Zeekr 7X 2026 review: Australian first drive

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

8 / 10

There are three ways into the 7X, with two rear-drive models and one AWD Performance completing the trilogy.

That story begins with the 7X Rear-Drive, which gets the smallest battery and lists at $57,900, before on-road costs. Next is the Long-Range at $63,900, which is also a rear-drive model but nabs a bigger battery and a longer driving range.

Finally, the Performance is $72,900, and is the only twin-motor model. It scores the same 100kWh battery as the Long Range, but significantly ups the performance, which in turn dramatically lowers the zero to 100km/h time.

Standard kit is pretty impressive across the board, with the entry-level model scoring 19-inch alloys, LED lighting all around, a powered tailgate, a glass roof (with powered shade) and ambient interior lighting.

Tech is handled buy a 16-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and there are two 50W wireless charge pads. You also get a digital dash, tri-zone climate and a 10-speaker stereo.

The Long Range model adds a better 21-speaker stereo and a head-up display, while the flagship Performance gets trick auto-opening and closing doors (you just push a button in the pillar to open and step on the brake to close), as well as genuine Nappa leather trim, 21-inch alloys and very good adaptive air suspension.

Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

8 / 10

It’s a sleek-looking SUV, the 7X, and is nowhere near as boundary-pushing as its stablemate sibling, the Polestar 4, which rides on the same platform. For one, the Zeekr has a rear windscreen.

Zeekr calls it 'hidden energy' design language, which I take to mean, at least partly, that you can’t immediately tell what’s powering it. It could pass as an internal-combustion car, a hybrid, PHEV or EV; at least until you look closely.

There are light bars front and back, but sadly we miss out on what the brand calls its 'Light Curtain' - a pixel-filled bar of light that spans the entire front end. Apparently it fell victim to the ANCAP crash-test requirements and has been replaced by a black cover.

Even without it, I dig the 7X’s athletic stance. It looks good in the metal, especially finished in deep green paint.

Inside, it’s a pretty plush-feeling cabin, without being revolutionary, and the big central screen and digital dash are bright and clear. The addition of a camera to monitor back seat passengers without having to turn around is a clever touch, too.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

8 / 10

The 7X stretches 4787mm in length, 1930mm in width, 1650mm in height and rides on a 2900mm wheelbase.

As is pretty typical of electric SUVs, interior space is great, especially for backseat riders. I'm 175cm and have heaps of knee and headroom behind the driver's seat set to my position.

Storage space is good, too, with a deep bin between the front seats, a pull-down divider in the back row and pull-out draws beneath the back seat which mean you can hide laptops or valuables when you lock the car.

One key quirk, though, is the location of the USB charge ports in the back, which are accessed through the pulldown seat divider. It means that, should there be three passengers in the back, you won't be charging any devices.

The boot is 539 litres of flat, wide space – though that number grows when you drop the 60/40 split-folding back row. Rear-drive models also get a 62-litre 'frunk'.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its motor?

9 / 10

The two rear-drive ZX models share the same rear motor producing 310kW and 440Nm. Not stratospheric numbers but the powertrain delivers plenty of useable, real-world grunt, with both variants reporting a zero to 100km/h time of 6.0 seconds.

The AWD Performance model really ups the grunt, though, adding a second electric motor at the front axle lifting total outputs to 475kW and 710Nm and dropping the 0-100km/h run to a crazy-brisk 3.8 seconds. It’s also the only model to ride on the very good adaptive air suspension as standard.

Efficiency – What is its driving range? What is its charging time?

9 / 10

The cheapest 7X variant scores a 75kWh LFP battery, while the Long Range and Performance nab a 100kWh NCM unit. All have an 800V electronic architecture, allowing for mega charging speeds of up to 450kW DC charging (actually 420kW on the 100kW battery).

Now, I don’t think we have chargers capable of pushing that much juice in Australia, but even using our 350kW chargers Zeekr promises you’ll go from 10 to 80 percent charged in 16 minutes or less. AC charging is up to 22kW, too.

In terms of driving range, you can expect 480km in the rear-drive, 615km in the Long Range and 543km in the Performance, all on the WLTP cycle.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

7 / 10

The 7X is very much the vehicle Zeekr has been waiting for in Australia, so expectation weighs heavy on its metallic shoulders. Happily, and not to spoil the ending, it largely lives up to those expectations with our taste test revealing an electric SUV that shines in most areas.

Our drive experience took place at one of Australia’s longest and fastest race circuits, The Bend outside Adelaide. And not in the AWD Performance version, but in the less-powerful Long Range model. Not exactly the natural environment of a circa 2.5-tonne electric SUV, then.

And while the rear-drive Zeekr is no out-and-out performance car, the 310kW and 440Nm served up from that rear-axle motor is plenty to get the 7X up and moving, with the power arriving in a steady and unbroken stream that saw us pretty easily push to 200km/h on one of the track’s lengthier straights.

I’d argue that’s more than enough grunt to satisfy most, if not all, Zeekr owners without them having to dig deep for the Performance model. But there’s no escaping the fact this is a heavy vehicle, and one inspired by efficiency, not the red mist of racing.

So, things start to drop away a bit when the lesser 7X is really pushed, with an off-putting kind of buffeting movement at speed and sometimes spongey-feeling dynamics a reminder that this is a vehicle more at home on public roads.

The AWD Performance, however, sharpens things up considerably, helped by its adaptive air suspension and all-paw grip. It feels far tighter, grippier and more composed through corners. Sadly, by the time I jumped in, my lead-footed colleagues had drained the battery to the point where I could only accelerate at 50 per cent capacity, which made the AWD slower on the straights than then RWD model, but it made up plenty of lost ground in the way it corners.

All of this is, of course, is likely to be of little relevance to any 7X customers, who are more likely to find themselves on the moon than they are the main straight of a race track, and so my opinion hasn’t changed — the AWD is faster and more technically advanced, but when you boil it down to the actual life a mid-size electric SUV will live, I think the smart money is on the Long Range AWD model.

Side note: We also did some pretty serious off-roading (again, something no owner is likely to do) in the AWD model, and I can report that the softest suspension, steering and accelerator settings add a cosseting comfort to the drive experience on rough roads, and that there is some genuine of-road capability on board.

How it drives on actual roads? For that, you’ll have to wait just a little longer. But early signs are good for Zeekr’s most important model.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

8 / 10

The 7X wears a maximum five-star Euro NCAP assessment and I want to point out a pretty wild feature. Standard across all trims is a high-def camera in the B-pillar aimed at the rear seats. You can cover it, if you’d like, but the idea is that anyone up front can hit a button near the central screen that will pull up a high-def feed of what’s happening in the back seat. So, no more having to turn around to see what the kids are up to in the back seat.

Happily, all 7X models get the same safety suite, which includes a 360-degree camera, autonomous parking and 15 ADAS functions.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

7 / 10

The Zeekr 7X is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, while the battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km. There’s five years' roadside assistance thrown in, too.

Servicing is recommended every two years or 40,000km, with what the brand describes as optional health checks in years one, three and five (the first one's on the house).

Go for all the services, including the optional ones, and you’re looking at $2415 over the first five years. Skip the optional ones, and it’s more like $1755.

Verdict