Zeekr X
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Zeekr X review: the premium EV that loses the argument to a key fob
The Zeekr X is for the buyer who wants a genuinely premium-feeling compact EV for Volvo money minus a chunk — and who can tolerate a car whose worst enemy is a CR2450 coin cell. The verdict: the most car for the money in its class, undermined by a pile of small annoyances that a brand this ambitious shouldn't still have.
What it is. Geely's premium-arm compact SUV, sharing its SEA platform with the Volvo EX30 and smart #1 — all three are, if we're honest, cousins from the same engineering family. Zeekr X launched in China in 2023, reached Sweden, the Netherlands, and Australia in 2024, and is crawling across Europe in 2025–26. Two flavors: RWD at 272 hp, or AWD at 428 hp doing 0–100 km/h in 3.8 seconds — supercar-adjacent pace in a Golf-sized crossover starting around €38,000 before incentives.
What's genuinely good. Sit in one and the money makes sense immediately. Alcantara headliner, stitched seatbacks, a Yamaha sound system, ambient lighting — this is a cabin that embarrasses cars costing €10,000 more. Reviewers keep landing on the same word: polished. It rides with a composure that feels half-European (no surprise, given Gothenburg did the chassis work), it's more spacious and more refined than the Volvo EX30 it shares parts with, and the price undercuts that same Volvo by a couple of grand while giving you more of everything. The AWD car is genuinely quick in a way that makes the purchase feel like theft. If your priority list is "how does it feel when I open the door and drive to work," the X is near the top of this entire cluster.
What's actually wrong. Now the fob. A key fob should be a solved problem, the most boring part of car ownership — and Zeekr shipped one that drains a fresh button-cell battery in an estimated two to three months. TechRadar's tester put it on a multimeter to prove it; Australian owners on the Zeekr Facebook group confirm it as widespread; the RFID backup entry is finicky enough that you'll be tapping plastic against trim like you're performing a ritual. Zeekr calls these "isolated reports" and is "actively investigating" while nudging people toward phone-as-key — corporate for "we know, live with it." Then there's the accumulation problem the Australian press nailed: none of the X's niggles are deep, but there are enough of them — software quirks, a cheap painted fob that scratches if you look at it, finicky backup entry — to wear down the premium impression the cabin works so hard to build. The hidden door handles that regulators across China just recalled (labels plus an OTA window-drop) are a design philosophy problem, not a one-off. And the service story is the real asterisk: as of mid-2026 Zeekr still has no dealership network in Europe — test-drive centers and fleet deals, with German metro showrooms promised by year-end. Buy the car, fine. Need a warranty repair in a small city? That's the question to ask before signing. Skip it if you live far from a test-drive center, or you expect a €38k car to behave like a €38k car in every detail.
The social pulse. There isn't much of a pulse because there isn't much of an owner base yet — fleet-first rollout means private owners number in the hundreds in Germany, not thousands. The signal that exists is warm-but-qualified: press reviews are enthusiastic after short drives, Australian long-term coverage is fond of the brand's engineering, and owner chatter centers on the little stuff rather than drivetrain disasters. The brand's European chief says Zeekr is "on par with all premium manufacturers" — he's paid to say that, and while the cabin supports him, the fob and the missing dealer network don't. No astroturf smell, just a young brand whose PR is running a lap ahead of its service department.
The value call. From ~€38,000 before incentives in Germany — cheaper than the EX30, far cheaper than a BMW iX1, and the AWD model makes 428 hp for money that buys you a mid-spec petrol Golf GTI. Nearest alternatives are the Volvo EX30 (same bones, pricier, less space), the smart #1 (same bones, different badge tax), and the XPeng G6 (bigger, better charging, weaker ADAS). Used: no established market, bands UNVERIFIED. Sweet-spot year: 2025 — the facelift brings the latest software maturity and minor battery updates, and by then EU cars were sold through at least semi-established channels. Skip 2023 — first-year China-only production, swept into the 2026 door-release recall, no EU warranty network to speak of. Treat 2024 EU cars with mild caution — the key-fob drain era and the earliest software; fine at the right price with a service point nearby.
The Zeekr X is a premium car with economy-car aftercare and a key fob from a bargain bin. If those two things don't scare you, nothing else in the class gives you this much car.