The Tiggo 7 CSH gives you the option of driving in either full electric or hybrid mode, where it will switch
between the battery and the engine depending on your driving scenario.
This is the end of my journey with the Chery Tiggo 7 CSH (Chery Super Hybrid) also known as the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
I own the 2022 petrol variant of the Tiggo 7 Pro. In my first month with the vehicle, I was extremely impressed by how far the brand has come in the past three years in terms of styling, comfort and drive quality.
The reason I asked Chery South Africa for this vehicle on a long term test is because I was extremely curious to see if a PHEV really saves you money in a real world scenario.
The Tiggo 7 CSH Plus variant is priced at R619 900 and the Ultra (tested) is priced at R679 900. When I purchased the Tiggo 7 Pro in 2023, the entry model was priced at R409900 and the top of the range model was priced at R 444 900.
In 2023, Chery brought in more variants of the vehicle which pushed it past the R500 000 mark. But since the Tiggo 7 Pro entered the country, there has always been one problem with it: fuel consumption.
I have managed to do well with the one I own. It’s rare that I see over 8.5 litres/100km. The reason for that is because I used to drive mostly on the highway out of peak times when I stayed in Springs, but since my move to the city, it has mostly been urban driving and that has pushed my fuel consumption up to 9 litres/100km.
But I also have a light foot on the throttle. If it was a little heavier, those figures might be higher.
This has been the case with most Chinese vehicles since they made a big entrance in 2021. They are jam packed with features and very comfortable, but they are also very thirsty.
However, earlier this year, Chery introduced hybrid models — both traditional and PHEVs — as extensions to all its models.
When I received the Tiggo 7 CSH, I already knew that the fuel consumption would be much better than the one I own. I just wanted to experiment on how far this vehicle could go before I needed to go to a garage and fill it up.
I also wanted to know if it was worth paying over R600 000 for a car that is available for less than R500000.
In short, I wanted to see what the fuss of owning a PHEV is all about.
To put it into context, the Tiggo 7 CSH has one electric motor that works in conjunction with a 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine. It has a 18.3kWh battery that powers the electric motor and Chery claims that it will give you over 90km of electric range alone and a combined range of 1200km.
On my Tiggo 7 Pro, I generally get 600km to a full tank. For example, the claim is that you will get double the amount of range on a full tank and full charge when it comes to the Tiggo 7 CSH.
How does it translate in the real world?
Claimed figures and real world figures are always going to differ. Most of the time, the brand’s assertions are just too good to be true.
This is probably the first time that I actually did better than the claimed figures.
The Tiggo 7 CSH gives you the option of driving in either full electric or hybrid mode, where it will switch between the battery and the engine depending on your driving scenario.
I opted to drive in the hybrid setting most of the time and sometimes would use one litre/100km on a full charge.
Once the battery was depleted and the car operated as a traditional hybrid, fuel consumption figures would jump to about 5 litres/100km.
But, there is a trick to it. Find a charging station at a shopping centre near you and every time you are out doing grocery shopping, just plug it in. The 18.3kWh battery is very small, so it takes just over 30 minutes to charge to maximum capacity.
The price of charging is R7.35 per kWh on a fast charger, so that means it costs R134.50 to charge the car from 0-100% and get 90km of electric range.
I only charged the car twice during the time I had it and I have done 940km with the vehicle. I am still sitting with 456km of fuel range and 17km of electric range.
If I charge it again, that will increase again. It works out better than filling fuel at over R20/litre. I have not been to the fuel station since I received this vehicle and it feels good.
But even if I didn’t charge it again and just used what was left in the tank and on the battery, it would give me over 1400km before I had to put petrol in the vehicle again.
If I charged it more often, I am certain that I could get over 2000km of range before filling the next tank of fuel. But is it worth the extra money?
Currently, the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro starts at R389 900 (owned), the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max starts at R499 900 and the Tiggo 7 CSH (tested) starts at R619 900.
It’s important to understand that besides just the running costs of the vehicle, there is an extreme amount of difference in quality that exists between the one I own and the Tiggo 7 CSH.
The interior of the Chery Tiggo 7 CSH
The R230 000 price difference encompasses drive quality, the look and feel of the car and the comfort given to the consumer. For example, it doesn’t feel like I am driving the same car when I sit in my Tiggo 7 Pro that has a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine paired to a CVT gearbox and when I sit in the Tiggo 7 CSH that has a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine and electric motor. The quality of the drive feels worlds apart.
But R230 000 more is a big difference for that extra range.
So let’s work it out.
We’ll take the regular Tiggo 7 Pro first. Financing it over a five-year period at the prime interest rate of 10.25% with no deposit and no balloon payment will cost R8427 per month.
The average amount of mileage put on a car per year is 15 000km, which works out to 1250km of mileage per month. That means that you will use two tanks of fuel per month in the Tiggo 7 Pro.
The petrol price currently sits at R21.12/litre which means it will cost R1 078 to fill up the vehicle and your fuel costs per month will be R2156.
All together, it means that your total payment will be R 10 583 per month on the car.
Your total spend after five years will be R634 980.
With the Tiggo 7 CSH, the monthly repayment will start much higher if you finance over five years with no deposit and no balloon payment at the prime interest rate. The monthly payment will be R 13 342.
If you charge the car twice a month and can get your range up to 1400km for a full tank, it will cost you R1536 to get the car back to maximum range every 34 days.
That means it will cost R1 355 to run the car monthly and you are looking at a total payment of R14 697 per month including finance and running costs. Your total spend on the car at the end of the term will be R881 820.
Essentially, you will be saving on running costs, but interest will eat into those savings. However, if you are looking at a higher spec Tiggo 7 Pro, which starts at R499 900, then the numbers will start making sense when it comes to the Tiggo 7 SHS.
You can read our comparison on the Haval H6 GT petrol and PHEV variants which are valued R130 000 apart, but the savings on the PHEV actually count.
If you just want to get into the entry variant, then it is better to just stick to the petrol variant, but you must remember that you will not get the same power, features, comfort and quality.