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Back in 2024, the Omoda 5 aimed to offer something just a little different for customers seeking a compact family hatch or smaller crossover SUV. Here, we look at the combustion petrol version of this Chinese contender, which seems to offer a strong value proposition. If you like the looks, this might be a tempting used buy.
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Detailed ratings
Medium-Sized Family Hatch-Based SUVs
History
The Omoda brand is part of the Chery group, probably the biggest Chinese automotive player you've never heard of. And this aspiring marque launched in the UK back in 2024 with this compact family hatch / crossover model, the Omoda 5.
Chery is China's biggest car exporter, which is quite an achievement when you consider the other heavyweight manufacturers based there - names you might be more familiar with like BYD, the SAIC corporation's MG marque, GWM Ora and Nio.
Omoda is a name derived from two sources; 'O' is for 'oxygen' (supposed to give an enviro-vibe) and 'moda' denotes fashion, apparently keynote for a marque that aims to focus on trendiness. To start with this Omoda 5, the Chinese brand decided to give us a choice of either a straightforward combustion petrol powerplant or the all-electric E5 variant. Either way, this was a car sized and pitched to appeal to customers of both family hatchbacks and light compact crossovers. Initially, the 1.6-litre petrol version we focus on here offered a sprightly 190PS, but this was throttled back to 147PS as part of a 2025 model year update in a (largely fruitless) attempt to improve efficiency. At the same time, the base spec was changed from 'Comfort' to 'Knight', though top-spec versions continued to be badged 'Noble'. So is it worth taking a chance on this Oriental newcomer? Let's check out the early versions of the conventional petrol variant as a used buy.
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What you get
Omoda is determined that fashionable design should be a major selling point of its models, which is why you'd be unlikely to mistake the Omoda 5 for anything else. With the combustion version of this car, the main visual talking point is its huge, strikingly intricate grille.
Inside, the shiny, slightly chintzy feel of the cabin decor clearly betrays this interior design as Far Eastern rather than European - but you might like that. As is the fashion these days, a single wide panel mounted on top of the dashboard houses both of the required screens, which in this case are each 10.25-inches in size.
Most of what you'll need to know is on the central monitor, which has a homescreen that displays in either rows of icons or (rather small) customisable 'widgets' - we've got nav, radio, battery charge, vehicle settings and phone ones here.
You might think the general lack of physical buttons is good; we don't. The driving position seems a touch high-set and we found that unless you position the squared-off wheel unnaturally high, you can't see the whole of the instrument screen. But otherwise, the ergonomics seem fine and the sculpted seats are quite comfortable.
In the rear, it's a pity that the bench doesn't slide, nor does its backrest recline. But leg room is OK and, thanks to a low central tunnel, it'd be easier to fit in a third-middle-seated adult if you absolutely had to than it usually is with a car of this class. But the small rear windows, dark trimming and sloping roof line all make it feel a touch claustrophobic, with the latter issue severely limiting headroom, so lanky occupants might struggle. With both powertrains, the manually-lifted tailgate rises to reveal a 380-litre space - which is certainly more family hatch-like; but we'll take that in return for the standard provision under the boot floor of something you almost never see these days; a full-sized spare wheel.
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What to look for
We've come across various things to look out for. Several owners have reported jerkiness from the 7-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox, so check for this on the test drive. There have also been reports of infotainment screen freezing and over-aggressive driver assistance systems. In a few cases, software bugs have caused a shut-down of all the vehicle's systems. An early recall was issued regarding faulty welding on the rear axle; check that this has been attended to. We've also heard of persistent cabin rattles. Otherwise, it's just the usual things; look out for stone chips and alloy wheel scratches. And insist on a fully stamped-up service history.
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Replacement parts
[Omoda 5 1.6 petrol - autodoc.co.uk - ex-VAT] Omoda parts prices are pretty affordable. Here are some examples; Service Kit (Oil, Air & Pollen Filters) £10-£70 depending on brand bundles. Front Brake Pads - £25-£90 for an axle set. Front Brake Discs £35-£120 per pair. Spark Plugs £8-£20 per plug. Wiper Blades - £10-£25 per pair.
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On the road
The Chery Group clearly didn't waste much of its development time on the combustion Omoda 5 option, which was covered off by an old-tech 1.6-litre four cylinder petrol turbo unit that the Chinese conglomerate bought in from Austrian supplier AVL. That front-driven engine creates a notably inefficient confection, as you'd expect it might given that it's unelectrified and has to propel nearly one and a half tonnes of Oriental metalwork.
On the plus side, that petrol powerplant develops quite a lot more power than you'd expect from a car at this price point - 190PS with 275Nm of torque in early versions - so 62mph is dispatched quite a bit more quickly than with obvious rivals; 7.8s en route to 128mph - the kind of top speed a family hatch EV driver can these days only dream about. That output was throttled back to just 147PS as part of a 2025 model year update. The 1.6-litre unit was paired with a Getrag-sourced 7-speed dual clutch auto gearbox, though on the road, you'll find that this transmission's indecisiveness sometimes hurts the drivetrain's general driveability and it tends to hunt around its ratios. It isn't suited to towing either, with a braked towing capacity of just 750kgs.
The ride's slightly on the firm side, but that does at least mean that body roll's well controlled at speed through the turns, though the syrupy steering feel won't encourage you to put that to the test. Omoda claimed that the suspension, steering and anti-roll bars were all re-tuned over the Chinese market model to cater for differing European tastes.
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Overall
This is a Chinese idea of what an aspirational compact family hatch should be, rather than a European one. Still, if you're after something that's just a little bit different from the Qashqai or Kona-class compact family SUV that everyone else in your street has; and all you really want is a fully equipped, well-warrantied, decently built and metronomically reliable little family second car, we can see why you might consider one of these, were you to be acquainted with the fact that it existed in the first place.
There are clearly more polished products out there from this era in this segment. But arguably, not too many more interesting ones.
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