Changan Deepal S07 Review & Prices

The Changan Deepal S07 is the first UK model from one of China’s largest manufacturing giants. It’s a handsome, well-equipped and relatively fun to drive electric SUV, but its mediocre range and slow charging speeds compared to alternatives put it on the back foot.

Choosing the Changan is a bit like being the first of your mates to try out the new restaurant on the high street, from a chef you’ve never heard of, with a slick shopfront and posh interior decor. It’s certainly attention grabbing, but it’s not quite as good as it looks.

Potential flies in the Deepal S07’s chow mein come from its alternatives. Between the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, more expensive Peugeot E-3008 and the cheaper Citroen E-C5 Aircross, there are some rather tasty alternatives from the established brands. Other Chinese alternatives include the Jaecoo E5 and Xpeng G6.

Where the Deepal S07 really stands out is in its styling, because it’s one of the sleekest SUVs on sale. The pointy, angled nose with slender headlights, sporty roofline and intricate rear light bar all look smart, and you can opt for yours in a very vibrant shade of orange. There is, however, more than a hint of Lotus Eletre about the design, so it’s not totally original.

Changan Deepal S07: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 295 miles
Efficiency: 3.3mi/kWh
Battery size: 80kWh
Max charge speed: 93kW
Charge time AC: 9hrs, 0-100%, 11kW
Charge time DC: 48mins, 10-80%, 93kW
Charge port location: Left side, rear
Power outputs: 215hp

The cabin is rather plush with loads of supple leatherette, heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel and a panoramic roof, so it does feel posh from behind the wheel. The wood-effect plastic door trims are properly naff, though, and the headrests are uncomfortable.

It’s slightly longer, wider and taller than a Hyundai Ioniq 5 and it’s quite a lot larger than a Skoda Elroq, so it’s appropriately spacious inside both front and rear. The 510-litre boot is between the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 for size, but lacks an underfloor compartment. The Changan does, however, also feature a 125-litre front boot, which means lots of storage space overall.

There’s a sole powertrain combination for the Deepal S07, an 80kWh battery with a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. Changan quotes a maximum range of 295 miles on a full charge, which we saw most of during our time with the car.

Around town the Deepal S07 is fine to drive, but nothing more. The electric motor is tuned for smooth, steady acceleration and the steering is agile, but the suspension is a touch stiff which means you get shaken around over bumps. It’s hard to judge the car’s extremities when parking, too.

It’s not very quiet on the motorway, with a fair amount of wind and road noise, and it’s not very fun on a country lane, either. The steering is almost too darty for the rest of the car, with the Deepak S07 leaning over as you tackle fast bends.

Verdict

The Changan Deepal S07 is a good choice for drivers after a style-focused SUV which appears posh both inside and out, but it’s hard to recommend over the more expensive Peugeot E-3008 - which is worth every extra penny, and looks just as good.

Have a look at the best Changan Deepal S07 deals on Carwow, as well as Deepal S07 lease offers. There are used Changans for sale through our trusted dealer network, too. Remember, Carwow can help you sell your current car when the time comes.

At a fraction under £40,000, the Deepal S07 is pretty good value when compared to its alternatives. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 both start at roughly the same price, but they get more expensive with bigger batteries and more options, whereas the Changan comes with a single, well-equipped trim level.

A Citroen e-C5 Aircross is far more affordable and just as head-turning in a boxier, more aggressive way, but it’s nowhere near as plush inside. The Peugeot E-3008 is more expensive and looks just as slick as the Changan, but the cabin is even more stylish and the infotainment is better to use.

Surround-view cameras, 20-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, a head-up display, keyless entry-and-go, four wireless phone chargers, a suite of safety assistance systems and adaptive cruise control all come as standard on the Deepal S07.

It’s easy enough to drive around town, but the Changan is harsh over bad roads and noisy on the motorway

In town

Things get off to a good start when you jump in the Deepal S07. Forward visibility is excellent, the electric motor is set up to be smooth rather than pin you back in your seat and the steering is agile when making quick direction changes.

Things start to unravel when you approach a bad section of road, though, because the car thuds its way through potholes and shakes you about when driving over broken surfaces. You can hear and feel this through the cabin, but speed bumps are better contained with none of the bounciness that afflicts so many Chinese SUVs.

Rear visibility is awful, however. The back window is narrow and the oddly enormous headrests block your view when looking over your shoulder. It’s an annoying car to parallel park, too, because there’s no easy way to dip the mirrors while manoeuvring and the view from the cameras makes you feel closer to cars and kerbs than you actually are.

On the motorway

Getting up to motorway speeds is very easy in the Deepal S07, but don’t go expecting acceleration that’ll pin you back in your seat like a Tesla or Polestar 2. Once you reach a cruise you’ll notice a fair amount of wind noise from the wide windows and road noise from the large tyres.

The Changan is more comfortable on a long-distance journey than it is in town, as the suspension is better at absorbing high-speed dips than sudden potholes and drain covers. Standard-fit lane-keeping cruise control takes some of the strain away, but it’s not the most confidence-inspiring system out there, as you drift towards the edge of your lane at times.

On a twisty road

It’s a shame the Deepal S07 isn’t as much fun on a twisty road as its darty steering and firm suspension in town would have you believe. It still feels agile enough, but at higher speeds it seems to wallow about with a fair amount of body lean into corners and around tight bends.

Sport mode increases the throttle response, but this only exacerbates the Changan’s slightly roly-poly nature.

Plenty of storage and plenty of space inside, but the Changan’s boot disappoints

As with so many Chinese EVs, you’re greeted by a wide open cabin which has lots of room on offer up front. The seating position is a little high, but there's a fair amount of adjustment in the steering wheel which helps negate this.

The wide centre console features a pair of phone pads near the dashboard, as well as a huge compartment beneath the console, enormous hidden cubby between the seats, a pair of cup holders and large door bins. The glove compartment is huge, too, and there’s plenty of headroom.

You’ll find an ISOFIX child seat anchor point in the front seat, which is great for a parent travelling alone with an infant.

Space in the back seats

Rear-seat passengers don’t have much to complain about in the Changan, with plenty of legroom and headroom thanks to the glass sunroof. Sitting three abreast is fine as there’s no hump in the floor to rob you of foot space, but at that point the outermost occupants will find their heads butted up against the headliner next to the panoramic top.

The door pockets aren’t as large as they are up front, with just enough space for a small bottle, and the flip-down cupholders are very shallow. You’re better off holding onto your drink.

A pair of ISOFIX anchor points in the back add peace of mind when travelling with children, but the fairly low roofline can get in the way of taller adults trying to mount a seat.

Boot space

Cargo space is split between a 510-litre boot, which is devoid of handy storage pockets or hidden compartments, and a contrastingly impressive 135-litre front boot. In the back there are only a pair of tie-down points and some awkwardly-shaped shopping hooks, none of which are particularly useful.

The back seats fold in a 60:40 split, and there’s no through-loading as you’ll find in so many alternatives. The shallow boot height makes it awkward to carry bulky items, too, but at least you’ll easily be able to store charging cables in the front of the car. It’s advisable to do that anyway, because the velcro on the cable bag easily frayed the boot carpet whenever it was moved.

Plenty of plush materials and a slick design earn the Changan some kudos, but some odd button choices spoil the experience

The Deepal S07 comes close to having an excellent interior, because on the surface it looks great and feels great. The swooping, wraparound dashboard with fully upholstered surfaces and intricate stitching looks great, while the enormous 15.6-inch display features high-definition graphics.

It swivels towards you or your passenger, which is a neat touch and far less gimmicky than BYD’s old rotating screen, but the near-total lack of physical buttons is jarring. Absolutely everything is controlled by the confusingly laid-out menus on the display, save for the hazard lights which have an awkwardly-placed button on the roof, next to the sun blind controls. Baffling.

The shortcut bar at the top of the screen changes depending on whether you’re using the car’s native system or Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, which you have to do to adjust the car’s settings. This means that things aren’t always where you ‘left’ them, which is confusing.

You also have to rely on the Changan’s head-up display for key driver information in your line of sight, which are otherwise relegated to a small corner of the central display. You’re encouraged to use voice commands for certain controls, but it’s an infuriating system to use and unreliable at the best of times.

An awkwardly designed steering wheel means the spokes are exactly where you’d want to place your fingers, while the pronounced buttons mean we all too often found ourselves engaging the annoying voice command software.

The saving grace comes in the car’s ADAS settings, which remembers your preferences and means you don’t need to prod away at the menu every time you get into the car. Winner.

Another aspect in which the Deepal S07 falters is its battery tech, because the fairly large 80kWh pack beneath its floor will only get you as far as a claimed 295 miles on a charge. Credit where credit’s due, however, we came mighty close to the claimed range in our time with the car, with an average 3.5mi/kWh consumption meaning 280 miles in the real world.

The charging speed is disappointing, however, with a 10-80% top up taking a whopping 48 minutes at just 93kWh. A Kia EV6 will do the same in only 18 minutes on a rapid charger, which makes it a far better proposition for long-distance drives.

As an electric vehicle the Deepal S07 sits in the lowest bands for both vehicle excise duty and Benefit-in-Kind tax; an attractive proposition for both private buyers and company car drivers. It avoids the EV luxury car supplement in year two-to-six, too.

Changan Deepal S07 Euro NCAP: 5/5

Adult occupant: 95%
Child occupant: 87%
Vulnerable road users: 74%
Safety assist: 77%

The Deepal S07 scored an excellent five-out-of-five star safety rating when tested by Euro NCAP in 2024. The adult occupant score is particularly impressive at 95%, followed closely by an 87% child occupant safety score.

A trio of ISOFIX points adds peace of mind when travelling with young children, and a suite of automatic emergency braking systems, lane keep and blind spot assistance software contribute to the fantastic score, too.

Changan is too new a brand in the UK to have featured in any Driver Power owner satisfaction surveys thus far, but as with all EVs the lack of mechanical parts means they’re relatively reliable compared to petrol vehicles.

The Deepal S07 comes with an impressive seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty which is on par with Kia. This is slightly behind Peugeot’s eight-year, 100,000-mile fare as well as Toyota and Suzuki which offer up to 10 years of cover - so long as you keep up annual dealer