iCaur V27: Chery's boxy Defender rival is coming to the UK in 2027

Chery will launch its iCaur brand in the UK in early 2027, starting with the V27, a boxy five-seat off-roader whose upright styling has drawn instant comparisons with the Land Rover Defender. The announcement, reported by The Car Expert on 15 October 2026, makes iCaur Chery’s fifth UK brand, after Omoda, Jaecoo, Chery itself and Lepas.

That matters for buyers because Chery’s brands have grown faster in the UK than almost anyone expected. The Jaecoo 7 was Britain’s best-selling car in September, and Chinese brands together took 23.3% of new car sales, as we covered in our September sales analysis. iCaur is aimed at a different buyer: someone who wants rugged looks and off-road ability rather than the best price per square foot.

What is iCaur?

iCaur is a Chery-owned car brand that focuses on rugged, lifestyle SUVs. In China it is sold as iCar. Chery uses the iCaur name in other markets, reportedly to avoid trademark trouble with Apple, which has used the iCar name in the past.

Unlike Omoda and Jaecoo, which Chery created mainly for export, iCaur already has a following in its home market. In the UK it will run as a standalone brand with its own management team and route to market, according to Car Dealer Magazine. Its UK website is already live.

The brand’s slogan is “Born to Play”. iCaur says it believes in “self-expression over conformity, in challenging convention, and in the freedom to explore”, and that its designs are “inspired by nature”. In plain terms, expect chunky SUVs with personality rather than value-led family cars.

What is the iCaur V27?

The V27 is a five-seat SUV with an upright, square-edged body, pronounced wheel arches and flat panels. It looks more like a traditional off-roader than a modern family crossover, and that is deliberate. Parkers says it is targeting the sort of buyer who might fancy a Land Rover Defender or a Toyota Land Cruiser but has a more modest budget. AM notes that it also takes a lot of inspiration from the Land Rover Discovery.

iCaur calls the V27 its flagship. A second model, the mid-sized V25, was due to be unveiled at the brand’s International User Summit in China in October, but it has not been confirmed for the UK. iCaur says plans for the V25 will be announced “in due course”.

What is the interior like?

The V27’s cabin pairs large digital screens with physical buttons for the functions you use most. That is a welcome change: many recent Chinese SUVs put almost everything on the touchscreen. There is also a lot of glass, including glass roof panels.

The interior has already won an award. It took the Best Interior Design Award in the Premium Car category at the 2026 Torino Automotive Design Awards.

Is the iCaur V27 electric?

The V27 is electrified, but iCaur has not confirmed exactly what the UK car will use. All it has said so far is that it will have “an advanced electrified powertrain from Chery International”.

In other markets, the V27 is a range-extender. That means electric motors drive the wheels, and a 1.5-litre petrol engine runs as a generator to top up the battery rather than driving the wheels directly. It is offered with rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. PistonHeads reports that at its overseas launch the V27 was described as a 455hp plug-in, with plenty of electric-only running and more than 600 miles possible between fill-ups.

How does a range-extender differ from a plug-in hybrid?

A range-extender always drives on electricity. The engine is only there to make power. A conventional plug-in hybrid can drive the wheels with its engine, its motor or both. In practice, a range-extender drives like an electric car most of the time, and you can still charge it from a plug at home.

The trade-off is that once the battery is flat, you are burning petrol to make electricity, which is less efficient than driving the wheels directly on a motorway. Range-extenders make most sense for drivers who do mostly short trips on battery and want petrol for occasional long journeys or towing. Li Auto, which built its name on range-extenders in China, launches in the UK in 2027 too, as we cover in our Li Auto UK launch report.

Will it be tuned for UK roads?

Yes. Chery says the V27 will be refined for British roads at its new research and development centre at UTAC Millbrook in Bedfordshire. Millbrook is a well-known proving ground used by many car makers, with a mix of test tracks, hill routes and off-road courses.

That is a meaningful step. Early Chinese imports were often criticised for suspension and driver assistance settings that did not suit UK roads. Local tuning should help with ride comfort on broken surfaces and with how lane-keeping and speed-limit warnings behave.

How much will the iCaur V27 cost?

UK prices have not been announced. iCaur says pricing, final specifications and details of its dealer network will come closer to launch.

What we can say is how Chery’s other brands have priced their cars. Jaecoo and Omoda have undercut established rivals by large margins, which is a big part of their success. If iCaur follows the same approach, the V27 is likely to be priced well below a Defender, but above Chery’s value-focused models. Treat that as an expectation, not a fact, until prices are published.

Will it qualify for the Electric Car Grant?

Almost certainly not. The Electric Car Grant of up to £3,750 covers zero-emission cars below a price cap and built in factories that meet environmental standards, and cars built in China have not qualified. A range-extender with a petrol engine would not count as zero-emission anyway. Our guide to the Electric Car Grant explains the rules.

Where will you be able to buy one?

iCaur’s UK dealer network has not been fully announced, but it is taking shape. Vertu Motors, one of the UK’s largest dealer groups, confirmed in its results that it will have three iCaur locations by mid-2027. Chery’s other brands have mostly used established dealer groups, often alongside other franchises, and iCaur is likely to follow the same route.

Why does Chery keep adding brands?

Chery’s approach is to put different badges on different kinds of car, so each brand can target a specific buyer and get its own dealer space. In the UK:

Brand	UK arrival	What it focuses on
Omoda	2024	Style-led crossovers, including EVs
Jaecoo	After Omoda	Upmarket-looking SUVs, led by the Jaecoo 7
Chery	Later	The group’s own-badge range
Lepas	Most recent	A newer brand in the group
iCaur	Early 2027	Rugged, lifestyle off-roaders

The strategy has worked so far. PistonHeads put it simply: “Everybody knows somebody with a Jaecoo 7 in 2026.” Chery’s August 2026 UK share was its highest to date, and the group is now one of the biggest forces in the UK market. Our guide to the Chinese EV brands now on sale in the UK covers the rest of the field.

Could tariffs change the picture?

Possibly. The UK is considering whether to align with EU tariffs on Chinese-built electric cars as part of a deal to join the EU’s Made in Europe scheme, as we explain in our Made in Europe report. iCaur’s timing, with a launch in early 2027, means any decision could land around the same time as the V27.

A range-extender powertrain would not avoid that risk: Automotive News has reported that range-extenders, where the engine only generates electricity, are covered by the EU’s extra tariffs on China-built EVs. What could soften it is production location. Chery is preparing to build cars in Spain, at the former Nissan plant in Barcelona, through a partnership with Ebro. Where any iCaur model is built for Europe will matter as much as the badge.

Expect more details on the V25, and the full UK line-up, during 2027.

What should you make of it?

The iCaur V27 is a smart move by Chery. The UK has a long love affair with boxy 4x4s, and the Defender’s price has moved it out of reach for many buyers. A well-equipped, electrified alternative with real off-road ability and a long range could find a big audience, especially among drivers who want to tow or tackle rural roads without range worries.

There are open questions. We do not know the UK price, the battery size, the electric range on the UK test, the towing limit or how capable it really is off-road. We also do not know how residual values will hold up for a brand with no UK history. Those details will decide whether the V27 is a Defender alternative or just a Defender lookalike.

We will update this story when iCaur publishes UK prices and specifications.