New Changan Deepal S05 to arrive this year with 303 miles of range
The second UK offering from Deepal will be a compact electric SUV taking on the likes of the Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq...
On sale Spring 2026 Price from £37,990
In numerology, the number five represents adventure and change, so by all accounts the Changan Deepal S05 could be a game-changer for the Chinese brand when it arrives later this year.
Indeed, the new S05 will be the second model on offer from Deepal here in the UK, following on from the debut of the Deepal S07 last year. As you might’ve guessed based on the naming system, the S05 will be smaller than the S07, arriving as a compact electric SUV to rival the likes of the Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq.
Underneath the skin of the S05 will sit a 68.8kWh battery, and it’ll power both the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and four-wheel-drive (AWD) variants. The RWD version features a punchy 268bhp electric motor, which can propel the S05 from 0-62mph in 7.5sec. That matches the speed of the entry-level EV3, while the Skoda Elroq 85 can officially manage the same sprint in just 6.6sec.
Meanwhile, the AWD version of the S05 receives an additional motor driving the front wheels, increasing the total power output to 429bhp and shaving the 0-62mph time down by two seconds. In fact, it’s just 0.1sec off the official 0-62mph figure of the Elroq vRS.
In the RWD variant, the 68.8kWh battery is good for an official 303 miles of range – a figure that drops to 278 miles when you opt for four-wheel drive. That’s some way off the EV3 and Elroq, both of which officially exceed 350 miles in their most efficient forms – but the Volvo EX30 is limited to 295 miles.
The S05’s battery should be pretty quick to charge, too, with the ability to accept speeds of up to 200kW. If you can find a public charger fast enough, a 30-80% top-up should take 15 minutes. It’ll also have vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, which allows you to charge external devices with the battery.
Outside, the S05 bears some striking resemblance to its larger S07 sibling, with its slim LED headlights and flush door handles, but it goes without the large air intakes on the front bumper in favour of a smoother look.
Inside, it receives a large 15.4in infotainment touchscreen which can be angled towards or away from the driver. Instead of a traditional digital driver’s display, the S05 has a 50in ‘augmented reality’ head-up display projected in front of the driver. There’s a voice assistant, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a 14-speaker sound system.
With 492 litres of boot space, the S05 promises to be more practical than both the Kia EV3 (460 litres) and Skoda Elroq (470 litres), but less spacious than the Renault Scenic (545 litres). For reference, we managed to fit six carry-on suitcases into the Elroq’s boot. Like the EV3, the S05 also benefits from a storage space under the bonnet (known as a ‘frunk’), measuring at a whopping 159 litres – compared with just 25 litres in the EV3.
As standard, every S05 comes with a vegan leather interior and heated and ventilated front seats. Drivers can opt to pay extra for a panoramic roof or a manually detachable tow bar with a capacity of up to 1600kg.
Prices for the entry-level RWD Changan Deepal S05 will start at £37,990, rising to £39,990 for the AWD version. That makes the RWD variant slightly more expensive than a Kia EV3 Long Range, but it’s in line with a Skoda Elroq 85. Meanwhile, the four-wheel-drive Elroq vRS starts at £46,560.
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