Lepas is a new brand from Chinese parent company Chery, which is also behind Omoda and Jaecoo. Lepas aims to offer a premium product that still represents good value – think a step up from Jaecoo at a slightly higher price point. The brand name is a portmanteau of Leopard and Passion. 

Launching next month, prices for the L8 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) mid-size SUV start at £34,900. Key premium rivals include the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Land Rover Defender, all at a considerably higher price. More mid-tier competitors include the Skoda Kodiaq and VW Tiguan, which are less price-competitive once options are added. The L8 keeps things simple with one PHEV powertrain and two trim levels – ‘Essence’ and ‘Elevate’. A Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) version will join the UK range next year. We drove the top-of-the-line Elevate, priced at £37,900.

Design and interior

The L8 is attractive, if a little generic. There are elements of Jaguar F-Pace at the front, especially around the headlamps and large grille. At the rear, the full-width LED lighting that pinches at the centre says Porsche Macan to us.

It has been designed and engineered for European tastes, and it shows. We liked the distinctive paint choices — not just shades of monochrome, with some very attractive colours. Overall, it’s a cohesive design that hints at premium style.

Interior

The interior is spacious, with priority given to rear legroom over boot capacity. A flat rear floor adds to the sense of space, with no awkward hump for middle-row passengers. Four tall adults could travel in comfort. The trade-off is luggage space: just over 500 litres with the seats up (1,300 litres with the 40:60 split-folding rears folded). By comparison, the five-seat Skoda Kodiaq PHEV offers 845 litres.

We found the soft faux-leather, fully electric seats comfortable and simple to adjust, with standard memory and massage functions. The steering column is manually adjustable for reach and rake. The dashboard is dominated by the 13.2in portrait central touchscreen, or ‘tablet’, used to control most settings. A smaller 10.25in display in front of the driver shows speed and status. The floating tablet links to the centre console with a gentle curve, similar to the latest Porsche SUVs. There’s nothing unique here, but physical buttons for climate control are welcome.

Functions can also be controlled via the AI-powered voice assistant by saying ‘Hello Lepas’. In our pre-production example, it ignored us several times when stationary, but on the move it worked well with natural commands such as “I’m cold.”

To maintain a fresher cabin, the L8 is fitted with a Nano-Aqua Ion purification system – unique at this price point. Material quality is good, with premium-feeling seats and soft touch points on the upper dashboard and doors. Harder plastics are found lower down, but that’s not unusual in this segment.

Performance and drive

On the road, the L8 shows good body control and damping. Lepas has struck a good balance between dynamic control and comfort. The only disappointments are the numb steering, occasional inconsistency in PHEV regeneration pedal feel, and the fiddly process for switching off safety systems. While Lepas should be commended for providing a full complement of safety and autonomous assistance, deactivating them requires plenty of sub-menu prodding on the large tablet. Quick to react to feedback, Lepas is already working on offering the ability to turn off all Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in one go from the home screen.

For business customers seeking a versatile, cost-competitive SUV, the L8 strikes a good balance for everyday driving.


The plug-in hybrid drivetrain combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with automatic transmission and an 18.4kWh battery. The system automatically selects the most efficient propulsion method according to conditions, battery state and driver demand. There are three modes: Pure EV; Series Hybrid, where the engine drives a generator to power the battery and motor; and Parallel Hybrid, where engine and motor work together. The L8 also offers Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology, able to supply up to 6.6kW via a suitable adaptor.


Generating 275hp, the L8 accelerates from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds.

Lepas claims a combined range of up to 745 miles, with up to 56 miles pure electric. Combined fuel economy is rated at 403.5mpg, with CO₂ emissions of just 21g/km, making it attractive for business users.

All L8s come with a 7-year/100,000-mile warranty. Although new, Lepas has an ambitious UK dealer expansion plan – 60 sites by year-end. Every dealer will be full-service, and customers can also use the broader Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery authorised networks.

Creating a premium brand from scratch for the UK and Europe is a brave move by Chery. UK business customers want high equipment levels, a spacious cabin, adequate manners and a premium feel for an affordable monthly payment. The L8 might just deliver on that wish.

Positive: Stylish and spacious cabin, premium image, competitive pricing.

Negative: Generic styling, numb steering, average boot capacity.

Standard equipment:
19in Diamond-Cut Alloy Wheels, LED Headlights, rear Lights and Daytime Running Lights, electrically Adjustable, heated and power-folding door mirrors, privacy glass (rear windows and tailgate), acoustic laminated windscreen, panoramic sunroof with sunshade, dual-zone climate control, rear air vents, leather-trimmed steering wheel, multifunction steering wheel, four-way adjustable steering column, dual sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors, LED rear reading lights, 40/60 split-folding rear seats, reclining rear seat backrests, keyless entry and go, remote engine start, electric windows with one-touch operation and anti-trap function, manually adjustable front seats (six-way driver and passenger), black fabric and leather-effect Upholstery.

LEPAS L8 PHEV Elevate