Chery Tiggo 7 1.5T PHEV Aspire 5dr DHT

Ten Second Review

The Chery Tiggo 7 is a family five-seat SUV that's spacious and brilliant value, but you'll need to be realistic about what you're getting. As long as you are, this car is worth a long look.

Background

In a refreshing move, the market is redefining the price customers should pay for an affordable spacious family SUV. In early 2025 Dacia's value-based Bigster set the trend for this, priced from launch from around £25,000. Now, new market entrant, Chinese maker Chery, reckons it has done even better with the car we look at here, its Tiggo 7, offering better equipment levels than the equivalent Bigster but much the same low £25,000 starting price. The Tiggo 7 has been around in world markets since 2016, with a second generation model introduced in 2020. That MK2 design was facelifted in 2023 to create the car that was launched in the UK in Summer 2025, alongside this five-seat SUV's slightly larger seven-seat stablemate the Tiggo 8. So is there more to this '7' than just sheer value? Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Spec

The Tiggo 7 shares its base 1.6-litre TDGI turbo petrol engine not only with the Tiggo 8 but also with other closely related Chery group models like the Omoda 5 and the Jaecoo 5. Unlike these two cousin crossovers though, it's not available with a full-electric drivetrain. Instead, your other powerplant option with a '7' is the 'Super Hybrid' PHEV powertrain used by the Tiggo 8 and (in a similar form) by the Jaecoo 7. As we told you in our Tiggo 8 review, if you can afford its necessary premium, the 'Super Hybrid' set-up is the one to have. As that name suggests, the unit used by this Plug-in Hybrid variant is quite advanced. It's a 1.5-litre petrol engine assisted by two electric motors (one on each axle) which are energised by an 18.4kWh LFP (lithium-ion phosphate) battery supplied by CATL. Combined output is a healthy 201bhp with 365Nm of torque. And 0-62mph occupies a reasonably rapid 8.5s en route 112mph. It goes 56 miles without troubling combustion power and with that engaged, total range is up to 745 miles. As usual with hybrids, you have to have an automatic gearbox, in this case, Chery's single-speed 'dedicated hybrid transmission'. As on all Tiggo models, only the front wheels are driven. If budget restricts you to the rather inefficient 1.6 TDGI un-electrified base unit, there's 147PS, 275Nm of torque and 0-62mph in 9.4s. Budget family crossovers like this don't offer much in terms of steering feedback or driving enjoyment - and this one certainly doesn't. But you should find ride and refinement to be acceptable. There are 'Normal', 'Eco' and 'Sport' drive modes.

Design and Build

You're getting a lot of metal for your money here - and pretty good looking packaging. It certainly doesn't shout 'Chinese budget brand'. Let's get specific. The Tiggo 7 measures in at 4,553mm. For comparison, its arch-rival Dacia's Bigster measures 4,570mm and a far pricier Volkswagen Tiguan is 4,539mm-long. Smart 18-inch (or 19-inch) alloy wheels and roof rails are standard, as are bright LED headlights and tail lights. You might be quite impressed by the interior too, unless you've a particular aversion to synthetic leather. Predictably, it's the same as in the Tiggo 8, which means a large dash-top panel bonding two big 12.3-inch screens. The instrument one is of the usual scattered Chinese brand format, with over-small fonts. But the infotainment monitor is well stocked with features, including a six or eight-speaker audio system and wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'. Overall, you'd have to say that the level of perceived cabin quality is above this car's price point, with lots of soft-touch surfaces and comfortable heated seats. You might be impressed by the generous second row space too, accessible by a wide-opening doors. Most rival models are meaner in this regard - and don't give travelling little ones such a good view out. There are decent door pockets, an armrest with cup holders, a USB-A port and Isofix child seat fastenings. Obviously, if you needed third row seating, you'd be looking at this car's closely related Tiggo 8 stablemate. Despite the fact that this Tiggo 7 has just two seating rows, boot space isn't a particular strong point, rated at just 484-litres for the 1.6 TDGI. Curiously, the Super Hybrid offers more - 565-litres.

Market and Model

Prices start at around £25,000 for the conventional 1.6-litre petrol Tiggo 7; think more like £30,000 for the Super Hybrid PHEV model. Either way, there are two trim levels - base 'Aspire' or (for £3,000 more) top 'Summit'. 'Aspire' trim includes 18-inch wheels, a 6-way power-adjustable driver seat, wireless 'Android Auto' and 'Apple CarPlay', dual-zone climate control and a rear wide view camera. Plus Adaptive Cruise control with integrated cruise assist. The plusher 'Summit' version adds 19-inch wheels, a powered tailgate, an 8-speaker Sony audio system and a 50W wireless mobile 'phone charger. Plus ventilated and heated front seats, front passenger seat power adjustment, illuminated entry sills and a 540-degree panoramic view camera As you'd hope, safety is prioritised with all variants and the Tiggo 7 has been awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating, featuring an array of 10 airbags and 14 driver assistance systems. These include the usual things - autonomous emergency braking with front collision warning, speed control assist with a speed limit information function, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention and a driver monitoring system. Plus a few you might not expect; Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blindspot Detection, Emergency Lane Keeping, and Rear Cross-Traffic braking.

Cost of Ownership

You shouldn't have particularly high expectations for efficiency when it comes to the base 1.6-litre petrol turbo Tiggo 7; it's quoted at 32.7mpg on the combined cycle, with 163g/km of CO2. For the Super Hybrid PHEV, combined consumption is quoted at 256.8mpg; in reality, expect the kind of returns you might previously have got from a good diesel in this class so you'll get a decent range from the 60-litre fuel tank. The Super Hybrid's CO2 reading is 23g/km. The Super Hybrid charges at up to 40kW and will need 20 minutes to charge from 30 to 80%. There's an 8 year unlimited mileage battery warranty for the PHEV. Both models get a 7 year unlimited mileage warranty and a year's roadside assistance.  Affordable servicing plans are available at point of purchase and servicing turnround times will be aided by a UK parts warehouse established in cooperation with DHL.

Summary

We can see why you might be tempted by the space and value of a Tiggo 7. You could pay £10,000 more for a better-known brand in this segment and not really get very much more car for your money. Which is fine as long as you realise that in terms of drive dynamics and product finishing, you're not getting quite same kind of end product. For quite a few suburban potential customers in the lower mid-sized family SUV segment, that might not much matter. And those prepared to ignore the often-intrusive ADAS safety features and the base petrol version's less than stellar efficiency showing will love the very generous levels of standard equipment that the Chery brand likes to include. The bottom line is that models like this one are re-setting the value standard for this class of car - and not before time.