OMODA 7 (2026 – ) review

The quoted fuel efficiency figures are eye-watering, with stats of over 500mpg claimed. As ever, these figures are only possible if you keep the battery charged and make good use of the car’s 56 miles of EV range. The usual rules apply. Which is to say charging at home is more cost-effective and uses your home energy tariff, while public charging puts you at the mercy of the company who owns the box. We drove the top-spec hybrid model on a 30-mile test loop in the Oxford countryside and felt the car switching between petrol and electric power with negligible impact on the remaining range indicator. The variable regenerative braking was also rather good at putting miles back in the battery. So, it’s efficient, it doesn’t cost as much as some competitors, and it does all the same things they do just as well. We’re sucking air in through our teeth right now!

Omoda knows that to win the trust of customers a big warranty is a good start, so the 7 gets the company’s excellent seven-year warranty. Which is way longer than any average lease contract length (usually around two to five years) and will keep you in a nice state of worry-free driving. The company has access to a network of shared dealerships with partner brand Jaecoo, meaning you probably won’t have far to go if anything untoward happens.

We always raise an eyebrow when we get told that the more annoying bings and bongs will be deactivated before we get in the car at a manufacturer launch event. How annoying could they be if they need to deactivate the sounds immediately? So… we reactivated some of them once left alone, and they were annoying, but this is a prevalent issue on many modern cars. Anyway, lessons have been learned from the Omoda 9, and that’s clear in places like the 7’s driver information display behind the steering wheel is better organised, sharper and rarely obscured by your hands. Overall visibility is also improved with larger door mirrors and less intrusive B-pillars opening up the blind spots. A package of 19 active safety systems, including forward collision warnings, emergency braking, congestion assistance and rear collision warnings, is enhanced by beefed-up passive safety including a full complement of airbags and a strengthened chassis. So, three vehicles in, criticism taken on board, and Omoda has a car that is comfortable AND reassuring to drive. Just remember to turn off the annoying chimes.

With the 7 Omoda wants you to think you’re getting into a car worth more than you paid for it. We think they’ve done quite well, because it is a nice interior. There’s a stripped-back, all screens and no buttons feel at first glance, but we were delighted to see actual physical climate control and drive mode selector switches once settled in. And settling in is very easy, because at the base Noble trim level you get a spacious cabin filled with synthetic leather and piano black plastics. You also get a heated synthetic leather steering wheel with tasteful buttons and roller balls to navigate the menus. Gamer-style leather chairs that snuggle you in and support your head, back and neck… you just get them. And they’re fully power adjustable. But wait, there’s more, because you also get a wireless charging mat for your phone just casually plonked in the long centre console. Which itself is full of lidded compartments to stash your bits in. Step up to the top Knight trim level and that’s when you get the powered sunroof, ambient lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, and … we can’t believe we’re typing these words … an air-conditioning fragrance system that pumps your choice of smells into the car from ‘scent cartridges’. Turns out a fragrance pump is one of those features you don’t really know you need until your car ALWAYS smells of flowers. Ultimately, it’s a fine cabin that feels well put together, spacious enough for a family of five, and has gamer seats!

The equipment list is generous on the car’s two (brilliantly-named) trim levels Noble and Knight. Noble gets things like 19-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, privacy glass, a sharp nearly-nine-inch driver information display behind the steering wheel, the big 15.6-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, two-zone air-con, and a very useful 540-degree panoramic camera. Spend the extra money to jump up to Knight and swap out the wheels for 20-inch alloys, a Sony sound system, headlight ceremony display (really), and a powered bootlid. Best of all, none of it feels cheap or ‘lowest bidder’. Like we said, lessons have been learned from the 5 and 9.

There’s power here, 204 horsepower to be precise, but we were underwhelmed by the car’s sport mode. Normal mode is responsive and smooth no matter where the car’s drawing its power from. To those ends Omoda’s Super Hybrid System is very good at hiding when it switches between pure petrol and electric power sources, there’s no clunk or perceptible noise changes… you just keep going. We hoped Sport mode would be a bit more exciting, but it just added (very) slightly sharper acceleration and made braking a bit less keen. It drives fine enough in its standard driving mode that you’re unlikely to switch away from it. Which means you end up driving the 7 in a smooth and dignified way. And what’s wrong with that?