Chery Q (2026) EV: Quick First Drive Review - In China!

The R3.27 petrol-price hike: Is an affordable EV like the new Chery Q the antidote?

South Africans are pinching their pennies in every way possible, and lately it feels like we just can’t catch a break before the next fuel hike rolls in. As of today, Wednesday, 6 May 2026, petrol has officially spiked by R3.27 per litre, bringing the price of 95 Inland to a staggering R26.63. Diesel users face an even grimmer reality with an R5.27 surge after a minor last-minute calculation correction from the CEF.

According to our CEO, George Mienie, shopper behaviour is shifting fast: diesel searches are cooling, while interest in smaller cars and new-energy vehicles is climbing. Even plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), once the butt of many a braai-side joke, are in demand, with shoppers hunting for the longest-range PHEVs in SA. And those loud anti-EV scoffers? Quietly trawling AutoTrader for affordable electric options. The NEV tide is rising!

The Chery QQ3 at the Chery International Business Summit, which we attended at the end of April in Wuhu. It's coming to SA as the Chery Q.

The 'affordable' EVs in SA: BYD vs Geely

But EVs are expensive in South Africa, aren't they? The snag has always been price. Most EVs have sat beyond the reach of the average Joe. That started to change when the BYD Dolphin Surf arrived last year, followed by the Geely E2 more recently.

The R350k to R390k club

• BYD Dolphin Surf: R341,900 – R395,900 | 232 km – 295 km Range (WLTP).

• Geely E2: R339 900 – R389 900 | Up to 325 km Range (WLTP). 

Even though the BYD marque is massive overseas, it's still pretty new here, and BYD's Q1 2026 profits have dropped by 55% in China, which doesn't instil much confidence. And Geely, who happens to own Volvo, is also huge in China (they're bringing Zeekr too), but not exactly recognised as a stalwart in SA. (Did you know that Geely has been trading the no.1 position with BYD in China this year?)

However, Chery is known for its massive export figures, and the Rosslyn plant, previously utilised by Nissan, will now produce Chery vehicles. And South Africans are much more familiar with Chery than they are with the other two. It also helps that the Chery group has recently won 14 JD Power awards, spanning Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI), Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL), Initial Quality Study (IQS), Customer Service Index (CSI), and Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS).

But, I digress. Let's get back to the reason I signed multiple indemnity forms and attended a safety briefing at the Longshan testing centre at Chery headquarters in Wuhu, China: the fully electric Chery Q, known overseas as the QQ or QQ3.

PHEV, REEV or HEV? We compare the Chery Tiggo 8 to the Toyota RAV4 and Leapmotor C10

The Chery Q shown here was the second car we tested on track day; earlier, we put the Tiggo 7 HEV to the test.

Driving the Chery Q on track

Longshan is Chery Group’s primary proving ground, used for high-speed runs, precision braking and slalom work at media and dealer events. It’s built for exactly this sort of fun, but in all seriousness, it's here where we can get a feel for how Chery products handle under a bit of pressure. After the Chery pro driver did his thing, it was my turn behind the wheel.

Getting ready to see what the Chery Q can do!

I flattened my right foot, and the Q accelerated briskly enough, but I braked a little too late. As I threw the Q into a cone slalom and traced a figure-eight, tyre squeals filled the air, but the Q stayed calm and composed, with tidier body control than you would expect from a budget-oriented EV. And just for the record: No cones were harmed or injured during this exercise. The Q is rear-wheel-driven, and the electric motor is also mounted on the rear axle, which explains why it stuck to its guns so well under a bit of abuse!

Just me, the electric Chery Q, the instructor, the guy filming me in the back, the solitary drone above, and the smooth asphalt of the Longshan track ;-)

How big is the Chery Q?

Think of a VW Golf, and you get the idea. The Q’s footprint is proper hatch, not pint‑sized; it’s a shade shorter than a Golf, a touch wider, noticeably taller, and it rides on a longer wheelbase (2.70 m vs 2.62 m). Translation: Golf‑like outside, roomier inside, especially for rear‑seat legroom, and this will pull in the punters. Luggage space is Golf‑level too (around 375 litres with the seats up, expanding to about 1,450 litres), and the Q adds a 70‑litre 'frunk' up front for secret purchases when the credit card is already taking strain.

The Chery Q on the outskirts of Chingde in China's Hebei province.

But, it's not competing with the Golf, it's taking the battle to the Dolphin Surf and the Geely E2, so here is a quick size comparison:

• Versus BYD Dolphin Surf: the Q is notably larger in every direction except height, where they’re similar; the Q’s wheelbase is 200 mm longer, which usually means more rear legroom and better straight‑line stability.
• Versus Geely E2: the Q is slightly longer and wider, and a touch shorter in height; it also has a longer wheelbase (2,700 mm vs 2,650 mm), so expect a roomier cabin footprint.

What's the Chery Q's interior like?

It's a compact, yet spacious EV with a playful streak, inspired by the Swedes with their Volvo EX30 and the British with their Mini Cooper SE. The Q gets a big central screen with quirky cartoon-like graphics, and hardly any physical buttons. This could help make it or break it, as South Africans don't like delving into menus for the basics much. In Volvo products that utilise the Google Automotive System, it's not an issue because it's super intuitive, the voice control works exceptionally well (being Google, already in action on your smartphone), and the touchscreen display is as logical as an iPad.

There are two screen options overseas; we're not sure which one we'll get, but it will be large enough.

In China, the QQ3 runs Chery's Lingxi Intelligent Cabin (AI Lingxi) platform on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8155. We'll confirm SA features (e.g., CarPlay/Android Auto availability) once Chery SA publishes the spec.

The Chinese-spec model has durable-looking perforated vinyl seats, a black dashboard with colourful trim inserts, and black carpets, while the QQ3 we saw at the Beijing Auto Show was kitted out in full racing mode, with white stripes atop a very familiar British Racing Green. 

This was the QQ3 on display at the International Business Summit in Wuhu.

Range, battery specs, and charging

Chery’s official China pages confirm two battery sizes for their local QQ3: The smaller 29.48 kWh and the bigger 41.28 kWh (both Lithium Iron Phosphate). Chery also quotes a 30–80% DC fast-charge time of 16.5 minutes or less under Chinese conditions (light years ahead of us, of course), but we all know the situation with public chargers in SA. It usually means you plug in while you shop or meet a friend for coffee and have a proper catch-up, depending on where you charge.

Here in the Western Cape, the top-up time for the Chery Q will be around 30 minutes, from 20% to 80% at a 60 kW point, like the one you'll find at Stellenbosch Square.

Could the Chery Q work in SA? The price tag will be the deciding factor.

Chery engineers at the track told us there are two global battery options in the pipeline of which we will get one. Differences between gross and usable capacity, running updates, and a few things that got lost in translation can explain why you’ll see 29.48/41.28 kWh on official pages and 42.7/53 kWh from other sources.

Until Chery South Africa publishes local specs, we won’t pin exact SA figures to the wall, but we've been told we will likely get the model with the larger 42.7kWh battery, 90kW and 115Nm, in RWD configuration. We'll be more than happy with that. Especially since the estimated range for this model falls within the 400-420 km region. Still a ballpark figure, as there are many things that influence how far an EV can take you, and official figures are usually a bit ambitious.

Good legroom is available for all.

Is the time right for South Africans to invest in an affordable EV?

If you can charge at home or work at decent tariffs, or on solar, and your daily round-trip spans under 200 km, the maths on budget EVs is already making sense. If Chery lands the Q in the sub-R350k lane with the right spec, South African buyers should bite. Pitch it higher, and it’ll have to lean hard on its driving polish and trust in the Chery nameplate.

If you're not quite sure about going the full EV route, we have many PHEVs and HEVs to choose from in 2026. Search for all hybrid cars on AutoTrader here.

We’ll update this story the moment the final SA spec sheet lands. The launch date in SA will be in the second half of 2026.