Zeekr X (2023 - ) review

We’ll have to put a holding score here for the fact Zeekr is yet to confirm when it will launch the X in the UK, or how much it will cost. Looking at European markets where it’s already sold the X seems a little more expensive than the MG4 or BYD Atto 3 and priced on a par with its Smart #1 and Volvo EX30 sister cars. That puts it bang in the middle of a very competitive class, the likes of the Vauxhall Mokka-e, Jeep Avenger and others all contenders while the performance version has it competing with more premium brands. In terms of running costs an electric car like the Zeekr X can save you money if you have a driveway and can charge from home, while the usual incentives like free access to the London Congestion Zone and cheaper Benefit In Kind for company drivers help the financial case for as long as such incentives are available.

As a new brand – and one currently not available in the UK– we’ll again have to put a holding score here until we know more. But you can take some confidence in Zeekr’s membership of the wider Geely group, given its huge resources, and the performance of other brands in the group like Volvo. We’ll have to see if this carries over to the UK but in Europe the X comes with a five-year warranty as standard, which can be extended to a whole 10 years if the car is serviced within the official Zeekr network of appointed specialists.

This is a tough one to call, given the Zeekr X’s huge range of safety systems and driver aids should really earn it a better score. But we have some concerns after driving the Smart #1, given it uses much of the same kit. Worries centre on the policy of putting control for everything – even safety critical stuff like mirror adjustment and foglights – through fiddly menus on the central screen. We were also concerned at the constant false alarms from safety systems like the driver attention system, which would squawk when the view of the face-scanning camera system was obscured by the simple act of turning the steering wheel. At best this is annoying, at worst a very real distraction that might mean you ignore more important alerts. Zeekr engineers we spoke to said the cars we drove were pre-production and the systems are still being calibrated. But they weren’t much better in the production version of the Zeekr 001 we also drove, or the Smart you can already buy here, so we remain to be convinced.

Because it’s built from the start as an electric car the Zeekr X has an advantage over rivals like the Mokka-e, Fiat 600e, Peugeot e-2008 and others that have been adapted from existing combustion-engined models. In simple terms that means more space between the wheels for both batteries and passengers, to the benefit of rear-seat passengers in particular. Legroom in the back is especially generous, and unlike many cars even the centre seat has reasonable space. This does come at the cost of a bit of boot capacity, but for the school run and general parental taxi duties even gangly teenagers will have room to slouch. Up front the seats are fine, the driving position is good and the lack of clutter appealing. Refinement is also excellent, the lack of any squeaks, rattles or clonks all inspiring confidence it’s been screwed together solidly even if some of the cabin materials feel a little cheap. Indulge us going all ‘roadtester’ for a moment but we found the suspension a little bouncy on bumpy country roads, though it’s fine around town and you can adjust how heavy the steering feels according to your preferences.

In markets where it’s already operating Zeerk’s offer goes over and above in terms of tech and kit to tempt buyers from more established rivals. For markets where the X is already sold this includes stuff like a Yamaha-branded stereo system, a Tesla style camera enhanced ‘Sentinel Mode’ for increased security, a panoramic roof, power tailgate, heated/ventilated front seats and wireless phone charger for the Long Range RWD model while the Privilege AWD adds bigger wheels and massage seats into the mix. In the modern style everything centres – literally – on the large screen in the middle of the car, the smaller one behind the wheel showing the basics with more info projected on the windscreen on all models. We especially appreciated the animated ‘augmented reality’ arrows that appear in your line of sight when you need to make a turn while using the car’s navigation system, though its on-screen graphics were strangely old-fashioned compared with what you’ll get if you use CarPlay or Android Auto. Back in the car’s system it’s frustrating that even with a massive screen the menus are so fiddly and distracting to use on the move. Zeekr – if you’re going to insist on putting everything through the screen at least make the icons bigger and more user-friendly!

Two options here – a long-range version with a single motor in the back and perfectly adequate performance. Or a twin-motor alternative that’ll have heads thwacking into seats if you indulge in that instantaneous acceleration electric cars are known for. Once we’d got that out of our system we actually preferred the calmer power delivery of the single-motor car, which is still faster off the line than most hot hatches and has an official range of 276 miles over the 264 miles of the twin-motor. Going by the efficiency figures we got on our test drives with both we reckon the difference might swing further to the advantage of the Long Range RWD out in the real world, too. Electric car nerds will find lots more to play with in the menus, including variable regeneration and different driver modes. But even if you never touch any of these the Zeekr is as easy to drive as it is fun. For those who obsess over stuff like charging ratesthe Zeekr can top up its battery faster than many of its rivals as well, whatever type of charger you plug into.