2025 Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid: Australian first drive

The idea of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car is a compelling one for many Australian families shopping for a new large SUV, with sales up by more than 200 per cent in the first half of this year.

But price continues to be a key factor holding people back from handing over their hard-earned, which is no surprise given that the cheapest seven-seat PHEV currently available on the market starts at $57,990 drive-away. It's the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Until now. 

Budget brand Chery has launched the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid (PHEV) – a version of its existing Tiggo 8 Pro Max SUV that arrived in 2024, but now with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

With a sub-$50K starting price that includes your on-road costs, does the Chery have what it takes to pinch sales from more established players like Mitsubishi, Mazda and Kia?

I’ve driven it, and its new five-seat Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid sibling, to find out.

The Tiggo 8 has two variants, the entry-level Urban and top-spec Ultimate, with the range cut from three grades to two compared to the regular Tiggo 8.

The range opens at $45,990 for the Urban and $49,990 for the Ultimate. All prices are drive-away.

The Urban grade in the Tiggo 8 features as standard: a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch infotainment screen, wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – as well as a wireless phone charger, a 10-speaker Sony sound system, synthetic leather seats, ambient lighting, a six-way power-adjusted driver’s seat, a 360-degree camera, and 19-inch alloy wheels.

The Ultimate adds a panoramic sunroof, a powered tailgate, heated and ventilated front seats, electric adjustment for the front passenger, rear privacy glass, a head-up display, speakers in the driver’s headrest, a massaging driver’s seat and illuminated scuff plates.

The Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a single electric motor and Chery’s single-speed ‘dedicated hybrid transmission’. It’s the same powertrain being offered in the new Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid five-seat SUV.

The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol is swapped out from the Tiggo 8 Pro Max line-up, and it also goes without all-wheel drive. Only the front wheels are driven in this PHEV variant.

Azure Blue is the one free standard paint option. You can also have Space Black and Lunar White, as well as Bamboo Grey and Aurora Green, as the premium, costed extras.

Its competitive pricing makes it the most affordable seven-seat plug-in on sale today, with the Tiggo 8 up against the likes of the Mitsubishi Outlander, Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-80 PHEVs.

The Mitsubishi Outlander’s pricing differs between its five variants, starting from $57,990 for the entry-level ES and going up to $74,490 for the top-of-the-line GSR. 

The Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV is $91,241 drive-away based on a Victorian postcode, so I’ll say no more about that as it’s not likely to be on the same shopping list. Likewise, a Mazda CX-80 P50e Touring will set you back $81,235 drive-away.

In terms of true competition, then, aside from Mitsubishi, BYD has a seven-seat plug-in hybrid coming next year in the form of the Sealion 8, as does MG with its new QS.

On the outside, the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid gets new LED headlights and tail-lights, bigger, redesigned wheels, and a new front grille, while inside, its interior has been revamped too.

Flush door handles have been added to the exterior that flick out at one end when pushed, as seen on recent electric Kia cars such as the EV6 and EV3. 

Although these look nice, in reality they are impractical for parents trying to open the doors and hold a lot of things and help young children in at the same time.

The 15.6-inch infotainment screen offers an excellent picture, with an almost TV-like quality, but in reality is a bit tricky to use, and isn’t laid out in a way that is particularly logical. I kept losing track of where to find features, and there is no back button, so you just have to keep returning to the main menu to start again.

I also don’t like the way it and the 10.25-inch instrument cluster are tacked onto the dash like iPads or iPhones, almost like an afterthought, and the performance of the Sony sound system is a little thin for my liking.

Like with the 12.3-inch unit in the related Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, you have to be quite delicate and deliberate with your input and can’t poke a finger at it without looking, so it’s tough to use while on the move.

Unlike in the Tiggo 7, the heating and cooling controls are housed within the infotainment screen; a trend that is becoming frustratingly common. They are accessible via the main menu or quickly by tapping on the temperature or fan controls at the bottom of the screen.

A highlight is the voice assistant. By using the words ‘Hello Chery’ you can ask it to perform basic tasks for you such as altering the climate controls or opening and closing the sunroof blind in Ultimate variants.

The drive-mode selector on the centre console, through which you can put the car into Eco, Normal or Sport, is quite laggy.

One real letdown, though, is the way you have to start the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid. 

Instead of a push button, the car is powered on by having your foot on the brake and putting it into gear via the shifter on the right indicator stalk, and it will only work if your seatbelt is buckled.

There’s an off button within the infotainment screen as a backup if needed.

Too many car makers are starting to do this now, and it just feels like 'innovation' for the sake of it. 

There’s a lot to be said for just stepping into a car and immediately knowing how to start it and drive away. This is just complicated and unnecessary.

The synthetic leather used in the Tiggo 8 is the same whether you go for the Urban or Ultimate, and feels nice and soft to the touch, as well as comfortable to sit in up front. 

There aren’t any hard plastics, and the synthetic leather, combined with the ambient lighting, and a subtle grey wood-effect panel on the dash give it a real touch of class.

The faux leather, unlike in the Tiggo 7, however, has more of an Alcantara feel to it, and seems like it wouldn’t wear well over time, particularly if used by young families.

The second row has the same quality materials, but the seats are more bench-like and are quite firm, which might not be ideal on long journeys.

The rear-view mirror also gets a fish-eye effect that is just strange and actually quite uncomfortable to look at. The Tiggo 8 is a decent size, but the magnification makes it look longer, not really in a good way, though, more like looking down a hall of mirrors.

The Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is 4724mm long, 1865mm wide, 1718mm high, with a 2694mm wheelbase.

In the cabin, there are two cupholders, as well as room for slim bottles in the doors, and there is a USB-A port as well as one USB-C and a 12V socket.

There’s also a deep bin in the centre console and a good-sized glovebox too, as well as space underneath the centre console that is a good spot for stashing snacks, takeaway, or even a small handbag.

In the second row, there are a further two cupholders in the centre armrest, with room in the doors for slim bottles, and another USB-A and C. 

The rear windows are said to use privacy glass, but you can barely see it and wouldn’t do much to stop light coming in and hurting kids’ eyes.

There’s space in the two map pockets on the back of the front seats for books, toys and snacks, plus rear air vents for the air-conditioning system too.

I found I had excellent leg room behind my seating position and more with the passenger seat further forward, and more than a hand’s length above my head too. For reference, I’m about 167cm tall.

There are ISOFIX anchors on the outboard seats, and three top-tether points across the seatbacks. Disappointingly, though there is adequate room in the third row thanks to a sliding second row, there are no top tethers, so only children over seven can sit there.

Getting into the back is trickier, as a relatively low roof makes it easy to bang your head on the doorframe. And the same happened in the front a couple of times as well.

Chery hasn’t yet quoted figures for the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid’s boot capacity. But for comparison, the petrol-powered Tiggo 8’s boot offers 117L to the third row, 479L with the rearmost seats down, and 739L with the second row folded flat. The second row also splits 60:40, while the third is 50:50, and there’s another 12V socket in the boot as well. And it’s easy to close as well thanks to a powered tailgate.

For families with safety front of mind, the seven-seat SUV has an extensive equipment list. There’s no difference between the Urban and Ultimate grades except for the former getting a reverse camera only versus the latter’s 360-degree surround-view monitor.

As standard, the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid features: hill descent control, hill start assist control, electronic brake force distribution, front and rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, emergency lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning and prevention.

There’s also traffic jam assist, blind-spot detection, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert and braking, front and rear collision warning, speed limit information function and control assist, and driver monitoring, to name but a few.

The advanced driver assistance systems have been greatly improved with this updated car, as well as the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid. 

The lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist just quietly chime in when needed and smoothly guide you back to the middle of the lane, rather than forcefully yanking you and sounding noisy alarms constantly as has previously been the case in other Chery models.

The difference in the execution of the driver attention monitor was the most noticeable improvement. 

Last year Drive tested the Tiggo 8 Pro Max on which this Super Hybrid is based, and the alarms and visual warnings would go off if you even looked at the rear-view mirror or checked your blind spot for a split second – let alone tried to find something within the infotainment screen.

I drove it for a short time and remember being glad to quickly hand over the keys, because all the chastising made me incredibly anxious about what I could possibly be doing so wrong.

I’m very pleased to say that at launch the feature was triggered only once or twice in several hours of driving, and only when looking at the infotainment screen for too long.

And that’s really a testament to how much Chery’s engineers have worked hard to fine-tune it to better respond to Australian roads and local driver behaviour.

The existing non-hybrid-assisted Tiggo 8 Pro Max was tested by ANCAP in 2023, and five stars were given for all variants.

It was given an 88 per cent mark for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for children, 79 per cent for vulnerable road users, and 86 per cent for safety assist technology.

In addition to safety, one key thing on buyers’ minds these days is fuel economy, and on paper the Tiggo 8 does quite well.

Chery says the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid will use just 1.3 litres per 100 kilometres of fuel (NEDC).

Driving it from Sydney and through the Hunter Valley, which was made up of a mix of freeway and regional roads, I found the Tiggo 8 used more like 3.5L/100km and at worst 5.4L/100km.

The claimed electric-only driving range from the 18.4kWh battery is a healthy 95km (NEDC) for the Tiggo 8.

Chery says the Tiggo 8 is capable of offering 1200km on a full tank with petrol and electric power combined, though the Tiggo 8 must have 95RON petrol or above.

Powering the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and a single electric motor, driving the front wheels only through a dedicated single-speed hybrid transmission.

Outputs are 105kW and 215Nm from the engine, and 150kW and 310Nm from the electric motor, though not an overall combined figure, as the brand says it’s not necessarily indicative of true performance. 

From a standstill it is smooth and eager enough to pull away, and doesn’t have to dig deep to find more power when needed at speed, such as for a freeway overtake, for example.

The 1.5-litre is also very quiet, even under heavier acceleration, which Chery says is thanks to extensive testing in an NVH lab at its facility in Wuhu, China.

However, I still found there to be a lot of road noise coming up through the Continental Premium Contact C 235/50 R19 rubber, and significant infiltration from the wind at all but low speeds.

The ride is initially good, and on even surfaces isn’t troubled, and it handles speed bumps nicely with no harsh bounce back. But it can get jittery if the road is continually uneven and it struggles to settle quickly.

Sport mode makes the ride firmer, which can be jarring, but the benefit is an increased throttle response and eagerness you don’t get in Eco, which is incredibly sluggish.

The steering is a little light, and not especially agile, but is more capable and balanced than in the Tiggo 7, which is not confidence-inspiring. The Tiggo 8 handles corners adequately and feels well planted thanks to its heavier 1884kg tare weight.

In comparison, the Mitsubishi uses a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with twin electric motors to make 185kW/450Nm combined. 

It has an 84km electric driving range coming from its 20kWh battery that’s set to be upgraded in the coming months to a larger 22.7kWh battery pack for a 100km all-electric figure.

The Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid has a good fuel economy, and a healthy electric-only driving range that will easily accommodate most daily commutes.

That, twinned with a sub-$50K asking price, makes it a solid contender on the family plug-in hybrid SUV shopping list.

And alongside that, it has a seven-year warranty, seven years of capped-price servicing, and seven years of roadside assist too, as is the case with other Chery models.

For a medium seven-seat SUV, it also has competitive levels of space, a quality interior for the price, and plenty of features as standard.

As a result, it could be seriously competitive against the Outlander, if driving manners aren’t top of the list for buying considerations.

You get a lot of kit for the extra $4K in the Ultimate, but even the Urban won’t disappoint for $46K.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk