2027 Lepas L6 review: International first drive

How many car sub-brands is too many?

Chery will find out the answer to that question in the second half of 2026 with yet another new marque it is launching in Australia, Lepas.

Whereas Chery is the most value-focused brand aimed at families, Omoda is pitched as sporty, and Jaecoo is aimed at outdoorsy customers with Range Rover look-alike styling, Lepas claims it is the “elegant” sibling that styles its cars with “leopard aesthetics”.

What you really need to know is that Lepas will be yet another Chinese brand offering plug-in hybrid and electric cars to compete with the likes of BYD and Geely, focused on family SUVs with modern styling and long feature lists.

Final details of the Australian model range are yet to be confirmed, but it looks likely the Toyota RAV4-sized L6 will be among its first vehicles locally, with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric (EV) power.

Both power sources may not arrive at the same time, but both are expected to come to Australia in time, along with the smaller L4 PHEV and EV, and a larger L8 PHEV that looks more likely for 2027 than 2026.

Lepas cars will be sold through a distinct network of showrooms to models from Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo, and are set to command higher prices than the parent brand, in part due to newer underpinnings capable of supporting more advanced technology.

Drive was invited to China as a guest of Chery to test a number of new Lepas models on the road and in closed conditions, including a few hundred kilometres in the L6 PHEV – and a much less conclusive lap of a car park in the L6 EV.

It is common for car companies to tell journalists when a new model is on its way that details of pricing and specifications are yet to be finalised, but such is the speed of decision-making at Chinese firms that, for Lepas, we’re inclined to believe them.

Very few firm details were communicated to Australian reporters by Lepas during the media preview in China about the launch cadence of its cars, how much they will cost, and how they will be positioned against rivals.

The indications we did get, however, point to Lepas cars costing about 5 to 10 per cent more than equivalent Chery models.

The L6’s Chery equivalent is the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, which is priced from $39,990 to $43,990 drive-away before special offers, which drop it to between $34,990 and $38,990.

As for the electric version, Drive understands Lepas sees the BYD Atto 3 as a key competitor, a vehicle priced from $39,990 to $44,990 plus on-road costs in Australia.

That points to prices in the low-$40,000 drive-away range for the plug-in hybrid, and closer to $50,000 for the EV.

At 4554mm long, the Lepas L6 is broadly similar in size to a Geely EX5/Starray EM-i, and between the soon-to-be-replaced Mazda CX-5 and new Toyota RAV4 in footprint.

There is a modern appearance to the cabin design, the screens are bright, and perceived build quality is good, but tape up the badges and it comes off as… derivative.

The steering wheel is pinched from a Chery, the centre console looks like a dozen other Chinese cars, and there is a Mercedes-Benz feel to the way the portrait touchscreen blends with the centre stack.

Leather-look materials on the doors and dashboard are soft to touch (if quite glossy and very clearly not real leather), the pill-shaped door speakers are a nice detail, and the shortcuts under the screen don’t wobble when prodded, unlike in a Mercedes.

Comfort in the front seats is acceptable on long drives, and there is heating, ventilation and massaging on offer, but they lack under-thigh and side support, and there is no confusing the fake upholstery for genuine leather.

The steering wheel is large for a car of this size, the buttons are fiddly to use at first, and tall drivers will wish for more reach adjustment, but it is more than respectable for a car at this price.

There’s no start button: just sit in the driver’s seat, place your foot on the brake pedal, pull the steering wheel stalk shifter, and go.

Storage is generous, with a deep centre console, space under the phone trays, and decently sized door pockets and glovebox, while features are aplenty, with dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof with electric sunshade, ambient lighting, and solid Sony audio.

One quirk is that of the two USB-C ports under the console, one can only charge devices, and one can only connect to multimedia, whether that’s Apple CarPlay or otherwise. Usually, one port can cover both.

The 13.2-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen is quick to respond, and the software is not too difficult to get the hang of, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, AM/FM/digital DAB radio, and voice control activated with ‘Hello Lepas’.

Physical buttons are scarce, only a row below the touchscreen for drive mode, demisters, auto climate, A/C on or off, audio volume off, and hazard lights.

It means the passenger’s volume control runs through the screen – the driver can use the steering wheel – as do air temperature and fan speed, though it is made slightly easier by a row of pinned shortcuts along the bottom of the display.

The 8.8-inch instrument display is smaller than in a comparable Chery or Jaecoo. Speed is clearly displayed, but other parameters – battery range, time, fuel level, and more – are squished into the corners of the screen in small text.

Space in the back is generous for a small-to-mid-size SUV, with ample toe room, head room and knee room for my 186cm (6ft 1in) tall frame to fit behind a similarly sized adult driver. Under-thigh support from the seat base is, again, a little lacking for taller passengers.

Three people can squeeze across the rear bench as needed, while there are air vents, map pockets, dual USB ports (one A, one C), and ISOFIX anchors, though there no sunshades or other noteworthy tricks.

Boot space is also decent for the class, with enough room for a large suitcase, a few small bags, or day-to-day shopping, though there isn’t a huge amount of room under the floor, where the tyre repair kit sits in lieu of a spare wheel.

Improvements in the drivetrain have resulted in an electric-only driving range on electric power for the Lepas L6 PHEV of about 90km in European WLTP testing, as communicated by brand representatives.

Under more lenient NEDC protocols, it equates to a projected 105km – compared to a claimed 93km NEDC for the Tiggo 7, which quotes the same 18.4kWh battery capacity.

Lepas claims fuel consumption of “less than 5.0L/100km” from the L6, likely with a discharged battery.

In motorway and outer-suburban driving, I saw 1.7L/100km (and 10.2kWh/100km of energy) in hybrid mode when the battery was being used as the car saw fit.

With the battery charge locked – so the car must replenishes any electricity it uses, akin to running the battery as flat as it goes – consumption was a still-respectable 5.2L/100km, according to the trip computer.

My drive in the L6 EV was far too brief to gauge energy consumption, but Lepas quotes about 450km of driving range – understood to be in WLTP testing – from a 67.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack.

Details of AC and DC charging times for either variant are yet to be revealed. The PHEV will accept 91-octane regular unleaded for its fuel tank of unspecified capacity.

The Lepas L6 is said to sit on newer underpinnings – known as LEX, for the tech heads – than other cars in the Chery group’s range, which translates to a more mature driving experience.

I spent the most time in the plug-in hybrid, which combines a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor to produce 205kW combined.

It has been indicated to Drive that the L6 uses Chery’s latest sixth-generation plug-in hybrid tech, even if its 150kW electric motor output suggests it does not.

Either way, it seems slightly more refined to drive than some other recent hybrids from Chery brands. There’s a smooth hand-off between electric and petrol power, and you don’t notice the engine chiming in unless you floor the throttle pedal.

Performance is perky on electric power, with more than enough grunt to never need to call upon petrol until the battery runs low.

With both power sources working together, the L6 is surprisingly brisk, and the Kumho tyres have enough grip to tug at the steering wheel in your hands – and put power down – before resorting to wheelspin.

The quality of China’s roads make most Australian cities look like an off-road course, so it’s difficult to get a true sense of what the L6 will be like over bumps at home.

It’s clear from our early taste that the suspension is tuned for softness, gliding over imperfections and soaking up speed humps with a supple edge, but the wheels can clunk into sharp bumps, and it does not feel as settled over undulations as non-Chinese rivals.

There’s even less for us to say about how it handles winding roads, because there were none on our preview drive.

As with many Chinese cars, the steering is very light in Comfort mode – a little less so in Sport – and has an artificial feeling at higher speeds. It is not the last word in precision, either, but it is more than adequate for around-town driving.

There’s also a choice of braking modes. Comfort requires quite a bit of pressure – and movement of your right foot – to pull the car up, but Sport adds some firmness to the pedal, and it is not too jerky or hard to modulate.

There is not too much tyre or wind noise to speak of, and visibility is also good.

In a good sign for the future of all Chery cars, I didn’t find myself too bothered by the advanced safety systems, either – of which there is a broad suite.

China’s wide lanes make it difficult to gauge how annoying the lane-keep assist may be on Australian roads, but there was only a gentle tug on the steering wheel when intentionally letting the car drift into a white line, rather than ripping it out of my hands.

The driver attention monitor was not too invasive, and didn't pick up my sunglasses, but more conclusive testing in Australian conditions is needed.

The speed-sign recognition beeps when it exceeds the limit it detects by even 1km/h, however, and it is prone to misreading signs, such as on the back of buses or motorway off-ramps.

It and the driver attention monitor can be switched off. The latter requires two or three taps into the touchscreen to disable, while the former can be turned off via a shortcut menu accessible by swiping down from the top of the screen… but it kills the entire speed-sign recognition tech, not just the audible alert. That is in a different on-screen menu.

As for the electric version, we spent barely more than 60 seconds in it, so it was hard to gain any sort of meaningful impression.

What we could gauge was strong performance under acceleration and decent tyre grip, but firmer, less controlled suspension that highlighted the expected additional weight of its 67kWh battery.

Until a price is confirmed – and we test it on Australian roads – it is hard to give a conclusive verdict on the Lepas L6.

Our takeaway from this first impression, though, is that the L6 is a solid car without a point of difference.

It is spacious inside, well equipped, offers a generous electric range, is fuel-efficient, and appears to drive with greater refinement than other Chery models we’ve driven recently.

Outside of personal preference on the styling – the rounded look will appeal to some buyers more than rival cars – there’s not much to justify the potential price premium over a comparable Chery model, nor a BYD or Geely.

If you like the look and are interested in a vehicle of this type come late 2026, it’s worth a look, but if you’re ready to buy now, it brings nothing new to its category to justify the wait.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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