Zeekr 9X Reviews

Zeekr is one of the most interesting brands in Australia right now.The Chinese premium arm of Geely, Zeekr skyrocketed from relative obscurity to mainstream acceptance with its sharply priced and nice-to-drive 7X mid-size electric SUV earlier in 2026.Now though, it’s set to make a bigger, bolder impression with a car that's getting an incredible amount of hype.This is the Zeekr 8X. Imagine a Range Rover Sport, but at likely half the price with more innovative features and a sought-after EV-first hybrid powertrain.Sounds like it’s too good to be true? We’ve sampled it briefly in China to find out, so please read on to see what we think. Oh and a side note: Updated timing suggests we won’t see it hit Australian shores until 2027.First up, let’s talk about positioning and price. The thing that surprised me the most about seeing the 8X in the metal is its sheer scale. This is a massive SUV at more than five meters long. It even eclipses the dimensions of fellow five-seat rivals like the Range Rover Sport, having the visage of something that should have three rows of seating.Instead, the 8X leans into gratuitous interior space and an imposing style which will really set it apart on the road.The asking price? Expect the 8X to start north of where the 7X currently tops out, at $72,900, before on-road costs. For reference, in China, the large hybrid SUV starts from the equivalent of $A77,420 to the equivalent of $A106,183, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see prices north of at least $85,000 locally, topping out well in excess of $100,000.Despite its comparatively enormous price, even for the Chinese market, the 8X has generated massive hype there, preselling more than 10,000 units in the first 30 minutes of going on sale in a result the brand will no doubt be hoping to replicate in Australia. The 7X, which also generated quite a bit of hype, managed to amass more than 2000 pre-sales in Australia.One thing's for sure, even at its relatively high price for a Chinese car, the 8X will make a mockery of the pricing of traditional premium rivals. The most affordable hybrid Range Rover Sport comes in at $181,018, while Audi’s plug-in hybrid Q8 is $154,284 and BMW’s X5 xDrive 50e PHEV is $154,900. Mercedes doesn’t even offer a plug-in hybrid GLE in Australia.If the absurdly plush front seats with dash-spanning multimedia screens and even a leather-clad interior console that seems to reference the Porsche Cayenne isn’t enough to convince you, the VIP-style rear seating with electrically adjustable outer seats complete with footrests should seal the deal.In the Chinese domestic market it even has the option of a slide-out drawer in the centre console that acts as a fridge or heater with a temperature range of -6 to +50 degrees celsius, and a drop-down entertainment screen in the roof mounted between two sunroof fittings, both with powered shades.It’s just a lot of car in every way, and will certainly go for shock factor on the showroom floor.Perhaps one of the most interesting things about it is how conventional it feels compared to some of its Chinese-market contemporaries. It gets traditional door handles, a traditional luxury SUV shape, and a relatively tame approach to its switchgear, even maintaining an array of physical controls to go with its very wow-factor software.If it weren’t for the over-the-top screen real estate, this interior could be in any Euro-market SUV.Okay, you’re wondering, but how does it drive?A fair question. After all, the 8X backs its gratuitous interior with a lot of hardware underneath. The Chinese market version of this car is available with either a 55kWh or 70kWh battery (which, if you keep track of this new era, are sizes normally reserved for fully electric vehicles).These offer either 320km or 410km of pure electric driving range, ignoring the fact that this car also packs a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine on top.Power is monstrous, starting from a total 660kW/935Nm and topping out at a terrifying 1030kW/1410Nm for the Performance grade. Even the turbo-petrol engine on its own produces an impressive 205kW/410Nm to back the electric motors.The 8X is primarily electrically powered, with either one or two electric motors on the rear axle depending on the grade, and an additional electric motor housed in a hybrid transaxle on the front, which also mates the engine to the front wheels.To drive, the 8X is an impressive machine. We had a brief test on a high-speed brake and acceleration course, which also featured a “moose-test” agility exercise.Despite its enormous kerb weight of at least 2660kg the 8X lurches forward with incredible, silent pace, living up to its claim of 3.7 seconds to 100km. As with previous Zeekr products, the steering is also a highlight, feeling every bit as European (if a little overly electrically assisted) as its Polestar and Volvo cousins.Its sheer heft seems to be its primary vice though. The frequency-responsive suspension took a moment to adjust to a speed bump test, while the test-drive staff stopped the car every lap to check its brakes weren’t overheating from the brake test, despite regen no doubt playing a significant role.At least it rode surprisingly flat and confident through the left-right-left agility test, if anything busting a cheeky touch of oversteer on the way out, putting to bed the idea it would feel front biased despite no mechanical connection from engine to rear wheels.

There aren’t many cars that are getting the critical acclaim and sales strength as the Zeekr 7X, except maybe the new Zeekr 8X.The Zeekr 8X is a bigger version of the 7X mid-size electric SUV currently on sale in Australia. The 7X has been a hit with Aussie buyers, with it being the third best-selling EV in March.Zeekr Australia Managing Director Frank Li confirmed the 8X’s arrival to CarsGuide earlier this year.“We’ll have the 8X official launch event in April in China,” he said. “Three models will come across next year, 7GT, 9X and 8X, but we haven’t had the final date for which one will come first, or in which month or what quarter.The 8X will take on household premium names such as the Range Rover Sport, Audi Q8 and Lexus RX.If we look to China, where preorders just opened, you may need to get in early to get your hands on one.The brand is claiming it secured more than 10,000 orders in just 30 minutes.Zeekr ditches electric power for the 8X and installs a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) set-up.The flagship uses a monster tri-electric motor set-up with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine to make a astounding total system outputs of 1030kW and 1410Nm.The standard version uses a more conventional dual-motor set-up, which still tallies up whopping outputs of 660kW and 935Nm.The 8X uses either a 55kWh or 70kWh battery pack with a 900-volt architecture allowing ultra-fast charging and either a 320km or 410km EV driving range, respectively, according to China's lenient CLTC testing procedure.It’ll be dripping in luxury and high-tech inside too, with big screens across the dash, holographic head-up display and a premium fit-out.It will likely be substantially more expensive than the 7X, with prices expected to start north of $85,000 when it arrives in Australia.

Zeekr is well and truly on the map after a slow start in Australia, largely thanks to its award-winning 7X , and the premium arm of Geely is no doubt hoping to double down on that success with its next product, the 8X.The 8X is an upper mid-sized luxury SUV that leans more into the grandiose styling of the 009 people mover than the futuristic and sleek 7X.With lofty ambitions and impressive specs, expect the Zeekr 8X to take aim at five-seat SUV rivals like the Range Rover Sport, Audi Q8, and Lexus RX, but perhaps not at the same lofty price points.With Zeekr keen to capitalise on the success of the 7X, does the 8X deserve the same hype? Take a look at what we know so far.How big is the Zeekr 8X and what will it compete with?The Zeekr 8X is a large five-seat SUV. It measures 5100mm long, 1998mm wide and 1780mm tall. This makes it slightly larger than a Range Rover Sport, Lexus RX, or Audi Q8, and firmly in the large SUV category with five seats.In Zeekr’s range it will sit above the mid-size fully electric 7X, but below the flagship three-row 9X. It forms part of a larger trend of big luxury SUVs launching from Chinese brands. Other options in this space include the Denza B5 and Jaecoo J8, but expect to see more before long.The 8X will move Zeekr into hybrid territorySo far, Zeekr’s offerings in Australia have been purely electric, including the X small SUV, 009 people mover and the 7X mid-sizer.The 8X is unique in the range thanks to its headline-grabbing plug-in hybrid set-up.Pairing a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine (205kW/410Nm) to dual electric motors on each axle, Zeekr claims the standard versions of the 8X produce a combined 660kW/935Nm and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds, making it faster and more powerful than the equivalent PHEV versions of the Range Rover Sport and Audi Q8.That’s not to mention the tri-motor flagship performance version, which produces a combined 1030kW/1410Nm thanks to double the output on the rear axle, allowing an even lower 0-100km/h sprint time of just three seconds.In addition, the 8X is equipped with either a 55kWh or 70kWh battery pack with a 900-volt architecture allowing ultra-fast charging and either a 320km or 410km EV driving range respectively (according to China's lenient CLTC testing procedure).Expect a pricey SUV, but it will still represent solid value compared to rivalsWe don’t know which variants of the 8X will land in Australia at this stage, nor do we know how much the large SUV will cost. We can speculate, however, based on information we know.Expect it to start north of the 7X, which currently ranges from $57,900 before on-road costs for the most affordable base variant, to $72,900 for the top-spec Performance grade.It could be significantly more expensive, too. For reference, the Chinese-market 8X starts from the equivalent of A$77,420, stretching to the equivalent of A$106,183, suggesting starting prices locally north of $90,000 for an entry-level 55kWh dual-motor version.This would well and truly move Zeekr into premium pricing territory, but even then, with at least double the electric driving range and double the power of its most direct rivals from Europe and Japan, there’s an argument for value.The new styling comes with new featuresThe 8X moves Zeekr’s interior design up a notch, with a plush leather-clad interior covered in digital tech.The digital instrument cluster measures 13.02-inches, while there are dual screens spanning the centre and passenger side of the dash for the multimedia functions.It features a 44-inch holographic head-up display for the driver, and an 8.0-inch screen on the centre console for adjustment of rear climate features and seat controls. Some variants are also equipped with a roof-mounted 17-inch rear entertainment screen.Wheels are enormous, measuring from 20- to 22-inches, and the rear seats have electronic adjustment with footrests on the outboard positions. It also has a 9.5-litre drawer, which can either be a heating compartment or refrigerator, with a range between -6 degrees and 50 degrees.It is due in Australia during 2027 and is expected to be the brand’s next big volume sellerSpeaking to CarsGuide recently, the brand’s local Managing Director Frank Li said the 8X would be one of a slew of new models headed to our market in 2027, which is also set to include the Euro-flavoured 7GT electric station wagon and 9X flagship three-row SUV.He said the local division hadn’t received confirmation on when each of these new cars will arrive and in what order, but brands like Zeekr are quick to move on right-hand drive production once the Australian arm locks in its business case.Plus, Australia has been earmarked as an important stepping stone for Zeekr’s global ambitions.At any rate, we expect to learn more imminently, as the brand is expected to make more announcements around the Beijing Motor Show at the end of April.

There’s a huge Chinese carmaker cage fight going on right now between 22 different brands in Australia and not all will survive, but knowing what we know here’s five we think will beat the others to become Aussie favourites for a long time.Before we start, let's have a few ground rules — Chinese brands such as MG, GWM and LDV aren’t included in this because they are already established brands with large dealer networks and their future in Australia is almost certainly assured.The brands we’re really focussing on here are the more recent arrivals who have made massive inroads in a relatively short period of time.Here’s the big five in no particular order.Chinese superstar brand BYD knew its way into Aussie hearts when it arrived in 2022 quickly winning us over with electric SUVs such as the small Atto 3 and mid-size Sealon 7, and the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute.BYD has gone from battery maker to world’s biggest electric car producer and continues to impress by offering outstanding EVs at low prices.March saw BYD entering the top 3 best-selling car brands in Australia and is now a major threat to established car makers such as Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan.There is no doubt that as BYD's lineup grows and its presence solidifies here, the company will be around in Australia for a long time to come.Geely is a giant — it makes three million cars a year globally — and it brought that enormous manufacturing firepower to Australia in 2025 and launched its EX5 mid-sized SUV.Slow to arrive, Geely appears to be taking its time, but has since launched the Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid SUV and has the small electric EX2 SUV coming soon.Geely may be gigantic but it needs to hurry up, because rival Chinese brands appear to be throwing everything they have into our market.  Speaking of throwing everything it has into our market, Chery has made the comeback of all comebacks launching five models since returning to Australia in 2023 after an eight-year hiatus.The Tiggo 4 small hybrid SUV is Chery's biggest selling model but the brand will soon launch its off-road diesel hybrid ute soon, which could become the brand's most successful vehicle and potentially beating the Ford Ranger at its own game.The most impressive part of Chery’s comeback has been the multitude of sub-brands it’s in the process of bringing here such as Jaecoo, Jetour, Lepas and now Freelander.Zeekr is owned by Geely, but we’re singling it out here because it’s seriously outperforming its parent company in Australia.Zeekr arrived here in 2025 with its little X SUV and then the 009 people mover, but it wasn’t until it launched the mid-size 7X SUV that the brand took off. The 7X is now the best-selling premium mid-sized SUV in Australia.Coming soon from Zeekr will be the 8X and 9X plug-in hybrid SUVs. Watch this space, we're expecting big things. Denza is BYD’s high-performance and luxury sub-brand and despite only setting up shop here in 2025 has launched strongly with the B5 and B8 plug-in hybrid off road SUVs.Denza isn’t just doing off-road luxury vehicles it also has the D9 people mover and the upcoming Z9 GT - an electric wagon with a range of 1000km and monstrous power and speed.Denza may not outsell BYD but it will offer a more premium and sporty alternative for buyers also in the market for a Zeekr.  

Two car brands could reshape the Australian car market.The EV transition is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, particularly in Australia, as fuel prices soar. This has allowed brands to capitalise on snatching EV market share to surge up the sales charts and claim established status.BYD has been leading the way on this front, with all six of its electric models sitting inside the top 15 best-selling EVs for March 2026. The brand has adopted a similar strategy to its previous domestic Chinese market success by offering cars at comparatively low prices to rivals. BYD seems to have cornered the budget EV market Down Under, with its Atto 1 hatch priced from $23,990 (before on-road costs). It also offers the bigger Dolphin hatch, which also starts at less than $30,000, before on-roads. This price competitiveness continues up the range, with only the Sealion 7 mid-size SUV, sitting above the $40,000 range. The other brand that could be threatening BYD’s EV crown is Zeekr, following a flying start to life in Australia. The 7X mid-size SUV has flown up the sales charts and was the third best-selling EV for March, following a much-anticipated launch late last year. The car is arguably breaking similar ground for Zeekr as the Atto 2 did for BYD when it launched in Australia in 2022.Zeekr is a sub-brand of major Chinese carmaker Geely, and has been expanding its presence Down Under after a slow start due to supply challenges.In addition to the 7X, it has the X small SUV and the 009 people mover, with plans to introduce further EVs in the future. Zeekr has already delivered more than 1800 EV units across its range so far this year.The federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is further benefiting these brands, as they can sell their credits to heavy polluting brands.BYD accumulated more than 6 million NVES credits for the 2025 performance period, and this gives the brand some serious bargaining power.Units can be traded with other carmakers who have accumulated liabilities under the scheme, which allows brands such as BYD that are in a strong position to potentially dictate terms. BYD could cover the entire liabilities for the 2025 NVES reporting period more than five times over. Zeekr is on the cards to pick up a strong NVES position for 2026 as the 7X sales increase, but the brand has already secured more than 250,000 units, despite selling less than 2000 cars last year. 

The Zeekr X is a small SUV that's big on stuff and – compared to its sibling vehicle, the Volvo EX30 – low on price. Is that enough to kickstart the X's sales in Australia? We put the updated model to the test to find out.

A new electric car price war is forming.Chinese brand Zeekr is the latest carmaker to slash the price of one of its EVs.In the past week BMW has taken $8000 off the price of its iX1 and iX2 electric SUVs, and Volvo has also stripped out big dollars from its EX30 and EX40 compact electric SUVs.Now the Zeekr X small SUV starts at $48,900, drive-away, for the single motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) versions and $57,900 drive-away for the dual motor all-wheel drive (AWD) grade, and is due to land in showrooms at the end of next month.It is now cheaper than rivals such as the Lexus UXe, Mercedes-Benz EQ and Volvo EX30.That represents a massive saving from the previous $49,990 and $62,990 price tags, both before on-road costs.Zeekr hasn’t taken items out or reduced features to cut the price, quite the opposite, instead the X SUV has received a range of upgrades.Headlining the changes are updates to the base version’s ‘Golden Brick’ battery, which now allows a max DC charging rate of 230kW. This reduces the 10 to 80 per cent charging time to just 18 minutes.The all-wheel drive version maintains the same battery, which can only max charge at 150kW.Both cars also score a 50kW boost to their electric motors with what is claimed to be best-in-class acceleration figures of 5.6 seconds for the rear-drive version, or 3.7 seconds for the all-wheel drive version.The RWD version gets new heated first and second row seats, refreshed steering wheel controls and a 13-speaker Yamaha surround sound system.There is also upgraded safety tech across the range.

Electric vehicle sales are booming in a way they never have before in Australia. Buyer options have increased significantly in 2026, with more affordable choices also appearing more regularly. There were 15839 electric vehicle sales for March in 2026, up from 8385 compared to this time last year, representing a near 89 per cent year-on-year growth. Established SUV players such as the Tesla Model Y lead the way with 2818 sales, along with the BYD Sealion 7 (1970). There are also some new competitors climbing up the sales charts, such as the Zeekr 7X performance SUV, which managed 679 registrations for March, having launched late last year.The Tesla Model 3 sedan (667) continues to be present among the top sellers despite its prolonged downturn.The SUV trend continues as Geely’s EX5 (606) and the Kia EV5 (587) are next on the list, before BYD’s presence resumes with the Atto 2 small SUV (572). Another new EV making an early impression is the Jaecoo J5, which launched at the start of this year and achieved 569 sales last month. The BYD Atto 1 (488) and Atto 2 (466) also make the list along with the Kia EV3 (461). Hatchbacks are proving popular amongst EV buyers as well. The MG4 (451) remains among the strongest selling EVs, as does the BYD Dolphin (373). The Toyota bZ4X is also experiencing an upturn to 447 sales for March and BYD is represented again with its Seal sedan (337) to round out the top 15. Top selling electric cars Australia March 2026

Geely sub-brand Zeekr has unveiled its ultra fast charger in China, which boasts some bonkers charging numbers as it looks to take on BYD.The brand’s official testing data reveals it can charge a vehicle from 10-97 per cent in under nine minutes. Charging from 10-80 per cent takes a little over five minutes, while 10-70 per cent charges are under five minutes.These numbers are better than those of BYD's ‘T’-shaped megawatt flash charger announced earlier this year, which can charge from 10-97 per cent in nine minutes and charge from 10-70 per cent in five minutes.According to Geely, the peak charging power registered at 1100kW, and maintained more than 500kW after reaching 80 per cent charge. It uses the same industry-leading liquid-cooled system as on BYD's unit.Maintaining such a high level of power in the latter stages of charging is a game changer, because most chargers slow down significantly due to the difficulty in locating spare cells.These figures were achieved using the 900-volt platform found on several high-end Zeekr models, such as the 007 GT wagon and the 9X SUV, both of which will be landing on Aussie shores.Geely is the latest brand to get in on the charging game in China, with it becoming the latest battleground for manufacturers in conjunction with expanding charging infrastructure territory.There is no official timeline for a commercial rollout of Geely’s new chargers, but the brand’s broader charging network had more than 2000 charging stations and more than 10,000 charging plugs as of February 2026. Only just over 1000 of these are ultra-fast chargers, which is behind many of Geely’s key rivals.BYD has been rapidly expanding its network in China to chase down the dominant player in Tesla, having already built 5000 of its megawatt charger at the start of this month. It aims to install 20,000 stations by the end of this year.Megawatt fast charging is still an emerging area in Australia, but BYD has already indicated its intention to bring across a version of its megawatt charger Down Under in the next 12-18 months.Charging infrastructure generally in Australia needs to be increased substantially in the next few years according to experts to accommodate greater numbers of EVs on the roads.

Don’t for a second put up with politicians trying to shift any of the blame for fuel shortages onto panic buying or people filling up a few jerry cans. The government has not only known about the possibility of running out of fuel, but it ensured it happened through a risky practice that it had been warned about for years.As the war in the Middle East escalates and enters its second month the global economy is creaking under the pressure of petrol and diesel shortages, with Iran permitting very few oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz - the crucial shipping lane linking oil producers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE to the world. Iran’s holding 20 per cent of the world’s oil hostage wasn’t unforeseen. Fuel security experts have been well aware of the risk for decades. Six years ago CarsGuide published the story I wrote of the risk of a war with Iran causing a fuel shortage. In the story former Royal Australia Air Force Deputy Chief John Blackburn, now a consultant on defence and national security, said Australia's lack of larger fuel reserves was a huge risk.As of late March, 2026, Australia had 30 days of diesel and 39 days of petrol left. Jet fuel was down to just 30 days, too.“The issue is the government doesn’t mandate that industry has to hold minimum stock levels. Most other developed countries do,” Blackburn said.“My view is the government isn’t keen on doing it because it has a free market approach. Now if there are no risks around, then that makes economic sense. But this idea that during peace time we’ll just let the market run and in war time we’ll do something else is outdated because there is no such thing as peace time any more.”So the government knew the risks and was willing to take them and work it out later if a problem ever arose. And when I say government I’m not referring to Labor or Liberal, I’m mean both, because it has been the same policy of both sides over successive governments.  The problem is now here and you can hear the concern in politician voices - this is an incredibly worrying situation that won’t right itself the day after the Strait of Hormuz is reopened. And there has been no attempt by any successive government over the years to change this practice. As Blackburn said, if we were to take up electric cars, which are powered by the electricity we made ourselves, then the fuel supply would be as secure as it could get."If you want to reduce demand you need to diversify the types of energy cars and trucks use… electricity will be absolutely critical to this. The good thing with electricity and also hydrogen vehicles is that we can generate the electricity and the hydrogen in Australia – 100 per cent of it. We don’t have to be 90 per cent dependent on imported diesel, unleaded and jet fuel as we are today.”And as the Government scrambles to produce modelling that will tell us exactly how long we have left before the Hunger Games start, there still doesn’t appear to be any thought going into how we can decouple from petrol and diesel and transition to electric.Because the cars are here and the infrastructure is now rolling out fast. I’ve been writing car news for 15 years and I’ve watched the big take up of EVs and I’ve also watched the government do nothing to incentivise it as well.Chinese brands such as BYD, Geely, Zeekr, Chery, MG and GWM have such production capability that we’ve been told quietly that vehicle supply is not a problem - name a number and it’ll be here on the next boat.That’s a frightening prospect to the Ford, Honda and even Toyotas of this world that are scrambling to work out what to do and which Chinese brand to join because beating them is no longer an option. Look, I have no doubt everything will be fine, but I can’t stress enough that we shouldn’t be letting it get this close again to realise that electric vehicles are the only way to secure our country better from fuel threats. And hydrogen will work for long haul trucks no problem at all - it’s already being tested by big names you’re familiar with already and is just around the corner.In the meantime don’t accept the blame for the fuel shortage - it’s not you using too much, it’s them not buying enough in the first place.