Changan Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV Arrives in the UK from £32,990

• The Changan Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV starts at £32,990 and sends power to the front wheels through an electric motor almost all the time, with the petrol engine working mainly as a generator rather than driving the wheels directly.
• It covers up to 62 miles on electric power alone and up to 648 miles combined, and its DC rapid charging tops the battery from 30 to 80 per cent in around 15 minutes.
• The car carries a five-star Euro NCAP rating, a seven-year vehicle warranty and an eight-year battery warranty, and it goes on sale now through Changan’s UK dealer network of nearly 60 sites.

A Plug-In Hybrid Built to Drive Like an EV First

Changan has launched its first plug-in hybrid for the UK, and it drives differently from most cars that wear the PHEV badge. The Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV puts the electric motor in charge almost all the time. The petrol engine sits in the background, generating power rather than turning the wheels, and only joins in directly above 60mph when the driver wants full performance.

It joins the all-electric Deepal S05 and S07 in Changan’s UK line-up, priced from £32,990 in Pro trim and £34,990 in Max trim. Both share the same body, cabin and 15.4-inch touchscreen as the electric S05, which won a German iF Design Award in 2025.

An Electric Motor Does Almost All the Driving

A 172kW electric motor drives the front wheels in nearly every situation, drawing from an 18.4kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. The 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine is paired with its own generator and spends most of its time making electricity rather than pushing the car along.

A wet clutch links the engine to the wheels, but it stays disengaged for normal driving, so the two are mechanically separated. It only closes when a driver asks for maximum power above 60mph, and even then the petrol engine usually helps for a few seconds at a time rather than taking over. Changan’s powertrain engineer Ken Pendlebury said the car is “electric-first by design,” adding that it “offers consumers the acceleration, speed and responsiveness of an EV, with the peace of mind of never worrying about when or where to charge.”

Total system output is 190kW, or 258PS, enough for 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds. Three driving settings let owners choose how the battery is used: EV mode saves power for electric-only running until charge drops to around 23 per cent, Hybrid Auto blends both power sources automatically, and Hybrid Manual lets the driver set a target charge level between 30 and 80 per cent, useful for saving battery for a city centre at the end of a motorway trip.

Range, Charging and Running Costs

The battery delivers up to 62 miles of electric-only range on the WLTP test, which covers most commutes and school runs without the petrol engine starting at all. Combined range, using both the battery and the 51-litre fuel tank, reaches up to 648 miles.

Weighted combined fuel consumption is rated at 139.2mpg, falling to 52.3mpg once the battery runs flat, with CO2 emissions of 47g/km. Most plug-in hybrids charge slowly at home and barely faster in public, but the Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV accepts DC rapid charging at up to 55kW, taking the battery from 30 to 80 per cent in around 15 minutes. AC home charging tops out at 11kW.

Pricing and How It Compares

At £32,990 for the Pro and £34,990 for the Max, the Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV lands below several established rivals in the compact PHEV SUV class. The Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid starts at £39,795 for its entry GT-Line trim, nearly £7,000 more than the Deepal’s base price. The MG HS plug-in hybrid has previously undercut most rivals by pricing from just under £32,000, so Changan’s newcomer arrives in a part of the market where buyers already expect sharp pricing rather than a premium for electrification.

Options include a panoramic roof with an electric sunblind for £1,000 on Max models, a detachable tow bar for £700 on either trim, and 20-inch alloy wheels for £800 on Max. The tow bar raises braked towing capacity to 1,600kg, a figure that matches or beats several larger SUVs.

Kit, Safety and Warranty

Both trims get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in route mapping, voice control, over-the-air updates and a 360-degree camera with a “Transparent Chassis” view that shows what’s beneath the car on rough ground. Max models add an augmented reality head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a 14-speaker sound system in place of the Pro’s eight speakers.

Euro NCAP has given the car its maximum five-star rating, and 17 driver assistance systems come as standard, run by 14 sensors including radar and cameras. Changan backs the car with a seven-year, 100,000-mile vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 124,000-mile battery warranty, plus three years of RAC roadside cover. Servicing is due every 12 months or 12,000 miles, and the car is built on Changan’s European-designed body with engineering input from the brand’s Birmingham research centre and its design studio in Turin.

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