The Chery Omoda E5 improves every negative aspect of the petrol variant of the car, but is it a great EV option?
Last week, I test drove the Chery Omoda E5. It was my second session behind the wheel of the electric Omoda, the first was during our VOTY 2024 test session where we got a few hours behind the wheel. The Omoda E5 at launch is a different car than the one we have today. On the plus side, the car is more refined and polished than it was 9 months ago.
This was a car that got fast-tracked for a local launch, going from pre-production to dealer ready for the export market in half a year, so there was room to improve things and they have indeed done that. However, the electric vehicle market is a rapidly evolving one and even from the time I picked up the car to a week later when I returned it, the landscape had changed. So, while we praised the Omoda E5’s value proposition at launch, today the story is a little different. Let’s dive into it.
Before we begin, it’s worth noting what exactly this is. It’s easy to think of this as just an electric version of the standard Omoda 5, but there’s a lot more to it than that. The battery is a BYD-sourced LFP unit which shows us that Chery isn’t as vertically integrated as some of its rivals when it comes to battery production – a significant disadvantage in this cut-throat and highly competitive market. At launch, the Omoda E5 was HIGHLY competitive at RM146,800, but the BYD Atto 3 has since revised its pricing so Chery has responded with RM11,000 worth of savings to counter. It’s also not exactly an electric version of the petrol-powered Omoda 5 as it has multi-link rear suspension as opposed to a torsion beam rear suspension.
Let’s begin with the positives. I think the Omoda E5 is a massive improvement over the petrol model. If you don’t like the look of the chrome-studded expanding grille on the petrol model, this electric model has a much smarter, more angular face that complements the exterior design better. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this is the best looking EV in its class with more dynamic proportions than its Chinese peers.
If you found the petrol car’s powertrain a little unrefined or loud, this electric version is pin-drop silent. And if you were worried about the rear axle issue on the Omoda 5, well this one has independent rear suspension.
In terms of comfort and NVH, the Omoda E5 is incredibly impressive, punching above its weight class. For a car of this size and price, it excels at delivering on the compact premium crossover experience. The electric motor also adds value in that it’s responsive and punchy, delivering quick bursts of speed when necessary.
The perceived value of the vehicle is also really great. Cabin feel comes across as premium thanks to the dual 12.3″ displays, extensive use of synthetic leather on the dashboard and door cards, and the upmarket design elements scattered throughout the vehicle. It is worth noting that our test unit is from an early CBU batch with an Aqua Green exterior and a blue and beige interior (with yellow stitching)! We personally love the way the CBU car looks. The CKD vehicles come with much more conservative colour options.
However, it’s not all positive for the Chery Omoda E5. The first and most practical downside comes in the form of its size. The Omoda E5 is a little on the smaller side.
It’s fine for a couple of a small family in a pinch but competitors do offer more boot space and packaging doesn’t seem to be well optimised here.
We also didn’t find the throttle mapping and brake regeneration to be very well done. It’s not uncommon for Chinese petrol vehicles to be a little bit behind their Japanese and Korean counterparts when it comes to the finer details. However, in the realm of EVs, the Chinese manufacturers are usually leading the pack or pretty close to the front, so Chery really needs to look at how these aspects can be improved as we did not encounter such strange pedal feel in their counterparts MG and BYD. Essentially what we get is a ‘sticky’ throttle feel when 100% throttle is applied and an unnatural regenerative brake curve regardless of which setting was used. It also looks like the tyres on our test unit were not rated for EV use but there is a version of this tyre that IS EV rated.
I’m not going to complain about the range or charging speed though. All its price rivals are offering about 400+km of WLTP range with similar charging rates. Plus, it was the first EV in Malaysia to feature an autocharge function. What is worth noting is the arrival of the Proton e.MAS 7, which delivers more space and equipment and marginally better specifications for less money. The car was launched the day we returned the Omoda E5 and forced us to reconsider the value proposition of the car as market conditions had in fact changed.
Overall it’s hard to fault the car and the package it offers for this price. If it entered the market in isolation, the Omoda E5 would be a runaway winner in the EV space. However, with such a hyper-competitive EV environment (there are 140+ EV car variants to chose from in Malaysia by the way), the Chery Omoda E5 ends up not being particularly impressive outside of its exterior design, which we still think is best-in-class. If you’re not looking for the absolute best-of-the-best and are already in love with the way the car looks, then don’t be discouraged – Chery Malaysia offers a solid 8-year/160,000km battery warranty with a one-to-one battery replacement policy should battery health dip below 70% and a 7-year/150,000km vehicle warranty.
2024 Chery Omoda E5 Specifications
Motor: Single front-mounted electric motor
Range: 430km (WLTP)
Charging Speed: 80kWh DC, 9.9kW AC
Max power: 201hp (150kW)
Max torque: 340Nm
0-100 km/h: 7.2 seconds
Price: RM146,800
