Lepas is the latest Chinese car brand heading for the UK, but it is not a standalone newcomer. It is part of Chery International, the same group behind Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery.
The brand is due to launch in the UK in autumn 2026, giving Chery four separate badges in Britain within just a few years. A fifth brand, 4×4 specialist iCaur, is expected to follow later.
That might sound like a lot, but it reflects a wider strategy from several Chinese manufacturers. Rather than selling one broad range under one badge, companies are creating separate brands for different types of buyer.
For Lepas, the aim is to offer cars that are slightly more upmarket than Omoda or Jaecoo, but at more competitive prices than you get from established European brands.
So who or what is Lepas?
The Lepas brand was announced by Chery International in April 2025. It was created specifically for markets outside China, and Chery confirmed in February 2026 that the UK would be one of them.
The company has set ambitious targets. After launching its first cars this year, Lepas is expected to be on sale in 45 countries by the end of 2027, with Chery aiming for global sales of half a million cars a year by the end of 2028.
Initially, at least, Lepas models will not be entirely new cars from the ground up. Instead, Chery is using its existing platforms and models as the basis for Lepas-badged vehicles, with different styling and positioning.
That’s not unusual in the car industry. Large car groups often use the same underlying engineering across several brands, changing the styling, interior, equipment and pricing to appeal to different buyers. Volkswagen Group and Stellantis have both used the same practice very successfully.
In Lepas’ case, the brand is expected to sit as a more style-led, family-focused part of the Chery group. The cars are likely to share plenty with existing Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo models, even if they are presented differently.
Where does Lepas fit within Chery?
Chery International has moved quickly in the UK. Omoda and Jaecoo arrived in 2024, followed by the parent Chery brand in August 2025. Lepas is due to follow in 2026, with iCaur expected next year. The broad idea is to use common engineering underneath while giving each brand a different identity.
Omoda, Jaecoo, Chery and Lepas are all part of the same group, but they are not meant to appeal to exactly the same customer. Lepas is being pitched at ‘modern families’, with a stronger emphasis on design and a more upmarket image.
This approach also helps Chery reduce development costs. Using shared platforms across several brands allows the company to build higher volumes and, in theory, price its cars more competitively.
When will Lepas launch in the UK?
The first Lepas model is expected to go on sale in the UK in September 2026, with first customer deliveries due the following month.
Many details have not yet been confirmed, including full pricing and exact sales locations. For now, interested buyers are being asked to register for updates through the Lepas UK website.
What models does Lepas have and what else is coming?
Early expectations suggested that Lepas would launch with small and mid-sized L4 and L6 SUVs, but the brand will instead start with the L8, a larger model intended to act as the flagship of the range.
The Lepas L8 is effectively a reworked version of the Chery Tiggo 8. It’s a five-seat SUV at the larger end of the mid-sized class, measuring 4.7 metres long and with a 2.8-metre wheelbase.
Like most large SUVs from the Chery stable, it will initially be offered as a plug-in hybrid rather than a fully electric car, combining a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine with an electric motor and an 18kWh battery.
Chery has not confirmed UK range figures for the L8, although a version already sold in other markets can travel up to 56 miles on electric power alone.
The Lepas L6 is a mid-sized SUV that will be offered in both plug-in hybrid and fully electric versions. It was launched in April, and is expected to arrive in the UK at the end of 2026.
A smaller L4 SUV model will also be offered, although details are thin at the moment. The L4 was given its world premiere in electric form at the 2026 Beijing motor show, although we also expect a plug-in hybrid model to be announced as well.
Looking into next year, we expect to see a sporty L2 hatchback model as well as a top-level three-row SUV called the L9. These have not yet been confirmed for sale in the UK, although our editor, Stuart Masson, has seen early prototypes of both while in China for the Beijing motor show.
Current Lepas range on our Expert Rating Index
Where can I try a Lepas car?
Lepas has not yet confirmed the full list of UK outlets. However, the company said in May 2026 that around 50 dealerships would be ready for launch in September. It plans to increase that number to 70 by the end of 2026 and 90 during 2027.
Major dealer groups including Arnold Clark, Brindley, Park’s and Greenhous are expected to represent the brand. Several already work with one or more of Chery’s other UK brands.
Chery also wants Lepas dealerships to be separate from its other brands where possible, helping support the more upmarket image it wants to create.
What makes Lepas different to the rest?
The UK has seen a rapid arrival of new Chinese brands over the last few years, but many of the cars have already been sold in China before reaching Europe.
Lepas is slightly different because it has been created specifically for export markets. Chery intends to sell Lepas-badged cars outside China only. That does not mean every Lepas model is completely new underneath. In many cases, the cars are expected to use existing Chery group hardware with different styling and branding.
The difference between Lepas and Omoda/Jaecoo, which are also export-only Chery brands, is that Lepas is not expected to take models from other brands in the Chery family. Several Omoda and Jaecoo models are sold under different brands in some other countries.
The brand identity is built around a leopard theme. Chery says the name combines references to “leopard”, “leap” and “passion”, while the styling is intended to give Lepas cars a more distinctive design character.
Whether that matters to buyers will depend on the cars themselves. More important will be pricing, equipment, reliability, dealer support and how well Lepas models compare with both established European brands and other new Chinese rivals.
Summary
Lepas is another new name for UK car buyers to learn, but it comes from a company that already has momentum here.
Chery has built early success with Omoda and Jaecoo, and the arrival of Lepas shows that it believes there is still room for more clearly targeted brands in the UK market.
The big question is whether buyers will see Lepas as significantly different from Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo, or simply another badge from the same parent company. We will know more once prices, specifications and UK dealer details are confirmed. For now, Lepas looks like an important part of Chery’s plan to become a much bigger player in Britain.
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