Deepal S07 vs Kia EV5

On the way in they are within about $2,000, and both are quoted driveaway. The Deepal is $47,990 as of late 2026, but that figure is a sell-through deal on the last of the 20-inch cars, so its everyday price without the offer sits higher; confirm the current number with a dealer. The Kia Air Standard Range is $49,990 on standard campaign pricing. The real question is what each buys: the Deepal loads flagship kit into one spec, while the Kia ladders from that entry car up to the flagship GT-Line, with the sweet-spot Air Long Range at $59,990. For kit per dollar the Deepal leads; for the range grade, budget for the Air Long Range.

It depends on which Kia. The Deepal covers 475km on the WLTP cycle from a 79.97kWh battery, one figure for its single spec. The Kia varies by grade: the base Air Standard Range manages only 400km from a 64.2kWh battery, but the Air Long Range's 88.1kWh pack delivers a class-benchmark 555km, comfortably past the Deepal, with the AWD Earth (500km) and GT-Line (470km) in between. So the cheapest Kia trails the Deepal, while the Air Long Range clearly beats it, and it is the grade most buyers should get. Real-world range lands lower for both, especially in the cold or at highway speed. If maximum range leads your brief, the Kia Air Long Range is the pick.

The Kia, and by a useful margin on the right grade. The Deepal peaks at 92kW on a DC fast charger; the Kia's Air Standard Range at 102kW and its Long Range and AWD grades at 141kW, for a 10 to 80 per cent fill in about 36 to 38 minutes. On AC the Deepal accepts 11kW, the Kia 6.6kW on the base Air and 11kW on the rest. Neither is a fast-charging star: Australian reviewers rate both as behind newer 800-volt rivals like the Zeekr 7X, which do the same job in roughly half the time. Charge at home most nights and it hardly registers; drive long distances often and the Kia pulls ahead.

Each holds a current five-star rating from 2024 testing, and both carry seven airbags and the full active-safety suite as standard. They earn the stars differently. The Deepal is the stronger performer in a crash, with a class-leading 95 per cent for adult occupants to the Kia's 88. The Kia turns it around on active safety, 82 per cent for safety assist to the Deepal's 70, the two level on child (86 per cent) and vulnerable-road-user (74 per cent) protection. The Deepal's assist score slipped after it allowed drivers to fully disable its over-eager aids, a change ANCAP flagged concern over, though the car held its five stars. If crash protection leads, the Deepal; if active-safety breadth does, the Kia.

The Kia is the boxier, more practical family shape. Its 513-litre boot beats the Deepal's 445, and folded it pulls clear at 1,714 litres to 1,385, with a taller roof that helps cabin and head room. The Deepal is the longer car, 4,750mm to the Kia's 4,615, with a longer wheelbase, and it has a 125-litre front boot nearly double the Kia's 67, handy for stashing charging cables up front. So for everyday loading and folded-flat trips the Kia carries more, while the Deepal has the roomier frunk and more outright length. For most families moving people and gear, the Kia's larger main boot and upright cabin win.

This is the Deepal's clearest win. Its single spec includes a 15.6-inch touchscreen, a head-up display, a 360-degree camera, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated and heated front seats, a heat pump and a 14-speaker Sony stereo, all standard. On the Kia, the head-up display, sunroof, ventilated seats, 360 camera and wireless phone charging are GT-Line-only. The Kia counters with built-in navigation on every grade, where the Deepal leaves maps to your phone, and a cabin local testers rate as tidier and easier to use. For sheer equipment per dollar the Deepal is well ahead; for usable controls and on-board maps, the Kia answers back.

Single-motor for single-motor they are close: the Deepal's 160kW rear-drive does 0 to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds, the Kia Air's 160kW front-drive in about 8.5. But the Kia climbs to dual-motor all-wheel drive in the Earth and GT-Line, 230kW and 480Nm for a 6.1-second sprint the Deepal has no answer to. Neither single-motor car is quick, both adequate rather than urgent. On drive polish neither leads: reviewers knock the Deepal's vague steering and unsettled ride, and the Kia's ride draws enough criticism that Kia has confirmed a suspension retune for a coming update. If you want genuine pace and all-wheel-drive traction the Kia has it; at entry level the Deepal edges the sprint.

The Kia is the known quantity: an established dealer and service network, a proven resale story and a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. The Deepal is a newcomer, Changan's electric brand, sold here through Inchcape, the long-established importer behind Subaru and Peugeot, so there is a real network behind it, and it covers the battery longer, eight years and 240,000km to the Kia's seven years and 150,000km. The genuine unknowns for the Deepal are resale value and long-term parts support, which only time settles. For the lowest-risk ownership the Kia is the safer pick; the Deepal's long battery warranty and its importer take much of the near-term risk off the table.

If you want the better-rounded electric family SUV, the Kia EV5 is the pick, and the Air Long Range is the one to get: 555km of range, 141kW charging, a bigger boot, built-in navigation and an unlimited-kilometre warranty. If you want the most standard equipment and street presence for the least money, the Deepal S07 delivers more kit than anything near its price, plus a longer battery warranty and a 1,500kg tow rating, provided you accept slower charging, less range than the Air Long Range, and a newcomer's resale unknowns. Families and long-distance drivers lean Kia; kit-hunters and value buyers lean Deepal.