Chery Q 2027 Review

Australian pricing is unconfirmed, but the 2027 Chery Q is expected to cost between $25,000 to $30,000, with Chery Australia COO Lucas Harris saying a price tag starting with a two is not "out of the question".

In China it’s priced in line with the Seagull and Xingyuan L, sold here as the Atto 1 and EX2, and with both those models sold in Australia from $23,990 plus ORCs and $26,490 plus ORCs respectively, there’s a clear precedent for the Q to follow.

If the Chinese brand really wants to set the cat among the pigeons, the Chery Q could be positioned as one of the most affordable new cars on the market. Watch this space.

As many as three grades of 2027 Chery Q are sold in China, two based on the standard version, and a semi-flagship variant with body-coloured bumpers and trendy hound’s tooth interior highlights.

It’s unclear which versions we might get here, with the most likely option being some kind combination of all three and some choices over screen size, like in the Geely EX2.

What we do know is that motors come in 58kW and 90kW outputs, batteries in either 29kWh or 41kWh forms, and screens in either 8- or 8.8-inch sizes for the driver, and 12.8- or 15.6-inch sizes for the centre.

The high-end model we drove in China came with the larger screens and batteries, 17-inch wheels (16-inch are also available), and a 50W ventilated wireless charger, as well as a heated and ventilated driver’s seat, heated passenger seat, electric controls for both, and a heated steering wheel.

Music lovers might bemoan the mere six speakers, (low-end versions get four), but they can plug a boombox into the V2L if they’re after a concert, with 3.3 or 6.6kW V2L capability depending on the battery.

Chery’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty should remain.

The 2027 Chery Q is untested by ANCAP, but Chinese models get six airbags, parking sensors, tyre-pressure monitoring, a 540-degree camera and ISOFIX mountings. International versions could get a centre airbag too if local regulations demand it.

Chery’s Falcon 500 system brings highway assisted driving and automatic parking, and we were impressed by the consistency of the lane-keeping and ACC on our test on highway and urban roads. At least in China you can turn off the bings and bongs permanently.

The 2027 Chery Q runs Sugar OS on a Snapdragon 8155 chip, and with the 15.6-inch 2.5K touchscreen it gets the largest display in this class.

It’s a super slick operating system, different from that on Chery’s existing models, with a focus on larger, brighter icons, a heavily customisable interface, and smart gesture controls that let you drag a couple of fingers across the screen to change temperature and fan speed.

There are buttons and rollers for that too, but the gesture controls make it far simpler and more visible.

Perhaps most interesting is the inclusion of a 70-litre frunk that’s not only powered, but even voice-activated from the exterior, something we’ve only previously seen on far more expensive cars and that will undoubtedly set it apart at this end of the market.

That voice-activation is part of a wider suite of AI features built into the Chery Q that enable users to speak to the car in everyday language and get the relevant information or results.

The Chery Q’s 41.3kWh lithium iron phosphate (LPF) battery is rated at 420km (CLTC), and some of the cars on our test wore EV400 badges hinting at a 400km WLTC-style claim.

The base 29.5kWh version manages 310km (CLTC).

While Chery hasn’t suggested this, we have a sneaking suspicion a larger battery, similar to Geely’s 47kWh unit on the EX2, could be on the cards to offer a rival circa-480km range variant, but let’s see.

DC charging takes 30-80 per cent in 16.5 minutes, quicker than the EX2's 19 minutes, but slower than the new Atto 1’s 5-minute 10-70% flash charging. On test, we were averaging 12.7kWh/100km overall and 15.3kWh/100km on the highway, so reasonable if not spectacular.

Behind the wheel, we found the 2027 Chery Q to be rather comfortable, riding across most surfaces without fuss and offering good roadholding in the brief opportunities we had to corner at speed.

It does ride softly so there’s tangible body roll, which we’d expect, but it’s not without some driving pleasure. Putting the steering into Sport mode added a satisfying level of heft, and while it’s not especially precise, it at least feels like you’re operating a vehicle.

Sadly there’s no one-pedal drive option, and even on the highest level of regen the Q isn’t scrubbing speed in any kind of hurry, but in the other direction it’s quite perky.

Acceleration is a claimed 3.9 seconds 0-50km/h. In practice, it’s gentle off the mark but pulls strongly in the mid-range, and will comfortably do 130km/h without strain, and beyond the claimed 135kph top speed.

Despite the city-car billing, the 2027 Chery Q is bigger than the original Ford Focus, and rear knee room is frankly ridiculous, rivalling SUVs far bigger than the Q’s 4.2-metre length.

There’s no rear armrest or backrest adjustment, but storage is abundant, with 35-litres of storage under the rear seats (we were shown a kind of drawer in briefings but had just an empty space on our car), a long under-dash shelf, and a 375-litre boot that expands to 1,450 litres with the seats folded, accessible by an electronic lid.

Build and perceived quality are also decent, with large portions of faux leather on the dash and centre console and solid plastics elsewhere. Our car even got a velvet headliner.

There are also four quarter-inch magnetic mounting points on the dash for things like phone holders or accessory hooks, though these may fall foul of ANCAP regs depending on airbag positioning.

Judged on our test car, the 2027 Chery Q is one of the best value packages in the budget EV class with impressive tech, a vast cabin, and a bunch of practical features for families.

Average efficiency, a squidgy ride, and somewhat anonymous looks are the main drawbacks, but at the right price most buyers in this budget end of the market won’t mind too much.

There’s a lot to like here and final specifications and equipment levels will be important, which we’ll let you know when they’re confirmed.

But if Chery can bring it here below $25,000, the could give BYD and Geely a migraine.

2027 Chery Q EV400 (China, pre-production) at a glance:
Price: TBC (expected $25,000-$30,000 plus on-road costs)
Available: Early 2027 (China: on sale now)
Powertrain: Single rear-mounted permanent magnet electric motor
Output: 90kW/115Nm (base: 58kW/90Nm)
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 41.3kWh lithium iron phosphate (base: 29.5kWh)
Range: 420km CLTC (base: 310km CLTC)
Energy consumption: 12.7kWh/100km observed (15.3kWh/100km highway); official figure TBC
Safety rating: Not tested

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