First of all, thanks to CARSED and to Piotrek, sales manager at CARSED OMODA/JAECOO, for lending me the car :)
During my test of the Omoda E5 I covered over 250 km, about 110 km of it on motorways. Here are my observations about this electric car.
Charging and battery
- Slow DC charging: Especially above 70% charge, the speed dropped to 38–40 kW, which is disappointing compared with the competition.
- Battery preheating problems: While charging at different stations (Mińsk Mazowiecki and Siedlce), battery preheating worked inefficiently or with long delays. In Siedlce the power only rose from 30 to 80 kW after reaching 50% charge, and that took about 20 minutes.
- Energy consumption: On the motorway at a GPS speed of 140 km/h, consumption was 29–30 kWh/100 km – definitely too much, which seriously limits the car's potential for longer trips.
- Real-world range: Driving from 90% down to 10% battery, it came to 207 km. That's a result that will do in the city, but it's not enough for longer journeys.
Interior and equipment
- Pros:
- Comfortable seats and a roomy cabin – both in the front and in the back.
- Large mirrors, although there's no option for them to tilt down automatically when reversing.
- Very high-quality screens, a clear HUD and a “540-degree” camera system.
- Functional navigation based on Google Maps, showing real range and the battery level at arrival.
- Plenty of conveniences, such as a ventilated wireless charger, an electric sunroof and practical storage compartments.
- Cons:
- Cabin heating: Not powerful enough – the car was cold, which can be a problem at low temperatures.
- Interface: Not very intuitive, which makes it harder to use.
- No user profiles: There's no way to save seat, steering wheel or mirror settings. (but this may be because I didn't have the phone app installed)
- Unclear energy consumption readout: No kWh/100 km display, which is standard in most electric cars.
Driving impressions
- Up to 130 km/h the car is relatively quiet, but above that the noise in the cabin becomes really annoying.
- The seats stay comfortable even on longer trips, and the assistance systems (navi, cameras) work solidly.
Running costs
- The Mińsk-Siedlce-Mińsk trip (approx. 116 km) cost 88 PLN charging at public DC stations (2.15 PLN/kWh). That's about 76.50 PLN per 100 km – a very high figure compared with charging at home.
- Charging at home for 0.60 PLN/kWh, the cost would drop to about 20 PLN per 100 km, which is far more economical.
Summary
The Omoda E5 is a car that will do well in everyday city use – especially for people with access to charging at home. Slow DC charging, high energy consumption on the motorway and the heating problems rule it out as an ideal car for longer trips.
The base price of 169,900 PLN, combined with subsidies, could make the Omoda E5 an interesting option for people who drive at most 150–200 km a day and charge mainly at home. On public chargers it becomes uneconomical to run, which lowers the car's overall appeal.
The ideal car for someone looking for a comfortable, well-equipped city EV, but with no plans for long trips.