Another Chery brand lands, and your shortlist just got longer
Chery has confirmed a brand-new badge for Australia called Lepas, and its first electric model, the L6, is locked in for the fourth quarter of 2026.
That means a small-to-medium electric SUV from the Chery group will be on sale here before Christmas next year. For buyers, it is one more name to weigh up in an already crowded segment.
The honest take from Carseekers is simple. More choice is good, but more badges from the same parent company is not the same thing as more genuine competition. Read the L6 in that context.
What the Lepas L6 actually is
The L6 is a single-motor electric SUV roughly 4.5 metres long, which puts it at the smaller end of the mid-size class. Think of it as a rival to cars buyers already cross-shop today.
It uses a grille-less, smooth front face that is far less divisive than the petrol L6 shown earlier. Inside there is a slim digital driver display, a portrait 12.3-inch touchscreen, a panoramic glass roof and an eight-speaker Sony sound system.
The cabin look is close to the Jaecoo J5, which is no accident given both come from the same engineering well. If you have sat in a recent Chery group car, the L6 will feel familiar.
Lepas is pitching design and colour as the hook. The name is a blend of leopard and passion, and the LED headlights are styled to mimic a leopard's eye. That is marketing, but it tells you who Lepas wants to attract: younger buyers shopping on looks.
The range and power figures, and the asterisk on both
Lepas quotes 160kW and 275Nm from the single electric motor. That is enough for brisk everyday driving and comfortably ahead of older budget EVs.
The claimed range is 450km from a 65kWh battery. Here is the catch. Lepas has not stated which test cycle that figure uses, and that matters a great deal.
A 450km number on the generous WLTP cycle is not the same as 450km of real highway driving. Until Lepas confirms the cycle, treat the range as a ceiling, not a promise.
Every other spec, including charging speed, warranty and trim levels, is still being held back until closer to launch. That is normal for a pre-launch announcement, but it also means you cannot properly value the car yet.
Where it sits on price, and why nobody has shown their hand yet
Pricing has not been announced, and that silence is deliberate. Chinese brands routinely hold pricing until the last moment so they can react to whatever rivals do first.
The segment the L6 is targeting is brutal on price right now. Budget electric SUVs have been discounting hard, and drive-away deals shift month to month.
A realistic expectation is that Lepas needs to land somewhere near or under the established Chinese players to get noticed. If it launches with an ambitious sticker, it will struggle, because the L6 has no brand equity in Australia yet.
Our advice at Carseekers is to ignore the launch price headline and watch the drive-away figure in the first three months. New brands often quietly sweeten deals once early sales data comes in.
The rivals already fighting for this money
Chery says the L6 will square up against the Geely EX5 and the BYD Atto 3. Both are proven, both are aggressively priced, and both already have dealer networks and owner reviews behind them.
That is the L6's real problem. It is not arriving into an empty room. It is arriving late to a price war that has been running for over a year.
The EX5 in particular has already been through pricing and specification changes to stay competitive. A brand-new badge with no track record has to beat that on value or features, not just match it.
For most buyers, the smart move is to put the L6 on a list next to the EX5 and Atto 3 and let them compete for your signature. Do not let novelty alone earn your deposit.
Chery is now competing with itself, and that is good for you
Lepas will sit alongside Chery and Omoda Jaecoo in Australia, and the model ranges overlap heavily. All three sell small and medium SUVs aimed at similar budgets.
Chery already offers small SUVs like the Chery C5 and the Tiggo 4 Pro, plus medium options such as the Tiggo 7 Pro and the Jaecoo J7.
When one parent company runs three brands chasing the same buyer, those brands end up undercutting each other. That internal pressure can work in your favour at the negotiating table.
Use it. If a Lepas dealer will not move on price, the near-identical mechanicals under a Chery or Jaecoo badge give you a genuine walk-away option. Mention it.
The brand-sprawl problem buyers need to understand
The L6 is only the start. Lepas alone plans L1, L2, L3, L4, L8 and L9 models, and possibly a sedan. The smaller L4 and larger L8 are both expected here too.
Beyond Lepas, the Chery group has three more brands inbound for Australia by the end of 2027. iCaur and Freelander are both lining up boxy electrified SUVs, and Jetour is confirmed to launch as well.
This is a deliberate global strategy. Chery set an export record last year of more than 1.34 million units, with exports making up nearly half its total sales. Australia is a key target.
For buyers, the risk is resale and long-term support. A flood of new badges means some will not survive, and a brand that retreats can leave owners short on parts, software updates and dealer coverage. That uncertainty should be priced into what you are willing to pay.
We covered this exact concern in our look at whether you should consider a Chinese car brand at all, and the L6 fits the pattern. Strong value up front, open questions on the back end.
How the L6 compares to its own stablemate, the L4
Lepas is also bringing the smaller L4 electric SUV to Australia, and the two will sit close together on size and likely on price.
If you do not need the extra length, the cheaper L4 may make the L6 hard to justify. Wait for both price lists before committing to either.
This is the kind of internal overlap that trips up buyers who fixate on one model. Look across the whole Lepas range, not just the car that caught your eye first.
Why the missing charging specs matter so much
Lepas has stayed quiet on charging speed, and that is one of the most important numbers for a daily-driven EV. A 65kWh battery is only as useful as how fast you can refill it.
If the L6 lands with slow DC charging, road trips become a chore no matter how good the headline range looks. The Atto 3 and EX5 have already set the benchmark buyers expect here.
Watch for the peak charging rate and the 10 to 80 percent time when full specs drop. A car that takes 40 minutes to top up is a very different ownership story to one that does it in under 30.
Warranty is the other quiet detail that will make or break the value case. Chinese rivals have pushed seven-year cover as standard, and the L6 needs to match that to be taken seriously by cautious buyers.
What to do if the L6 is on your list
The L6 is worth watching, not rushing. It is a fourth-quarter 2026 car, so there is no reason to commit early on incomplete information.
Before you sign anything, wait for three things: confirmed pricing, the official range test cycle, and the warranty terms. Without all three, you cannot compare it honestly to the EX5 or Atto 3.
When the numbers land, judge the L6 on drive-away value and ownership cost, not on its leopard-eye headlights. Looks fade fast once the novelty wears off.
And remember the leverage. With three Chery group brands and a wave of new Chinese rivals all chasing the same buyer, the power at the dealership is shifting your way. Use Carseekers to make them earn the sale.
Considering finance for your next car? Loanseekers can help you explore car loan options.
The finer details
Your questions answered.
When does the Lepas L6 go on sale in Australia?
Lepas has confirmed the L6 electric SUV for an Australian on-sale date in the fourth quarter of 2026, meaning between October and December. Full pricing and detailed specifications will be released closer to that launch.
How much will the Lepas L6 cost in Australia?
Lepas has not announced pricing yet. Given it targets the BYD Atto 3 and Geely EX5, expect it to land in the budget-to-mid mid-size EV range. Watch the drive-away figure rather than the launch sticker, as new brands often sweeten deals early.
What is the range of the Lepas L6?
Lepas claims around 450km from a 65kWh battery, but has not confirmed which test cycle that figure uses. Until the cycle is stated, treat 450km as a best-case ceiling rather than a guaranteed real-world figure.
How does the Lepas L6 compare to the Geely EX5 and BYD Atto 3?
The L6 is aimed squarely at both, but it arrives later into a segment where the EX5 and Atto 3 already have sharp pricing, dealer networks and owner reviews. The L6 will need to beat them on value or features, not just match them.
Is Lepas a trustworthy new car brand in Australia?
Lepas is a new export brand from the Chery group, the same parent behind Chery and Omoda Jaecoo. The cars should be solid value, but with so many new badges arriving, factor resale and long-term support uncertainty into what you are willing to pay.
What other Lepas models are coming to Australia?
Beyond the L6, Lepas plans to bring the smaller L4 and larger L8 to Australia, with L1, L2, L3 and L9 models and possibly a sedan flagged globally. If size is not critical, the cheaper L4 could make the L6 harder to justify.
