphone crossed with the BMW iDrive app drawer.

Another contentious area is the centre console, which is finished entirely in smudgy piano black trim, and features clock radio-style digital climate control readouts that seem out of place relative to the Tiggo 4’s other more modern appointments.

While the enlarged numbers and air flow displays are large and easy to read, a smaller and perhaps better integrated physical control pod might have been a better decision. The physical toggles for the temperature are a nice touch, though.

The Tiggo 4’s stubby shift-by-wire gear selector looks nice, but again it has a glossy finish that makes it a magnet for fingerprints. And like other Chery models I’ve recently tested, you almost need to fully depress the brake pedal to the end of its travel to shift from Park to Drive and vice versa, which led to a lot of accidental Neutral selections during three-point turns, for example.

Storage is more positive and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to store your odds and ends, including a shelf under the centre console, decent sized door bins, and a cubby under the front armrest. The cupholders are good too, though the little slot to stow your phone isn’t deep enough to hide it out of sight, nor is there a wireless phone charger.

Those requiring their budget SUV to cart people around often will be happy to know the Tiggo 4 offers benchmark rear occupant accommodation thanks to its boxy and tall body.

I had no troubles getting comfortably behind my own preferred driving position. There’s good head, knee and leg room for taller adults on both of the outer seats, and the middle pew is alright as well.

You even get a single directional rear air vent, as well as a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders. Bottle holders in the door bins and rear map pockets round out the general amenities, and as you’d expect there are ISOFIX and top-tether points for your little ones.

Further back, Chery quotes a healthy 470 litres of cargo space with all five seats in use, measured to the roof. The Tiggo 4 Hybrid Ultimate has a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor – but the Urban weirdly gets only a repair kit.

To see how the Chery Tiggo 4 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

The Tiggo 4 Hybrid pairs a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with an electric motor and small battery pack.

While the ‘Hybrid’ branding might have you thinking the electrified Tiggo 4 will be as efficient as a sub-4.0L/100km Yaris or Yaris Cross, our test car’s indicated fuel consumption was hovering in the high-5.0s and low-6.0s.

During our week of testing, the Tiggo 4 Hybrid was largely used for daily peak-hour commuting, and my route to and from the CarExpert Melbourne office is ~22km, with ~17-18km of that being freeway.

It’s an improvement over the petrol variants, which consume an indicated 8-9L/100km in similar driving, but it’s not as efficient as it should be for a full-hybrid small SUV, and it won’t hit Chery’s range claim of 1000km.

To see how the Chery Tiggo 4 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Chery Tiggo 4 drive?

I spent time in both the petrol and hybrid Tiggo 4 within a few weeks of each other, and personally the hybrid makes a lot of sense, even with the $8000 price premium between the equivalent Ultimate powertrain variants.

Chery hasn’t really broken down what its ‘Dedicated Hybrid Transmission’ is, but based on the seat of my pants alone it feels like a version of an e-CVT. But unlike a Toyota Hybrid, the Chery relies quite heavily on its electric motor despite the fact it’s not all that efficient for a hybrid.

Whether the petrol engine is running or not, the meatier 150kW/310Nm outputs of the e-motor make it the favourable choice as the primary source of propulsion, with the petrol engine cutting in and out primarily to keep the battery topped up more than anything else.

The instant electric torque makes for smoother standing starts than in the petrol-only version, which suffers from turbo lag off the line and can often feel boosty or elastic if you’re a bit heavy with your right foot.

It’s not all that much heavier than the petrol model either, with just 90kg added to the Tiggo 4’s tare mass. As such, it feels more lively and responsive courtesy of the aforementioned electric motor, as well as more refined.

One area where the Chinese manufacturer could do a little better is steering feel, though. While the chassis offers a pretty neutral balance between handling and comfort, the steering is vague and not very feelsome.

It means the front-end can sometimes feel a little ponderous, and this is exacerbated further by body lean in corners – an expected trait given the relatively tall, skinny body. Drive it with purpose though, and it’s pretty good.

In the everyday scenarios for which it was designed, the Tiggo 4’s tall stance and elevated driving position give you the secure feeling of a larger vehicle, without making it feel too big or cumbersome to manoeuvre in the city.

Powertrain noise is also very well suppressed, with the petrol engine barely heard when it fires up, though there’s a bit of vibration when it does.

Chery’s driver assistance systems remain a mixed bag. Adaptive cruise control works fine and the Ultimate’s surround camera system is very handy, but the semi-autonomous highway assist still isn’t my cup of tea.

As I’ve experienced in the past with other models in the Chery-Omoda-Jaecoo stable, the Integrated Cruise Assist’s lane centring function remains inaccurate, often tugging the wheel in a manner that’s far too overbearing while also having the vehicle hog the driver’s side of the lane.

Turn off the lane centring assist and it’s fine. There are, however, a number of audible bings and bongs for various systems, and to be quite honest with you I didn’t even know what it was trying to tell me because there wasn’t always a visual notification.

The driver attention monitor is also watching you like a hawk, regularly flashing up a vague prompt like “you have been distracted”, even if you’ve only glanced over at the infotainment screen for too long.

To see how the Chery Tiggo 4 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

Like the petrol version, two trim levels are available for the Tiggo 4 Hybrid.

2026 Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid Urban equipment highlights:

• Reflector automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Rain-sensing wipers
• 17-inch alloy wheels in 215/60 R17 tyres
• Tyre repair kit
• Eco/Sport drive modes
• Electronic parking brake with auto hold
• Heated, power-adjustable exterior mirrors
• Proximity entry with push-button start
• Remote start
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• Voice assistant
• 4-speaker sound system
• Cloth upholstery
• 60:40 split/fold rear seats
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Front-row LED interior lighting
• Front USB-A, USB-C outlets (1 each)
• 1 x rear USB-A outlet
• Dual-zone climate control with rear air vents

Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid Ultimate adds:

• Space-saver spare wheel
• Power sunroof with sunshade
• Power-folding exterior mirrors
• Remote opening/closing of windows
• 6-speaker sound system
• Leatherette upholstery
• 6-way power driver’s seat
• Heated front seats
• ‘Premium’ steering wheel
• Second-row LED interior lighting
• Colour-adjustable ambient lighting
• 15W wireless phone charger

To see how the Chery Tiggo 4 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Chery Tiggo 4 safe?

The petrol-powered Chery Tiggo 4 Pro was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2023, however, Hybrid versions are still unrated.

*1.5T model only

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 7 airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane centring
• Adaptive cruise control
• Traffic Jam Assist
• Driver monitoring system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reverse camera

Ultimate adds:

To see how the Chery Tiggo 4 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Chery Tiggo 4 cost to run?

The Chery lineup is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

The first five services are capped at an affordable $299 a pop, meaning the Tiggo 4 costs $1495 to service over the first five years, with the sixth visit being the most expensive at $736.62.

To see how the Chery Tiggo 4 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Chery Tiggo 4

The hybrid powertrain is definitely the pick of the Tiggo 4 range, but I think the entry-level version is the smarter buy.

While the Ultimate brings a number of desirable features for the extra $5000, it’s also not $8000 better than the equivalent petrol-powered Tiggo 4 Ultimate. Given its focus on value, the $30k price tag dims that shine quite a bit.

The hybrid drivetrain brings tangible driveability and efficiency gains over the standard petrol engine, and brings some fuel savings to boot. No, it’s nowhere near as efficient as a Yaris Cross Hybrid, but relative to its petrol-powered sibling you’ll notice the difference, especially if you do most of your driving around town.

Chery’s smallest SUV is arguably the most accurate embodiment of the brand’s strengths. It offers benchmark levels of standard kit and interior presentation for the money, delivering the sort of bang for your bucks that’s almost too good to be true. I’d also argue it’s a much more cohesive package than the base GWM Haval Jolion.

It’s cheap, it looks smart, it’s well-appointed, and it’s pretty cheap to run. Chery’s long seven-year warranty and capped-price service program should also give you peace of mind when taking a punt on a challenger product.

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MORE: Explore the Chery Tiggo 4 showroom