• Loads of rear legroom
• Big but not overly clever boot
• 60:40 split folding rear bench with no load-through facility

How much space is there?

At 4.77 metres long the Omoda 9 is a little longer than the Skoda Kodiaq and a little shorter than the Volkswagen Tayron. You can only get the 9 with five seats, although that’s true of plug-in hybrid versions of most rivals anyway. Exceptions to that rule include the Peugeot 5008 and Hyundai Santa Fe which both combine PHEV power and seven seats.

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The 9’s sheer size does make it a comfortable five-seater, though. Even with the giant centre console making the front feel cosier than it perhaps should, there’s plenty of space between you and the passenger next to you, good headroom and a seat that goes back far enough for long legs.

Move to the rear and it’s the sheer amount of legroom that impresses. The rear bench reclines electrically to maximise snoozing opportunities and we certainly didn’t feel the need for the it to slide fore and aft like some rivals. Headroom is OK however much you recline the seat, with tall folk likely to run out of this way before they run out of legroom.

Omoda 9 boot space and storage

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On paper the 9’s 660-litre boot looks rather generous, if 45-litres (or just shy of a carry-on suitcase) behind the plug-in Tayron. The load bay is wide and long if rather shallow when you’ve got the parcel shelf in place. You’ll find some additional storage for the towing eye, tyre inflator and a couple of other bits under the boot floor, but nowhere to stick your charging cable.

There’s virtually no loading lip which makes up for the high boot floor, and an electric tailgate is standard. Catches to lower the rear bench are located on top of the seats and there’s no lever in the boot to flatten them either. While we’re on the subject of disappointments, the rear seat split is a plain old 60:40 arrangement and there’s no load-through facility, either.

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Similarly, there are no clever shelves, nets, cubbies or other storage solutions, just a couple of bag hooks to stop your shopping sloshing around. Storage up front is better, with huge door pockets, a couple of big cubbies in the centre console and a wireless charging tray for your phone.

Is it easy to park?

Yes and no. Finding a space might be trickier than smaller rivals on account of its length, but the 9’s width caused no issues and the 20-inch wheels have generous tyre sidewalls to help prevent kerbage.

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All-round parking sensors and a high-definition surround-view camera system make parking it yourself relatively easy, and it’ll park itself, too. All this is very welcome as the small, high rear screen, falling roofline and bulky rear pillars make for poor rear visibility.

Safety

• Excellent Euro NCAP crash test scores
• Long list of standard safety kit
• Some driver assist systems a bit too keen

Any safety concerns you might have for a brand still fresh in the UK melt as soon as you look up the 9 on the Euro NCAP website. Not only does it get the full five stars from its 2025 test, it actually outperforms some pricier European rivals.

Amongst those high scores is an 80% mark for safety assist systems. Effective they might be, but I soon found myself turning off the distraction monitor after a mirror check was met with a command to keep our eyes on the road, silencing the overly keen speed warning and turning off the lane assist.

This is easily done (in theory) by swiping down on the touchscreen and prodding at a few icons. However, the swipe isn’t always recognised and the text on the icons are too small for our liking. We’d also point out that the promise of four Isofix child seat mounts is exceptionally misleading. Omoda count each individual mount to get to four, but you’ll need a pair to attach a single seat. With no front Isofix mount, you’re left able to clip just two Isofix seats onto the rear bench.

Watch the Euro NCAP crash test video