Chery’s first new-generation mannequin in Australia rapidly grew to become its first all-electric automobile in Australia too.
The Chery E5 (previously referred to as the Omoda E5) is the all-electric model of Chery’s distinctively styled C5 (previously the Omoda 5) small SUV, which spearheaded the Chinese language model’s return to the Australian market in 2023.
Aiming straight on the likes of the BYD Atto 3 and MG S5 EV, the E5 is an attainable compact electrical SUV that can value you related cash to an up-spec petrol-fired Kia Seltos or Mazda CX-30 – and now it’s even extra inexpensive.
Like its ICE-powered C5 sibling, the E5 trades laborious on worth and aftersales provisions, with inexpensive pricing and a protracted seven-year manufacturing unit guarantee. The E5 additionally gives aggressive efficiency and vary at this finish of the market.
On take a look at right here now we have the entry-level 2025 Chery E5 – now referred to as the City – which since being renamed has seen retail pricing drop by as a lot as $6000. It’s now priced listed from $36,990 plus on-road prices.
WATCH: Paul’s video evaluate of the 2023 Chery Omoda 5
The Chery model is steadily gaining momentum within the Australian market, registering 12,603 new autos in 2024 (up 114.0 per cent), with the Omoda 5 household (now C5 and E5) main the cost (6162 models, up 14.7 per cent).
Thus far in 2025, the Chery C5/E5 has been supplanted because the model’s top-seller Down Beneath by the extra inexpensive Tiggo 4 small SUV, however it stays in second place inside the Chery steady. Is that this base EV model price a glance?
Observe: The automobile pictured is an MY24 Chery Omoda E5, which aside from revised ‘CHERY’ badging changing the previous ‘OMODA’ script and a few minor specification adjustments, is successfully the identical automobile.
How a lot does the Chery E5 value?
For 2025, the Chery E5 has been renamed and repriced, with the bottom City now beginning at $36,990 plus on-road prices.
| Mannequin | Worth earlier than on-road prices |
|---|---|
| 2025 Chery E5 City | $36,990 |
| 2025 Chery E5 Final | $40,990 |
To see how the Chery E5 traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability device
What’s the Chery E5 like on the within?
As with the Omoda 5 (now C5), the E5 gives a extra premium cabin design than most of its Chinese language rivals, with inspiration drawn from luxurious marques like Mercedes-Benz.
It differs barely from the petrol-powered C5 in a number of the detailing, with its padded leather-look protrusion underneath the air vents and central show, and a singular centre console design. It’s much more Benz-like than the ICE model.
There’s a slickness to the straight traces and shiny finishes. The bigger 12.3-inch shows are properly built-in right into a unified fascia, and the steering wheel design is beautiful – although within the base grade it’s not leather-based or leatherette wrapped, simply squishy plastic which feels a bit of rental-spec.
Piano black materials adorns a lot of the bridge, tunnel, and dashboard. Good within the dealership, not so good when you begin poking and prodding it with soiled fingers – finest to maintain a rag within the glovebox.
The sporty material and leatherette-clad seats are manually adjusted within the entry grade, however that’s wonderful within the scheme of issues. They’re snug, with supple cushioning and first rate assist from the bolsters.
They aren’t fairly pretty much as good as the gorgeous entrance pews within the Mazda CX-30, however they’re comfortable on lengthy journeys. Not like another Chinese language-branded vehicles, there’s higher under-thigh assist from the lengthy base cushion, which matches a good distance.
Now whereas these shows I discussed earlier look schmick when the automotive isn’t transferring, they’re not fairly as slick in operation. The design and interface may be very budget-Benz, however the display screen is laggy to the purpose the place issues nearly ‘tick’ as they animate, and the driving force’s cluster doesn’t have a extra typical dial view like in petrol autos.
Fortunately, the wi-fi Apple CarPlay labored usually properly throughout our testing, although there was the odd event the place recognized blackspots would trigger a disconnection after which a buggy reconnection – or no connection in any respect.
Chery Australia has additionally eliminated native satellite tv for pc navigation from the E5 vary, considered one of few adjustments made throughout the rebrand. So, these CarPlay quibbles generally is a little bit of a trouble when you’re utilizing your telephone to navigate someplace and it out of the blue disconnects and you may’t get it again on-line.
Construct high quality feels strong, and the design is extra up to date and cohesive in contrast than an MG ZST or GWM Haval Jolion. There’s first rate storage too, you probably have a behavior of carrying unfastened gadgets like wallets and bottles.
The E5 isn’t class-leading by way of second-row house, however has ample room to deal with a pair of adults with out a lot fuss. Simply be conscious that the sloping window line may imply you knock your head on the way in which in – talking from expertise right here…
Knee room is a bit of comfortable behind these chunky entrance seats, however in any other case 6″1′ me might sit behind my most well-liked driving place. Headroom is okay, although my voluminous hair was brushing the headliner within the again.
Your youngsters will likely be wonderful within the again offered the entrance seats don’t impede their view an excessive amount of, and there are facilities like rear air vents, USB-A and USB-C cost ports (new for the up to date mannequin), map pockets, and bottle holders within the doorways. There’s additionally a flip-down centre armrest with cupholders.
Talking of the youthful ones, the requisite ISOFIX and top-tether baby seat anchor factors are current as you’d anticipate.
Additional again, the Chery E5’s boot capability takes successful in comparison with petrol fashions. It’s quoted at 300 litres with the rear seats in play and 1079L with them folded. By comparability, the Chery C5 gives 370L in five-seat configuration.
One spotlight that’s fairly uncommon – particularly for an EV – is the presence of a full-size spare wheel underneath the boot flooring. Props to Chery for going in opposition to the business pattern on this one.
| Dimensions | Chery E5 |
|---|---|
| Size | 4424mm |
| Width | 1830mm |
| Peak | 1588mm |
| Wheelbase | 2610mm |
| Boot house | 300L-1079L; 19L ‘frunk’ |
To see how the Chery E5 traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability device
What’s underneath the bonnet?
All variations of the E5 are powered by a front-mounted electrical motor making 150kW/340Nm, fed by a 61.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack – and there’s a 19-litre ‘frunk’.
| Specs | Chery E5 |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electrical |
| Battery | 61.1kWh LFP |
| Energy | 150kW |
| Torque | 340Nm |
| Pushed wheels | Entrance-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1776kg – kerb |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 7.6 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 15.5kWh/100km – WLTP |
| Energy consumption (as examined) | 17.0kWh/100km |
| Claimed vary | 430km – WLTP |
| Max AC cost price | 6.6kWh – single part 9.9kWh – three part |
| Max DC cost price | 80kW |
To see how the Chery E5 traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability device
How does the Chery E5 drive?
The petrol Omoda 5 (now C5) is a bit of hit or miss in my expertise, relying on the drivetrain, so I used to be eager to see if the torque-rich nature of electrical motoring could be a marked enchancment within the E5.
Pictured: MY24 Chery Omoda E5 BX
Usually I discover that drivetrain refinement in petrol-powered Chinese language-branded vehicles wants a bit of work to essentially be aggressive with legacy manufacturers from Europe and Asia, however within the EV house it’s a way more stage enjoying area.
Naturally, the E5 begins in full silence, and setting off isn’t met with clumsy lurching like previous Omoda 5 autos fitted with the dual-clutch automated have been vulnerable to. It’s additionally very quiet, and the elevated driving place provides you a commanding view of the highway forward and makes this really feel like a bigger, extra substantial automobile.
Whereas straight-line acceleration is easy and responsive, offered you don’t mash the throttle and lightweight up the entrance tyres, there’s a little bit of a disconnect between the drivetrain and dealing with.
That huge automobile really feel I discussed earlier interprets a bit of an excessive amount of to the steering and dealing with, with very gentle weighting and minimal suggestions, often making the E5 really feel a bit of imprecise and ponderous.
It’s fairly softly sprung too, so there’s a little bit of physique lean in corners, which mixed with the tall driving place can exacerbate the top-heavy feeling behind the wheel. That mentioned, it’s solely actually a disadvantage when you’re a eager driver, and that is priced to be economy-class zero-emissions transport.
Pushed with a extra measured method in metropolis and suburban environments, the E5 is a reasonably snug and quiet runabout. It’s measurement for city dwelling too, with comparatively compact dimensions, entrance and rear parking sensors and an honest reversing digital camera – you want the flagship Final for the wonderful encompass cameras.
Outward visibility is nice out the entrance and sides, although the rising belt line and slim rear window means the aforementioned sensors and digital camera come in useful, as does commonplace blind-spot and rear cross-traffic screens.
Issues settle properly on the open highway too, with the E5 providing good sound insulation regardless of the absence of a combustion motor, and a settled experience that’s solely ever upset by sharp floor imperfections like growth joins on the nationwide freeway restrict – not helped by the bigger 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 215/55 Kumho rubber.
Whereas it’s largely an honest if not good displaying, Chery’s driver help applied sciences nonetheless require some work. This can be a grievance I’ve had about practically each one of many firm’s vehicles I’ve pushed.
In equity, it’s primarily the Built-in Cruise Help, which mixes adaptive cruise management and energetic lane retaining tooffer semi-autonomous freeway driving, that’s not fairly there.
The lane-centring operate nonetheless can’t precisely hold the E5 centred in its lane, typically jerking the steering wheel left because it dislikes the driver-side lane markings. Once in a while it’ll wrestle you in direction of the automobile subsequent to you or a concrete barrier if it might’t appropriately detect the lane markings, which may be fairly unsettling.
Chery’s driver monitoring system can also be deserving of a standard gripe made in opposition to Chinese language manufacturers, typically chiming too eagerly even when you’re simply doing a head-check or glancing over on the infotainment show.
To see how the Chery E5 traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability device
What do you get?
The Chery E5 vary stays a two-variant mannequin household in Australia, although the previous BX and EX trims at the moment are referred to as the City and Final.
2025 Chery E5 City gear highlights:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Kumho PS71 215/55 R18 tyres
- Full-size spare wheel
- Eco, Regular and Sport drive modes
- LED headlights
- LED entrance fog lights with cornering operate
- Computerized high-beam
- Proximity entry with push-button begin
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wired and wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- DAB digital radio
- Voice assistant
- 50W wi-fi telephone charger
- 6-speaker sound system
- Cloth upholstery with leatherette bolsters
- Folding rear armrest with cupholders
- Twin-zone local weather management with rear air vents
- Gloss woodgrain impact trim with darkish chrome accents
- Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- 3 x USB-A retailers (1 x sprint, 1 x higher windscreen, 1 x rear)
- 2 x USB-C retailers (1 x entrance, 1 x rear)
- 2 x 12V retailers (1 x entrance, 1 x boot)
E5 Final provides:
- Sequential rear indicators
- Energy sunroof
- Acoustic entrance door glass
- Rear privateness glass
- Energy tailgate
- Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
- Heated steering wheel
- Leatherette upholstery
- 6-way energy driver’s seat
- 4-way energy passenger seat
- Heated entrance seats
- Heated outboard rear seats
- Color-adjustable ambient lighting
- 8-speaker Sony sound system
Is the Chery E5 protected?
The Omoda E5 has the identical five-star ANCAP security score as its petrol-powered siblings, based mostly on 2022 take a look at standards.
| Class | Chery C5 + E5 |
|---|---|
| Grownup occupant safety | 87 per cent |
| Little one occupant safety | 88 per cent |
| Weak highway person safety | 68 per cent |
| Security help | 83 per cent |
The checks have been carried out by Euro NCAP, however when awarding the electrical model the identical five-star score, ANCAP confirmed extra testing was carried out on the E5 to find out the integrity and security of the E5’s battery and high-voltage electrical system.
Customary security gear consists of:
- 7 airbags
- Adaptive cruise management
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Driver consideration monitoring
- Lane-keep help
- Emergency lane-keep help
- Built-in Cruise Help
- Visitors Jam Help
- Parking sensors – entrance, rear
- Rear cross-traffic help
- Protected exit warning
- Pace restrict info
- Multi-collision brake
- Reversing digital camera
- Tyre stress monitoring
Final provides:
To see how the Chery E5 traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability device
How a lot does the Chery E5 value to run?
As with the broader Chery lineup, the Omoda E5 is roofed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, with the high-voltage battery in EV fashions lined by a prolonged eight-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.
Trusted Evaluations, Smarter Selections, Higher Costs
The place knowledgeable automotive opinions meet knowledgeable automotive shopping for – CarExpert provides you trusted recommendation, personalised service and actual financial savings in your subsequent new automotive.
| Servicing and Guarantee | Chery E5 |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 7 years, limitless kilometres – automobile 8 years, limitless kilometres – EV battery |
| Battery guarantee | 8 years |
| Roadside help | As much as 7 years – service activated |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 7 years |
| Complete capped value service value | $1586 |
To see how the Chery E5 traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability device
CarExpert’s Tackle the Chery E5
Since I drove this automobile in MY24-spec, Chery has made a considerable change to the retail pricing which helps the worth equation by some margin.
An entire $6000 drop – even when there have been sharp drive-away offers on the time of testing – is nothing to sneeze at, and the bottom City’s new $36,990 sticker places it within the firm of quite a lot of legacy-branded combustion-powered SUVs.
For an inexpensive electrical crossover it drives properly sufficient, it’s outfitted properly sufficient, and it’s arguably styled to look dearer than it’s. Eager drivers like me may discover it underwhelming or boring on the highway, however it’s wonderful for what it’s.
The finicky driver help tech stays a grievance, however that is frequent to the majority of Chery’s lineup together with even its new Omoda Jaecoo portfolio. It’s an space the place BYD and MG have made fairly good strides – although their equal fashions value extra.
Whereas it might lack a number of the polish of the equally sized BYD Atto 3 and MG S5 EV, the Chery E5 is 1000’s extra inexpensive and gives extra vary than its Chinese language rivals. That alone will likely be a key promoting level for a lot of.
CarExpert can prevent 1000’s on a brand new Chery E5. Click on right here to get a fantastic deal.
Click on the pictures for the complete gallery
