Changan Deepal S07 test drive

Make and model: Changan Deepal S07
Description: Mid-sized electric SUV
Price range: £39,990

Changan says: “The Changan Deepal S07 is designed to make electric driving accessible, enjoyable, and practical for UK consumers. It combines sleek design, advanced technology, and real-world range with a price point that makes sense.”

We say: How much the European slant to the Deepal S07’s creation will matter will be up to the individual buyer, but this is another well-built electric SUV with plenty of equipment at a competitive price, only slightly let down by merely adequate on-the-road dynamics.

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Introduction

Yet another new electric SUV, from yet another brand new Chinese brand, goes on UK sale but as you can read here, Changan, maker of the Deepal S07, claims to be not just another Chinese brand but effectively the daddy of Chinese brands.

The producers of the Deepal S07 also argue that their car is very European, designed at a studio established close to 25 years ago in Italy, because that’s where all the great car styling houses are, and developed by the finest UK engineers at their base in Birmingham.

That might count for something amongst UK buyers faced with an ever more bewildering choice of cars in this sector, from an equally bewildering choice of makers. What will count for more will be quality, equipment levels and value for money, and on first glance the Deepal S07 seems to tick those boxes.

It’s immediately apparent that this is a well-built new contender with some stylish interior treatment. The fact that there is but one option indicates that the car comes with plenty of kit, while the £39,990 price – the only price – sits crucially just below the level where the expensive ‘luxury car supplement’ tax hike gets applied.

What is the Changan Deepal S07?

Changan’s first European launch is an SUV to sit in the ‘D segment’, which basically means larger mid-sized vehicles – for core rivals one can look at the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Skoda Enyaq, Tesla Model Y and – perhaps closer to home – the BYD Sealion 7.

The S07 comes with just one powertrain option, which is a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. However, we understand a range-extender variant with a small petrol engine generating energy for the battery is in the works for launch at some future date.

The car comes with a single specification too, and a price that should make potential buyers take a look, if Changan can make its created in Europe message sufficiently heard. 

First impressions

On first viewing, the Changan Deepal S07 looks… well… just like any other of the new breed of electric SUVs. While the car’s Italian styling has been much promoted by its makers, it has to be said there’s nothing that really makes it stand out from the crowd. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if mainstream-level looks indicate mainstream-level quality – and in this case, it generally does.

Look closer and one can see the details that mark this out as a Changan vehicle, such as the ‘crystal sculpture’ LED light signature on front and back, but if you see one on the road then this is an SUV that is entirely unassuming.

The same is true once one gets inside the car; the completely minimalist look is one that has been done by rivals. But both the exterior and interior of the S07 do give an immediate impression of quality.

We like: Inside and out immediately indicates quality
We don’t like: Difficult to differentiate from rivals

What do you get for your money?

If ever there was a demonstration of simplicity, it’s the Changan price list. The Deepal S07 costs £39,990 on the road – no starting price plus options, just one amount for every version, and whichever one of the five exterior colours (including metallic shades) or three interior combinations one chooses.

Within that price comes a lot of equipment, Changan following the current trend of supplying everything one might want as standard. So the minimalist interior is dominated by a 17-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless connectivity and voice control – the latter is quite clever, for example, lowering individual windows according to which of the front-seat occupants is asking it to.

There’s a head-up display projected on the windscreen and wireless phone charging with a cooling vent to prevent overheating. There’s an audio system with 14 speakers, including one in the driver’s headrest which will also transmit conversations from the hands-free phone or navigation instructions.  

Other niceties include front seats that are heated and ventilated, a panoramic sunroof, parking cameras with a 360-degree surround mode and a ‘transparent chassis’ function helping to show what the car is travelling over.    

Changan is also weirdly proud of its ‘Easter eggs’ such as the seasonal modes available on the infotainment screen that can, for example, show fireworks or indulge in conversations with snowmen – we kid you not, there’s even a ‘dog mode’… Various functions in the car can also be activated by means of gestures by the occupants, but certainly more useful than all these is the built-in dashcam, with a 128GB memory.

The Deepal ticks the boxes on safety – it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2024 and secured a top-level five-star ranking, aided by a full set of accident-avoidance systems, controlled by 16 sensors – six of which are radar-activated.

Alongside the competitive price comes a good warranty – seven years or 100,000 miles on the car, and eight years/120,000 miles on the battery.  

There is an option – yes, just one. Costing £800, it’s an electrically deployable towbar, as the S07 has a towing capacity of 1,500kg, so if you want to haul a caravan with it… Note, however, that specifying one will take the overall cost over that £40,000 luxury car supplement limit, so in reality it will cost you about £2,000 more than the £800 list price as you’ll have to pay an extra £425 a year for your road tax for five years.   

We like: Good equipment levels including dashcam
We don’t like: ‘Easter eggs’ seem a bit gimmicky

What’s the Changan Deepal S07 like inside?

On stepping into the DeepalS07, the surroundings immediately feel plush, with the quality of fit and finish around the leatherette upholstery and trim obvious. The surroundings give off an airy presence, no doubt helped by the standard fit and huge panoramic sunroof.

It feels roomy too, in front or back, and this is matched by a reasonable amount of luggage space. While the 445 litres in the boot is less than offered by rivals, another 125 litres – or, in English, big enough for a carry-on suitcase – is available in a ‘frunk’ under the bonnet where traditional cars have their engines.

The design follows the current trend to minimalisation – there are almost no buttons for the driver to control, everything is contained on the huge landscape format central touchscreen. An oddity of this is that it can pivot from being angled towards the driver to the traditional central position or to the passenger.

Again typical in electric vehicles, the drive, park and reverse functions are activated by the right-hand steering wheel stalk, but unlike other EVs, the wipers and lights functions do not transfer to the left stalk, contained instead on a ‘shortcut menu’ which appears with a swipe to the right side of the touchscreen.

Activating such functions this way is not difficult and they remain close to hand, but it’s not as intuitive as using the stalk either and we feel this is a major failing, especially with the likes of Euro NCAP promising an increasingly strict tone on the distraction factor of wading through touchscreen menus instead of merely pressing a button.

Having said that, the general action of the touchscreen is good – it’s rapid acting and easy to select, helped by being able to be configured to one’s personal preferences in similar fashion to arranging apps on one’s phone. As an example, the S07 gets the same host of driver warnings that have become an irritating norm with new cars, but one can easily switch them off by choosing to put a cancel button on the shortcut swipe screen.

Another oddity is that the driver does not get their own digital display. Instead, the essential information – speed, navigation instructions and battery range – is all projected onto the windscreen as part of the head-up display. While initially unnerving, it soon becomes second nature to use the information this way.   

We like: Touchscreen is fast-acting and easy to use
We don’t like: Lack of windscreen/light controls on stalk

What’s under the bonnet?

Lift the bonnet of the Deepal S07 and you’ll find a big hole – as mentioned, being an EV, the car makes the most of its under-the-floor powertrain by using the traditional engine space for a ‘frunk’ – extra luggage space.

The drivetrain is typical for an EV, with a single motor at the back and the battery pack under the floor. The 80 kWh battery promises up to 295 miles of range and, according to Changan, has been optimised for the sort of lower-temperature environments that are typical in the UK. A heat pump also comes as standard, which is a plus in helping to maintain range in colder conditions.

The electric motor delivers 160kW (218hp) to the rear wheels, along with 320 Nm of torque. This produces a 0-62mph time of just under eight seconds, which is fine for most day-to-day uses but not particularly swift for the average EV.

As for charging times, Changan quotes 48 minutes for a recharge from 10 to 80% at a public charging point – somewhat slow in today’s market. It does offer a vehicle-to-load function, being able to power external equipment, which is not yet common across all EVs.

What’s the Changan Deepal S07 like to drive?

The S07 unlocks itself automatically as you approach, assuming you have the key. A benefit from a year working with security specialist Thatcham has seen the use of a Bluetooth system, rather than a radar-activated key, which is much harder to clone. The car can also be unlocked by means of a smartphone app. 

As soon as you sit in the driver’s seat, the car adjusts the seat and steering wheel to your preferred setting. Pressing the brake pedal brings it to life so you can drive away. Drive functions are controlled by the right-hand steering wheel stalk and, like most EVs, it moves off silently and without fuss.

On the road, the S07 is generally comfortable to travel in, though while the flush-fit door handles help to cut wind noise (and marginally improve range too), we can’t help but think the frameless windows may have the opposite effect, as there is some noise noticeable at speed.

The powertrain is very smooth, again as one expects of today’s EVs, and while the 62mph sprint is not that fast, the car provides enough instant go for swift overtaking to satisfy most drivers.

If you enjoy driving for driving’s sake, however, you’re not likely to be too excited. As well as the steering having a complete lack of feel, the suspension is a little too soft and can become fidgety over poor quality road surfaces. Changan claims that its UK R&D department spent three months optimising the car’s ride quality for UK roads – we would suggest they need to spend at least another three…

The head-up display works well, meanwhile, in keeping one’s eye on the road. It shows only the information needed – principally speed, whether the indicators are activated and navigation instructions – in an easy-to-read format.

While on the move, you rarely need to use the central touchscreen, and then only the swipe-left shortcut for functions like the wipers or lights – effectively it transfers the left stalk onto the screen. Of course, both lights and wipers are controlled by automatic functions, but for instant activation, for example, if a passing tractor throws a lot of muck on the screen, the swipe screen is reasonably fast, but still not as swift as using a stalk.

One limited aspect of the Deepal S07 functions is regenerative braking – there are no paddles, and the modes don’t seem to do a lot. There’s certainly no one-pedal driving of this car, whioch may or may not be of importance to you.

We like: Generally comfortable to travel in
We don’t like: Suspension too soft and fidgety, lack of steering feel

Verdict

There’s a lot to like about the Changan Deepal S07, and it provides a credible debut for the company’s UK ambitions. What you get for the money, the fact that the price charged keeps it clear of expensive extra taxes, and the general quality of the car are all plus points.

The gripes are mainly minor – too much on the touchscreen, rapid charging that isn’t very rapid and primarily ride quality that can be a little too easily unsettled by poor surfaces. But having tried out a S07, many buyers might be tempted by it – Changan’s big challenge will be getting them to try it out in the first place.

Similar cars

BYD Sealion 7 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Leapmotor C10 | Peugeot 3008 | Skoda Enyaq | Tesla Model Y

Key specifications

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