Chery C5 Hybrid arrives in Australia with two grades priced from $31,990 drive-away

Hybrid joins the C5 line-up

Chery Australia announced on 1 July 2026 that it is expanding the local C5 line-up to include a hybrid powertrain, offered in Urban and Ultimate trim levels and starting at $31,990 drive-away. The brand says the C5 Hybrid bridges the gap between the petrol variants and the all-electric E5, and it arrived in dealerships during July. ¹

GoAuto reported the following day that the hybrid gives C5 buyers a third powertrain option alongside the existing petrol and battery-electric models, broadening Chery's New Energy Vehicle portfolio in Australia. ²³

Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said: "There's no secret demand for New Energy Vehicles (NEV) is growing within the Australian market and Chery aims to meet these requirements by offering customers the best of both worlds." He described the C5 Hybrid as "the ideal car for people who aren't ready to jump completely into the EV space and still want the convenience of a petrol-powered vehicle." ¹²³

Price positioning and a trimmed petrol range

Both hybrid grades are national drive-away prices: $31,990 for the Urban and $34,990 for the Ultimate. CarExpert notes the hybrids slot between the petrol C5 Urban at $28,990 drive-away and the electric E5 Ultimate at $37,990 drive-away. ¹⁵

The hybrid's arrival coincides with a reduced petrol range. GoAuto reports the C5 is now offered only in entry-level Urban specification at $28,990 drive-away, with the outgoing petrol Ultimate remaining available only while stocks last; GoAuto's pricing list showed that outgoing petrol Ultimate at $34,990 drive-away with a $2000 cashback offer. CarExpert adds that the petrol Ultimate has been axed from the price list, with runout stock priced at $32,990 drive-away, and that the petrol Urban price dropped by $1000 with the change. ²³⁵

CarExpert's C5 showroom page, published since the launch, lists the C5 as available only with hybrid power, with drive-away pricing from $33,907 for the Urban and $36,997 for the Ultimate based on a Sydney location. These figures differ from the $31,990 and $34,990 drive-away launch prices published by Chery in July; the showroom page notes its displayed prices vary by state, are subject to change and may not reflect current market pricing or dealer offers. ⁴

Powertrain and efficiency claims

The C5 Hybrid uses a series-parallel system combining a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. GoAuto reports the engine outputs 105kW/215Nm, the electric motor contributes 150kW/310Nm, and the combined system output is rated at 165kW/295Nm. Drive goes to the front wheels through a dedicated single-speed hybrid transmission, replacing the petrol model's six-speed dual-clutch automatic. ²³

Chery claims combined fuel consumption of 4.9L/100km and CO2 emissions of 111g/km, figures the brand also published in its own announcement. GoAuto notes this is a significant improvement on the petrol C5's claimed 6.9L/100km, and CarExpert's specification table lists the petrol C5 at 160g/km of CO2. The hybrid retains the petrol model's 51-litre fuel tank and runs on 91-octane regular unleaded. ¹²³⁵

CarExpert's specification data lists the hybrid at a 1547kg tare weight and a 750kg braked towing capacity, with servicing required every 12 months or 15,000km. The outlet's published capped-price schedule totals $2935.69 over seven years for the hybrid, ranging from $269 in year one to $749 in year six. ⁵

Equipment across the two grades

Both hybrid grades carry over the petrol C5's exterior design, distinguished mainly by unique 17-inch (Urban) or 18-inch (Ultimate) alloy wheel designs. Chery's announcement lists the Urban with dual 12.3-inch instrument cluster and multimedia touchscreen displays, wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, intelligent voice command, a six-speaker sound system, synthetic leather seats, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning and a full suite of advanced driver-assistance systems. ¹

The Ultimate adds 18-inch wheels, colour-selectable ambient lighting, an eight-speaker Sony sound system, a 50W wireless charger, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power sunroof with sunshade, a power tailgate, a 360-degree around-view monitor and rear privacy glass on the rear doors and tailgate. CarExpert similarly details the Ultimate's step up in screens, upholstery and comfort equipment over the entry hybrid, whose heated front seats are a hybrid-only addition within the Urban grade. ¹⁵

Safety rating, packaging and ownership

Safety equipment across the hybrid range includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure prevention, blind-spot monitoring, driver monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, seven airbags and, on the Ultimate only, a surround-view camera. CarExpert also lists traffic jam assist, tyre pressure monitoring, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors as standard. ¹²³⁵

The five-star ANCAP rating currently applies to the petrol C5 and electric E5, based on testing of the Omoda 5 conducted in 2022, and hybrid-specific testing is yet to be finalised. CarExpert details the existing ratings as 87 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 68 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 83 per cent for safety assist. ²³⁵

The hybrid's battery packaging reduces luggage capacity from the petrol model's 360 litres to 300 litres, measured to the cargo cover per CarExpert, which lists 372 litres to the roof and 1079 litres with the rear seats folded, and replaces the spare wheel with a tyre repair kit. The C5 Hybrid is backed by Chery's seven-year unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, an eight-year unlimited-kilometre battery warranty, seven years of capped-price servicing and up to seven years of roadside assistance, per Chery's announcement, with CarExpert confirming the same warranty terms across the C5 and E5 range. ¹²⁵