Introduction to the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
Chery, the Chinese manufacturer behind both Omoda and Jaecoo, is now selling its own-branded vehicles in Europe, and it has started with a focus on SUVs. Following on from the five-seat Tiggo 7 and the seven-seat Tiggo 8 is the Tiggo 9 Chery Super Hybrid (CSH).
Like the 8, the Tiggo 9 CSH is a seven-seat SUV, but it's a considerably more luxurious and high-powered take on the formula, thanks to its dual-motor plug-in-hybrid (PHEV).
It doesn't matter how much you like the sound of it, as there's no word yet on Chery entering the Irish market. Is it good enough for us to hope it does so sooner rather than later?
Pros & cons of the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
Pros:
• Impressive performance
• Refined and comfortable to drive
• High-quality feel to the interior
Cons:
• Some interface issues
• More of a '5+2' than a full-blown seven-seater
• Not massively interesting to drive
Exterior & design of the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
• Chery corporate styling
• More than 4.8 metres long
• Sits on 20-inch alloys as standard
Chery has styled the Tiggo 9 to fit in with its two pre-existing SUV stablemates, and neither of those are particularly visually exciting.
Yet, maybe just because of its elongated proportions, or perhaps down to the retro-styled 20-inch alloys sitting in the arches, the Tiggo 9 has more presence and muscle about it.
Without being out-and-out beautiful, the styling of this Chery is the easiest on the eye from this manufacturer so far, and it certainly shouldn't discourage buyers.
Dimensions of the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
Length: 4,810mm
Width: 1,925mm (mirrors folded)
Height: 1,741mm
Wheelbase: 2,800mm
Paint colours for the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
There are five colours available for the European-market Chery Tiggo 9, all of which are said to have been "carefully curated" to make the most of its exterior appearance.
However, they're the typically muted palette we expect from mainstream cars these days, so choose from Arctic White Mist, Eclipse Black, Nightfall Ice Grey, Slate Grey or Forest Green.
Interior, practicality, tech & comfort of the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
• High-quality fixtures and fittings
• Plenty of interior space
• Slightly annoying tech
This is the most convincing and high-quality feeling interior we've seen so far from any of the Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo cars, which is a quite remarkable rate of improvement from the group.
There are still some minor annoyances with the infotainment and, more specifically, the bizarre 'last 50km' trip computer that Chery seems wedded to, but in general the cabin of the Tiggo 9 is classy, spacious and comfortable.
Getting comfortable in the driver's seat
The Chery Tiggo 9 CSH comes with a 12-way electrically adjustable driver's seat as standard, while the steering column also can be tweaked for rake and reach accordingly.
Not only that, but the plush, supple seats in the front also offer a massage function, plus heating and ventilation for maximum comfort, and further there's great visibility out in all directions from the driver's chair - so setting the Chery's driving position up to be just so, for either short or longer trips, is no drama whatsoever.
Infotainment and technology
The interface between the car's tech and its human occupants in the Chery Tiggo 9 is fine, centred as it is on a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster plus the 15.6-inch central infotainment touchscreen - which wirelessly supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and which comes with the 'Hello Chery' voice-controlled virtual personal assistant.
There's also a 14-speaker Sony sound system, just to keep audiophiles happy, and a cooled, 50-watt wireless charging pad for smartphones on the console.
Largely, this all works well, and the main infotainment system is pretty responsive and graphically clear (it runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chipset, so it's certainly not laggy).
However, despite a 'swipe down' function at the top of the screen to access the Chery's advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), so you can tailor them to your needs, there's still a slightly strange layout of menus and collected functions in the Tiggo 9.
But we wish Chery would widely implement the resettable trip computer it has in the Tiggo 7, rather than the daft and non-resettable 'Last 50km' unit it seems to adore in its upmarket cars - the Tiggo 8 and the Omoda 9 SHS have the same, infuriating thing.
Practicality around the cabin
There's lots of good storage and stowage places in the Chery Tiggo 9, while there are also multiple USB-A and USB-C ports situated across all three rows in the cabin.
Beyond that, there are two cupholders in each of the seating areas too, with a couple lined up longitudinally on the transmission tunnel in the front, another pair side-by-side in the fold-down central armrest in the middle row, and then moulded-in receptacles for drinks in the panel trim to either side of the rearmost chairs.
Rear-seat passenger space
A long 2,800mm wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels of the vehicle) on the outside leads to lots of space within the Chery Tiggo 9 - although we would say that the third row of seats still looks like more of an 'occasional use' thing than the SUV being a full seven-seater.
Kids would be happy back there, for sure, but while you can slide the middle bench forwards and backwards to make more legroom in row three, the squabs of the seats in the very back are quite low-set so adults would be sitting in an awkward position with their knees up in the air.
No such problems with the middle-row seating, though, as a flat floor plus the generous legroom available makes for ample accommodation there.
Headroom isn't restricted by the standard-fit panoramic sunroof, either, and there are also separate air vents, plus buttons for the heated and ventilated functions of the outer two seats, and a couple of USB sockets too, all of which makes sitting in the back of the Tiggo 9 a pleasure - even for taller adults.
Fitting child seats to the Chery Tiggo 9
Big, wide-opening rear doors and the masses of legroom already talked about means fitting even bulky child seats into the second row of the Chery Tiggo 9 ought to be a doddle.
The two outer seats have full ISOFIX mounting points and top tethers, and there's a third top tether in the middle position of row two.
Row three of the Chery has no ISOFIX features at all, but child seats which can be fixed in place with three-point seatbelts should still fit there without too much difficulty.
Boot space in the Chery Tiggo 9
This is one area where you can see how the small amount of extra metal (90mm) that is in the middle of the Chery Tiggo 9, when compared to its ideologically similar Tiggo 8 stablemate, comes into effect.
With all seven seats in use, the Tiggo 9 still has 143 litres of boot space available to it, which isn't vast, but it should be enough for small bags or a modest amount of shopping to be stowed there, even with a full complement of humans onboard.
Fold the 50:50 split seats in the back of the Tiggo 9 down, however, and the cargo capacity increases to a mammoth 819 litres.
With the 60:40 split-folding middle row also dropped away, the Chery turns into a pseudo-van, complete with 2,021 litres of space available to it.
Towing with the Chery Tiggo 9
The Chery Tiggo 9's 428hp hybrid system, the all-wheel-drive traction and its 2.23-tonne kerb weight mean it is rated to haul up to 1,500kg of braked trailer, which is a decent level of towing capacity.
Safety in the Chery Tiggo 9
As at the time of writing, the Chery Tiggo 9 hasn't been subjected to Euro NCAP testing, although the other two models from the same company - the Tiggos 7 and 8 - have, and they both picked up the full five-star ratings.
There are 19 ADAS functions fitted as standard to the Tiggo 9, including adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic jam assist, emergency lane keep, automatic emergency braking, integrated cruise assist, intelligent headlight control and automatic parking assistance, among more.
Performance of the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
• One PHEV drivetrain offered
• Dual electric motors for four-wheel drive
• Rides with real sophistication
The letters 'CSH' stand for 'Chery Super Hybrid' and they indicate the Tiggo 9 is a plug-in hybrid. This is easily the most powerful Chery we've seen yet, with the Tiggo 9 producing up to 428hp and 580Nm.
As there are two electric motors, the Tiggo 9 is also four-wheel drive, rather than sending all of its power to the front wheels, and so the 0-100km/h time is a rapid 5.4 seconds.
Driving the Tiggo 9 CSH on UK roads
The Chery Tiggo 9 is the most polished and likeable hybrid model we've seen from any of these three companies (Chery, Omoda or Jaecoo) so far.
Indeed, despite the fact Omoda is supposed to be a more upmarket brand than Chery, and the Omoda 9 is a more powerful, more expensive creation, the Tiggo 9 feels dynamically superior.
This is a superbly refined and comfortable machine to drive. True, there are occasions where, at lower speeds in town, larger imperfections in the road's surface can introduce a notable, muffled thud through the SUV's superstructure, but these instances are few and far between - the exception rather than the rule, if you will.
In the main, the Tiggo 9 is a highly dignified car, with nothing excessive to report in terms of wind, tyre or suspension noise, even at higher speeds. And even if you decide to rev the 1.5-litre engine right out, it doesn't become coarse or harsh. For covering lots of distance in relaxing refinement, the Tiggo 9 is right at the top of its game.
And it's quick, too. The three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT) fitted to the Tiggo 9 works in an overly complex fashion, but you won't notice that when you're behind the wheel.
This car is mighty responsive to throttle inputs in all three of its road-based drive modes (Eco, Normal and Sport - with further settings of Snow, Sand and Off-Road available for trickier conditions), utilising its chunky, electrically assisted midrange torque to great effect.
The gearbox is smooth, with no breaks discernible in the Tiggo 9's power delivery, while the transmission shifts through its limited spread of 'ratios'.
As to the handling, at 2,233kg and more than 4.8 metres long, don't expect the Chery to be spry and nimble in the corners. But, by the same token, it's not bad either.
The steering is quite positive and well weighted, while body lean is admirably quelled during what we'd term fairly extreme provocation. Of course, the Tiggo 9 isn't thrilling to drive despite its performance (how many seven-seat SUVs are?), but it's more than capable enough in this regard.
Range, battery, charging and running costs of the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
• Up to 1,050km combined range
• Electric power for 147km
• Can charge at up to 71kW on DC
With a 1.5-litre engine, two motors and a large (for a PHEV) battery pack, the Chery Tiggo 9 doesn't just have impressive performance in a straight line, but it's also an appealing vehicle from an eco-stats perspective. Furthermore, it has an eye-catching rate of peak battery charging, to sweeten the deal.
Battery options and official range
The Chery Tiggo 9 is fitted with one of the biggest battery packs of any PHEV on sale right now, rated at 34.46kWh. It's a lithium-ion (NMC) unit with graphite, and Chery reckons that the Tiggo 9 can go up to 147km on its electric power alone.
Combined with the petrol portion of its drivetrain, apparently the Tiggo 9 has an overall range capability of 1,050km, without having to visit either fuel pump or EV charger.
Real-world range and efficiency of the Chery Tiggo 9
Chery quotes a very realistic combined consumption figure of 6.5 litres/100km, even with CO2 pegged at just 38g/km. This is presumably the 'depleted battery' figure of the Tiggo 9, which is more indicative of what you're going to get in reality on longer journeys.
The Tiggo 9's trip computer isn't much use for determining the real-world economy as it only has a 'Last 50km' readout, which you cannot reset. You'd have to use the old-fashioned way to determine economy by recording how much fuel you have to put in to top the tank back up after a recorded distance.
But from what we can ascertain from its baffling display, in reality the Tiggo 9 is about on the above 6.5 litres/100km mark.
Charging up the Chery Tiggo 9
The AC rate of 6.6kW for the Chery Tiggo 9 results in a 0-100 per cent charging time of around five-and-a-quarter hours on a typical 7.4kW domestic wallbox. That's fine for overnight charges at home.
However, the peak DC charging rate of the Tiggo 9 is a quite remarkable 71kW - that's more than either the fully electric Suzuki e Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser can manage (70kW), for example.
On a connection where it can run at 71kW, the Chery will go from 30-80 per cent battery in just 18 minutes, which is excellent.
Verdict - should you lobby Chery to offer the 2026 Tiggo 9 in Ireland?
Comfortably the best Chery we've drive so far, and also an improvement on the same, slightly rough-around-the-edges drivetrain we sampled in the Omoda 9 SHS, the Tiggo 9 is a brilliant new option in the seven-seat, PHEV SUV game.
It still has a few of the weird quirks and foibles that seem to be present in a lot of Chinese cars, and while it's bigger than a Tiggo 8 we'd say the 9 remains more of a 5+2 family carrier than a full-on seven-seater, but with its deeply comfortable ride, fabulous refinement and strong performance, this Chery is an impressive machine. Family buyers in Ireland are certainly missing out.
FAQs about the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9
How does the Chery Tiggo 9 differ from the Chery Tiggo 8?
It's slightly bigger, notably grander inside, and it's considerably more powerful. In terms of physical size, the Tiggo 9 isn't a huge leap up from the Tiggo 8 - the former is 90mm longer, all of which is housed in its stretched wheelbase, while it is also 83mm wider and 41mm taller.
But when it comes to performance, there's a massive gulf: the Tiggo 8's single-motor set-up delivers 204hp and 365Nm, for an 8.5-second 0-100km/h time; but the Tiggo 9's dual-motor array churns out 428hp and 580Nm, trimming the 0-100km/h sprint by more than three full seconds to stand at 5.4 seconds all-in.
Is the Chery Tiggo 9 all-wheel drive?
Yes, its dual-motor drivetrain gives it four-wheel traction, which is another area that the Tiggo 9 differs from its Chery Tiggo 8 relation - that car is only front-driven.
Has Chery Tiggo 9 been assessed for safety?
No, it hasn't, but it has a huge array of standard ADAS kit, while both the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 models from the same manufacturer have picked up full five-star Euro NCAP awards.
Want to know more about the 2026 Chery Tiggo 9?
If there's anything about the new Chery Tiggo 9 we've not covered, or you'd like help in choosing an alternative that is on sale in Ireland, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.
