Changan impressed with its first UK model. Now the smaller version is shaping up to be a worthy contender, too
You’ll be forgiven for not being hugely au fait with Changan’s work. The Chinese brand launched in the UK at the tail end of 2025 with the impressively competent Deepal S07 electric family SUV. Now there’s a smaller one, the Deepal S05.It promises tech, performance, and the sort of stuff that ‘lifestyle’ people go all giddy over. We went to Austria for some cold weather driving and low-grip fun to get a hint of what it’ll be like when it hits the UK properly later this year.Changan itself is one of China’s big manufacturers, and has had an R&D base in the UK for years, as well as a design house in Italy. So it should be able to make good on its promise that its cars are ‘tailored to European needs’.The Deepal S05 is the sort of 4.6m-long electric crossover that we’re seeing a lot of. See also: Skoda Elroq, Kia EV5, MG S5 EV. Deepal is definitely playing the value card, because for £39,995 – the price of a well-specced single-motor Elroq – it will give you a dual-motor, all-wheel drive S05 with all the kit you could wish for. There’s a single-motor, rear-wheel drive version as well, for £37,990.We used the AWD one for winter slithering duties, and it’s a punchy package. There’s 429bhp and 370lb ft to play with and 0-62mph is a brisk 5.5 seconds. Under the floor is a 68.8kWh battery, which is on the small side for the class, but it’s an LFP one, so won’t mind being fully charged on a regular basis. It promises 4.0mpkWh and 278 miles of range. On a 200kW DC charger, you’ll get the battery from 30% to 80% in 15 minutes.When it comes to the look and feel of the car, the firm’s Italian team has done a fine job. It’s aerodynamically efficient, yet doesn’t look like an egg, which is pleasing.The interior is slick, though everything’s run via a 15.4-inch touch screen. No buttons here, just a hit ‘n miss infotainment system that requires you to tap through various menus for simple things like wing mirror adjustments, drive mode changes, climate control, music, and, well, everything else. Spend too much time tapping while you’re driving, and the car will gently nag you for not paying attention. It’s best to use it when you’re stationary and leave it well alone after.There are more than 30 cubby holes dotted around for all your assorted oddments – those that you don’t want to throw in the competitively capacious 492-litre boot or 159-litre frunk, anyway.The winter testing element of the Deepal S05 experience saw various exercises on low-grip surfaces – an attempt at kicking the tail out on a skid pad led to much understeer, though on a slippery slalom the body was nicely balanced at sensible speeds.More involved turns (to avoid a deer, or jets of water being shot out of the ground) were handled well – though, again, it could get a touch understeery if pushed too hard. When the going got tough, it was easy to brake and keep in shape from high speed. Giving it a kicking around a little test track showed it was composed, and pleasingly quick.In the real world, the Deepal S05 felt just fine. It rode quietly over uneven surfaces – although driving through puddles made some concerning noises. It’s not the sort of car you’ll buy to blow your socks off, but you’ll happily do day to day things without issue. With the option of four-wheel drive, fast charging and a keen price, the S05 definitely stands a chance among its many rivals, but will need some further refining to really cut it.
