Summary: The Chery Tiggo 4 hybrid defines the meaning of “cheap and cheerful”. Some corners have been cut to keep the price down, but as Australia’s cheapest hybrid, it deserves consideration.

2026 Chery Tiggo 4 small hybrid SUV

Pricing:  $29,990 Urban (driveaway), $34,990 (Ultimate, driveaway)

Options: metallic paint $500

Warranty: Seven-years/unlimited km, seven-years capped price servicing, up to seven-years roadside assistance

Safety: Five-star ANCAP (2023)

Engine: 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine plus electric motor

Service intervals: 12 months or 15,000km

Power: 71kW (petrol engine), 150kW (electric motor)

Torque: 120Nm (petrol engine), 310Nm (electric motors)

Battery: 1.83kWh, lithium-ion

Transmission: single-speed dedicated hybrid transmission, front-wheel drive

Body: 4330mm (long); 1830mm (wide); 1655mm (high)

Ground clearance: 185mm

Build country: China

Kerb weight: 1490kg

Towing capacity: not rated for towing

Luggage capacity: 470L, 1225L (rear seats folded)

Wheels: 17-inch alloy

Tyres: 215/60 R17

Spare wheel: repair kit (Urban), space saver spare (Ultimate)

Turning circle: 10.8m

Claimed fuel consumption: 5.4L/100km (91 RON, unleaded)

Fuel tank: 51L

Fuel consumption on test: unable to be determined (450km)

seniordriveraus consumption on test: not tested

[review]

It’s cheap and it’s a hybrid, that’s what it is.

In fact, Chery reckons the Tiggo 4 is Australia’s cheapest hybrid SUV.

The Tiggo 4 Hybrid (they dropped Pro from the name) also happens to be Chery’s best-selling SUV.

It’s powered by a 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine together with the help of an electric motor, that combine to offer budget-friendly fuel consumption of 5.4L/100km.

The Tiggo feels cheap… but let’s find out.

What’s it cost?

Tiggo 4 Hybrid is available in two grades: Urban and top-of-the-range Ultimate.

The Urban is priced from $29,990, the Ultimate from $34,990, both prices are driveaway.

Metallic paint adds $500 to the price.

Be aware: there’s a big $6000 difference between the regular Tiggo 4 Ultimate and the Tiggo 4 Hybrid Ultimate.

Competitors include the Honda HR-V, Haval Jolion and MG ZS.

Although billed as Australia’s cheapest hybrid SUV, the Urban offers quite a few standard features that range from dual 10.25-inch LCD instrument cluster and multimedia touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus innovative “Hello Chery” voice control system.

Standard equipment includes cloth trim and dual zone climate air conditioning, with rear air vents, height adjustable driver’s seat, remote start and walk-away locking.

There’s also 17-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, speed limit information, LED lights all-round, auto high beam, auto lights and wipers, and front and rear parking sensors.

The Ultimate ups the ante with artificial leather seats, heated front in the front, power adjustment for the driver’s seat, electric sunroof, colour-select ambient interior lighting and a 360-degree surround view camera.

Infotainment consists of a 12.5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, steering wheel mounted controls, Hello Chery voice control, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, wired and wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, plus four-speaker sound.

Another 12.5-inch screen supplies the instrument cluster, both incorporated into the same sweeping display panel.

There’s no built-in satellite navigation in either variant, so for that you will have to use your phone.

USB-A and -C ports are located in the front, with another USB-A port in the back, as well as a 12-volt outlet up front.

The Ultimate adds six-speaker sound and a 15W wireless phone charger.

The Tiggo 4 scores a full five stars for crash safety from ANCAP.

A reversing camera, stability control and seven airbags are fitted including a centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.

Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) are standard.

Two ISOFIX and three top-tether child seats anchor points are offered.

Tiggo 4 is covered by a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty, seven-year capped price servicing and up to seven years of roadside assistance.

What’s it go like?

At 4330mm long, with a 2604mm wheelbase, the Tiggo 4 Hybrid seats five occupants.

Front legroom is adequate, but there’s limited room to stretch your legs if you’re in the back.

There is, however, a rear air outlet for rear seat passengers. But only one.

The touchscreen is relatively easy to operate, with plenty of options to play around with and three different themes for the instrument cluster.

But try finding out how much fuel it averages for anything more than the last 50km – no can do amigo.

A row of buttons provide easy access to oft-used features such as volume, driving modes and the around-view camera which gets in the way sometimes.

The two centre cupholders will not accommodate sports drink bottles, nor will the cupholders in the front doors.

A small centre console box is provided as well as a storage tray below the console.

Rather inconveniently the phone charger is to be found somewhere down there too.

But, and it’s a big BUT, a lot of space has been seconded to flashy Range Rover-esque glass climate control panel and the gloss black trim that runs the length of the centre – way too much.

Under the bonnet is Chery’s new hybrid system, that operates in series and parallel mode as required, combining a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor, together with a 1.83 kWh battery.

The petrol engine produces 71kW of power and 120Nm of torque, while the electric motor provides 150kW/310Nm.

Combined power and torque outputs are not supplied, but the petrol engine should add something to the equation when both are operating together in parallel mode.

The graphic displayed in the driver information panel suggests this to be the case.

There are no gears or gear-change paddles, with drive to the front wheels through a one-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT).

With a largish 51-litre tank, fuel consumption, using standard 91 unleaded, is a claimed 5.4L/100km.

That’s 27 percent less than the equivalent non-hybrid model.

There are two drive modes, Eco and Sport. In Eco mode the petrol engine remains dormant most of the time.

In terms of the overall drive experience, the Tiggo presents two different personalities, just like the proverbial Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

It goes okay, or so we thought, until we encountered our first hill.

Even the ride quality is pretty good for an import, with adjustment for steering weight and some tyre squeal and tendency to oversteer when pushed hard through corners.

But point it at a long, steep hill such as the big one heading up the M1 north out of Sydney and it soon becomes apparent that things aren’t quite right.

As the petrol engine cuts in, things become very noisy, very quickly – and you’d be forgiven for thinking the thing is going to blow up. My wife thought so.

Although CVT and one-speed dedicated hybrid transmissions are mechanically and fundamentally different, the seamless drive ratio transition is much the same – as the engine revs rise to keep pace with demands from the throttle. This is what produces the escalating cabin noise and zoom-like acceleration (or lack thereof).

The majority of time, however, the Tiggo is a pussycat, operating on electric power alone, and as such surprisingly quick and responsive off the line – thanks to the instant torque from the electric motor.

It stays this way up to 80km/h or so, depending on system load, delivering a very EV-like driving experience around town.

Hills however remain its weak point.

Then there’s the incessant warnings and interventions from the driver assistance systems, especially the lane-centring function. Even with everything we could find turned off, the steering wheel continued to tug this way and that which soon becomes tiring.

And what about the requirement to clip your driver seatbelt before the car will move? It’s a good idea from a safety point of view, but damned annoying in practical terms, when you simply need to move the car aside to let someone out. Or move to another bowser at the petrol station because the one you have pulled up at is out of order – the scenarios continue to crop up.

The boot is offers a reasonable amount of space, but an odd bump in the floor hides the standard 12 volt battery.

Of note Urban gets a puncture repair kit while the higher priced Ultimate scores a space saver spare.

We clocked up 450km in our week with the Tiggo 4 Hybrid.

We can tell you our average speed over this period was 50.2km/h which included motorways, suburban routes and country roads.

Alas the Tiggo would not disclose the average fuel used over this same distance, producing only a figure for the last 50km (not worth mentioning).

We did however have 390km of range remaining.

What about some transparency?

What we like

• Safe
• Cheapish
• Well equipped for the money
• Doesn’t use much fuel (we think)

What we don’t like

• Cramped
• Poor top end performance
• Driver seatbelt must be fastened before it will move

What over-50s need to know

Yeah… Nah…

As a smaller SUV, it ticks all the boxes for older drivers, in terms of easy driving, easy entry and exit and value for money.

But it is crying out for some refinement. The raucous (to the point of wondering if it is going to blow up) powertrain and intrusive driver assistance systems will drive you crazy.

The non-hybrid Tiggo 4 is an award winner, but we can’t see this one receiving any gongs until these problems are sorted out.

seniordriver comments

The Chery Tiggo 4 is a brave attempt that misses the mark. As Australia’s cheapest hybrid, it has obvious appeal but it feels like it’s been built down to a price.

The fuel consumption information is difficult to understand; surely it would be no more expensive or involved to advise what your average fuel consumption is, rather than what you managed over the past 50km.

Gloss black trim may look good but will attract grubby finger marks.

In common with far too many Chinese imports, annoying and intrusive warning and interventions quickly become tiring. And then downright annoying.

Chris Riley has been a journalist for 40 years and is the managing editor of cars4starters. He has spent half his career as a writer, editor and production editor in newspapers, the rest of the time driving and writing about cars, both in print and online. His love affair with cars began as a teenager with the purchase of an old VW Beetle, followed by another Beetle and a string of other cars on which he has wasted far too much time and money. A self-confessed geek, he’s not afraid to ask the hard questions, even at the risk of sounding silly.