YOUR FIVE A DAY? (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The Changan Deepal S05 is a lower-mid-sized EV crossover you probably hadn't considered. Should you? Jonathan Crouch takes a look at what's on offer.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 37

Chinese maker Changan Deepal broadens its UK EV product line-up with this car, the S05. It targets the volume lower mid-sized part of the electric crossover market and aims to offer something just a little bit different.

Backgroundword count: 97

The number five, we told, does in numerology represent adventure and change, both things intended to be encapsulated by this car, the Changan Deepal S05. You'd be forgiven for not being familiar with Changan, one of China's biggest manufacturers. They launched here in 2025 with the mildly up-market Deepal sub-brand's S07, a Tesla Model Y (& co)-targeted upper mid-sized EV. As the name suggests, the Changan Deepal S05 is a size smaller than that car, aimed at slightly more compact but still family-sized electric crossover models; think Skoda Elroq or Kia EV3. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 271

The S05 follows established practice for EV crossovers of this sort, with a two-tier powertrain offering. Most sales will be of the most affordable single motor RWD variant which uses a 68.8kWh LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) battery pack able to take the car up to 303 miles between charges. It energises a 262bhp motor on the rear axle and generates 290Nm of torque, though the high kerb weight limits the 0-62mph time to 7.5s en route to 112mph. The alternative is the AWD twin motor model, which uses the same battery but increases power to 429bhp, improving the 0-62mph time to 5.5s, though range falls to 278 miles. Four drive modes are provided - ECO, Comfort, Sport and Customize. Plus there's a Smart regenerative braking system. You don't need a start button to get going. Just get in, push the brake pedal and drive off. There's a head-up display instead of an instrument binnacle - and an area view camera system for surroundings that cuts out at 18mph. Other Chinese brands don't set the bar high in terms of ride and handling in this segment, but the S05 aims to offer an improvement in this regard, thanks to Europe-centric input from Changan's UK R&D centre in Birmingham. Despite that, you shouldn't expect this S05 to match the rest of its European rivals around the twisty stuff and as usual with Chinese cars, you'll probably come away from a drive feeling that a little more work is needed on steering feel, the firm ride and the intrusiveness of the ADAS features. Specify the optional tow bar and the car will haul up to 1,600kg.

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