Omoda 9 review

Introduction

‘Confidence’ – they say it’s the food of a wise man, but the liquor of a fool, and the Omoda 9 is certainly a bold swing. This Chinese brand launched in the UK less than two years ago, and yet it already has an ambitious flagship in its roster.

The 9 is a large family SUV that, in Omoda’s eyes, gives buyers premium quality – think Audi Q5, BMW X3 or Mercedes GLC – but at a non-premium price. Talk about aiming high.

It’s actually priced more closely to the Skoda Kodiaq; in our eyes, that’s the key rival for the 9 to beat. The MG HS Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) deserves a place in the conversation, too. It’s our reigning What Car? Plug In Hybrid of the Year, and crucially, the 9 is only available as a PHEV.

So, the Omoda 9 has rivals in a few different places, but where do we position it in our rankings? Read on to find out.

Read more: Complete the What Car? Reliability Survey now and you could win a prize

What’s new?

- April 2026: We drive the Omoda 9

- April 2025: Omoda announces a new flagship model, the 9 plug-in hybrid

Overview

The Omoda 9 makes good on its luxury-for-less promise… in some respects. We’re impressed by the classy, well-equipped interior, comfortable ride and swift straight-line performance, but we’re equally baffled by the woeful handling, shallow boot and unintuitive infotainment system. The 9 is a mixed bag, unlike the more refined and rounded Skoda Kodiaq.

Pros

• Smooth ride
• Spacious interior
• Lots of creature comforts as standard

Cons

• Shallow boot
• Wayward handling
• Fiddly infotainment

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

How fast is it and which engine is best?

Oh, it’s fast. Every Omoda 9 gets the same PHEV setup, comprising a 1.5-litre petrol engine, three electric motors and four-wheel drive. Total system output is rated at 443bhp, translating to a 0-62mph time of just 4.9sec. Put your foot down and the Omoda 9 will see off some sports cars, let alone the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC PHEVs.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

The Omoda 9 places a big focus on comfort, so let’s start there. It’s a thumbs up from us, in short. Adaptive suspension comes as standard, but no matter the mode, the ride is soft without being too floaty. In other words, your teeth won’t shatter as you drive along one of the UK’s endlessly pothole-ridden streets, but nor will you sway from side to side like you’re trying to rock a cranky baby.

So, the ride is well judged; it’s similar to the Skoda Kodiaq in that way. What isn’t well judged is the handling. Being a comfort-focused SUV, the Omoda 9 doesn’t need to rival sports cars in the corners (even though it can in the straights), but it does need to inspire a decent amount of confidence.

The Kodiaq does. The Omoda 9 doesn’t. The steering is wishy-washy, so it can be tricky to accurately place the front end – an issue in any car but especially in a large SUV like this. And speaking of the front end, those tyres don’t offer a great amount of grip, so be careful when applying some (let alone all) of the 9’s power coming out of a bend. There’s a considerable amount of body lean too, even in Sport mode (which stiffens up the suspension).

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

There’s barely any wind noise, and the engine is whisper quiet, only rising to a hum when you properly put your foot down. There is some tyre roar but not enough to ruin the experience.

Driving smoothly is easy enough, except for one issue: the grabby brake pedal. At medium to high speeds, it’s less of an issue because the car will do a lot of regenerative braking. However, at very low speeds (like when you’re parking), you’re using the physical brakes and that’s when the brake pedal really comes across soft and grabby.

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

The Omoda 9 has a 34.5kWh (usable) battery, which is huge for a PHEV. The resulting electric-only range is a class-leading 93 miles, dwarfing the GLC (80 miles), Kodiaq iV (76 miles) and MG HS Plug-In Hybrid (75 miles), although it’s worth noting that all of these cars currently sit in the same BIK tax band.

The 9 supports fast charging, like the GLC and Kodiaq (but not the HS), and a 10-80% charge is achievable in around half an hour.

“At a motorway cruise, the Omoda 9 is great. But when I found myself on a country road, even at a moderate pace, the handling was just not up to scratch.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

You can see some Range Rover and Mercedes inspiration in the Omoda 9’s interior. It’s curvaceous, and it combines faux black leather and silver details in a way that’s sure to give it some showroom appeal.

The 9 backs up the swish design with some good material quality, too. Sure, there are some flimsy-feeling buttons and knobs; it doesn’t feel quite as plush as the premium-badged models it's emulating. However, it gives the Skoda Kodiaq a run for its money.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

You sit up suitably high in the Omoda 9, so you’ll be able to see over most traffic. It’s fairly easy to see out of, even if the front pillars are quite chunky and the rear window isn’t as big as the Kodiaq’s. At least every 9 gets a panoramic-view camera and all-around parking sensors.

The driving position itself is comfortable. The seat, wheel and pedals line up as they should, and there’s plenty of adjustment available.

Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

In some respects, yes. There are physical climate controls, so you can adjust the temperature and fan speed without taking your eyes off the road. True, the same can be said for the Kodiaq, but the MG HS makes you use the touchscreen instead.

The Omoda 9’s touchscreen isn’t great. It’s laggy and small compared to rivals’, so it can be tricky to operate while driving.

“I found the driving position comfortable. Personally, I only have one small niggle: I would’ve liked to lower the seat a little more, mainly so I could lay my legs flatter and make more use of the extendable leg rest.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

How much space does it have for people?

The Omoda 9 is roomy inside. A group of four or five can fit comfortably, even if you’re all a little over six-foot tall. It’s easy to fit a middle-seat passenger in the back, because the interior is wide and there’s no hump in the floor.

The rear-seat backrests are electrically adjustable, and they split and fold in a 60/40 fashion. The Skoda Kodiaq’s rear seats aren’t electrically adjustable, but they have the more practical 40/20/40 split.

Speaking of the Kodiaq, the PHEV comes with five seats, while other versions are available with seven seats. As for the Omoda 9, every one is a five seater.

How much room does it have for luggage?

You’ll find plenty of storage spaces within the Omoda 9, like inside the centre console, as well as beneath it.

As for the boot, it’s wide but very shallow. There’s some underfloor storage, albeit only a little – picture a few pencil cases. Minus that compartment and focusing below the parcel shelf, there’s 660 litres of space, which is no match for the Kodiaq iV (745 litres).

“I managed to fit seven carry-on suitcases in the boot, which only matches the smaller MG HS PHEV.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The Omoda 9 costs around £45,000, meaning it’s a bit more expensive than the Skoda Kodiaq iV and considerably pricier than the MG HS PHEV. That goes for their list prices as well as PCP finance payments (at the time of writing).

The 9 makes good sense as a company car, considering its astonishing 93-mile electric range puts it in a low BIK tax band – albeit one no lower than the Kodiaq and HS, as we mentioned earlier. You’ll need a fully electric car to get into a lower band.

There’s more good news, too, because the 9 is incredibly well equipped. There’s just the one trim (called Noble), and as standard it gets a six-way, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, panoramic sunroof, 14-speaker Sony sound system and a head-up display. There’s also heating and ventilation for the front two seats and the rear outer seats.

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

The Omoda 9 was absent from our 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, but if anything were to go wrong, the model is covered by a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. That beats the length of cover MG and Skoda gives you.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The 9 has the full five stars from safety experts Euro NCAP, and the extensive list of standard safety kit includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, front collision warning and rear cross traffic alert.

Every 9 gets an alarm and immobiliser, too.

“It’s a good thing the 9 gets so much kit as standard, which helps offset its higher price next to key rivals.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You want a good motorway cruiser

- You need a PHEV with a long electric-only range

- You’d like lots of luxuries as standard

Don’t buy it if…

- You think it’ll have the handling chops to match its keen straight-line performance

- You need a big boot or seven seats

- You haven’t checked out the MG HS and Skoda Kodiaq

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