Brian Kelly Reviews the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid
14 October, 2025
A few months ago, I test drove the all-new Chery Tiggo 4 and was impressed by what it offered from a value for money perspective. For just over $25,000 you could drive away in a brand-new SUV complete with a seven-year warranty, 5-star ANCAP safety rating and a full suite of all the ADAS features, quite unbelievable.
The Chery family is growing in New Zealand and has now expanded to the Tiggo 7, 8 and soon to be launched, 9, again offering amazing value for the ever-shrinking dollar and cutting-edge technology. It really is quite amazing the value for money you get from this leading car maker. Never heard of the Chery car brand? They are one of the world’s biggest car companies so they certainly know what they are about. In fact, Chery, as a Brand made its debut on the Fortune Global 500 list in 2024 and surged 152 spots to reach number 233 in 2025, with over two million cars sold globally every year.
I had the recent pleasure of test driving the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, thanks to the Team at Ingham Tauranga and I have to say there were a lot of aspects of this vehicle that impressed.
The Chery Tiggo 7 is a mid-sized SUV which makes it ideal for a family, with plenty of room in the passenger compartments including the rear seats, and lots of boot space. Probably the most pleasing aspect is the price. For $42,990 plus on road costs this vehicle is incredibly affordable and that includes a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty, road side assistance. You certainly get a lot of bang for your bucks. Not only that, but Chery NZ are actually covering the on road costs and metallic paint options for October, that means it’s only $42,990 drive away.*
So, now for the acid test, what’s it like to drive.
Being what they call a “Super Hybrid” its incredibly responsive and very quiet. It has the ability to drive on electricity alone, giving you a range of around 93 kilometers, so its ideal for day to day around town running. What’s surprising is that you don’t actually need to plug it in for it to perform efficiently, it can be driven as an HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) all the time. In hybrid mode its very fuel efficient with plenty of “get up and go” for safe passing going over the Kaimais. You can expect figures of around 6.8L/100 KM in this mode and potential very low single figures overall when used as primarily an EV around town. The 1.5L turbo engine and electric motor provide a real punchy performance and a single charge, single tank potential range of well over 1,000kms. That is genuinely smart technology.
It comes with all the usual driver aids you would expect in a modern vehicle from adaptive cruise control, to auto lane assist and even driver attention monitoring which warns you that you have been distracted along with other driver alerts. Nice touch.
The Tiggo 7 offers several drive modes-Eco, Normal and Sport and with the 1.5L Turbo charged petrol engine it offers all the power you will ever need.
Inside the cabin
The cabin features very comfortable synthetic leather seats that both my wife and I found very comfortable, which given my height, was a welcome benefit. A very pleasing aspect of the interior was the storage. Lots of compartments and tucked away in one of the compartments between the driver and passenger seat was a device to smash the window if you were ever trapped inside. Could be handy.
On the technology front. Impressive. The dual 12.3-inch displays offer the driver plenty of choice with built in voice assistant for easy access plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto all standard. It certainly has a very European feel.
If you are looking for a mid-to larger sized family SUV that is well equipped, with a 5-star safety rating and extremely economical to run, then it is definitely worth test driving the Chery Tiggo 7. At $42,990 it is exceptional value for money. The version we drove was the Urban, the Ultimate with even more features including a spectacular Panoramic Roof, is also available for $46,990, with the same special offer* to cover on road costs and metallic paint.
Ingham Tauranga are the home of Chery in the Bay and are open 6 days a week, based at 627 Cameron Road between 12th and 13th Avenue. Craig or Jamie are available on 07 579 5080 and would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the Chery range.
Ingham Tauranga
619-627 Cameron Road, Tauranga South, Tauranga 3112
*On-road costs & metallic paint options are covered through Chery New Zealand’s $2,000 Test Drive Bonus. Offer only available until 31st October 2025 and not available in conjunction with any other offer. Actual vehicles and specifications may vary, and updates or changes may have occurred since this content was created. Always confirm final specifications, features, and pricing with the dealership before proceeding with a purchase.