I am in the market for a PHEV hybrid under 40K, I have almost 250km run 5 days a week.
Anyone got any thoughts/reviews on Chery Tigo 7 Super Hybrid
I Am in The Market for a PHEV Hybrid under $40K, I Have Almost 250km Run Each Day - 5 Days a Week. Looking for Options
LuckyDealer on 20/08/2025 - 20:37
Last edited 22/08/2025 - 13:54
Last edited 22/08/2025 - 13:54
Comments
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Advertising range for a petrol car is stupid. Noone driving petrol cars has range anxiety because fuel is so readily available.
It's not because it gives you a good idea of fuel economy, not everyone wants to be filling up every 500km when they can fill up every 1000km. It makes a huge difference as you visits to the petrol station are cut in half and you can easily wait out the peaks in the price cycle.
@unwashed00: Its the fuel economy thats important. Far to easy for manufacturers to squeeze in another 2L to get 'the biggest range' without improving fuel economy.
As the owner of a MY23 ZS EV, i say F**K MG! Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many software issues with the car, it's honestly ridiculous.
At least twice a month i need to press the stop/start button 5 to 6 times cycling from off to on to get the car to display "ready" and be able to drive.
The ACC is twitchy AF,.
The AEB is twitchy AF (It will go off randomly on a car parked on the side of the road despite me being 3m away from the vehicle laterally)
At least once a month the infotainment just doesn't turn on (This means that ALL controls that interface with it do not function, the car basically turns into a 2003 Rav 4 minus the aircon.
At least 3 to 4 times a month the vehicle will display 10+ error codes on the dash when you attempt to start the vehicle (AEB, ACC, TPMS, Lane Keep Assist etc…)
The lane keep assist is squirrely AF (The system will literally slightly swerve back and forth to keep you in the lane)
To top it off, 7 months ago the door lock actuator failed on the drivers rear door and to no ones surprise it has still not been replaced due to "Parts shortages" 7 F***ING MONTHS TO SHIP A REPLACEMENT PART FROM CHINA, WTF EVEN IS THAT?!?!?!
What does the dealer say about all of these issues i hear you ask??? "We scanned the cars computers and everything is reporting ok…" MOTHERFER I HAVE DOZENS, LITERALLY FING DOZENS OF VIDEOS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED ISSUES! The dealer just doesn't care because they already have my 50K.
TLDR: F**k MG with a rusty, chlamydia infested pickaxe.
Look up lemon laws…take it back.
I do similar driving everyday and finally settled on corolla hybrid (after considering long range Tesla also). My reasons,
1) Range (corolla is rated 1000 km - but on highways it's more like 750 km, Tesla range drops almost half of the advertised range)
2) Warranty (corolla comes with 7 year unlimited km whereas Tesla 8 year 190k km, but this many long distance driving, Tesla would be out of warranty in just 3 years)
3) Depreciation (corolla will hold value, can sell instantly, Tesla will be half the price in few years)
4) Insurance (corolla $700 for comprehensive cover, same cover for Tesla $2,500)
5) ADAS (this will come as a surprise for many, as everyone thinks Tesla autopilot is brilliant, but if you tried 2023 corolla ADAS - not the 2022 one which is different - then you will be surprised how smooth that is. For my, TSS 3 is more refined and dependable than Tesla basic auto pilot)
Now, credits where it's due,
1) Cabin noise (Tesla is definitely better here, a lot quieter than corolla, when you drive everyday, road noise becomes pretty annoying)
2) Running costs (Corolla even with capped priced servicing, still more expensive compared to zero cost Tesla. Also electricity bill for over night charge is about 2/3 of the cost of fuel cost for corolla)
All things considered, corolla was a lot more compelling in my use case.
Nice balanced consideration.
What distance do you do daily / yearly? And what is your fuel tariff?
On your fuel cost calculation: Many places could get 8c/kWh overnight rate which is roughly 1.3c/km, however if you are paying the full rate of close to 30c/kWh that would be closer to 5c/km. Typically Corolla does ?6L/100km for highway driving, so at this efficiency you are looking at around 9c/km with the cheapest fuel price of around 1.50 currently.
Therefore I am not sure if your 2/3 of the fuel cost is accurate; it's probably closer to 1/2 at the worst case scenario but 1/7 with the best case scenario.
I have to add another plus for Tesla, fun of driving. Corolla is anything butš and obviously Tesla looks a lot nicer as well.
To answer your question, i drive about 1,100 km per week (they pay me well so no complaints there) and 95% of that is on highways (very course highways too). Corolla does 5.2L/100 km (around town I get 3.8L/100 km), so for fuel, I spend about 95$ per week.
If I did that with a Tesla, due to its ridiculously bad economy on highways, (25 kWh/100 km in the particular drive) it'll require 275 kWh per week. With 25Ā¢ per kWh it'll be around 69$. That's where the 2/3 comes about (due to my working hours it's a bit tricky to get night time tariff unfortunately).
Let's say, in a hypothetical scenario, I get night time rates (about 9Ā¢), then Tesla will only cost $25 per week. That's $75 per week saving over corolla. Let's say I did this driving for 5 years, 45 weeks per year, the fuel saving by tesla will be $75x45x5 = 17K. Insurance premium differences over 5 years alone will reduce that figure to 10K straightaway. Then there's depreciation. After 5 years, with 250k kilometres on the clock, corolla will still be under warranty. Tesla will already be out of warranty a while ago, and the resale value will be well below that of corolla. When you do the whole calculation, it doesn't make any sense to buy Tesla for economic reasons, it won't save you any money compared to a corolla. But as far as I know, many people buy Tesla for other reasons, only those who are naive believe it'll save money).
25 kWh/100 km in the particular drive
That's absolutely woeful efficiency. My Model 3 RWD is consistantly 13.3kWh/100km with a mix of highway and urban driving, including going up and down a mountain range 4 days a week. Charging at 8c/kWh means I'm paying about 1.1c/km, so that would be closer to $12 per week for your 1100km weekly commute.
Insurance premium differences over 5 years alone will reduce that figure to 10K straightaway.
The delta between my Model 3's annual insurance premium and a hybrid Camry was only about $300/year, or $1500 over your five year period. You're suggesting a delta of $1400 each year, so your annual premium must be awful.
only those who are naive believe it'll save money
Obviously everyone's situation is different, but after 2 years of ownership I'm easily several grand in front compared to the Camry I was considering. But I bought 2nd hand for a significant discount, so my resale value hasn't changed much at all based on current used values for comparable cars.
@klaw81: There are quite a few Tesla's where I work with similar driving distances, many of which are novated lease cars with FBT benefits (which again not attractive to me due to other reasons) and 25 kWh/100 km figure came from them (more or less). 13 kWh/100 km is tremendously good value, perhaps something to do with mountain range, because of regenerative braking, my driving is 100% flat (WA) so no such luxury unfortunately. Insurance also from actual quotes I'm getting for my address (again, subjective to different addresses). If you buy Tesla second hand, that can make a huge economic sense, I just thought whether it's worth the risk. First I couldn't rely myself on Tesla basic autopilot (after trying it for a couple of weeks) as much as I would on Toyota safety sense 3.0 which is extremely smooth and dependable (even when I was notoriously sleeping lol). But admittedly there are times I really wished the looks, fun driving experience and lack of cabin noise of Tesla. I had to give in for my priorities, which at this stage is economy, not the comfort.
25 kWh/100 km figure came from them (more or less).
15kWh/100km is pretty common for the Long Range Model 3, or about 17kWh for the equivalent Model Y. 25kWh/100km is more like large SUV figures (Audi E-Tron 50, Kia EV9 etc) - something is not right there.
13 kWh/100 km is tremendously good value
Yes, the Model 3 RWD is among the most efficient EVs on the road. Mid 13's is commonplace.
Anyway, I guess my point is that if you find the right deal, and the circumstances are right, an EV can totally make financial sense. And you get all the other fun stuff as a bonus.
@npnp: I agree with @klaw81 there.
My bulky square 7-seater EV9 does as bad as 220-240Wh/km at 110km/h highway speed; however the more aerodynamic Tesla definitely only goes as high as 170-190Wh/km at highway speed. I have never seen anything as high as 250Wh/km ever except in very short hot drive where the car struggles to reheat the car after having been exposed to direct sunlight in summer. Something is wrong with the figure you quoted here.
For your Corolla - have you accounted for maintenance cost at some 50,000km per year? How much servicing are you doing and how much will they cost over 5 years?
By the way I do agree that with typical cash purchase and with minimum cost of ownership in mind, your Corolla might still beat Tesla despite the fuel saving. Novated lease might tip the equation more in favour if EV due to FBT exemption, but I see that it didn't work for you too for reasons.
EDIT: I just saw that you mentioned WA - I am WA too so my efficiency figure should match yours if your long distance drives are along similar road as what I have done. Indian Ocean Road is some coarse highway for sure and even that stretch is only 180 to 200Wh/km at full speed.
@changyang1230: It's the southwestern highway (which is notoriously coarse), for example, I get 4.5L/100 km from my hybrid in the Kwinana freeway, but this particular stretch of south southwestern highway, that bumps up to 5.2 L/100 km. I'll find out the circumstances of those figures (I got similar answers from 3 people, the best figure I was given was 22 kwh/100 km, whereas the worst one was 27 kwh/100 km. I should probably ask them again during summer; these may be winter figures. I don't want to go to a novated lease or any car loans due to upcoming mortgage commitments. In my case, the initial investment of new Corolla 35K makes a lot of sense. Strange as it may sound, I really don't want to drive a car without radar either (I know it's a controversal subject but sometimes visibility of this road becomes ridiculous with fog and during heavy rains, I drive my corolla at the same speed confidently whereas with Tesla, I probably wouldn't (Tesla can only see what I can see whereas Toyota see a lot more - there are 3x radar sensors in the new corollas). After 5 years, I can still safely and quickly dispose my corolla, even at high mileage (250K) for at least 15K which means over the course of 5 years, only 20K depreciation. I can see right now in facebook market just 4 year old Tesla with only 100k mileage sitting over a month for 29K (that's over 30K depreciation right there). 2021 Corolla hybrid with 100k won't be too far off from that figure… That's the irony of the whole thing. Whatever you save from EV will be negligible at the end (in my use case anyways). Having said that, Teslas are nice cars, just not for me at least for now..
@npnp: Ah right. I don't have too much experience on south western highway.
Don't get me wrong I am not trying to "force" you to agree with my viewpoint; just getting some reasonable counterpoints out there.
And before the advantage of NL I would have fully agreed with the "false economy" argument too - I have liked EV for a long time (first drove one in 2020) but only jumped on it in 2023 when the whole FBT exemption made the numbers work.
@changyang1230: I am a fan of EV driving as well. I've been driving Prius over a decade ago when everyone hated those. I test drove Tesla as soon as it was available in Australia and swore that if Toyota did an EV, I'd buy one (I didn't have much trust on European or US car makers, let alone new comers such as Tesla) but I have to admit, it was crazy impressive (imagine a guy who's been driving a Prius for many years, then test driving a Tesla.. you are bound to be impressed.. LOL) Then there's BRZ which is, despite having Toyota badge, is nowhere near as impressive as Tesla, and more expensive too. So here I am, still driving a humble hybrid (I think this is my 14th Year with Hybrids.) What I'm trying to say is, I'm all in to EVs, but I just don't think they make much sense yet, not at least in my circumstances.
@Euphemistic: Yes, essentially looks just like all other SUVs.
I rented a Tesla on one trip & think every other car I've had was more fun.
Is PHEV even a good choice with your mileage per day? Sure the first 70km is cheap but after that you're stuck with a shitty ICE engine lugging around a heavy battery.
I assume you're mainly highway cycle on your commute or are you doing suburban ubƫr runs?
I may be wrong. EV and PHEV aren't really my thing.
Also have the worst of both worlds for taxes, need to pay both fuel excise and road usage charge when using ICE engine.
Good point. Most EVs should give 250km comfortably - but youll probably need a decent charger at home for overnight to recharge for the next day unkess you can pick up some sparks at your destination for cheap.
Depleting a PHEV battery every day would possibly be worse for the battery than using 250 out of 400kn of battery in an EV.
IMO PHEVs are designed for running undeer thebbattery range most days, then using the ICE for a long drive cpuoke of tines a month to where theres no practical charge options.
Most EVs should give 250km comfortably - but youll probably need a decent charger at home for overnight to recharge for the next day
IMO this is the best solution. You get the biggest savings from an EV when you do a lot of distance every day, but can charge at home each night.
A lightly used Model 3 RWD circa 2021/2022 would do the trick nicely - very efficient, comfortable over long distances, ~4 years of battery warranty remaining for your peace of mind, and can easily manage a 250km round trip with plenty to spare. There should be a selection available within your price range. Bonus points if you can score a Long Range model instead.
With an EV charging plan allowing cheap recharge rates, your 1250km weekly commute could cost less than $1000 per year, whereas a modern, economical hybrid ($5L/100km) would be closer to $4800.
Most EVs will easily add >250km of range within 6 hours of charging with a 7kW home charger. The only real downside is that you'd probably be up for ~$1000 for the charger + installation.
If a novated lease is an option, EVs become even more financially attractive and will easily be the best choice.
Unfortunatley OP moved the goalposts and now wants to do 600km trips regulalry.
However, given a suitable journey, stopping for lunch and an afternoon refreshment or charging at a business should still get 600km inna day without too much trauma.
@Euphemistic: It's hard to say if OP is even serious.
One year ago it was 100km, now it's regular 250km, and now that people have given ample evidence that 250km is EV's sweet spot he starts saying "oh actually some days 600km too".
Is it just me or does anyone else think OP is just baiting and trolling the whole time? Each time they just multiply their distance by some 2.5x?
@Euphemistic: If 600km is the new benchmark, an EV would be a tough sell, unless there's convenient charging at destinations or plentiful fast-charging opportunities along common routes.
I don't think a PHEV is the right answer for either scenario. Unless you're doing mostly short trips with a few rare longer ones, PHEV is kinda pointless. I'd probably just get a hybrid Corolla or Camry.
This is commonsense. Either a full EV (far the cheapest to run with this sort of kilometrage) or a mild (non plugin) hybrid makes sense, but for OP's intended use a PHEV is the worst of both worlds.
The use case for PHEVs is short commutes doable on battery only punctuated by occasional long trips where range anxiety may come into play.
Can it operate like a normal hybrid with a large battery? The Tiggo 7 PHEV mentioned by OP gets ~4L/100km on highway use from reviews and probably lower in suburban runs.
~4L/100km on highway
I'm guessing real life is closer to 6. There's no way a 1.5l turbo lugging an 1800kg hunk of chinesium is getting 4.
and probably lower in suburban runs
Usually the opposite, higher fuel consumption on suburban roads for the constant start stop slow accelerate dance routine.
Highway consumption, at the right speed, is the most efficient one.
You've described standard ICE cars. Hybrids are the opposite
@LFO: If you don't know how hybrids work compared to standard petrol only cars, go and read about it instead of negging and commenting nonsense
@LFO: Hybrids work more like EVs, regenerative braking recovers energy that would be lost as heat. Then the low speeds of urban driving means aerodynamic drag isn't as significant so don't waste energy that way. Hence shxhshzhz being correct.
@Lachy2437: Yep have owned a Camry Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid. Both got lower economy around town than on the highway.
about 12/100kms around the city and around 7 highway
Well … that truthful data throws the proverbial spanner in the works …
A hybrid using more fuel around the city. Must be that internal combustion engine (ICE) using up more fuel recharging and powering up …
@LFO: Yeah, to be fair it was a 3.5L v6 not a small econobox where Hybrid was worth it.
Basically, just an electronic supercharger if anything, the non-hybrid models aren't much worse on fuel and have nothing to worry about regarding the hybrid system so they work out to be better in the long run.
Hit the nail on the head. This is about the worst scenario for PHEV/PHEV is the worst choice for this use case.
If itās 250km of highway cruising, then ICE is still good, diesel even is a solid choice. Or a full EV if overnight charging is doable.
If itās 250km of urban/stop start then EV/Conventional hybrid (Camry, RAV4 etc) all the way.
PHEV is for <50km a day on battery with overnight charging and the ability to still do longer trips a few times a month.
Without the tax incentives for PHEV, the price premium (especially if you have to get the top trim to get it as with many models) makes it poor value for most people.
Yeah that is not really a PHEV situation.. maybe look at a mild hybrid or a diesel even.
Mild hybrid is a waste of time.
No way. My Hybrid is great around town and sips fuel on the freeways. Either go full EV or go home. PHEV aināt it.
PHEV is great, in the right use case. Just as EV is, and petrol or diesel still is.
I refer to 'mild hybrid' as a system tha doesnt actually drive the wheels. Couple of brands do this. Its a waste of time. Toyota hilux and prado im looking at you.
On the other hand, toyota corolla,rav,camry etc hybrid version is good. It drives the wheels and does save fuel. Id call these 'hybrid' - without the mild.
Unfortunately everyone uses different marketing speak.
@Euphemistic: yeah basically just the 'skyactiv' system, literally just uses it as a starter motor when you're stopped at the lights.
Is this āstart/stopā driving, or āup the highway and backā type driving?
PHEV will work great in stop/start, but will eat fuel on a highway gig.
What sort of car do you want? Need luggage or passenger space? Maybe a corolla hybrid would be an option. Most EVs would also cover that range with plenty to spare.
Pure EV and watch the fuel savings.
This, considering OP budget, they would be better off buying 2nd hand EV. Get a minimum 350-400km range, as it'll be a bit less when you are traveling highway speeds(more range around town at lower speeds).
And chalmer is watching too
EVs can't drive 500km as they are really inefficient on the highway. However, if OP is actually doing 130,000km/year then it's a no brainer to go with the select few extended range EVs that can handle it. He'll finally make his money back in fuel savings as he'll spend about $12k on petrol/year with a normal hybrid car. A second hand Tesla extended range Model Y should do it with a bit of minor charging once he's at work.
It depends on how often they are doing the 600km trips that they described, and how much flexibility they have in waiting for the occasional 15-30 minute DC charging (and availability) they have to do for those occasions.
If they are able to put up with that slight inconvenience, then yes I agree, a long range (my Long Range Tesla model 3 is good for 470km on highway) would pay for itself in fuel saving within a few years.
EVs can't drive 500km as they are really inefficient on the highway. Petrol cars still waste about 70% of the energy to heat and noise. Battery cars lose some to aerodynamics, but still use their energy much better than ice.
EVs are still more efficient than petrol cars on the highway. Its just that its relatively less efficient than stop start driving due to aerodynamics and less regenerative braking.
We are used to petrol cars using more around town where they are stupidly inefficient so they just appear more efficient on the highway.
Yes. Pure EV if you can install at least a 7kW charger at home. Zero to full in about 8.5 hours, so just plug it in when you get home and you're laughing, especially with lower electricity rates overnight.
Donāt take advise from anyone on here about cars.
Or spelling lessons from Stealtho
Thanks for the advise
Or punctuation lessons from MS Paint.
Donāt take advise from anyone on here about cars.
So don't take advice from you?
not giving any lol
Ahh, but you did!
Buy comfy used diesel
literally this, a civilian 530d or x5 30d
Is that a 250 KM daily commute? If so, look into moving house or job.
If it's a driving-based job, you'll want something more enjoyable to drive.
Ok. We can all stop asking questions. OP is never going to reply. We have been down this road before.
They only reply was asking what FFS meant.
FFS.
Agree. These sorts of posts should be unpublished. They add no real value to the community.
I canāt wait for the August 2026 post. Do you think heāll be up to 500km per day?
Depends on whether the growth in daily mileage is arithmetic or geometricā¦
What does FFS mean?
Fee For Service
Oh how much do you charge?
For Frak Sake
buy a diesel
thanks everyone for your valuable discussion/inputs.
You're a timewaster.
A time waster with manners. Rarely seen attributes these days.
Honestly a Hybrid like the Haval H6 or Jolion Hybrid or Tiggo 4 Hybrid would be better options under 40k. Unless you go full electric with a BYD Atto3 or Geely EX5 Complete for under 45k. But with BEV, you will need a home charging solution to charge everyday at home. For the Super Hybrids like Sealion 6 or Tiggo 7/8, after the initial EV power you will land up using more fuel so not worth getting that. The idea with PHEVs is long road trips where you dont have to worry about range anxiety as you have the petrol backup. While their EV range of under 75kms helps you with daily city driving.
thanks for your insight.
Someone who does 250 km/day looks like someone an EV would suit. Its not enough that it exceeds the range of an EV, but enough that there'd be a great saving in fuel costs.
Agree. They are pretty much the most optimal for EV use case - maximisation of fuel saving, but none of the inconvenience (the longer charging time at DC charger).
My situationās a bit differentāI need to be ready to drive out anytime if something comes up. Sometimes the run can even go over 600km, and with charging anxiety itād be tough. Thatās why Iām not too keen on an EV just yet, maybe in the next few years.
Unless youre doing less than pure EV range on most days and occasional long distance, PHEV is not for you. Youll just end up not charging it from the wall.
Get a regular hybrid. Itll be cheaper and you wont be carting around a huge battery and trying to charge it on petrol power most of the time.
I see. If you do go for 600km, there's no easy fast charger access along your typical routes and you can't really spare the 15-30 minutes of break along the routes, then EV would be inconvenient for your use case.
Sometimes the run can even go over 600km
You tell us its almost 250 km run each day. We give you a recommendation based on what you told us. Now you say it can be up to 600 km per day.
Tell us what you need it to do. Don't waste our time.
@GordonD: Five years later when 1000km solid state battery is actually available, OP will start doing 2000km Nullarbor return trips every other week… :P
My Mitsubishi phev only goes 30 km on one charge, but it is a hybrid so you can charge via petrol as you drive. But I recommend short drives on a daily basis we use solar to charge dor short trips
That's not much. Is that less than advertised, and you drive like a hoon, or does it have a tiny battery?
I don't think it would be worth adding battery and electric motor to get a 30km range??Not sure but it is 5 years old.
Small battery/ big car.
But, on the freeway on petrol it only uses 6.5L/ 100km. So just use fuel.
I bought mine for $16k 7 years ago. Most of my trips are zero fuel or very little. Last filled up in January. It's basically paid itself off in fuel savings over the 7 years.
Previous years I was doing 500km+ drives regularly. At 6.5L / 100km I thought that was reasonable. Then zero fuel for all the city stuff.
My drives were late nights after working all week. I just wanted to get home. Id probably kill someone if I had to wait for an ev charger mid trip. Push petrol button .. drive straight home. Zero range anxiety.
Having electric everything is great for camping trips. Hot nights sleep in car with electric Aircon, cheese toast, coffee machine, TV, power tools. All usable away from home. If power gets low…run the car.
So a second hand PHEV (which would now be super cheap) is definitely worth considering.
Must be the really old first edition of the outlander phevs
oh wow I had no idea they were around so long, and had such terrible range until very recent years.
I'm only slowly learning about electric vehicles. I thought the 76km on my CX-60 would be useless for anyone with a longer commute than my tiny one, but I'm just realising (I think) that it has similar advantage of a hybrid when on highway (I use 5.1l/100km.)
thats surprising, I checked it out but exceeded my budget so navigated away.
Geely has better reputation than Chery.
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The Chery is the only new PHEV under 40k