Deepal E07 2025 Review - International

The Deepal E07 is sold overseas under the Nevo brand, each of them part of the Changan Automobile group.

But for Australia it will wear Deepal badging.

Deepal isn’t saying what it will cost just yet – the car doesn’t hit dealerships until the second half of 2025 – but it’s unlikely to be cheap.

It’s already on sale in Thailand and sells from 1,699,000 Thai baht, or about $80,000.

We’re hoping it’ll be sharper than that Down Under, ideally closer to $70,000.

No word yet on equipment levels, either.

But it’s safe to assume it will come loaded with kit, starting with a panoramic sunroof that is a key part of the fancy rear-end (we’ll get to that).

There’s also a 15.4-inch central infotainment screen and a digital instrument cluster.

Throw in electric seats, over-the-air software updates and some leather-look trim and it sets the scene for a car brimming with gear.

One thing it’s unlikely to have is a spare wheel, with the under-floor battery pack soaking up plenty of space where that would normally reside.

Beneath the skin is the choice of a single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive, the latter making a combined 440kW and 645Nm, trouncing anything powered by diesel.

The Deepal E07 is so different to anything else on the market, which is part of its appeal.
And it’s the back of the car with its ute-inspired layout that make it so cool.

There’s some cleverness to the way it opens and transforms.

Press the button at the rear and the small vertical glass panel retracts into the tailgate. The heavily raked back window then slowly slides up to sit on top of the panoramic sunroof.

You can then open the tailgate and further extend the rear windscreen to make the rear cargo area fully accessible from outside.

Behind the folding rear seats is a luggage separator with a built-in retracting glass screen.

It allows you to have your load area in the open air while keeping wind and the elements out of the cabin. Or you can fold that down and let the air in to extend the load area up to the backs of the front seats.

The load space is nowhere near as big as a standard ute, but for functionality and space it beats most SUVs.

The E07 also drives more like a well-set-up SUV than a bucking ute.

It rides on independent suspension with adjustable-height air springs.

All of which translates to a functional, spacious machine that drives more like a car than a high rider.

The steering is well calibrated and it sits nicely on the road (or skid pan, as the case was in our very quick spin). And performance is impressive, too.

We drove the dual-motor variant that delivers a beautiful surge of energy and never feels like giving up.
It doesn’t quite feel like 440kW – there’s clearly a lot of weight to shift – but it’ll outdo any traditional ute.

It also promises to go a decent distance between charges, too.

The 89.98kWh battery claims to deliver 520km of WLTP range (560km with the single-motor model, which pulls outputs back to a still respectable 252kW/365Nm).

The Deepal E07’s transformation from an SUV to a ute (of sorts) takes some patience and a bit of button pressing and unlatching.

As well as the buttons to get the tailgate open and glass sliding there’s folding of the back seats and unlatching of the rear divider.

Yes, it’s clever, but it’s also a process. It’s not just like popping the tailgate on an SUV.

It begs the question, how many people will run the E07 as a ute?

The carpeted load area is another item that suggests you won’t want to leave it uncovered in the weather. As such, we’re guessing it’ll spend a lot more time configured in SUV mode.

There’s also a question mark around how much it can carry.

We’re yet to see final specifications for the Australian models but early reports suggest a payload of 300kg, which is about one third of what most utes can carry.

If that turns out to be what the car gets that will obviously limit its load-lugging usefulness.

Deepal says the E07 will be rated to tow, but it can’t say how much.

The closest car on size and intent in the Deepal portfolio is the boxy G318 range-extender off-roader. It’s rated to tow but is limited to 1600kg.

The E07 also has looks that suggest it’ll do its best work on light tracks and formed roads.

While we didn’t get a chance to test it, the hardware suggests it’s better suited to bitumen than rocks and mud.

That said, the additional ride height afforded by the air suspension should at least endow it with decent clearance.

And, of course, we’re yet to test it in the wild.

Whether you should park the Deepal E07 in your driveway will largely depend on its price tag.

The load space cleverness and sleek design makes it a distinctive proposition in a ute market that has stuck to traditional for decades.

Early (brief) drive impressions are positive, too, although we’re not as hopeful for its off-road prowess.

If it undercuts other well-specified dual-cab utes, then it could be an interesting proposition.

But once you’re shelling out upwards of $80,000, there’s a lot of impressive machinery that may not have the breadth of functionality but will arguably do the heavy hauling job more succinctly.

2025 Deepal E07 at a glance:
Price: Estimated from about $80,000
Available: Second half of 2025
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 440kW/645Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 89.98kWh lithium-ion NMC battery
Range: 520km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: N/A
Safety rating: Not tested

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