Reviewed: The bargain family SUV that makes expensive alternatives look silly

I’ve just done hundreds of miles in the Chery Tiggo 7 on a European road trip, and here’s the slightly surprising bit: for a “budget” family SUV, it spends a lot of time pretending it cost several grand more. Sometimes it gets away with it, too.

Chery’s big brag with the Tiggo 7 is simple. You get a roomy five-seat SUV with a posh-feeling cabin, loads of kit and, crucially, a plug-in hybrid option that’s genuinely good. It’s also closely related to the Tiggo 8, which nabbed our overall Carwow Car of the Year for 2026 – honours don’t come any higher than that.

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First things first: avoid the basic 1.6-litre petrol. I’ve driven that engine in the Chery’s sister cars like the Omoda 5 and it’s the sort of powertrain that makes you check your fuel gauge like it’s a horror film. It’s noisy, a bit sluggish, and drinks like it’s on a stag do. The Tiggo 7 only makes sense if you go for the “Super Hybrid” plug-in.

With the PHEV, the Tiggo 7 is properly likeable. Around town it glides along on electric power most of the time, even if you don’t religiously plug it in. The responses are smooth and predictable, and the soft suspension takes the edge off speed bumps. On the motorway it settles into a quiet, relaxed cruise, which is exactly what you want when you’ve got another 200 miles of France ahead of you and your playlist has started repeating itself.

Chery claims 56 miles of electric range, and there’s a clever Smart mode that keeps about 20% battery in reserve. That means it behaves more like a proper hybrid on long journeys, rather than turning into a heavy petrol car dragging a big empty battery. I saw over 50mpg on a long run, and with the big fuel tank you’re looking at diesel-rivalling range when fully fuelled.

Inside, the Tiggo 7 is the biggest shock. The materials and build quality are genuinely impressive for the money, and it’s spacious in the back with a flat floor and lots of head and legroom. The boot is decent too, though the hybrid loses space for the battery and it’s not the tow-car answer for caravan fans.

It’s not perfect. The infotainment looks sharp and it’s fast, but the menus can be fiddly, the driver display layout is odd, and the “keep your eyes on the road” nanny can get a bit shouty when you dare to tap the screen. It’s also not much fun on a twisty road. The steering is light and vague, and the suspension can feel floaty, so keen drivers will prefer something like a Nissan Qashqai or Dacia Bigster.

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So, is it as good as more expensive alternatives? If your priorities are space, kit, comfort and low running costs, the PHEV Tiggo 7 gets uncomfortably close for the money. Just don’t buy the petrol one and you’ll find an awful lot to like.

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