Changan Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV Common Problems & Reliability
Changan's first plug-in hybrid sold in Britain, opened for order on 15 October 2026 from £32,990 including a £1,000 launch offer and first deliveries expected later that month, which undercuts the electric S05 by £5,000 and the Jaecoo 7 by more than £2,000. The Ultra PHEV system was co-developed at Changan's Birmingham R&D centre and pairs a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an 18.4kWh battery and an electric motor for 255bhp, 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, up to 62 miles of electric range, 648 miles combined, 139mpg combined, 52.3mpg with the battery depleted and 55kW DC charging. Pro cars get the 15.4-inch touchscreen, 360-degree camera and eight speakers; Max, £2,000 more, adds the tilting screen, head-up display, heated steering wheel, ventilated and memory seats and 14 speakers. Cover is the standard seven years or 100,000 miles, with a separate eight-year/124,000-mile warranty for the plug-in hybrid system. IMPORTANT CONTEXT FOR BUYERS: with only eleven days of UK sales at the time of writing there is no owner fault history, no DVSA recall record and no used market for this model, so the entries below are documented specification limits and interface issues carried over from the shared electric S05 cabin - three well-evidenced items, published deliberately instead of padding.
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Detailed fault breakdown, symptoms, and estimated repair bills by production year.
Most Common Changan Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV Faults & Repair Costs
The petrol engine brings a servicing bill the electric S05 does not have
Changan's own UK service schedule for the S05 Ultra PHEV lists engine oil and an oil filter every 12 months or 12,000 miles, with the air filter, spark plugs and brake fluid on a two-yearly rotation, coolant at the third and sixth years and e-drive transmission oil and filter at three and six years - none of which the battery-electric S05 needs beyond cabin filter, brake fluid and occasional coolant checks. Auto Express confirms the UK car uses a real 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine alongside the 18.4kWh battery rather than a Chinese-market range extender, so the drivetrain has candles, filters and oil that the EV siblings do not, and a used example with patchy servicing is a genuine risk once it leaves the seven-year cover.
Oil smell or smoke from the engine bay after a long run with a flat battery, The 1.5-litre unit running far more often than the dashboard suggests it should, Missing service stamps in the Changan dealer history, Engine warning lamp or rough idle on a car that has only ever done short electric trips
- Ask the dealer for a printed service record showing the annual engine oil and filter items were done
- Start the engine cold on the viewing and listen for rattles, timing-chain noise or excessive vibration
- Check the engine bay for fresh oil film around the valve cover and filter housing
- Confirm the spark plug and air filter intervals (two-yearly) are scheduled in the car's service book
An 18.4kWh battery means the 62-mile EV figure only works with a driveway
Changan's UK page for the S05 Ultra PHEV quotes up to 62 miles of electric running, an 18.4kWh battery and 55kW DC charging that takes the pack from 30 to 80% in 'as little as 15 minutes', with a footnote stating that the car 'can only run on EV power alone when the car has sufficient charge' and that the range and mpg numbers are WLTP maxima. Auto Express reports the same 62-mile figure with 139mpg combined and 52.3mpg once the battery is empty, so the headline economy collapses the moment the engine is doing the work, and rapid charging only replenishes a small pack - useful as an emergency, not as a habit. Buy this car on the assumption you will plug in at home several times a week, and treat the petrol as the safety net.
Remaining electric range well below 62 miles in cold, damp UK weather, The engine starting on a short school run because the pack is already low, Average mpg in the 40s rather than the claimed 139 once the battery depletes, Slow replenishment from a public charger because only 55kW is accepted
- Check the state of charge and the electric range estimate displayed when you view the car
- Confirm the charging cable and any wallbox are included and that the car actually draws power
- Reset the trip computer and watch how quickly the EV range drops on your own route
- Ask for a hybrid-system health readout from an authorised dealer rather than trusting the badge
The S05 cockpit habits carry over, and the Pro trim drops the head-up display
The Ultra PHEV shares the electric S05's screen-first cabin, which UK reviewers found to be the daily friction of that car: Carwow recorded menu-based climate control that is 'just plain fiddly and annoying to use on the move', no glovebox and no driver's display outside the head-up unit, and The Car Expert said the 15.4-inch menus are 'somewhat fiddly at times' with too few physical buttons. Changan's UK range split makes it worse at the entry end - Auto Express notes the Pro keeps the 15.4-inch touchscreen and 360-degree camera but not the tilting screen, the head-up display, heated steering wheel or 14 speakers, all of which are Max equipment for £2,000 more. A Pro without the head-up display leaves speed in the corner of the central screen, so it must be sat in before it is bought.
Reaching into menus to change temperature, fan or drive mode while moving, No glovebox, so loose items sit on show or vanish into the armrest bin, On Pro cars, speed shown only in the corner of the touchscreen with no head-up display, The eight-speaker Pro audio struggling against road noise that the Max 14-speaker system masks
- Sit in the exact trim you are buying and set your three most-used controls on the move
- Confirm whether the car is a Pro or a Max and what that means for the head-up display and audio
- Pair your own phone and check wireless CarPlay and Android Auto hold a stable connection
- Ask the dealer which software build is installed and whether the interface has been revised for UK cars
Buying a used Changan Deepal S05 Ultra PHEV? Always check for hidden finance and write-off history.
Mechanical problems are only half the battle. Over 1 in 3 UK used cars checked have unpaid finance or accident write-off records that could cause you to lose the car or thousands in value.