New Zeekr 7x 2025 review: Tesla Model Y wannabe shows plenty of promise

Verdict

The Zeekr 7x might not be the best to drive and the interior is a little lacklustre in places, but there’s plenty to be intrigued by ahead of the brand’s UK launch next year. Practicality, space, comfort and equipment levels are all strong points and the underlying charging capacity of this platform is impressive. Pricing will almost certainly be the deciding factor for potential buyers. 

Sometimes it feels like a new Chinese brand is launching every week and soon it’ll be the turn of Zeekr, which has said it’ll bring its models to the UK in 2026. Providing its entry to the hugely popular mid-sized SUV segment will be this - the new all-electric 7x. 

Our drive of the 7x marks the fourth birthday of Zeekr, but it’s not exactly a ‘start-up’ because it has the might of Chinese giant Geely behind it – meaning this new car maker can leverage the latest technology used by Volvo and Polestar. The 7x sits on a derivative of the SEA platform used by the Polestar 4 and new Smart #5, and is designed as a rival to the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. To help set it apart not only from those cars but also from its Smart sibling, it’s focused on luxury, space and performance.

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The UK line-up has yet to be finalised, but in other markets you’ll find an entry-level ‘Core’ (single motor, rear-wheel drive), a mid-spec ‘Long Range’ (also rear-wheel drive) and a top-spec ‘Privilege’, which is the only edition with a dual-motor set up and four-wheel drive. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet either, but judging from European prices, the 7x could start from around £45,000, with the Privilege AWD topping the range at around £60,000. 

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Our first experience of the car comes in a Privilege, but even the standard car is tremendously well equipped. You get a huge panoramic sunroof, heated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel, plus a 16-inch touchscreen and 13-inch driver’s display.  

The rear-wheel-drive cars get an impressive 421bhp electric motor with a hot hatch-rivalling 0-62mph time of exactly six seconds. The dual-motor version comes with an astonishing 630bhp, however, so the 0-62mph sprint time drops to a faintly ridiculous 3.8 seconds. 

Range is what really matters, though, especially on an EV geared more towards family-friendly practicality. With its 75kWh battery, the Core RWD will provide a WLTP-rated 298-mile range, while the Long Range RWD and Privilege AWD get a bigger 100kWh battery for decent ranges of 382 and 337 miles respectively. To put those figures in context, the newly facelifted Model Y leads the class for range and will cover 387 miles on a charge in Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive form.

During our test of the Privilege AWD, we saw an efficiency figure of 2.8 miles per kWh rather than the brand’s claimed 3.4 miles per kWh. But under less strenuous driving conditions, we’re sure the 7x would get much closer to its claimed efficiency.

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Thanks to a cutting-edge 800V platform, the car’s charging is extremely good. A maximum speed of 360kW can be applied to the 75kWh and 100kWh battery units for a 10 to 80 per cent top up in 13 minutes or 16 minutes respectively. In fact, that DC charging speed is limited, because it’s the maximum that European charging stations can support; Zeekr says the 7x will be able to take on a 480kW charge in future. 

The new SUV is also one of the largest cars in its class, and families will appreciate the rear doors that open by 90 degrees, and the 539-litre boot. The interior design isn’t terribly exciting and much of the cabin’s material (which reminds us of a wet-suit) won’t be to everyone’s taste, but quality is generally up there with most rivals. Zeekr says the physical row of buttons for frequently-used functions beneath the main screen is there ‘in a commitment to safety’, although the choices are odd, with one controlling the glovebox. 

On the road, the 7x feels big, but not bulky or awkward. That’s thanks in part to the air suspension, which is standard fit on our Privilege AWD and offers five different settings for the ride height, altering the car’s height by up to 70mm. On top of that, there are also six driving modes – Sport, Comfort, Eco, Winter, Off-road and Personal. 

The set-up feels very polished on the road in terms of dispatching potholes or scarred surfaces, although we’re keen to try the car in the UK and one of the lower-spec models with passive suspension. Our test route also took us on a grubby off-road section (not an environment many 7xs will find themselves in), but the all-wheel drive system and the air suspension in its highest mode coped well. 

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With a kerbweight of around two and a half tonnes and a soft chassis set-up, the 7x isn’t a car for spirited driving - even with the dual-motor model’s monstrous power. Although the steering feels a little weightier in Sport mode, it’s very light and not exactly brimming with feedback. An EV6, Ioniq 5 or the new Ford Capri are more fun behind the wheel, although the single-motor rear-wheel-drive version of the 7x could be more engaging in the corners. 

Instead, the Zeekr is at its best when you take things easy. The frontal visibility is good (although it’s not so good to the rear,) and the suspension is ready to soak up speed bumps, so the 7x scores well around town. 

Meanwhile, the safety systems – including 360-degree digital monitoring, an augmented head-up display and traffic alert – weren’t distracting either, which makes a change from other Chinese electric cars we’ve driven recently. The automated lane-change assist function worked perfectly too, even with other road users nearby.