Chery Tiggo 9 review
The Chery Tiggo 9 offers space, comfort and a strong plug-in hybrid system at a keen price
Our opinion on the Chery Tiggo 9
As we’ve become quickly accustomed to from a Chery, the Tiggo 9 offers great equipment levels, competitive pricing and an impressive plug-in hybrid system. The driving experience lets the Tiggo 9 down slightly, but most big families will happily overlook that aspect. Being a family-oriented SUV, it faces competition from within the Chery stable, because the Tiggo 8 PHEV is almost as practical, but costs a lot less. We’d also like a bit more choice when it comes to the Tiggo 9’s trim levels, paints and options in general - but for a first-time flagship the Tiggo 9 is a compelling offer.
About the Chery Tiggo 9
Chery's attempt to take on the UK market started with the Tiggo 7 – a family SUV designed to rival the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, which was followed by the larger Tiggo 8 SUV. Soon, we’ll have the B-segment Tiggo 4 SUV to challenge cars such as the VW T-Cross and act as an entry-point to Chery’s range, but at the other end of the spectrum is the new Tiggo 9, a range-topping SUV which comes exclusively with plug-in hybrid power and a seven-seat capacity.
There are a few SUVs that occupy a similar space to the Chery, including the Peugeot 5008, Volkswagen Tayron, Skoda Kodiaq, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento. Of these, only the Peugeot, Hyundai and Kia come with the combination of seven seats and plug-in hybrid technology.
While it might seem difficult to keep up with the masses of new models coming out of China, Chery has at least kept the structure of the Tiggo 9 line-up simple. There’s just one ‘Summit’ specification and one plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Chery Tiggo 9 prices and latest deals
The Chery Tiggo 9’s price tag of around £43,100 means it’s roughly £15,000 cheaper than the Santa Fe plug-in hybrid and over £5,000 less than the Sorento, so its closest rival on price is the cheapest version of the Peugeot 5008 PHEV, which costs around £43,400. The Tiggo 9 is also just over £10,000 more expensive than the plug-in hybrid version of the Tiggo 8 - another seven-seater and well worth a look if you don’t want to sacrifice practicality while saving money.
Being the biggest Chery yet, it’s only right that the Tiggo 9 comes with the biggest discounts and right now you can save on a brand-new Tiggo 9 when buying through the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
Performance & driving experience
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The Tiggo 9 sits on the same T1X platform as the Tiggo 8, but the ‘Chery Super Hybrid’ plug-in hybrid unit is a little different to the one in its smaller sibling. It’s got way more power, a much bigger battery and longer range as a result. There’s still a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a three-speed gearbox, but it’s mated to three electric motors (two at the front and one at the rear) for 428bhp and all-wheel drive.
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| Chery Tiggo 9 Summit | 428bhp | 5.4 seconds | 112mph |
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
The Tiggo 9 mostly feels like an EV to drive, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise when you factor in the colossal (for a PHEV) 34kWh battery, which provides a WLTP range of 91 miles on electric power only. The powertrain prioritises electric-only running in all of its modes, so there’s always instant yet smooth power available.
Town driving, visibility and parking
The Tiggo 9 is a big car and it feels its size from behind the wheel – a sensation emphasised by the overly light steering, long bonnet and hyper-responsive brake pedal. The softly sprung suspension doesn’t help in this regard either, because at low speeds the Tiggo 9 can wallow around. However, the turning circle (11.2 metres) is very compact for a car like the Tiggo 9, so we didn’t find it too much trouble to manoeuvre it around tight spots.
Country road driving and handling
Chery has clearly set the Tiggo 9 up to provide a comfortable, refined driving experience rather than one that bristles with feel and excitement. The driving mode selector takes up a rather large piece of the centre console, although switching between the usual mix of Sport, Normal and Eco modes doesn’t have much effect on how the Tiggo 9 drives; Sport mode makes the throttle response a touch too keen and that’s about it. The ‘EV’ and ‘HEV’ buttons for pure-electric driving or to force the petrol engine to kick in will see more regular use, we think.
Should you tackle a corner with some verve, the Tiggo 9 will roll around and make you acutely aware of its high centre of gravity. The steering isn’t quick enough to give you confidence when chucking the big Chery around, although we don’t have any complaints about overall grip levels. At least the Tiggo 9 can shrug off momentum decently well at high speeds, but as you come to a stop, there’s a jerkiness to the brakes.
In addition to those aforementioned drive modes, the AWD system can be put into Snow, Sand and Off-Road settings - which our East Sussex location sadly didn’t allow us to test.
Motorway driving and long-distance comfort
At higher speeds, the ride remains floaty and there’s an occasional patter through the wheels on broken surfaces – we certainly wouldn’t want to specify rims larger than the standard 20 inches. Rivals from Skoda and Kia can smooth out uneven road surfaces, but we don’t think anyone driving the Tiggo 9 will hear any complaints - even if there are six other passengers on board.
With the focus on electric power, the Tiggo 9 is impressively quiet most of the time. When the petrol engine is coaxed into life, either by charging the battery at a very slow rate or for extra power, it’s a little bit gruff-sounding, which isn’t helped by the otherwise refined experience of pure-EV driving. Wind noise is kept to a minimum thanks to acoustic windows, but there is a bit of road noise from the big wheels and tyres.
MPG & running costs
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Like any plug-in hybrid, the claimed mpg figure is wildly optimistic. The Tiggo 9 will always keep some battery in reserve so you’ll have to try quite hard to get it under the 40mpg mark. On a long run with low battery (under 30 per cent) we saw an average of more than 50mpg.
| Model | MPG | CO2 | Insurance group |
| Chery Tiggo 9 Summit | 470.8mpg | 14g/km | 44 |
Electric range, battery life and charge time
The Tiggo 9’s battery is larger than those in some pure EVs, including the Dacia Spring and BYD Dolphin Surf, so as a result it sits between the Chery’s front and rear wheels, rather than under the boot floor, as in most plug-in hybrids.
While the petrol engine charges the battery when it drops to 20 per cent capacity, you can also plug it in and there’s an excellent 71kW maximum charge rate to provide a 30 to 80 per cent top-up in roughly 18 minutes. That’s way quicker than most plug-in hybrids, which tend to accept a maximum 11kW charge. Unlike the Peugeot 5008 PHEV, the Tiggo 9 also has vehicle-to-load capability, so you can charge things like laptops and camping gear from a 6.6kW output.
| Model | Battery size | Range | Insurance group |
| Chery Tiggo 9 Summit | 34kWh | 91 miles | 44 |
Insurance groups
Being in group 44, the Chery Tiggo 9 will be more expensive to insure than its rivals. The Volkswagen Tayron eHybrid sits in group 29, the Kia Sorento PHEV group 31 and the Skoda Kodiaq PHEV in group 24.
Tax
The Tiggo 9 sits in the 10 per cent bracket for company car tax thanks to its low emissions. Annual VED road tax will be £195, but with a list price of over £40,000, the Tiggo 9 is subject to the luxury car tax supplement, meaning you’ll have to pay an extra £425 every year for the first five years. With tax benefits in mind, the smaller Tiggo 8 looks more appealing, because it sits well below this threshold.
Depreciation
Our residual value experts think the Tiggo 9 will retain 48.5 per cent of its value after three years and 36,000 miles. That’s two per cent better than plug-in hybrid versions of the Tiggo 8, but way off the likes of the Tayron eHybrid and Santa Fe plug-in hybrid - which are in the mid-50s.
Interior, design & technology
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The Tiggo 9 – as we’ve found with the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 – is superbly appointed, despite its keen pricing.
In the single ‘Summit’ trim, there are heated and ventilated leather seats front and rear, a powered tailgate, and 540-degree cameras that offer decent clarity and automatic parking. Instead of making their own sound system, as other Chinese brands such as IM have done, Chery has put a a 14-speaker Sony stereo in the Tiggo 9 and it sounds fantastic, plus there’s a panoramic glass roof (which didn’t creak, unlike the one in the Tiggo 8 we tested). If you want this kind of kit in the Peugeot 5008 PHEV you’ll be looking at the GT version, which costs £3,835 more.
The choice of paint finishes is pretty limited. White is the only no cost option, while black, grey and green are all £500, with the matte grey costing £750.
Interior and dashboard design
Inside, the cabin design is a bit more swish than it is in the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8, although it’s still pretty minimalist. Plus, with just one colour option (black on black), it’s a little bland - we sadly don’t have the option of the beige and black, or white and beige interiors available in other markets.
Materials and build quality
Overall quality is good. The faux wood-grain dash has a nice, textured feel, scratchy plastics are reserved for trims low down in the cabin and around the rearmost seats, and the seats themselves are nicely upholstered and comfortable. Heated seat buttons and a climate control panel for the middle-row passengers are classy touches as well.
Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo
Chery proudly states that the infotainment on the 15.6-inch central touchscreen is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip – which means a lightning-quick response to inputs and the ability to flick through menus rapidly.
The main screen isn’t perfect, however. To use the ‘control centre’ menu of the Tiggo 9 (to do things such as schedule charging, switch driving modes, adjust screen brightness and select hill-descent control) you have to swipe down, which occasionally requires a couple of attempts. Both the main display and 10.25-inch driver’s display are clear and have easy-to-follow menu layouts, but we did have to position the steering wheel fairly high up in order for the driver’s screen to be unobstructed.
With almost zero physical controls available, Chery puts the onus on using its voice assistance programme. Unfortunately it’s not the best system we’ve encountered, and simple instructions like turning on the heated steering wheel or setting the ambient temperature can flummox it.
“The Tiggo 9 has a grown-up look and feel inside. Being a new brand I can see why Chery has limited the customisation of its car thus far, but hopefully it’ll bring some more creativity as it gains a foothold in the UK market.” - Alastair Crooks, senior news reporter.
Boot space & practicality
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The Tiggo 9 will work well as a family SUV. There are loads of storage areas – including a split-opening section under the front armrest that’s big enough to store water bottles upright, large door bins (that can also cater for large bottles) and electrically operated sliding and reclining middle-row seats.
Dimensions and size
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| Model | Chery Tiggo 9 | Peugeot 5008 | Hyundai Santa Fe |
| Length | 4,810mm | 4,791mm | 4,830mm |
| Width | 1,925mm | 1,895mm | 1,900mm |
| Height | 1,741mm | 1,694mm | 1,780mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,800mm | 2,901mm | 2,815mm |
| Boot space | 143/448/2,021 litres | 259/1,815 litres | 628-1,959 litres |
Seats & passenger space
As you’d expect from its size, the Tiggo 9 is very spacious inside. There’s loads of room for tall adults to get comfortable in the front and middle seats, even if you decide to slide the middle row forwards. The middle also folds in a 60:40 split.
The third-row seats are designed mainly with kids in mind, but for short journeys, even adults will be able to fit back there. Weirdly, despite the Tiggo 9 being almost nine centimetres longer than the Tiggo 8, we didn’t find the third row any roomier than in Chery’s cheaper seven-seater. The rearmost side windows are a little small, but the third-row occupants are not completely forgotten about, because they have cup-holders and storage compartments.
The same problem with the seats we found in the Tiggo 8 is still present with the Tiggo 9. The middle row’s split is clearly designed for left-hand-drive cars, so if you want to jump into the third row, you’ll have to get in via the driver’s side - something parents won’t appreciate.
Boot space
The boot space in the Tiggo 9 is impressive, but there’s not a noticeable difference over the Tiggo 8. With all three rows in place, there’s 26 extra litres - which is enough for two small suitcases, but way down on the boot space in the Peugeot 5008. There’s no underfloor storage for the charging cables either, which is a shame.
Towing
Despite the Chery having an AWD system, masses of torque (580Nm) and a rather substantial 2,233kg kerbweight, the towing capacity stands at a fairly average 1,500kg. That’s 300kg less than the Skoda Kodiaq PHEV, but 400kg more than the Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV.
Reliability & safety
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While the Chery Tiggo 9 hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP yet, results from the smaller Tiggo 8 might give us a clue as to how the Tiggo 9 will perform. The Tiggo 8 received four out of five stars from Euro NCAP with pretty even scores throughout the board.
The Tiggo 9 should do well in the Euro NCAP’s safety assist section, thanks to standard-fit adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, emergency lane-keep assist and a host of other features.
It’s too early for us here in the UK to gain real-world data on how Chery owners are faring, but the warranty on the Tiggo 9’s battery lasts for eight years or 100,000 miles, with the rest of the car being covered by a relatively lengthy seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty.
Buying and owning
- Best buy: Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid
There’s only one trim, but the Tiggo 9 is extremely well equipped. Even if Chery decides to bring out a non-PHEV version, as it’s done with the smaller Tiggo 8, the sheer amount of electric range on offer makes the flagship tremendously appealing.
Chery Tiggo 9 alternatives
None of the Chery Tiggo 9’s seven-seat rivals can get close to its all-electric range, but if you don’t fancy a plug-in hybrid, there are lots of great options for transporting seven people. The Nissan X-Trail will give you a more engaging drive, and if the SUV bodystyle isn’t an absolute must, there’s the Volkswagen Multivan - although you’ll pay a handsome premium over the Chery.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Chery Tiggo 9 comes with a seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty with the battery covered for an extra year.
Deals on the Tiggo 9 and alternatives
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