Chery Tiggo 7 vs Geely EX5

What's the difference?

This is Australia’s most affordable plug-in hybrid vehicle.

It’s the Chery Tiggo 7 ‘Super Hybrid’ and you can have one for just $39,990 drive-away at the time we put this review together.

It beats the BYD Sealion 6, MG HS, and Mitsubishi Outlander when it comes to plug-in hybrid value then, but is it too good to be true?

Is the Tiggo 7 plug-in marred by caveats, or is it the new bar to beat when it comes to fuel-sipping hybrid value?

Stick with us as we find out.

You’re not alone if you’re struggling to grasp the sheer number of new names from China popping up in the Australian new-car market. There’s more than ten and the list is only growing.

Geely is yet another marque with an ambitious plan to break into Australia's top-10 auto brands. It might have a leg-up on rivals, though, because Geely has been dabbling in international marques for some time.

Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr are either majority or entirely owned by Geely, and the father brand — like Volkswagen in its eponymous group — therefore benefits from years of engineering know-how from other brands. Clever.

The first car launching here Australia is the EX5, an electric mid-size SUV pitched at families. Think of it as a direct rival to the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV5 and XPeng G6 but (yet unconfirmed) sharp pricing might see buyers cross-shopping with Toyota RAV4s and Mazda CX-5s.  

Geely even proclaims Australian-tuned suspension, something Ford, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia have used to huge success. But does that mean the 2025 Geely EX5 is top-10 material? A spin in an early production model should give us some answers.