Lepas has confirmed that its flagship L8 SUV will be the first model it’ll introduce to UK buyers in late summer, as the brand is set to become parent company Chery’s fourth car brand on sale here.
Chery has most recently introduced its own brand cars in the UK (the Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9), while Jaecoo sells its Range Rover-lookalike Jaecoo 5 and Jaecoo 7 models. Meanwhile, Omoda – Chery’s first brand to arrive in the UK – sells the Omoda 5, Omoda 7 and Omoda 9 models.
The Lepas announcement comes only weeks after the brand revealed its intention to launch in Britain, positioning the L8 as the first step in what it describes as a long-term commitment to the UK.
The newcomer will sit at the centre of the brand’s early strategy – said to combine design-led styling with advanced driver assistance and connectivity technologies – as it seeks to establish itself among a growing number of Chinese-backed EV entrants.
Lepas’ name comes from a combination of the words “leopard”, “leap” and “passion” – themes the company says underpin both its design direction and broader philosophy. The firm describes its mission as defining elegance in the new energy era, pairing technology with safety and design to deliver what it characterises as a refined driving experience for customers.
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The L8 SUV adopts what Lepas calls its signature design language, apparently drawing visual inspiration from “the agile, muscular contours of a running leopard”, while its LED headlight signature is intended to evoke the focused look of a leopard’s eye.
Inside, the L8 is described as offering a calm and generously proportioned five-seat cabin, underlining its positioning as a family-oriented flagship rather than a niche performance offering. The vehicle sits on Chery International’s modular New Energy Vehicle platform, which has been engineered to balance ride comfort with performance characteristics suitable for global markets.
As with many recent EV launches, technology and safety form a central part of the L8’s proposition. Lepas says the SUV features a globally intelligent architecture integrating in-cabin digital features and comprehensive driver assistance systems, alongside engineering designed to meet global five-star safety standards.
Specific powertrain or battery details have yet to be released, although the use of Chery’s modular NEV platform suggests scope for multiple drivetrain configurations in the future. If it follows the lead of the Chery brand flagship, the Chery Tiggo 9, the Lepas L8 is likely to also get a plug-in hybrid powertrain dubbed ‘super hybrid’. That comprises a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor powered by a 34kWh battery.
Electric-only running in the Tiggo 9 is claimed to be 91 miles, with a total combined petrol and electric range of 650 miles. The Chery Tiggo 9 has a list price of £43,105, so it’s safe to expect that the Lepas L8 will be in the same ballpark.
Beyond the initial L8 model, the company has said that further products will follow, likely to include the Lepas 4 and Lepas 6 models that are already seen in other markets.
The Chery group reported total vehicle sales of 2,806,393 units in 2025, representing a 7.8 per cent year-on-year increase. Of those, new energy (plug-in hybrid or all-electric) vehicle sales accounted for 903,847, up 54.9 per cent year-on-year, while exports totalled 1,344,020 units – a 17.4 per cent increase that established a new export record for a Chinese manufacturer.
More information on the L8 and Lepas’ broader UK plans is expected ahead of the L8’s arrival in the third quarter of this year.
