Chery: the value is real, and so are the recall notices
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Here's the verdict up front: Chery is the most honestly-discussed of the Chinese export brands — not because its cars are better, but because its owners complain the loudest and most specifically. Three SUVs, one formula: kit lists that embarrass rivals, prices thousands under, and a trail of software gremlins, calibration compromises, and two genuine safety recalls on the Omoda 5. But Chery's cars are bought with a calculator and kept with a warranty, and anyone who tells you they're "just as good as Toyota now" hasn't read the complaint boards.
Where Chery wins
The Omoda 5's styling turns heads — owners say it looks like it costs half as much again — and the spec sheet backs it up: panoramic roof, dual screens, full ADAS, ventilated seats on higher trims, and in Australia a 7-year/unlimited-km warranty with capped-price servicing. Genuine 5-star Euro NCAP (2022) and 5-star ANCAP (2023), and the E5 electric version landed in Australia as the cheapest electric SUV with a 5-star ANCAP and a full-size spare. The Tiggo 7 is the comfort play: one 55-year driver told CarExpert it's the most comfortable car he's owned in five decades of driving. The new Super Hybrid system is smooth and efficient by the press's own admission, and a million exported Tiggo 7s left China by mid-2026. The Tiggo 8 is the bluntest argument of all: seven seats and a plug-in hybrid option from £28,545 in the UK — £5,000–10,000 under the Japanese and Korean 7-seaters, with a 7-year warranty matching Kia's.
Where Chery loses
Two genuine safety recalls. February 2024, Australia: 5,901 Omoda 5s (2022–2023 builds) recalled for a brake pipe union bolt that may not have been tightened — "serious injury or death" in the regulator's words. April 2024, Malaysia: 600 cars recalled for a rear-axle beam component that could detach while driving, after a viral video showed an axle breaking off on the road; Indonesia followed with 420 units. Chery ran official campaigns rather than burying them — check any 2022–2023 car's VIN before you buy, full stop. Then the ADAS that fights the driver: lane-keep that jerks the wheel, phantom emergency braking on overpasses, systems that can't be fully switched off. The infotainment freezes, drops CarPlay, and in one 2024 case lost throttle response entirely — five dealer visits to fix. Real-world economy runs 9–12 L/100 km against 6.8–7.4 claimed; the steering is vague, the ride floaty yet still transmits every bump, and the one-piece front seats tire you out on long drives. The Tiggo 7's eternal asterisk is the CVT: hesitation on sudden acceleration, jerky transitions, economy that misses the brochure by a country mile — every market says the same thing. Its infotainment freezing survived a full head-unit replacement — the identical fault returned the next day. Russian winter owners have a DIY relationship with theirs: dead 12V batteries at -25°C, a crankshaft sensor that died at 45,000 km. The Tiggo 8's rough edges are the daily kind: the 7-speed dual-clutch's low-speed jerkiness, a UK review car whose alarm kept firing five seconds after locking — "a common issue" on owner forums — thirsty petrol, and a cramped third row with a 117-litre boot behind it.
The matchups
Omoda 5 vs MG ZS: the two Chinese value crossovers, and the honest pick depends on your postcode. The MG ZS Hybrid+ (£21,995) is the cheapest hybrid SUV in Britain with 102,000 UK sales behind it — but MG finished dead last in Driver Power in 2024 and 2025. The Omoda 5 counters with 5-star crash ratings (the ZS has four) and better kit; but it brings the two recalls and an ADAS suite the lab praised and owners failed. Neither is the "safe" pick next to a used Japanese car; both are bought on warranty.
Omoda E5 vs BYD Atto 3: the electric-value fight. The E5 was Australia's cheapest electric SUV at launch, 5-star ANCAP, full-size spare. The Atto 3 counters with the densest owner evidence of any Chinese EV here and a 12V-battery failure mode fixed on the 2025 model year. The Atto 3 wins on proof; the E5 wins on sticker.
Tiggo 7 vs used Toyota RAV4: new Chinese car versus used Japanese car for similar money. The RAV4 brings Tier 1 owner proof, an 80/100 reliability score on the 2024, and resale that exists — against higher prices and wait lists. The Tiggo 7 brings a 7-year warranty, more kit, genuine comfort, and depreciation you'll never get back.
Tiggo 8 vs Skoda Kodiaq: the rational 7-seat default versus the price bomb. The Kodiaq's gen-1 (2021–2023 facelift) is solid MQB running gear — the 2.0 TDI is the forum-recommended workhorse — but gen-2 (2024+) brought MIB software bugs and iV ghost-braking, so the smart money buys a sorted 2022 or a 2025+. The Tiggo 8 undercuts by £5–10k with more kit and a longer warranty, but the DCT jerkiness will annoy you every school run and resale trails badly.
The support question
Australia is Chery's stronghold: real dealer network, 7-year/unlimited-km warranty, capped-price servicing, and software updates that owners say genuinely improve the car. Malaysia, Indonesia, the Middle East, Latin America, Russia — distributor-dependent, rural service inconsistent, Turkish owners turning to complaint boards when dealers stall. Europe is the patchwork: the Omoda 5 petrol was never homologated for most of the EU, the Tiggo 7 was never homologated for most of Europe at all, and the Tiggo 8 only launched in the UK/EU in autumn 2025 with a dealer network reviewers flag as the thing to watch. The US gets nothing — not sold, no support, don't grey-import one. Resale is the soft underbelly everywhere: Australian listings show 2023 Omoda 5 EX cars at ~A$25,000–29,750 against ~A$40,000+ new, and the Tiggo 8 trails Toyota by double digits at five years. You buy a Chery cheap and you sell it cheap; the warranty is the bridge between those two facts.
Who should buy / skip
Buy the Omoda 5 if you want the best-equipped cheap crossover in its class and you'll do the homework — 2024+ builds, VIN checked against both recall lists, ADAS on a short leash. Buy the Tiggo 7 if you want maximum family comfort per dollar where Chery has dealers — 2024 or newer, mild caution on the 2025 first-year Super Hybrid. Buy the Tiggo 8 if you need seven seats on a budget and will charge the PHEV nightly. Skip the Omoda 5 if you can't verify the recall work is done, if you need driver aids that behave like adults, or if you're buying the petrol car in Europe — never homologated, parts pipeline a rumor. Skip the Tiggo 7 if you do mostly urban crawling or if resale is load-bearing in your budget math. Skip the Tiggo 8 if you need the third row weekly, if you drive mostly in the city, or if you're badge-conscious about resale.
Chery gives you the most car for the money of any brand here, and asks you to read the recall notices, tame the electronics, and never buy the first two model years.