Changan Deepal S07 (2025 - ) Electric review

Given you’re likely budgeting for your new car on monthly finance or lease rates bottom-line price might seem an outdated measure of cost, but it still matters. Especially when it comes to the £40,000 threshold beyond which all cars – electric or not – are walloped by an ‘expensive car supplement’ adding several hundred pounds to your annual VED (or ‘road tax) bill for the first five years of ownership. No coincidence, then, the single trim level available for the 07 ducks just beneath this, presenting an instant saving over all but base models of rivals from VW, Cupra, Skoda and many like them. If you’re a company driver you’ll still score the favourable Benefit In Kind rates and other incentives as well but savings like this make the S07 look more affordable if you’re buying on your own money. While Chinese origins mean it’s unlikely to score Electric Car Grant savings the Deepal S07 still looks impressively affordable for its size and equipment levels.

A holding score for now, given Changan is a brand-new name on UK roads and we simply don’t know. The seven-year warranty shows faith in its own products, though, and the firm has put all the parts and servicing infrastructure in place BEFORE the 07 has gone on sale, which also helps build confidence the support is there should anything go wrong.

Again, Changan has done the hard miles ahead of launching in Europe and scored itself a full five-star rating with independent testing body NCAP. The pricing structure also means all the safety systems and driver support tech is included as standard, which isn’t always the case on some rivals. Nor is it as intrusive or annoying as it is in some other Chinese-developed equivalents. There’s still a bit too much screen dependency for our liking, but Changan has at least bundled shortcuts to important stuff like lights and mirror adjustment into a menu accessible via a single swipe left on the screen.

The S07 is a big car, with the batteries slung low between the wheels to free up tons of legroom both front and rear. So, there’s plenty of space for driver and passenger as well as those in the back, the flat floor meaning there’s space for the centre seat passenger even if the backrest is a little lumpy compared with those either side. The standard panoramic roof also means decent headroom, the average sized boot paired with a decent ‘frunk’ under what would be the bonnet. Changan’s long-established British R&D presence means much of the set-up has been done on our bumpy roads as well, and this shows in the ride quality and refinement, even if it can get a bit crashy at lower speeds on lumpy urban streets. Wind and road noise can get a bit intrusive at times as well, but in general the S07 is impressively quiet and comfortable on a run.

No trim levels or extras to worry about here, the Deepal S07 coming in one fully-loaded model with everything included, including that panoramic roof, a banging 14-speaker stereo and more. Our test car was a boring grey with an equally understated black interior but funkier options are also available at no extra cost, and the vegan ‘leather’ upholstery looks a lot snazzier in the tan option we saw on some of the other cars. Fit, finish and materials are a cut above the likes of MG, BYD and other Chinese brands - indeed, even a Tesla Model Y will feel a bit low rent in comparison. You’ll still see where the extra money is going in a VW ID.4, or its Skoda Enqaq or Cupra Tavascan relations, though. Your main point of contact with the S07 is, meanwhile, through the giant central screen, which can pivot toward driver or passenger as required. There’s no instrument cluster, speed and clever ‘augmented reality’ nav prompts instead projected onto the windscreen directly into your line of sight. In the Chinese fashion too many of the graphics are fiddly and presented in tiny fonts that are hard to read on the move, and the displays aren’t quite as crisp as some. But the menus are, at least, more logical and easy to use than many, and wireless charging and connection for your phone means it's easy to switch to CarPlay or Android Auto as you prefer.

For now there’s just the one motor and battery combo, but no complaints from us for the sensible balance between performance and range. So, no ludicrous acceleration times or supercar chasing power outputs here. Just a smooth, well-calibrated dollop of silent electric thrust you can enjoy without heads thwacking into seats. A Sport mode is there if you really feel the need to make your passengers turn green with its jerkier reactions but we spent more time in Eco or Comfort, where the S07’s more chilled nature successfully takes the stress out of everyday driving situations. The 80kWh battery is at the bigger end of the scale and the 295-mile official range looks a little conservative on paper but, based on a mixed drive around town and on the motorway, looks a more realistic claim than most.