Chery Omoda E5 v MG ZS EV v BYD Atto 3 Malaysian comparison – battle of the affordable electric SUV

There’s been a slew of electric vehicle previews and launches over the past few months, and the latest is the arrival of the Chery Omoda E5. Launched last week, the zero-emission version of the popular Omoda 5 is playing in the lower reaches of the electric SUV market, and there’s no prizes for guessing its biggest rival.

Indeed, the Omoda E5 is gunning straight for the BYD Atto 3, coming with an attractive price and some impressive specs. But Chery and BYD are not alone in this segment, as MG is also throwing its hat in the ring with the forthcoming ZS EV. Three value-driven EVs, each with its own strengths and weakness – read on to see how these cars stack up.

Price – ZS EV will be cheaper, Omoda E5 provides greater value

There’s a very definite order to the pricing of these cars, and the title of cheapest electric SUV in Malaysia will have to go to the ZS EV. It hasn’t been launched yet, but MG’s estimated pricing of RM129,000 puts it in a unique position, although – as you’ll find out soon enough – the low, low price does come with a fair share of tradeoffs.

But if it’s value for money you’re looking for, then the Omoda E5 has rather stolen the march from the Atto 3. Retailing at RM146,800, the Chery is a few thousand ringgit cheaper than the BYD in Standard Range form (RM149,800) – and that’s before you realise its specs are closer to the Atto 3 Extended Range (RM167,800). That’s a huge difference, whichever way you slice it.

Mind you, BYD has since responded by offering a massive RM20,000 rebate for 2023 model year Atto 3s, now starting from just RM129,800. That same rebate would put the Extended Range model right within the Omoda E5’s ballpark. Here are the prices of all four available models, sorted by price (all on-the-road without insurance):

• MG ZS EV – RM129,000 (estimated)
• Chery Omoda E5 – RM146,800
• BYD Atto 3 Standard Range – RM149,800
• BYD Atto 3 Extended Range – RM167,800

Dimensions – ZS EV smallest, Atto 3 most practical, with dedicated EV platform

Being in a different price bracket, it’s no surprise that the ZS EV is also smaller than the other two here, being classified as a B-segment rather than a C-segment SUV. Against the measuring tape, the MG is around 100 mm shorter and its wheelbase is also comfortably the smallest of the three. And yes, it uses torsion beam rear suspension instead of the multi-links employed by the Chery and BYD.

The more compact dimensions will likely result in a smaller cabin, especially at the back where the Atto 3 is particularly spacious thanks to having by far the longest wheelbase of them all. That’s the result of it being built on a bespoke EV platform, whereas the others were designed to fit petrol engines too.

But the ZS EV doesn’t have the smallest boot – in fact, it has the largest here, at 470 litres. The Atto 3 is next with a 440-litre boot, but the wooden spoon goes to the Omoda E5, the boot of which measures a scant 378 litres. It makes up for that by being the only one with a front boot.

Performance and range – Omoda 5 is the no-brainer

The Omoda E5’s true value proposition reveals itself when you look at the specs, where you’ll find striking similarities with the Atto 3 Extended Range. It makes the same amount of power and slightly more torque, and it also has a similarly-sized 61 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery – also made by BYD, so one would assume it’s the same pack – as the Atto 3 ER variant. The Chery manages to eke out marginally more range (430 km versus 420 km on the WLTP cycle).

Next to the Chery, the MG’s specs look decidedly subpar. It has lower outputs and gets from zero to 100 km/h a trite slower as a result, but its Achilles’ heel has got to be its comparatively small 51.1 kWh battery. And even though it’s slightly larger than the one in the Atto 3 Standard Range, the car is clearly less efficient, as its range is a full 25 km shorter – a meagre 320 km.

One quirk of these three cars is that they all come with an LFP battery, instead of the more common nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) units. This should mean they’re safer, will last longer and support a higher amount of charge cycles, meaning you’ll be able to charge them more frequently before they degrade. Speaking of charging…

Charging – Omoda 5 takes the cake, ZS EV brings up the rear

Electric vehicles at the lower end of the price spectrum typically can’t support very fast charging speeds, and these cars are no exception. The fastest charging, the Omoda E5 and Atto 3 Extended Range, max out at 80 kW for DC power, so even these ones take quite a while to top up their batteries – 45 minutes from zero to 80% in the case of the BYD.

The Atto 3 Standard Range’s DC fast charging capacity is slightly lower at 70 kWh, but its smaller battery should cancel out that disadvantage. The most disappointing of the lot is the ZS EV, which can muster only 50 kW, so even charging its small battery from 10 to 80% takes a sluggish 54 minutes. That will be particularly costly at chargers that charge you by time spent.

All of these cars support just 7 kW single-phase AC charging, with the notable exception of the Omoda E5. It has a 9.9 kW three-phase onboard charger, so you will get the maximum charging speed available, no matter what type of wallbox you own.

Unfortunately, Chery doesn’t quote the AC charging time, but we can expect it to be slightly quicker than the Atto 3 Extended Range, which takes nine hours and 42 minutes for a full charge. As we’ve mentioned before, the downside of an EV with a 7 kW OBC is that the charging speed is halved to 3.5 kW if you use an 11 kW three-phase charger; you’ll need a 7 kW single-phase or 22 kW three-phase charger to get the full amount.

Warranty and maintenance – ZS EV provides longest coverage

Chery, MG and BYD all provide the longest warranty coverage in Malaysia, but the Omoda E5 and ZS EV offer a slight advantage in this regard, with a seven-year/150,000 km vehicle warranty. The Atto 3 is covered for six years, but with the same mileage cap.

The battery warranty, meanwhile, is eight years across the board, but the MG takes the lead when it comes to the mileage cap – 180,000 km versus 160,000 km for Chery and BYD. The latter also has a shorter eight-year/150,000 km warranty for the drive unit, inclusive of the motor.

One big draw for the Omoda E5 is that Chery offers a one-to-one replacement for the battery if its state of health drops below 70% while the car is still under warranty, no questions asked. It should be noted, however, that the BYD also has such a provision for a replacement battery (also with a state of health threshold of 70%) in its owner’s manual.

As for maintenance costs, none of the companies provide any service schedules or prices, although Chery does recommend a brake fluid service every 24 months or 40,000 km for the petrol-powered Omoda 5. However, BYD does offer various service packages to take care of you in its after-sales network throughout the duration of your ownership.

These include a Standard package that consists of the single-speed transmission oil servicing, air-con filter replacements and refrigerant servicing, brake fluid servicing and motor coolant servicing. This is priced at RM1,688 for three years, RM3,888 for six years and RM4,888 for eight years.

Alternatively, you can purchase a Plus package that throws in replacements for wipers, washer fluid, remote control and 12V batteries, and brake pads and discs. This is pretty costly, weighing in RM7,888 for six years and RM12,888 for eight years.

What else?

Clockwise from left: Chery Omoda E5, MG ZS EV, BYD Atto 3

As you can imagine, all cars on this list provide plenty of kit for your money. You get LED headlights, keyless entry, automatic air-con (single-zone for the MG, dual-zone for the rest), a powered driver’s seat, faux leather upholstery, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a Qi wireless charger, a 360-degree camera system, six airbags and a full complement of driver assists that include adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist.

Being a B-segment car, the ZS EV does lose out on a few features, such as a powered passenger seat and a powered tailgate; it also only has four speakers, which seems a little mean when the Omoda E5 has eight Sony-branded ones. On the flip side, it and the Atto 3 have a panoramic glass roof with a powered sunshade, whereas the Omoda E5 has a regular sunroof with a manual shade.

In terms of infotainment, the BYD takes the cake with its novel 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen, although the Chery’s fixed 12.3-inch display is hardly any smaller and the MG’s 10.1-inch display is still of a decent size. Better yet, the Chery and MG’s 12.3-inch digital instrument displays dwarf the BYD’s tiny five-inch readout.

Want to know how these cars drive? We have yet to sample the MG ZS EV, but you can check out Hafriz’s reviews of the Chery Omoda E5 and BYD Atto 3.

GALLERY: Chery Omoda E5 in Malaysia

GALLERY: MG ZS EV in Malaysia
GALLERY: BYD Atto 3 Extended Range in Malaysia

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