Plug-in hybrid challenge: four countries, three Christmas markets, over 650 miles, one tank of fuel
Car buyers are loving plug-in hybrids. Wooed by the clever combination of electric and petrol power plus the promise of long ranges, sales grew by 35 per cent in 2025. So, we put Chery’s Tiggo plug-in hybrids to the test using the age-old festive measurement of Christmas markets. How many could we visit on one tank of fuel?
There were times – when time was a little more available – that long driving trips across Europe were a regular thing. Sadly, the cut and thrust of daily life means the plane all too often takes the strain these days, so those wonderful cross-European road trips – where you can really get to know a car and a playlist – are a thing of the past.
However, with plug-in hybrid models currently all the rage with car buyers – sales grew 35 per cent in 2025 – long drives are back on the agenda. These clever cars combine plug-in electric power with an advanced petrol engine to claim up to 750 miles from a full battery and full fuel tank.
They use smart tech to work out when it’s best to use petrol power, electric power or a combination of both – you just leave them to get on with it. And when switched to their fully-electric mode, where the engine is switched off, many claim to drive for up to 50 or even 90 miles on electric power alone - enough for a few days’ use for many people.
Efficiency claims have always been taken with a pinch of salt, though, whether it’s mpg of a petrol or diesel car, or the claimed maximum range of an all-electric or plug-in hybrid. Day-to-day use rarely sees those figures reached. Saying a PHEV will go 750 miles with a full tank and full charge seems like pie in the sky sort of stuff – but is it really achievable?
That’s what I aimed to find out, driving three of the latest plug-in hybrid models to arrive in the UK from Chinese car giant Chery, which has already given us cars from its Omoda and Jaecoo sub-brands. In just three months, Chery has launched three plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUVs, growing in size from Tiggo 7 through Tiggo 8 to Tiggo 9, the last two offering seven seats. All claim many hundreds of miles of range – from 650 in the biggest Tiggo 9 to 750 in the Tiggo 7 – but will they really go that far?
I planned to find out on a road trip that would cover over 650 miles in three days across four countries – visiting three Christmas markets along the way. Those range claims, not to mention the cars’ comfort, would face a tough test.
Our rendezvous with the Cherys was in Kent at the fabulous Boys Hall, a 17th Century country house that has been lovingly turned into a boutique hotel and restaurant by owners Kristie and Brad.
In December, with Christmas in full-swing, there can’t be many places that look more like the typical old-fashioned British Christmas, with log fires and cosy furniture alongside a tinsel-covered tree. It was the ideal spot after a long drive down to deepest Kent.
Each of Boys Hall’s nine bedrooms – yes, just nine – has been curated with Kentish character and a nod to the building’s storied past. I was in a room named after Margaret, the wife of original owner of Boys Hall, Thomas Boys.
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Margeret’s highlight is a roll-top bath right in the bedroom with, apparently, room for two. It would be rude not to, so in I jumped, although sadly on my own on this occasion.
One of the joys of Boys Hall, other than the fantastic restaurant, is how the owners have kept all the charm and character of the original building. That includes the uneven floors; my room had a distinctive incline up to the bed that could easily catch you out if you’d been on the mulled wine.
Our stay in Boys Hall was all too brief – the Christmas market in Liege, Belgium beckoned, but not before a first and final fill-up at the outrageously expensive Shell filling station adjacent to the M20 on the way down to Folkstone.
With Chery Tiggos 7, 8 and the new 9 already with fully charged batteries and now with fully brimmed fuel tanks, it was off to the familiar Eurotunnel terminal for our trip to Calais.
If, like me, you’re an old hand on the Eurotunnel but haven’t been for a while, you’ll notice that it’s now fancily rebranded as LeShuttle, with an upmarket Club Lounge for those of us lucky enough to be travelling with a Flexiplus ticket. As well as the posh croissants and macarons, LeShuttle also impressed for its pet-friendly facilities giving me plenty of ideas for some summer fun with the furry Fowlers.
After the usual crawl through the various passport and customs queues, the train of Cherys were on board and in France in just 35 minutes. The best bit about LeShuttle is there’s no queuing at the other end – you just drive off onto the French Autoroute. We took a left turn and headed immediately east where our stay in France didn’t last long – the signs marked Belgie arrive surprisingly quickly.
For my first leg of the journey, I snaffled the mid-range Chery Tiggo 8, which costs £36,545 in want-for-nothing, top-spec Summit trim (the still lavishly-specced Aspire model costs three grand less). Its battery promised us 56 miles of electric running, but when combined with the 1.5-litre petrol engine an astonishing 750 miles of total range was on offer.
What impressed me most about the Tiggo 8 wasn’t only the value (a seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV from £33,545 is a rarity), but the clever hybrid tech that, when left to its own devices, seamlessly switches between electric and petrol power – or a combination of them both. And after the first hundred miles or so, it was clear that the efficiency claims were spot on – I’d seen the last of the filling stations on this trip.
What impressed me most about the Tiggo 8 wasn’t only the value but the clever super-hybrid tech that, when left to its own devices, seamlessly switches between electric and petrol power – or a combination of them both
The Tiggo 8 wasn’t quite perfect – the stereo sounded a bit dull with my test tracks playing and the ride was a little bumpy at times. The car was quiet, though, and I kept on having to remind myself of the price given the amount of luxury kit and the level of quality on board. As well as seven seats, a head-up display and a panoramic roof, the kit list also includes a massage seat – but in the most bizarre of quirks it’s only available for the Tiggo 8‘s front seat passenger. How unfair!
After a short stop at Belgium’s version of a motorway service area (why are they always so much better than ours? Probably because you must pay to pee), it was on to the stunning city of Liege and one of Europe’s prettiest Christmas markets – although we hadn’t seen the best yet.
Lunch was, of course, Belgian waffles, while the Ferris wheel had to be enjoyed to get the most incredible view across the city. The market stalls had the usual mixed bag of offerings, with the collection of crap Christmas knick-knacks much less appealing than the numerous food and drink stalls.
Our stay in Liege was a brief one as I had to step into the range-topping new Tiggo 9 model for the next leg of our trip down to Germany. The first job, though, was to extract the Tiggo 9 from the tightest underground car park known to man, but despite the car’s size, its on-board cameras made it as simple as possible. Then it was across the cobbles, out of the city and on to the motorway.
The new Tiggo 9 is the largest seven-seat super-hybrid in the Chery range and costs £43,105. It promises an impressive 90-mile range from its battery, which combines with a 1.5-litre petrol engine for a claimed maximum range of 650 miles.
I’ll admit to being a bit nervous about the Tiggo 9, which shares much with its sister car, the Omoda 9 – and I’m really not a fan of that car. The Tiggo 9, though, felt a whole lot better – very comfortable, very posh and with absolutely everything rolled in and nothing extra. It was perfect for a long scenic journey towards the end of an equally long day, although the ensuing darkness prevented us from getting the full effect of the stunning scenery as we entered Germany and headed along the Moselle River.
Our final stop of the day was the Hotel Deinhard in Bernkastel-Kues, overlooking middle Moselle (somewhere out there in the dark), but handily adjacent to the town’s Christmas market.
If you ever want to see just how pretty a Christmas market can be, Google the one in Bernkastel-Kues – it’s picture-postcard pretty. The tall houses that surround the market look like advent calendars, while Santa was sat on a bench in the tiny town square.
The real kicker, though, was that by the time we got to Bernkastel-Kues the market was shut! That didn’t stop us poking around the town just to see how gorgeous it is at night – and it is. It’s definitely one on the Christmas market bucket list for next Christmas.
Hotel Deinhard didn’t disappoint, though. It was considerably more modern than Boys Hall, but with plenty of space – my room even had a terrace that looked up to a church at the very top of a hill with its Christmas star shining bright – but still with a boutique feel about it.
The hotel restaurant sits adjacent to the main building with the promise of “Asia meets Reisling“. If you’re a fan of German wines – and I’m sure there are some people who must be – then Hotel Deinhard could be one for you, with a spectacular cellar, wine paired with art and an opportunity to get an education in wine while you’re there.
This teetotaller rose with a clear head the next morning to actually see the beautiful views across the Moselle and another look at the chocolate box town that is Bernkastel-Kues. But time and Christmas markets wait for no man, so it was back to the Cherys and south for our next festive appointment.
The third of the Chery SUV trio was, unsurprisingly, the Tiggo 7 – although it’s a little unfair to call it the smallest. It’s certainly the cheapest at £29,995, pretty much matching the Tiggo 8’s spec but without the extra couple of seats in the boot.
The super-hybrid system once again features an 18kWh battery like the Tiggo 8, plus the 1.5-litre petrol engine, but this time with an all-electric range of 56 miles and a petrol and electric combined range of over 700 miles. It’s similarly well-built, similarly well-equipped and, well, very similar to the Tiggo 8.
The final leg of the trip – before heading back to the airport for the quicker route home – was probably the most beautiful of all, taking in the mountains, valleys and tall trees of the woodlands of southern Germany.
Our next Christmas market destination was in Heidelburg, where a stop for pastries at Café Grundel was essential. And the Christmas market – well it was another cracker.
Our tight schedule meant that it was back in the car to head to our final hotel of the trip, and it was another incredible spot – the Cheneaudiere hotel and spa, possibly chosen as it has 13 EV chargers, just in case we needed them. We didn’t – we’d covered 637 miles and every car still had range to spare. At least enough to get us to the airport the next morning.
Back to Cheneaudiere and the spa – or more precisely the spa included in the room. Nothing beats a hot spa in the cold outside, especially with a view from your private patio out across the dark where you can just about make out the slightly spooky trees at nighttime.
After three fabulous Christmas markets and equally exciting hotels, we could have just charged up the Cherys, filled with fuel and headed straight back to the UK. Instead, time was of the essence so we hopped across into a fifth country for the flight back.
Our road trip had already managed to prove the point that the latest breed of plug-in hybrids, especially those using Chery’s super-hybrid tech, are really efficient and capable of the numbers they boast. 700 miles without filling or charging? Easy!
We weren’t exactly on an economy run, either. We stuck to motorway speeds (apart from when the infamous Belgian truck drivers decide to switch lanes without looking in their mirrors – the Tiggo 8’s brakes work well!) and enjoyed some of the twistier sections of the route, as well as some of the scenic towns and cities we visited.
What impressed me most is how seamless these latest PHEV systems are to use. The Tiggos 7 and 8 share much of their tech and the Tiggo 9, as a flagship should, takes it up a notch, but the super-hybrid systems were all easy to live with, clever and efficient. You only really notice an engine working when you accelerate hard, but the rest of the time you genuinely could be on electric power – and often would be.
As for the rest of the cars, you can get cars that ride slightly better, might have better audio systems and whose touchscreens could be easier to use, but for space, quality, equipment and, crucially, value-for-money the Chery trio are hard to beat.
What my trip also proved is just how fabulous a cross-Europe, Christmas road trip can be. The weather may not be warm, but the welcome you get at some of the UK and Europe’s top hotels certainly will be, while the sights you see will be just as dramatic in wintertime as they are in the summer.
I’m already planning next year’s Christmas market road trip. And judging by the speed with which Chery has launched this trio of cars in the UK in just a matter of months, it may be a whole new range of Cherys we take along for the ride next year
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