We road test the all-new, all-electric Omoda E5 family SUV…
Omoda is a new brand to the UK and is owned by Chery, one of the largest car manufacturers in China.
The Omoda 5 is a mid-sized family SUV, available with either a 1.6-litre petrol engine or an EV (badged Omoda E5).
The former is pitched as a rival to the Kia Sportage, MG HS and Nissan Qashqai. Starting at just £25,235, it represents a lot of car for the money.
My focus here is on the electric version (branded E5), which is priced from a very competitive £33,055 and has a claimed range of 257 miles.
The Omoda E5 has the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3, Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV firmly in its sights, along with its fellow Chinese imports, the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV.
The Omoda 5 siblings can be distinguished by their grilles. The E5’s is nicely smoothed off, while the 5 sports a prominent mesh.
Other than that, it’s a high-riding SUV which looks most similar to a Qashqai. In fact, it’s about the same size too.
There are two trim levels – Comfort and Noble. Inside, the Omoda E5 gets a 12.25-inch infotainment system alongside a high-definition instrument cluster display with essential driving information.
It works well enough, but as with many rivals, there’s far too much going on in the centre touchscreen and not enough physical buttons.
Other highlights include a heated, synthetic leather multi-function steering wheel, six-way power adjusted driver’s seat and integrated headrests as standard.
Noble variants add faux leather sports seats with four-way adjustment for the front passenger. All models get an eight-speaker Sony audio system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a 50W wireless charger conveniently positioned in the centre console.
The suite of standard safety and driving assistance features includes Lane Change Assist, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention, Blind Spot Detection, Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Brake, and Door Open Warning.
More importantly, the Omoda E5 is powered by a 150kW (204bhp) electric motor and a 61kWh BYD ‘Blade’ battery, and thanks to a relatively svelte kerb weight of 1,710kg (for an EV) it’ll do 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds.
Fuel efficiency is a claimed 3.8 miles/kWh which should give a real-world range of 234 miles. I’d need to drive it for a week or so to find out for myself, but it certainly seems realistic after a day of driving on mixed roads.
While the fastest charging speed is just 80kW on a rapid charger, that’s still enough for a 28-minute top-up from 30-80% in a decent 28 minutes. That said, the charging port is in the nose, which makes life simple at public chargers.
The first thing I noticed when entering the Omoda E5 is that the seating position is on the high side for me. Consequently, visibility is pretty good and even where it’s limited (the chunky rear pillars and small hatch window), there are cameras and sensors to help you manoeuvre.
Soft-touch surfaces and the general quality of materials in the cabin is good. Space for rear passengers is adequate, but the floor is high so it’s not the most natural seating position. Luggage capacity is a reasonable 380 litres, expanding to 1,075 litres with the back seats flipped down.
And it’s the boot that houses one of the E5’s biggest surprises – a full-size spare wheel for that extra peace of mind, and unheard of in an electric vehicle where every kilo counts!
On the road, the ride is on the firm side. You can feel a lot of lumps and bumps on the road, and on poor surfaces it is possible to get jostled around in the cabin. On the plus side, body lean is well controlled in more challenging corners.
I drove it mainly in the rain, and while grip generally is good, it’s easy to spin the front wheels if you’re too heavy with your right foot when pulling away from junctions. Oh, and it’s swift, without being stupidly fast like some EVs these days.
At higher speeds, wind and road noise are more noticeable, especially around the door mirrors. Other than that, it’s as refined as any other EV.
The steering is fairly precise, and there are two weight settings. Brake regeneration goes one better (low, medium or high) and it’s possible to adjust the brake sensitivity (high or low).
The only issue is that all these settings are adjusted via the centre touchscreen. For me, steering wheel paddles to adjust the brake regen would be a godsend, for instance.
There are three drive modes (Eco, Normal and Sport). Sport is fine for short bursts, but you’ll probably stay in Normal because it’s easier and it’s a good balance of power and efficiency.
Overall, driving the Omoda E5 is unlikely to put a smile on your face, but it’s a perfectly respectable EV to drive, at its best cruising on the motorway or fast A roads.
Finally, the Omoda E5 comes with peace of mind because you get a tempting seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty, plus an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the main battery.
Verdict: The Omoda E5 is decent debut car from a new brand to the UK and definitely worth a test drive. Well-equipped, safe, pleasant to drive, and with a decent real-world range, the E5 is great value for money and comes with a generous seven-year warranty.