Omoda 5 Review 2026: Prices, specs & verdict

What is the Omoda 5?

Confused by the sheer quantity of new Chinese cars on the market? Well, the Omoda 5 might be a more familiar face by now.

Omoda is part of the Chery Group that also includes the increasingly popular Jaecoo and Chery brands, but Omoda arrived first, and the 5 was its first model on sale here. That was followed by the powerful Omoda 9 large SUV and, most recently, the spacious Omoda 7 midsize SUV.

With nearly 20,000 cars registered in the UK in 2025, Omoda outsold some serious players – proving that value-for-money can beat brand heritage. The 5 made of most of those sales, and its importance to Omoda has seen it receive a couple of core updates already.

Responding to customer feedback, Omoda has already updated the interior and tweaked the driving experience, and now the 5 also gets a full hybrid option. Does it now have more to offer than merely a low price tag? We’ll find out in our expert review.

Verdict: is the Omoda 5 a good car?

The Omoda 5 is clearly more recommendable now than it was when it first launched. The new hybrid option is miles better for refinement and efficiency, while the improved drive and interior mean it’s a more rounded product.

Nevertheless, cabin space remains mediocre, tech usability still needs improvement and it doesn't drive as well as the best small SUVs. The 5 offers a lot more showroom appeal than a Dacia Duster, but the latter might be easier to live with.

Pricing, specs & rivals

Prices for the Omoda 5 kick off from £23,990 at the time of writing. That makes it well over £6,000 cheaper than an entry-level Nissan Qashqai, but slightly above the starting price of a Renault Captur.

That base price gets you the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine in Knight trim, which has a longer equipment list than most base models. It includes 18in alloys, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a rear-view camera, adaptive cruise control, faux leather upholstery, heated front seats and wireless phone charging.

Upgrading to Noble trim adds £3,500 to the price, but offsets that with 19in black alloys, a 360-degree camera system, an electrically adjustable front passenger seat, a heated steering wheel, an electric tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, a Sony audio upgrade and an air purification system.

The SHS hybrid version of the Omoda 5 starts from £25,740 with the same trim levels, which puts it closely in line with the full hybrid Dacia Duster and Renault Captur E-Tech. You’ll pay significantly more for a Kia Niro Hybrid or even a Nissan Juke Hybrid.

There’s also a fully electric Omoda E5, priced from £33,065. It has strong competition from cars like the Kia EV3, Volvo EX30 and Skoda Elroq.

Rivals

The Omoda 5 is slightly larger than the small SUV norm, but in pricing terms you’ll be considering it alongside cars like the Peugeot 2008, MG ZS, Dacia Duster, Renault Captur and Nissan Juke. The Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona are other options, too.

Top-spec versions encroach into slightly larger models like the Nissan Qashqai and MG HS. There’s also plenty of new Chinese brand alternatives like the Jaecoo 5 and Geely Starray.

Interior comfort, quality & technology

The updated interior design of the Omoda 5 borrows heavily from the all-electric E5, because customers preferred the look and feel of the latter. We’d agree – it’s a more cohesive and better-quality cabin.

Details like the faux leather dash and door trim, chrome trim surrounds and Mercedes-style speaker grilles lift it over the old version to the point that passengers will be surprised when you tell them the 5’s price. It’s not perfect, though, as the fake wood trim is an acquired taste.

Even so, it’s a much more inviting cabin than the plasticky, plain-Jane Dacia Duster’s. It’s still far from perfect, though – you sit too high up on the seat relative to the roof, and the sunroof added on Noble versions clearly impacts headroom for anyone over six-foot.

That raised seating position does mean a good view forwards, at least. But the rear view isn’t great because of wide pillars, the sloping roofline and a small rear window. Sensors and a rear-view camera make this less of an issue when parking, and Noble trim gets a useful 360-degree view.

The same usability issues remain, too. Even though there are a few physical buttons for key features such as the foglights and heated rear window, there’s still too much that needs to be controlled through the touchscreen – and the steering wheel buttons aren’t the easiest to use.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Every Omoda 5 comes with a pair of 12.3in touchscreens blended in a single bezel on top of the dash.

It’s improved over the earliest Omoda system, with more intuitive menus and easier shortcuts for functions such as turning off unwanted driver assists.

But overall, it’s still far from the best system out there. The graphics look a bit dated and the display isn’t all that responsive to the touch, while there’s further work to be done to make it less fiddly to operate on the move.

There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which both work well, but when you’re using them and want to, say, return back to the Omoda menus to change the fan speed, the process it too convoluted. Physical climate controls would really help here.

The digital driver’s display is mostly fine, but with a few too many small fonts making it harder to read on the move than it should be. Still, it’s good that wireless phone charging is standard, while there’s USB-C ports front and rear too.

The standard six-speaker sound system offers reasonable audio quality, but we can see the appeal of the Sony eight-speaker system’s extra punch and clarity.

How practical is the Omoda 5?

The Omoda 5’s dimensions make it approximately 4,400mm long, 1.830mm wide and 1,588mm tall. We say approximately, because the electric and hybrid versions have different front and rear-end designs that makes them a fraction longer.

Externally, then, the Omoda 5 is comparable in size to the Kia Niro, longer than a Renault Captur and a chunk smaller than full-size family SUVs like the Hyundai Tucson.

A Niro is noticeably roomier than the 5 inside, however. Legroom is okay up front, but those over six-foot will feel a little claustrophobic because headroom is at a premium. In fact, this 6 foot 2 tester’s head was brushing the roof even with the driver’s seat in its lowest setting. At least there’s enough cabin width to avoid brushing elbows.

Things aren’t much better in the back. Legroom is acceptable, but again six-footers will find sitting behind a driver of similar size a real squeeze. Headroom is a bigger issue for tall passengers, though – they’ll struggle to sit up straight, and the top of the door opening is lower than the roof so they’ll need to duck to get in and out.

Headroom is even more restricted for models equipped with the panoramic sunroof. If you’re carrying children, or smaller adults for short trips, the Omoda will be fine. But given the external size of the 5 we were expecting more space.

Storage and boot space

Storage in the Omoda 5 is pretty good. You’ll find decent sized door bins, a good glovebox and a deep centre armrest cubby that’s also ventilated to help keep drinks cool. There’s also a lower storage area under the centre console, along with smaller compartments for odds and ends.

In the rear you get the usual map pockets in the front seatbacks, a couple of cupholders in the centre armrest and some decent sized door bins. The doors don’t open all that wide, though, and with space a bit tight larger rear-facing child seats may be a squeeze.

With a boot capacity of 380 litres, the Omoda 5 is underwhelming in terms of luggage space even for a small SUV. Cars like the MG ZS, Dacia Duster and even the Nissan Juke all offer roomier boots.

The load area is long but quite shallow, and there isn’t anywhere to store the parcel shelf. Also, while it’s great to see a spare wheel in a new car (many don’t offer one) you do lose all underfloor storage as a result.

Still, the boot opening is square, and the 5 should be more than capable of dealing with a typical supermarket shop or short break luggage.

Performance & drive: What is the Omoda 5 like on the road?

The Omoda 5 originally launched in 2024 with a surprisingly powerful 186hp 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine option, along with the all-electric E5.

In 2026, the range expanded with an ‘SHS-H hybrid model, while the petrol engine’s power output reduces to 147hp – presumably to bring its performance level below the new hybrid option to make it clearer for buyers.

Mated solely to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the old petrol model was quick but made a bit of a racket when revved and was hampered by a gearbox that needed finessing.

We’ve yet to drive the latest version, but the lower power reduces the 0-62mph time from a sprightly 7.8 seconds to a mediocre 10.1 seconds. That’s perfectly adequate for a budget SUV, but fuel economy remains poor.

We reckon the ‘SHS-H’ hybrid version is a much better bet for most motorists. It mates a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine with two electric motors, and a new hybrid transmission that, like Honda’s hybrid set-up, usually acts as a generator for the electric motors but can power the wheels directly through a single-speed gear if needed.

Despite being 100kg heavier than the petrol model, performance is decently quick – certainly plenty for the target market. More importantly, you barely feel or hear the engine working until you floor the throttle – when cruising about it feels mostly like an EV.

Power, 0-62mph times (H4)

• Omoda 5 1.6T: 147hp, 10.1 secs
• Omoda 5 SHS-H: 224hp, 7.9 secs

Ride and handling

Omoda has also given the 5’s suspension and steering a workover for 2026. It needed it, because the early version felt a bit unfinished with lots of body roll yet an unsettled ride.

Things are better in this latest version, but still nowhere near the small SUV class best. It’s more controlled in the bends, with less body roll and keen steering that gives reasonable agility.

However, the ride is still a little fidgety over less-than-perfect tarmac. A 2008 or even a Dacia Duster gives you a better comfort compromise, but buyers of the old 5 will welcome the changes.

Noise and refinement

The hybrid Omoda 5 is noticeably more hushed in the engine bay than the old petrol model, even under acceleration. It’ll still make a bit of a din under sustained full throttle, but most of the time the engine is barely audible.

Neither tyre noise or wind noise is overly intrusive, but both are somewhat noticeable. Family SUV rivals are better, but then the price tag is considerably bigger.

Euro NCAP: is the Omoda 5 a safe car?

The Omoda 5 was crash tested by Euro NCAP back in 2022, receiving the maximum five-star rating from the safety body. That’s significantly better than the three stars the Dacia Duster achieved.

 87% scores for adult and child occupant protection are above average for the class, although not quite at the level of the Nissan Qashqai. A 68% score for vulnerable road user protection is a bit disappointing, but the high safety assist score should help you avoid such a collision in the first place.

Every Omoda 5 comes with front and rear autonomous emergency braking along with lane keep assistance, intelligent speed assistance, blind-spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring, a safe exit alert and an impressive 11 airbags. 

Running costs and fuel economy

The petrol version of the Omoda 5 is the cheapest in terms of list price, but it certainly won’t be the cheapest to run.

An official WLTP combined figure of 31.1mpg is well off the pace by new small SUV standards, meaning unless you simply must have the entry-level car we’d advise you to step up to the hybrid model.

The SHS hybrid promises a much more competitive 53.3mpg in the same WLTP test. That’s not far off the MG ZS and Dacia Duster hybrids, and given you’re also gaining in terms of performance it’s comfortably the best option.

With CO2 emissions of around 170g/km for the petrol and 120g/km for the hybrid, neither car is going to be top of the list of most people’s company car choices. The all-electric Omoda E5 is more likely to, however.

How much does the Omoda 5 cost to insure?

The Omoda 5 starts in insurance group 27 for the 1.6 petrol in Knight trim, rising to group 28 for all other models. That’s fractionally higher than the Jaecoo 5 and significantly more than cars like the Dacia Duster and MG ZS.

Omoda may be a fast growing brand, but it’s new arrival in the UK means insurers lack data on the cars and it make be harder to source parts for repair, which results in higher groups. Omoda claims to be working with insurers to address this.