New Omoda 3 set to take on Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq as brand's entry-level EV

The new Omoda 3 has been revealed in China as a new rival to the Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq. The small electric SUV will go on sale in its homeland later this year, although it’s not expected to arrive in the UK until October 2026. 

After several teasers of the new car, Chinese automotive giant Chery (Omoda’s parent company), held an early preview event at an ‘Omoda Day’. The Omoda 3 will replace the Chery Omoda ‘C3’ in other markets, although it’ll be a new model here in the UK, sitting below the existing 5, the recently revealed Omoda 7 mid-sized SUV and the Omoda 9 flagship.

We got our first hint of an upcoming entry-level Omoda last year when we spoke to the brand’s UK country manager, Victor Zhang, who announced the Omoda 3 would be offered in petrol, hybrid and all-electric guises. We’ll have to wait for technical details to be confirmed, but the Omoda 3 should sit on the modular T1X platform that’s also used by the Omoda 5 and all-electric E5. That means the powertrains are likely to be a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol and possibly a single-motor, front-wheel-drive EV with a battery pack of around 61kWh.

Compared with its more premium sister brand Jaecoo, Omoda focuses on value with its philosophy of “affordable premium”. And with the Omoda 3, it appears this will be done with some eye-catching design. During the presentation, the company revealed the car’s ‘Starship Cockpit’, featuring a large central touchscreen and even a flip-up, fighter jet-style start button. There’s also a docking station for a Nintendo Switch on the centre console. 

As for the exterior, the Omoda 3 shares some design language with the brand’s other models - although it’s much more angular. The gloss black front apron gives the Omoda 3 an aggressive look, as do the sharp creases in the bodywork and the rather funky hexagonal-shaped wing mirrors. 

The Omoda 3 should have a lower starting price than the brand’s first offering, the Omoda 5, which kicks off at £25,915. However, Zhang told us that, “[Omoda 3] will not be so cheap, because I don’t think we just want to do the lowest-price product. This is not our philosophy.”

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