New Omoda 5 SHS-H 2026 review: hybrid boosts appeal, but efficiency disappoints

Verdict

The Omoda 5 SHS-H certainly gives the small crossover extra appeal and makes it a tough competitor against the usual mix of established hybrid-powered rivals. It gets loads of equipment and has an attractive price tag, but real-world efficiency promised by that new full-hybrid powertrain doesn’t live up to expectations and there are more practical alternatives to choose from. 

Out of Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda it was the latter that arrived first in the UK back in the summer of 2024, with the Omoda 5. In its first full year, the firm managed to sell almost 20,000 cars, and while that’s not quite as much as its luxury-oriented Jaecoo sibling brand (28,000), it showed that Omoda is certainly one Chinese brand to be reckoned with. 

With rivals arriving thick and fast in the past 18 months, not just from within the Chery International group but also from the recently updated Kia Niro, BYD Atto 2 and Leapmotor B10, the Omoda 5 has had its work cut out. It’s been fighting on two fronts, with pure petrol and all-electric ‘E5’ variants, but Omoda has decided there’s strength in depth by introducing a new full-hybrid called the SHS-H.

While Omoda doesn’t state it on its website, SHS-H actually stands for ‘Super Hybrid System - Hybrid’. Silly name aside, the full-hybrid shows promise on paper. Revealed as recently as October 2025, it’s a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with a small electric motor and 1.83kWh battery pack. It’s not connected in any way to the MG ZS Hybrid’s unit, which strangely enough has the same-size battery and engine. Power in the Omoda goes to the front wheels via a dedicated hybrid transmission called (DHT) - something we’ve seen in a few plug-in hybrid cars from the Chery group already. 

The system works in a similar fashion to Toyota’s hybrid set-ups, with the petrol engine recharging that small battery. The SHS-H isn’t designed for a large amount of electric-only driving (and Omoda doesn’t provide a range estimate anyway), although the firm claims 52.2mpg is possible on a combined cycle - way up from the woeful 34.5mpg the petrol car provides. 

That economy figure isn’t quite up to the MG ZS Hybrid’s 55.4mpg and the Dacia Duster Hybrid 155 - which beats them both with a 61.4mpg average fuel economy, despite its larger 1.8-litre engine and smaller 1.4kWh battery. After testing in some mixed driving, we found the Omoda 5 SHS-H returned 44.3mpg. Economy was at its best on a gentle cruise – it was the lack of any meaningful low-speed electric running that appeared to hurt its efficiency. 

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On the move, the Omoda 5 SHS-H is notably more refined than the petrol car, which sounds coarse under hard acceleration. The four-cylinder in the hybrid model still isn’t the quietest, although it’s silent when you’re cruising because it’s seldom required. There’s audible wind and road noise in the Omoda 5, but considering the segment and rivals it's competing against, it’s not too invasive. 

Even though it comes with a new hybrid system, the Omoda 5 SHS-H doesn’t pay too much of a weight penalty – it weighs only 11kg more than the petrol model, at 1,535kg. With 201bhp on board it’s sprightly, getting to 62mph in just under eight seconds, although the rest of the driving dynamics aren’t as impressive. 

We’re yet to drive a Chery, Omoda or Jaecoo on top of the widely used T1X platform that delivers fun from behind the wheel. The Omoda 5’s chassis has been developed in Europe and benchmarked against the likes of the Hyundai Kona, with suspension, anti-roll bars and the steering all undergoing fettling compared to the models sold in China. Beyond this, Omoda changed the 5’s front suspension geometry, added new wheel hubs, revised the steering and even changed the brake lines - all of which come on the new hybrid version. 

As a result we found the Omoda 5 certainly more capable than the larger Omoda 7, with body roll far better contained in the smaller car. The 5 also seemed to ride better as potholes and speed bumps become pretty manageable, although overall comfort is tarnished by the high-riding driving position. If you’re over six feet tall and opt for the Noble trim level, which crucially gets a sunroof, then headroom is impeded to the point where you’re almost brushing the ceiling with your head.

Space inside the Omoda isn’t great overall. Tall adults will just about have enough legroom in the back, but headroom, again, is at a premium. Boot space stands at a reasonable 370 litres - the same as the electric E5 but 10 litres less than the petrol version’s.

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As part of the 2025 update, the pure-petrol Omoda 5 gets the same dashboard design as the E5, which is carried over to the new full hybrid. It’s pretty conventional, with responsive twin 12.3-inch displays, although the touchscreen is mounted a little too far away, so you have to stretch to use it. 

Elsewhere, there are elements taken from other Omoda and Chery models, especially the new Chery Tiggo 4 - which comes with the same steering wheel, twin display and even the new SHS-H powertrain. 

As for interior quality, the Omoda feels pretty solid. We’re still awaiting Omoda to appear in the Driver Power survey for owners to tell us how reliable the brand’s cars are, but we think the 5 will rank well for build quality. There weren’t any significant rattles or creaks during our drive, and most of the materials in the cabin felt sturdy enough, a leather-trimmed dash and chrome surround on the air vents are nice touches too. One aspect we didn’t like were the two blanked-off buttons on the back of the centre console – strange considering we were in the top-spec version. 

As standard you get 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lights front and rear, heated front seats, a wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a voice control system. That’s for the £25,740 Knight, whereas our Noble version costs £3,500 more. For the additional outlay you get ambient lighting, synthetic leather seats, a heated leather steering wheel, a 540-degree camera, a powered bootlid and heated and ventilated front seats. There’s also an eight-speaker sound system from Sony - who provide audio for Cherys and Jaecoos too, though we found it to be a tad muffled in the Omoda 5.

Being a fledgling Chinese car brand, Omoda has work to do to instill the faith in its new customer base and one of the ways it’s doing this is through an impressive warranty period. All Omodas come with a seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty with an extra year for the battery in electrified models like the SHS-H. 

The main issue for the Omoda 5 SHS-H comes from within the Chery group stable. The Chery Tiggo 4 promises even more practicality (thanks to a bigger boot), a similar amount of technology and the same full-hybrid powertrain, all for a smidge under £20,000. 

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