The electric car market in two very different price brackets grew with Changan’s Deepal S05 arriving in the UK and Wuling’s upgraded Hongguang Mini EV launching in China, offering contrasting approaches to range, tech and design.
Changan’s Deepal S05 goes on sale in the UK from £37,990, and was designed at the company’s European design centre, as reported by T3.
The compact SUV carries aviation-inspired styling and a premium cabin with vegan leather, LED mood lighting and a large augmented reality heads up display, described as equivalent to a 50 inch screen, as reported by T3.
Central to the cabin is a 15.4 inch 2.5k touchscreen that tilts horizontally by 15 degrees toward driver or passenger, and it includes wireless 50W phone charging, voice assistant activation by saying "hey Deepal", plus in‑car games and rest and pet modes.
Safety and convenience features include an external speaker with pedestrian alert presets and a microphone that projects the occupant’s voice outside the car, a capability the reviewer noted carries misuse risks, as reported by T3.
The Deepal S05 comes in rear wheel drive and all wheel drive forms, both using a 68.8 kWh battery with a 200 kW maximum DC charge rate and 11 kW AC charging, and vehicle to load output up to 6 kW, as reported by T3.
Changan quoted ranges of 303 miles for the rear drive model and 278 miles for the all wheel drive model, with 0 to 62 mph times of 7.5 seconds and 5.5 seconds respectively.
T3 also noted that Changan adjusted suspension for European tastes, making it firmer, though the car felt light and bouncy above 50 mph during a drive event, and competitors include the Kia EV3, Volvo EX30 and Skoda Elroq.
Budget Mini EV Gains Range And Sales Momentum
Wuling’s 2026 Hongguang Mini EV reappeared with a “sweet square” redesign and four variants priced from roughly $6,200 to $7,600 before subsidies, as reported by Wuling Cars.
The mini EV adopts boxy, cute styling with circular LED headlights and a simple interior dominated by a 10.1 inch touchscreen, plus numerous storage compartments and a column mounted gear selector that frees centre console space.
Features include remote climate control, rear seats that fold flat to yield 838 liters of cargo room, and a fast charging profile that raises battery state from 30 percent to 80 percent in 35 minutes, as reported by Wuling Cars.
Wuling reported a top CLTC range of up to 187 miles for the highest spec model and suggested this might approximate about 130 miles under EPA measures, a conversion noted as an approximation.
The Hongguang nameplate finished 2025 as China’s second best selling battery EV with 427,000 units sold, up 55 percent year on year, and the model has passed 1.8 million units in cumulative sales, as reported by Wuling Cars.
