Chery Tiggo 9 CSH review: 7-seat family SUV goes big on value
Chery is the biggest car company you’ve never heard of. It has been China’s top automotive exporter for the past 22 years, selling vehicles in countries as far-flung as Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Israel and Turkey. Now, Chery has finally planted its flag on British soil – and its progress so far suggests it won’t remain an unknown quantity here for long.
Progress, you say? Yep, the Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 only went on sale in September 2025, but by November – according to official SMMT figures – this pair of SUVs had already commandeered 0.9 percent of the UK car market. And Chery’s new arrival pushes the brand up towards premium territory, albeit at a price that still undercuts established rivals by at least £10,000.
Meet the Chery Tiggo 9 CSH: a seven-seat SUV that takes on the Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento, Vauxhall Frontera, Hyundai Santa Fe and Volkswagen Tayron. While others have multi-model ranges and sprawling options lists, Chery has kept it simple; there’s one plug-in hybrid powertrain and a single, fully loaded ‘Summit’ specification. The price is £43,105, or £499 a month on PCP finance.
An SUV for suburbia
Chery might be new to the UK, but it already has a presence here under the Omoda and Jaecoo banners. If you have left the house recently, you’ll likely have spotted a Jaecoo 7: the mid-size SUV that looks like an AI rendering of a Range Rover Evoque. Suddenly, these cars are everywhere.
So what sets the three marques apart from one another? According to Farrell Hsu, UK country director for Chery, it’s all about attitude. “Omoda is Shoreditch, it’s urban and fashionable,” he explains. “Jaecoo is more like Wimbledon: upmarket, stylish and lifestyle-led. And Chery embodies suburban living: a smarter choice that will bring happiness to everyone.”
Whatever the marketing theory, the scale of Chery’s ambition isn’t in doubt (Hsu compares it to the Volkswagen Group). The company had 35 UK dealers at the time of writing, and plans to have 100 by the end of 2026. Prominent dealer groups that have signed up so far include Sytner, Arnold Clark, Hendy and Evans Halshaw.
An invisible touch
The Tiggo 9 CSH (it stands for ‘Chery Super Hybrid’) isn’t unattractive, but nor is it much of a style statement. Like a lot of family SUVs, it just seems to blend into the background.
Notable design details include a large Audi-esque front grille, kicked-up windowline and full-width rear light bar. The wheels are spidery 20-inch alloys with the words ‘LUXURY TECHNOLOGY’ emblazoned on their centre caps.
The Tiggo 9 measures 4810mm in length and is 2,223mm wide, which isn’t too dissimilar to a Land Rover Defender 110. However, it has seven seats inside, not to mention a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and three electric motors, along with a hefty 34.4kWh battery beneath the floor.
Won’t get fuelled again
The drivetrain’s combined outputs are 428hp and a matching 428lb ft of torque – enough to propel this 2.2-tonne SUV from 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 112mph. However, as we’ll discover, the Chery prefers to amble along at a more leisurely pace.
More importantly, it can travel 91 miles in EV mode before the petrol engine joins the party. If you can recharge at home, that’s probably enough to cover your daily commute without ever going near a petrol station. Unlike in some plug-in hybrids, the Chery’s battery can also be rapid-charged using DC current at up to 71kW. Doing so means a 30-80 percent top-up in 18 minutes.
Combine a full battery with a full tank of fuel and the Tiggo 9 will cover 650 miles (almost the distance from London to Berlin) before needing to stop. That’s assuming your bladder doesn’t need to stop first.
The long electric-only range also results in official fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 470.8mpg and 14g/km respectively. Getting anywhere near those figures will be a challenge (plug-in hybrids can drive much of the relatively short WLTP test cycle in EV mode), but the low CO2 figure is a real money-saver in terms of tax – particularly for company car drivers.
Kitchen sink not included
Inside, the Tiggo 9’s wood grain-effect trim and ‘eco leather’ upholstery look just about plush enough to justify its asking price. Still, the one-size-fits-all Summit specification is brimming with standard equipment, meaning the only option is paint colour. Arctic White Mist is free; all other hues will cost you between £500 and £750.
The kit list includes (deep breath) heated and ventilated front and second-row seats, a massage function for the front seats, a 1.3-metre panoramic sunroof, 540-degree parking cameras, a heated steering wheel, a cooled wireless phone charging pad, ‘Hello Chery’ voice controls, an air purification system, multi-colour ambient lighting and an electric tailgate. The thumping 14-speaker Sony audio system is something Chery is rightfully proud of, too.
On the safety side of things, you get 10 airbags and no less than 19 driver assistance systems, from adaptive cruise control to automatic high-beam headlights. The Tiggo 9 CSH hadn’t been crash-tested by Euro NCAP at the time of writing, but its smaller Tiggo 7 and 8 siblings both achieved a full five stars.
In common with many modern cars, the Chery has a minimalist dashboard, with most functions accessed via its 15.6-inch central touchscreen. There’s also a smaller screen in front of the driver, plus a head-up display projected onto the windscreen.
Inside the Chery Tiggo 9 CSH
The Tiggo 9’s 2+3+2 layout offers enough space for seven adults at a squeeze, and children can certainly get comfortable in seats six and seven (before doing an inexplicable dance at the mention of those two numbers together). If you are transporting a teenage five-a-side team, the middle chairs can slide forward electrically to boost the limited legroom for those seated behind. Headroom is plentiful for all.
Passengers also get their own air-con controls, plenty of stowage cubbies and a full complement of USB charging ports. You’ll find Isofix anchors for child car seats on the outer seats in the second row.
Seven-up, the Chery’s boot accommodates a mere 143 litres of luggage, although that’s fairly typical for this type of car. Drop down seats six and seven (clumsily does the dance) and volume swells to a far more useful 819 litres. And folding all five rear chairs flat expands the space to a van-like 2,021 litres.
The Tiggo 9 does fall short when it comes to towing capacity, though – its 1,500kg limit is bettered by many diesel-powered SUVs. Caravanners may need to shop elsewhere.
Not a Chery bomb
Click the column shifter into D-for-Drive and the Tiggo 9 glides away in electric silence. Even when the engine does fire, it remains impressively muted, giving the driving experience a calmness that feels akin to an EV.
The throttle is responsive and there’s plenty of power when you need it – more than necessary, in truth – but the plentiful electric torque means you don’t need to work the engine excessively hard. Nor does the Chery’s laid-back demeanour encourage it.
Its throttle is certainly better calibrated than the Jaecoo 7’s, but the brake pedal – which also regenerates energy to boost the battery – can feel grabby at low speeds. The Chery’s over-assisted steering also feels a bit like twirling the wheel on an arcade racing game; it responds faithfully, yet fails to relay any meaningful feedback about what the front wheels are doing.
The benefit of Euro vision
Will most buyers be bothered? Perhaps not. Besides, once you’ve put your faith in its mute steering, the Tiggo 9 comports itself quite well. Chery says UK-market cars were optimised by its European R&D centre, and the work seems to have been beneficial. There’s ample grip and the coil-sprung suspension keeps the body from lolling around excessively.
Ride quality is good, the Tiggo 9 filtering out most of the pockmarks and potholes that scar British roads. It’s a bit busier and less isolated than an equivalent SUV might feel on air suspension, although that’s a feature usually found at higher price points.
Inevitably, some of the driver assistance technology can get annoying, particularly the driver-facing camera that tells you off for looking at the touchscreen. However, there are ways to deactivate it – including a swipe-down menu from the home screen – and the Chery is no worse than some rivals in this respect.
Verdict: Chery Tiggo 9 CSH
This is one of the best Chinese cars we’ve driven. And if that sounds like a backhanded compliment, it isn’t meant as such. While more familiar alternatives such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Skoda Kodiaq feel better resolved overall, the gap is narrowing.
Most of the other cars you might consider are significantly more expensive, too. The Tiggo 9 CSH isn’t perfect, but take its asking price, level of equipment and long warranty into account, and any shortcomings will be easier to overlook.
At a time when new car prices have vastly outstripped inflation, it’s no wonder the likes of Jaecoo, BYD and others are making hay. So, you’ve heard of Chery now. Be prepared to hear a lot more.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
Chery Tiggo 9 CSH
PRICE: £43,105
POWER: 428hp
0-62MPH: 5.4sec
TOP SPEED: 112mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 470.8mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 14g/km