Chery Tiggo 9 PHEV
A large family hauler that's surprisingly swift for the price
Published on 16 Feb 2026
In a way, the Chery Tiggo 9 makes a definitive statement - that it can play in the flagship SUV space. It impresses with space, refinement, and strong value for money even given our vastly inflated prices; thanks to the local punitive import taxes. Smooth, quiet, generously equipped, yet with blistering performance; it challenges the status quo.
Chery is a brand that’s no stranger to Sri Lankans. They’re ably represented by Micro Cars, as they have been for a very long time. We had the cutesy Chery QQ many moons ago. More recently, we cheked out the Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo Cross Hybrid. Today’s Tiggo 9 PHEV should thus deliver great things. This 7-seater AWD SUV is a plug-in hybrid with lavish space, and a long list of premium features. So how does it feel when you actually get behind the wheel? After my test drive, I could say that this is a vehicle that should tick most people’s list of boxes when deciding to buy a new car that’s got all-wheel drive capabilities, impressive acceleration and a long list of features. It certainly did mine.
Exterior
The exterior of the Chery Tiggo 9 features a bold, aerodynamic design with muscular fender arches and sharp character lines, highlighted by a striking, large front diamond-shaped embossed grille and sleek LED headlights. Chery’s brochure tells me that it’s inspired by the outline of a roaring tiger! It also includes stylish 20 inch alloy wheels, chrome trim accents, flush door handles, and a purposeful, elegant profile. It has a sculpted, aerodynamic body with fluid lines, creating a sporty yet elegant and dominant presence.
The Tiggo 9 PHEV is available in six colours. Our tester comes in Mazeppa Grey, but you can also select from Tech House Grey, White or Black if monochrome is your thing. If you’re more of a colourful person, there’s a bluish-inspired Cocktail Metallic coat, as well as a stunning Green that’s very close to a deep Emerald shade. Regardless of your colour choice, accents such as chrome trim and chrome garnish are used to enhance the vehicle's refined look. It incorporates flush door handles, which are both stylish and enhance its aerodynamic profile. Sharp character lines are integrated into the body, adding to the vehicle's precise and confident design.
Interior
Step inside, and you immediately get a sense of how seriously Chery wants this SUV to compete at the top end of the market. Generous is an understatement – the Tiggo 9’s cabin is vast, with legroom and headroom that genuinely rivals some of the best 7-seaters available in our market. The panoramic sunroof adds to the airy feel of the cabin. The layout is clean and modern, with large digital screens, quality materials, and a strong focus on tech. The Tiggo 9 doesn’t just aim to look premium – it feels it. For families who need proper space without sacrificing luxury, this is a standout.
Both front seats of the Tiggo 9 are electrically adjustable. The driver’s seat has a memory setting and moves back automatically for ease of access and exit, resetting to the preferred driver position when ready to move off. And to spoil you and your front seat passenger, there is in-built seat massaging – that too in six different massaging modes. That’s not all, both front seats and outboard second row seats have vented cooling, and combined with the remote starting function you don’t need to worry about sitting on hot seats after the car has been parked in the hot sun. Meanwhile, when you lift up the front arm rest between the front seats, there is a cooled compartment where you can cool your water bottle or energy drink. The second row can also be slid fore and aft, and there’s some backrest adjustment on offer too. Meanwhile, the third row has two foldable seats. While two average-sized adults can fit there in an emergency, it is more suited for children. As for boot space is impressive even with the third-row seats being used. With the 3rd row seats in use, there is a decent 143 litres of space available (this is very similar to what most kei cars offer), while with the 3rd row seats folded, there is 448 litres of boot space. And of course, the second row can also be folded for even more space, facilitating those extraordinary cargo duties that creep up on you.
The Tiggo 9 dashboard features dual floating HD screens, including a 15.6-inch central infotainment touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display (HUD), voice command functionality, a 50W wireless charger, and colour-selectable ambient lighting, all integrated into a smart, luxurious, and driver-centric digital cockpit. The 15.6-inch high-resolution touchscreen has controls for vehicle features such as drive modes, and entertainment. The wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay ensures seamless integration of your smartphone for navigation, calls, and music. The "Hello Chery" Voice Command system allows for voice control of various functions. Meanwhile, The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster contains a fully digital display in front of the driver that can show customized information while the Head Up display projects important information like navigation or speed directly onto the windshield. There is customizable ambient lighting that can be linked to drive modes or music. The dashboard and doors use soft-touch materials for a luxurious feel. Among other nice touches are Automatic Defogging for the air conditioning system, Negative Ion Air Purification and a pre-installed fragrance system!
The Drive
One would not normally expect acceleration that would pin you to the back of the seat like on a commercial jetliner on take-off; from a SUV - right? But that’s what you get if you put your foot down while in Sports mode in the Tiggo 9! . From my experience of driving a variety of cars and SUV’s I felt that this figure would be closer to a high 5 second time – indeed a gander through the brochure does list this little figure buried deep in the specifications, rated at 5.7 seconds. This is deeply impressive for a large (7 seater) SUV. Moreover, the Tiggo 9 PHEV also features different driving modes, including Eco, Normal, and Sport for general driving, and terrain-specific modes like Mud, Sand, and Off-Road. The specific modes are designed to optimize performance and efficiency for different driving conditions, intelligently switching power between the three electric motors and the 1.5 litre GDi petrol engine. Ashraaq Wahab (Deputy Editor) and Mahen Makalande from partner video channel RevMatch did take the Tiggo 9 PHEV on some loose, deep sand and remarked that it was incredibly sure-footed and well-composed in the dedicated Sand mode, even with its all-season tires.
What Chery has absolutely nailed, though, is the blend of smoothness and quietness. The petrol-electric drivetrain transitions seamlessly, and there’s an almost serene quality when you’re cruising. Around town, it’s whisper-quiet and composed, while on the highway it has plenty of guts to make overtaking feel effortless. In fact I had to listen intently with the windows down just to hear the petrol engine working – that too in Sports mode. The petrol engine mainly charges the battery pack, but connects to the wheels at higher speeds to add more power. As for cornering abilities, it’s more akin to a low slung car than a SUV. During hard cornering the Tiggo 9 is mostly composed and there was no undue sideways rocking even for rear seat passengers.
Safety
The Tiggo 9 features a strong safety cage, up to 10 airbags for occupant protection, and an advanced suite of driver-assistance systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Detection, Lane Departure Warning, and Adaptive Cruise Control. The vehicle also includes passive safety features like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and a high-strength steel frame designed to meet five-star global security standards. Like most modern SUVs, the Tiggo 9 is loaded with driver-assistance systems, 19 to be exact. Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Traffic Jam Assist – the works. Drivers who are used to driving Japanese cars need to get used to the signals on the left hand side stalk as the right-side stalk is the gear shifter! Other safety features include automatically adjusting high beams to prevent dazzling other drivers. 360-Degree Camera which offers "Around View Monitor" or "360 camera" for better situational awareness during parking and manoeuvring. Driver Aids include Auto Hold to keep the vehicle stationary on inclines and Speed Sensing Door Locks for added convenience and security.
Fuel Economy and Price
Its pricing is where the Tiggo 9 really tips the scales. At Rs. 28.8 million (at the time of testing) it overshadows most, if not all luxury SUV’s in the country by having (at least) a 50% price advantage. Furthermore, being a Plug-in Hybrid, there should not be any range anxiety associated with the Tiggo 9. With a fully charged battery and tank brimmed with petrol, it will give you a 1,350 kms combined range. When the battery is charged, you could expect 1.4 to 1.5 L/100 km (over 66 kms/l) economy from the petrol engine. After the battery is depleted below 30% charge, petrol consumption could be up to 6.5 L/100 km (about 15.5 kms/l). When you factor-in the Tiggo 9’s industry-leading after-sales warranty package, which includes a 10-year/1-million km engine warranty and 8-year/unlimited km battery cover for the hybrid, it is an excellent value for money proposition in Sri Lanka.
Verdict
The Chery Tiggo 9 PHEV is a true luxury SUV that ticks most of the right boxes. It’s spacious, smooth, attractively priced, and has the get-up-and-go of an electrified drive-train to keep things interesting. It impresses where it matters most: comfort, refinement, and overall usability. That’s why you should head down to Micro Cars or reach out to their sales staff if it resonates with you.
