How good news stories on charging are helping UK customers to lease new EVs like the Changan Deepal S05

UK Customers lease new EVs like the Changan Deepal S05 helped by good news stories on charging

Following a month (February 2026) where global sales of EVs were around 11% down on last year but the European market was (thankfully) 1% above where it was last year, having positive news stories and initiatives is crucial to the confidence of the EV market.

In the UK, notwithstanding some economic support, subsidies and discounts, there are still some aspects which do need improvement. Charging, at home or in the public network, are two such continued focal points for the critiques to the electric car transition. In particular there are concerns raised about those UK customers who live in terraced properties, houses without off-road parking or in flats / apartments and who cannot easily charge outside the public network (or cheaply enough).

In addition, there are concerns surrounding the experience of BEV drivers in the public network and their inability to expediently and securely charge their vehicle akin to the experience of a traditional combustion vehicle at a petrol station.

On the first submission, the recent BBC article  does at least spread some good news about the changes underway in the UK. A “zip-up” charging channel is now being adopted for residents under Bradford Council, which has been the product of £2.78m government grant for the Kerbo Charge project.

By installing a gully, with self-closing lids, between the home and the kerb, a cable can safely run from a dedicated home charge point to the vehicle while traversing the pavement. For roll-out, the programme is open to those with dedicated parking only, for example disabled bays for residents. However, there are plans to make these more widely available throughout the region as Bradford pledges to install 1,000 new charging points in 230 locations by 2027.

The feedback from residents is overwhelmingly positive, noting that the convenience and cost of home charging is substantially better. With a number of drivers subject to financial restrictions, there are some key affordability conundrums which need to be overcome.

On the second element, the public charging experience, there needs to be more confidence in our UK network centred around reliability. While investment is very much on route, the rate of vehicle charging improvements, both AC and DC, is probably outweighing the actual charging stations.

However, BYD are looking to address this in Europe, with their ground-breaking FLASH charging technology which is being introduced to keep up with the capabilities of the DENZA Z9GT. As we recently reported, the BYD group have developed their blade battery 2.0 in order to charge at breath-taking levels. Next generation charging will need to be introduced in order to deliver the necessary experience.

The FLASH charging stations are set to offer around 1500kW DC of power, which is some 10 times above what most chargers in the UK will be able to do. What this means to the electric car customer pulling up to charge is a 5 minute 10 - 70% session or even a 10 - 90% session in circa 5 minutes. For those EV customers more insistent on a comparable charging session against a petrol station, this is the answer.

Of course, rolling out batteries with the capability (and chemistry) to achieve this along with chargers able to deliver it will take some time in the UK. This is not an overnight process. However, it does at least note the intentions of the manufacturers and 3rd parties involved in this market for the medium to long term success.

What options of the Deepal S05 are available to order in the UK as at March 2026?

•  The RWD Max – from £37,990; and
•  The AWD Max – from £39,990.

Specification on both includes 20” alloys, LED lights, frameless door mirrors, heated windscreen, heated washer nozzles, electric flush door handles, electric tailgate, electric adjustable and foldable door mirrors, privacy glass, vegan leather, heated steering wheel, heated seats, ventilated seats, electric driver seat with memory and lumbar support.

Air conditioning, PM2.5 air filter, cross traffic alert, front collision warning, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue monitoring, safe distance warning, hill descent control, hill hold, 360 degree camera with transparent chassis, HUD, navigation and 14-speaker premium audio.

Key colours include the Andromeda Blue, Ganymede Grey, Moonlight White and Mercury Silver. Interior choices are black or orange.

How does the new Deepal S05 perform - is it a good EV?

UK customers can choose from 2 battery configurations (both of which include the 7 year / 100,000 mile vehicle warranty and the 8 year / 124,000 mile battery warranty) :

•  RWD MAX - this RWD compact SUV will have a 68 kWh usable battery which will offer 0 – 62 times of 7.5 seconds, 112 mph top speeds and 200 kW (or 268hp). Expect a combined winter range of 200 miles with warmer weather allowing for 275 miles – a 235 mile combined. On charging, the 11kW AC max will allow 7 hours and 30 min 0 – 100% charging times with the 200 kW DC maximum allowing 23 minute 10 – 80% times. A cargo volume of 492L is available with this car. It has a vehicle fuel equivalent of 140 mpg. You can tow 750kg (Unbraked) and 1600kg (Braked). It has Bidirectional charging -  V2L via the Type 2 adapter offering 3.3kW AC. The Heat Pump is available as a standard option;

•  AWD MAX - this AWD compact SUV will have a 68 kWh usable battery which will offer 0 – 62 times of 5.5 seconds, 112 mph top speeds and 320 kW (or 429hp). Expect a combined winter range of 190 miles with warmer weather allowing for 260 miles – a 225 mile combined. On charging, the 11kW AC max will allow 7 hours and 30 min 0 – 100% charging times with the 200 kW DC maximum allowing 23 minute 10 – 80% times. A cargo volume of 492L is available with this car. It has a vehicle fuel equivalent of 134 mpg. You can tow 750kg (Unbraked) and 1600kg (Braked). It has Bidirectional charging -  V2L via the Type 2 adapter offering 3.3kW AC. The Heat Pump is available as a standard option 

Want to know more about going into a Changan?

Head to our dedicated Changan special offers section or speak to our experts directly on 01942 910 001 or by emailing us at [email protected].