2025 Zeekr X

Prices of the new Zeekr X electric car have dropped by up to $7000 months after the first examples arrived ahead of the arrival of new models from the Chinese brand.

The Zeekr X Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) now starts from $49,900 plus on-road costs – down $7000 from its $56,900 launch price – while the All-Wheel Drive (AWD) is now $62,900, down $2000.

The Convenience Package for the RWD remains a $4000 option.

Zeekr's price cuts – in effect from April 1, 2025 – come amid growing competition in the electric-car market, particularly in the $50,000 to $60,000 band.

About $57,000 before on-road costs will almost buy the cheapest Tesla Model Y – as well as a host of other cars that are larger than the Zeekr X – though the upstart sees itself as a more luxurious offering than the likes of BYD and Xpeng.

Customers who took delivery of a Zeekr X before the price cut will be offered compensation in the form of five years of free servicing on the RWD, and three years on the AWD.

Zeekr says it has lowered prices to clear the way for new models, including the larger Zeekr 7X due by the end of this year.

“This repositioning reflects our strategy to align with market trends and to ensure that Zeekr remains at the forefront of the electric revolution," said William Zhou, General Manager of Zeekr Australia, in a media statement.

The boot isn’t huge but there’s a small frunk under the bonnet for storing charging cables.

And the X is nicely presented, from the interesting ambient lighting that illuminates perforations in the doors to high quality finishes and copper-tinged highlights.

The more time you spend in it the more you notice nice little touches, such as the bag hook button that pops out of the central dash or jacket hooks on each of the B-pillars.

The intensity and hue of the overhead lights can be adjusted by sliding your finger over the light itself.

The Zeekr X is big on tech, too, some of it with a decidedly Tesla flavour.

You don’t need to press a start button to get things going; just sit inside with the key and everything comes to life.

Plus the 14.6-inch central infotainment screen incorporates a pet mode (which keeps the AC running when parked while flashing a note on the screen alerting passers-by to the temperature inside) and Sentry, which can use the external cameras to record incidents such as theft or vandalism.

You can also play games on the screen, play a light show outside the car and pump audio through an external speaker.

Whereas Tesla does without a traditional instrument cluster, the Zeekr X gets an 8.8-inch screen and the AWD model adds to that with a head-up display.

There’s also a sporty flavour, starting with the front seats that hug nicely and integrate the headrests into the main body of the seat.

It’s sporty to drive, too.

The Zeekr X AWD makes a combined 315kW and 543Nm, enough to launch it to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds. It’s effortless, easy and never lacking for thrust. And with more power going to the rear that the front (the back motor makes 200kW, the front 115kW) there’s some playfulness in the way it delivers its grunt.

It’s also confident in bends with sticky Continental tyres laying the foundations for its dynamic prowess.

The X is taut over bumps, so second grade roads can have it jumping around.

But the body is nicely controlled and engaging driving manners make it a worthy trade-off.

There’s the occasional hiccup, such as the rubber seals around the frameless windows that can creak over bumps and through bends.

And the 66kWh battery provides 425km of WLTP range, which is decent but not outstanding. It’s not the sort of EV you’d want to take on regular road trips.

As with any new luxury brand the biggest challenge Zeekr will have is convincing buyers to look sideways from BMW, Lexus and others and go with a brand they know little about.

To some extent it’s a leap of faith.

But there’s plenty of substance to the Zeekr X as well as some impressive attention to detail.

It drives well and delivers on value once you consider the performance, tech and relatively spacious compact SUV body.

Its biggest challenge could be its price tag – and the lack of brand cachet.

Still, the Zeekr X is something different and fresh in the SUV space.