• Huge battery can take a 70kW rapid charge
• Good economy even if you don’t charge it
• Long electric range if you do

What are the running costs?

A huge 93-mile official electric range helps the Omoda 9 to CO2 emissions of just 38g/km, putting it in the 6% bracket for company car tax. It costs around the same as a basic Volkswagen Tayron plug-in hybrid despite the 9 having twice the power, four-wheel drive and a far longer standard kit list. It’s a similar story with leasing, and with a lower initial payment, at least at the time of writing.

Our experience with the 9 suggests it’ll easily do over 40 miles on a single charge even with motorway work before the engine will fire. This occurs with around 20% battery remaining to optimise the hybrid system. You’ll need to engage EV+ mode in a sub-menu to access the rest.

Economy is seemingly good if you let the Omoda do its thing and start hybrid mode at 20%. We saw mid-forties mpg on average, getting on for 50 in slower, gentler driving including stop start traffic. Faster roads dropped this to around 40, which is still a respectable figure given the size, performance and the fact I wasn’t plugging it in.

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Speaking of, a 30-80% charge takes 25 minutes on a 70kW rapid charger or five and a half hours on a home wallbox. Expect to double that if you plan on taking full advantage of the battery pack – something the EV+ mode warns you against doing unless you’re in an ’emergency situation.

Servicing and warranty

A fixed price three-year servicing plan is available for the 9 with the option to pay up front or monthly. Despite its size and performance, it’s not that much more than the smaller 5 SUV‘s and costs the same as the electric E5. An E5’s cover is for an extra year, though.

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Any doubts about picking a relative newcomer to the UK market are at least in part offset by a seven-year or 100,000 mile warranty. The hybrid system’s big battery gets its own 100,000 mile or eight year warranty that will keep your pack above 70% of its original capacity.

Reliability

Omoda may be new, but it’s backed by Chinese giant Chery which has decades of experience building cars. There’s little to go on regarding the 9 at the time of writing, but owners forums for the 5 and E5 are filled with happy owners. If you take the plunge and buy one, do share your experience in our owner’s reviews section.