Chery Tiggo 8 Ultimate Super Hybrid long-term | Part 3

Well this is strange. What started as a long term test with an SUV I didn’t want to like, turned out to be one of our favourite cars I’ve ever tested. Now it’s time for the Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid to go back leaving all of us in my family missing it already.

Fuel for thought

Read More About Chery Tiggo 8

• Chery Tiggo 8 2026 review: Ultimate Super Hybrid long-term | Part 1
• Chery Tiggo 8 2026 review: Ultimate Super Hybrid long-term | Part 2
• China's big fail exposed

Until I met the Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid my experience with PHEVs hadn’t been good. I found the batteries ran out of power quickly and fuel use went through the roof. They weren't a good combustion car, nor a good hybrid.

Then we reached the end of the first month with the Tiggo 8 and it made it through without needing a tank refill and on closer inspection the trip computer said we’d travelled 869km. That was a record for my testing and I hadn’t even charged the Tiggo 8 regularly. 

While the official fuel economy is 1.3L/100km that month we measured 6.1L/100km. Imagine how far we could have gone on a tank if we’d charged it more often! 

The secret to the Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid’s long-haul ability is a large 60L tank, a big 18.4kWh battery and a clever hybrid system that never lets the battery run completely flat while using the engine as a generator on the go.

Alas we never managed to test how far we could go on a full tank and a regularly replenished battery, but perhaps that could be a challenge for you, dear reader, to accept?

This month we did fewer miles - only 409km - and our fuel consumption was 6.9L/100km.

Lounge room

Two more surprises were the Chery Tiggo 8's spaciousness and comfort.

While not an overly large SUV at just over 4.7m long the Tiggo 8 has seven seats with the third row folding flat to offer a decent sized boot - 117 litres with all three rows in place and 479L with the third row stowed.

The second row offers great space for adults and big kids and there's plenty of room for the front passenger even with our bulky forward-facing child car seat directly behind.

Cabin storage is outstanding, so too are amenities with items like USB ports and a second-row climate zone. Those leather upholstered seats are luxuriously comfortable, supportive, hard wearing and easy to clean, too. 

Premium bargain

The Chery Tiggo 8 Ultimate Super Hybrid is $49,990 drive-away and the standard equipment list is mountainous. 

Highlights over the past few months have been keyless entry, which doesn’t need the door handle to be touched to lock and unlock, the excellent Sony sound system, privacy glass in the rear, wireless phone charging, heated seats and a head-up display.

The upholstery and trims feel high quality, while the styling of both the interior and exterior is high-end looking.

The value, plus the premium look and feel, is outstanding.

Drive mode

Finally we’ve been impressed with how easy and comfortable the Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is to drive.

If you keep the battery charged, this SUV feels like an EV most of the time at lower speeds - smooth, quiet and with instant and strong acceleration when needed.

And while this isn’t the most agile and sporty SUV, the suspension does a great job of keeping the vehicle composed and comfortable.

Not all great

The Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid isn't perfect. 

I’ve mentioned the handling not being sporty but the driving position feels way too high (even on the lowest setting) and this leads to partial vision obstruction from the sun visor and rear-vision mirror.

Also, while I love column-mounted shifters, the Tiggo 8 requires the driver to simultaneously step hard on the brake pedal to shift from Drive to Reverse. Like really hard. Otherwise the vehicle shifts in neutral and rolls. That annoyed me.

The lack of tactile buttons and controls is also frustrating to live with daily. Climate, volume, almost everything is done through the media screen and while that means the cabin looks clean and minimalist it's ergonomically bad.

Acquired: December, 2025

Distance travelled this month: 409km

Odometer: 8676km

Average fuel consumption this month: 6.9L/100km (measured at the pump)