What Is The Omoda 9?
Omoda is a new automotive brand from the Chinese parent company, Chery. In September alone, Omoda and its sister brand sold more than 10,000 cars in the UK, an incredible figure for a new market entrant.
The Omoda 9 SHS is the brand’s luxurious plug-in hybrid SUV competing with cars like the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60. It has an excellent electric range, is quick, and is packed with technology. But is it worth spending the cash on?
Here are five things you should know before considering the 2026 Omoda 9 SHS
The 2026 Omoda 9 SHS Has An Excellent Electric Range
Like the Jaecoo 7, the Omoda 9 SHS (Super Hybrid System) is the brand’s flagship SUV. It’s competitively priced, packed with technology and features distinctive styling.
As for its electric range, Omoda quotes 93 miles from its 34.5kWh battery; however, I only saw 87 miles when the battery was fully charged, which is still impressive. With a full tank of fuel and a fully charged battery, its readout displayed an overall range of 610 miles.
Leaving my house with 607 miles of overall range and 87 miles of electric range, I arrived home after a 62-mile run with 580 miles of overall range left and 14 miles of electric range. The car returned 3.4mi/kWh when running solely on electric power.
Its powertrain won’t let the battery fall below 20 per cent thanks to the clever hybrid system. When the battery level drops, it fires up the 1.5-litre petrol engine, causing the Omoda 9 to function like a self-charging hybrid, similar to a Toyota.
Of course, the Omoda 9 will also charge at 70kW DC, meaning a 30-80 per cent charge takes around 25 minutes. Throughout the week, however, I charged it via my Easee One 7.4kW wallbox, which took four hours and 35 minutes to go from 14 per cent to full and used 34.7kWh of electricity. The charge time would’ve been shorter if the engine had a chance to charge the battery to 20 per cent.
The 2026 Omoda 9 SHS Is Packed With Tech
Cars are becoming increasingly expensive, and few manufacturers provide bang for buck.
Luckily, the Omoda has a more than generous standard tech list, featuring wireless phone charging, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a 540-degree camera system, a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat and a four-way electrically adjustable passenger seat, a panoramic sunroof, a 14-speaker Sony audio system and a heads-up display.
There’s one trim level and no optional packages, meaning buyers only need to choose a colour—nice and simple.
Unlike its Jaecoo 7 sibling, physical buttons in the Omoda 9’s cabin control temperature, fan speed and drive modes, although most of the settings reside in 12.3-inch touchscreen, which is responsive to the touch and is fairly easy to use.
One thing I loved was the nifty parking lights. We’ve all been there. You park up, run errands, and when you return to the parking lot, you’ve forgotten where you left your car. If it’s nearby, pressing the unlock button on the key causes its front and rear light bars to strobe until you approach it.
The 2026 Omoda 9 Is Quiet And Quick
Being a hybrid, the Omoda 9 will run on electric power until a certain speed before the petrol engine kicks in. This means it’s remarkably quiet around town. Under harsh acceleration, the engine remains hushed, and although there’s notable tyre noise at speed, it’s not too bothersome. In all, the Omoda 9 is smooth and calming.
Its real wheels are driven by an electric motor while the front wheels are powered both by a motor and the engine, and when everything is working together, it produces 443bhp and 516lb ft. This means 0-62mph arrives in just 4.9 seconds.
The 2026 Omoda 9 Is Cheap
Omoda has four cars in its lineup: the Omoda 5, E5, 7 and 9. The 9 tested here costs £44,990, but what makes its price so compelling is the flexible monthly payments.
With a £2,500 deposit, the Omoda 9 will cost £596 per month on a PCP deal. The monthly instalments can be increased to 84 months if you so choose, and a larger deposit can be placed.
However, you can buy a Hyundai Tucson PHEV for similar money and the MG HS PHEV for drastically less. Likewise, it feels hard to justify when compared with cars like the Volkswagen Passat PHEV—do you really need all that SUV-ness offered by the Omoda 9?