Chery Tiggo 8 review
Overlook the weak pure-petrol model and you’ll find the Chery Tiggo 8 is a supremely capable and attractively priced plug-in hybrid
Our opinion on the Chery Tiggo 8
There aren’t many competitors to the Chery Tiggo 8 that can match its combination of kit, pricing and practicality. There is a slight caveat that the best option is the plug-in hybrid because the entry-level pure petrol version is uninspiring and thirsty, so you’ll have to make sure your lifestyle suits that powertrain. But if it does, you’ll find this an extremely well-priced SUV.
About the Chery Tiggo 8
Ranking third in our table of the best and worst Chinese car brands in the UK – only behind BYD and MG – Chery is a company you should be paying attention to, even more so than its Jaecoo and Omoda sister brands.
Chery’s range of SUVs is targeting buyers with keen pricing, oodles of kit, efficient hybrid engines and strong practicality. The formula was proved with its first UK-bound car, the Nissan Qashqai-rivalling Chery Tiggo 7, and now the Tiggo 8 is looking to do the same in the seven-seat SUV category. It sits below the larger and slightly more premium Chery Tiggo 9, and it comes with the same petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains as the Tiggo 7 and the closely related Omoda 7.
We've driven the plug-in hybrid version of the Chery Tiggo 8 as part of individual drives, and we've also included a Summit trim version in our Plug-in hybrid megatest.
Chery Tiggo 8 prices and latest deals
Pricing for the Chery Tiggo 8 starts at just over £28,500, undercutting many seven-seat SUV rivals. That headline price is for the pure-petrol Tiggo 8, but we recommend the plug-in hybrid, which will cost just over £33,500. Both powertrains start with Aspire trim, while Summit coste £3,000 more.
We can help you find top offers from local dealers if you want your own Chery Tiggo 8. We can also help you check out the latest Chery Tiggo 8 leasing deals with our Find A Car service. You can even sell your existing car for a great price with Auto Express Sell My Car.
Performance & driving experience
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Instead of getting the more potent plug-in hybrid all-wheel-drive powertrain from the Tiggo 9, the Tiggo 8 has the same engines as the Tiggo 7 and Omoda 7. There’s a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder motor with power going to the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission. The Super Hybrid consists of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 201bhp electric motor, fed by an 18.4kWh battery. The gearbox in the Super Hybrid is a three-speed automatic, which is bespoke to the Chery’s Super Hybrid system.
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| Tiggo 8 Aspire 1.6T | 147bhp | 9.8 seconds | 118mph |
| Tiggo 8 Aspire 1.5 PHEV | 201bhp | 8.5 seconds | 112mph |
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
We have no issue with the straight-line performance of the Tiggo 8 PHEV. Chery’s system prioritises electric power, so the motor’s full 365Nm of torque is available quickly, allowing for a swift 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds. The smoothness of the EV set-up is a little at odds with the three-speed gearbox connected to the 1.5-litre engine - it’s incredibly long geared and can feel hesitant to change at times.
You get a selection of drive modes (Eco, Normal and Sport) to adjust the Tiggo 8’s behaviour on the road, although we can’t spot much difference between them.
We’ve not driven the 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine yet in this model, but we found it to be pretty lacklustre in the Tiggo 7. Given that the Tiggo 8 weighs an extra 155kg, the larger model will likely feel even more sluggish, especially given its slower 0-62mph time of 9.8 seconds.
Town driving, visibility and parking
The Chery Tiggo 8 might look like a big, unwieldy SUV, but it’s surprisingly capable around town. The turning circle of 11.2 metres is only 0.2 metres greater than the Tiggo 7’s and light steering means tight manoeuvres are no trouble.
Having a focus on EV power means the Tiggo 8 is quiet too (until the petrol engine grumbles into life, which is a rare occurrence). Overall refinement is boosted by the softly sprung suspension; the Tiggo 8 will soak up big bumps and potholes with ease at low speed, although very eager steering inputs will cause some body roll.
We find the high driving position helps with your forward visibility and to see what's beside you, but the rear view is woeful due to a tiny central mirror which somehow manages to distort what you see reflected on the glass, making it impossible to judge what is behind you or how far away said things are. A saving grace is the standard-fit exterior cameras front and rear, while the Summit version’s adds a surround-view camera.
You may also wish to turn off the auto side mirror tilting function, because we found it dropped both door mirrors too much and left us floundering when trying to back into a parking space – especially when we tried to adjust them back up because all the mirror controls are burried within the central touchscreen, rather than on a separate mirror control stalk near the electric window controls.
Country road driving and handling
The Chery Tiggo 8 PHEV's emphasis on comfort around town is evident on more flowing roads. There’s a noticeable amount of lean in the bends and that light steering makes it difficult to accurately place the front end – even in Sport mode, which rather annoyingly shouts “Sport Mode” at you via the speakers when you select it.
There’s scope to adjust the strength of brake regeneration in the menu, and while it’s generally smooth, there’s an inconsistency at low speeds. Given how dominant the electric motor is in the plug-in hybrid, we’d like a higher amount of regenerative braking to really provide an easy-going, EV-like driving experience.
Motorway driving and long-distance comfort
On a cruise, the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid feels more like a range-extender than a plug-in hybrid. The engine fades into the background and with laminated side windows, wind noise is very well suppressed.
Compared with other seven-seat SUVs such as the Peugeot 5008 and Kia Sorento, the ride is a little more fidgety on the motorway, but it’s not something that would put us off taking the Chery on a long journey. The Tiggo 8 also undercuts those cars by a substantial amount; the Dacia Jogger MPV is slightly closer to the Chinese car’s price point, but nowhere near as comfortable or lavishly equipped.
MPG & running costs
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Although we’re yet to find out the real-world economy of the 1.6-litre, non-hybrid Tiggo 8, other cars with this engine don’t give us much hope. The quoted figure of 36.2mpg isn’t great, putting it between the Omoda 5 (31.2mpg) and Jaecoo 5 (41mpg), both of which use the same motor.
| Model | MPG | CO2 | Insurance group |
| Chery Tiggo 8 Aspire 1.6T | 36.2mpg | 177g/km | 30 |
| Chery Tiggo 8 Aspire 1.5 PHEV | 202mpg | 31g/km | 35 |
Electric range, battery life and charge time
The Tiggo 8 doesn’t get the massive battery available in the larger Tiggo 9, but this car’s 56 miles of electric range is nothing to be sniffed at – especially at this price.
Like many plug-in hybrids, the quoted economy figure is a very unrealistic 202mpg, but it should still be much more economical in real world driving than a typical diesel SUV if you charge it regularly. During our plug-in hybrid megatest, we recorded a thoroughly excellent 60.1mpg on a mixed test loop involving some urban, so B road, and some motorway driving after we'd 'flattened' the battery doing 49 miles of electric-only driving. We say flattened, because the Tiggo 8 never really runs its hybrid battery down to zero per cent state of charge in order to keep some charge in reserve to maintain efficiency.
The Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid can charge its 18.4kWh battery on the move, but if you do need to plug it in, it’ll take 20 minutes to go from 20 to 80 per cent thanks to a relatively decent maximum recharge speed of 40kW. If you need to fully recharge the battery at home using a typical wallbox charger, it'll take around three hours.
Insurance groups
As you’d expect, the non-hybrid petrol Tiggo 8 is the cheaper of the two powertrains to insure and it’s no more expensive than the smaller Tiggo 7. However, more expensive plug-in hybrid SUVs such as the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid (group 27) and Citroen C5 Aircross Plug-in Hybrid (group 30) are cheaper still.
Tax
The Tiggo 8 PHEV sits in the 10 per cent bracket for company car tax, whereas the pure-petrol model is in the highest band. The petrol’s first-year VED road tax rate is £2,270 followed by an annual VED tax bill of from year two onwards. The PHEV costs just £115 for the first year followed by an annual bill of £200 VED therafter. All versions of the Tiggo 8 avoid the luxury car tax surcharge for petrol and plug-in hybrid vehicles that cost more than £40,000 when new.
Company car drivers will still be better off with an all electric vehicle, such as the Peugeot E-5008.
Depreciation
According to our CDL resale valuation data, the Tiggo 8 is expected to retain between 45 and 49 per cent of its original value after three years or 36,000 miles. That's not quite as good as the mechanically similar Omoda 7, which is expected to retain between 49 and 51 per cent of its value over the same period.
Interior, design & technology
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The new Tiggo 8 is actually a hefty redesign of a model that’s been on sale in other markets since 2017. The fresh face that first arrived in China in 2024 is aligned with the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 9 thanks to a clear and consistent family look through the range - which is set to be continued with the entry-level Tiggo 4.
It’s an inoffensive-looking thing, the Tiggo 8. The petrol model has a different set of lights from the plug-in hybrid (which also gets a humongous boot space thanks to its electrified powertrain), but you’d do well to tell them apart.
Whatever version of the Tiggo 8 you choose, there are five paint finishes. The only no-cost option is plain is white, while blue, green, black or grey will set you back £500.
Standard equipment with our preferred Aspire model includes:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- A 15.6-inch central touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity
- A 50W wireless charging pad
- A 540-degree exterior parking camera system
- LED headlights
- An electrically adjustable driver’s seat.
Go for Summit trim and you get a panoramic sunroof, hands-free electric bootlid, 12-speaker Sony sound system, ambient cabin lighting, a heated steering wheel, heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, heated second-row seats, a head-up display and illuminated door sills.
Interior and dashboard design
There’s a slightly more premium look and feel to the Tiggo 8’s interior than the lesser Tiggo 7’s. Considering the similarities under the skin, the surface-level changes are a little odd. These differences include the Tiggo 7’s large centre gearshift being reallocated to the Tiggo 8’s steering column, plus completely different infotainment screens, air vents, and centre console buttons.
Materials and build quality
Chery has attempted to jazz up the Tiggo 8’s interior with diamond-shaped accents on the doors and faux wood grain on the dash. The end result is a fairly smart-looking cabin - but one devoid of any excitement. It’s neat, tidy, and that’s about it.
We found the interior build quality fairly impressive. The synthetic leather (which is used all over) is soft, and the few buttons that there are feel nicely damped. There’s a sturdiness to the switchgear too. The quality extends to the middle-row seats too, but third-row passengers have to make do with a few more scratchy plastics. Considering it’ll mainly be children back there, that’s probably fine, though. One negative in our Summit car was the panoramic roof, which creaked over large bumps and rough roads.
Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo
Instead of going with the Tiggo 7’s dual-screen set-up, the Tiggo 8 has a much larger 15.6-inch screen as standard. The resolution is super-clear, and it initially responded quickly to our inputs. However, as we started to delve deeper into the menus, we noticed it slowing up.
The usability of the infotainment is - quite literally - a little hit and miss. When you’re on the move, it’s difficult to operate frequently used functions such as the climate control, which is annoyingly located on a thin tab at the bottom. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but they could have been better integrated; switching between the air-conditioning controls, for instance, requires several prods of the screen.
The driver’s display also has an impressive resolution, but we fear some drivers will find the fonts way too small and difficult to read at a glance, especially with the bright white background. The head-up display fitted to Summit trim only projects basic information including the speed.
Unlike some other Chinese brands, which use in-house sound systems, Chery went to Sony for the stereo in the Tiggo 8. It shows too, because while you have to get the Summit trim to listen to it, the 12-speaker set-up is very rich indeed.
Boot space & practicality
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If you compare the Tiggo 8 with its Omoda and Jaecoo sister cars, which offer the same technology in more expensive models, it’s difficult to see why you wouldn’t choose the Chery. The same is true when it comes to practicality, because the Tiggo 8 is the most spacious car in its class – although the plug-in hybrid at least has no real rivals at its price-point.
Dimensions and size
The Chery Tiggo 8 sits in an odd place in the market. It costs much the same as a Nissan Qashqai or Kia Sportage, but it’s much larger – and closer to the size of the Tiggo 9 than the Tiggo 7. As a result, it’s real competition for seven-seat SUVs including the Skoda Kodiaq, Peugeot 5008 and Volkswagen Tayron. Thanks to its SUV body, there’s plenty of interior space and it’s versatile too.
| Dimensions comparison | |||
| Model | Chery Tiggo 8 | Skoda Kodiaq | Peugeot 5008 |
| Length | 4,725mm | 4,758mm | 4,791mm |
| Width | 1,860mm | 1,864mm | 1,895mm |
| Height | 1,705mm | 1,659mm | 1,694mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,710mm | 2,791mm | 2,901mm |
| Boot space | 117/494/1,930 litres | 340/845/2,035 litres | 259/1,815 litres |
Seats & passenger space
The front of the Chery Tiggo 8 is noticeably spacious and comes with a typically SUV-like high driving position. You sit rather upright, however, because the seat doesn't drop very low. There’s plenty of space in the middle row, too, but in the back things are a bit more cramped. However, a pair of six-foot adults will be able to make use of the rearmost seats on short journeys. Showing the Tiggo 8 wasn’t primarily designed for right-hand-drive markets is the fact that it’s easier to jump into the third row on the driver’s side – thanks to the 60:40 split. School-run regulars will know the other side is the preferred option.
Being a family-friendly SUV, there are lots of places to store things. The Tiggo 8 has huge door bins that can hold large water bottles, a split-opening cubby that can store one-litre bottles upright, and cup-holders for every occupant. There are also three Isofix child-seat mounting points - about average for this class.
Boot space
With the third-row seats up, there’s just 117 litres of boot space, enough for two small suitcases. Flip them down and you get 494 litres, which is reasonably good, but a long way off the class leader, the Skoda Kodiaq. It’s easy to adjust the boot space in the Tiggo 8 too. There are long straps on the back of the third-row seats and we found no issues sliding the middle row around.
The Tiggo 8 is a tall car, but the boot lip isn’t awkwardly high off the ground, and a movable boot floor means you can have a flat floor no matter how the seats are configured. A few more hooks and straps to secure items in the boot would be appreciated, however.
Towing
Even though it’s bigger and heavier than the Tiggo 7, the Tiggo 8’s identical powertrains mean it’s no better for towing. Both the PHEV and pure-petrol have an unbraked towing capacity of 750kg.
Reliability & safety
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Chery as a brand is too new to feature in the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, but buyers should take solace in the Tiggo 8’s competitive warranty. As with all Chery models, it gets a seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty - including RAC Home Start from the get-go. In the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid, the battery also gets an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty, which matches the industry standard for EVs
Initially, the Tiggo 8 only managed a four out of five star Euro NCAP score due to issues with the curtain airbag not deploying properly to protect rear occupants. This issue has now been resolved, and now the Tiggo 8 gets the maximum five stars out of five score after being reassesed, which is one more than the Peugeot 5008.
There's a wide range of safety technology fitted to the Tiggo 8 as standard such as automatic emergency braking, lane-departure prevention, rear cross traffic alert, blind-spot detection and 10 airbags.
It's not all good news because we found some of the safety systems to be highly annoying and not as smooth in operation as they ought to be. The Tiggo 8’s lane-keeping assist frequently tugged at the wheel to keep it within the lines, and the adaptive cruise control isn’t the smoothest we’ve come across.
| Euro NCAP safety ratings | |
| Euro NCAP safety rating | Five stars (reassessed, 2025) |
| Adult occupant protection | 82% |
| Child occupant protection | 85% |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 80% |
| Safety assist | 78% |
Buying and owning
Best buy: Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid Aspire
Just as with the Tiggo 7, or even the Tiggo 9 for that matter, the plug-in hybrid version of the Tiggo 8 is the one to have. It’ll not only be cheaper to run, but it’s also nicer to drive and doesn’t cost too much extra to buy over the pure petrol version.
Entry-level Aspire is very well equipped as standard, and while the Summit’s extra kit will be tempting for those looking for a more luxurious family SUV, we think saving £3,000 and putting it towards your fuel and servicing costs is a better use of your money than having illuminated sill plates or massaging front seats.
Chery Tiggo 8 alternatives
Given its keen prices, there aren’t really any direct seven-seat SUV alternatives to the Tiggo 8. The Dacia Jogger offers seven-seat practicality for less money - but it’s nowhere as well appointed as the Chery, nor does it come with the option of a plug-in hybrid. Likewise, the Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq and Kia Sorento are big seven-seat SUVs, but only the Peugeot can offer plug-in hybrid power and seven-seat practicality together. The closely related Omoda 7 is slightly cheaper than the Tiggo 8 in plug-in hybrid form, but don't offer seven seat versatility.
Chery Tiggo 8 pictures
Frequently Asked Questions
Chery’s range of Tiggo SUVs comes from its Wuhu plant in China.
Deals on the Tiggo 8 and alternatives
