Review of the ZEEKR X EV in the UAE

Introduction

I had a short opportunity to test the latest ZEEKR X, a Compact Luxury SUV, for review. I am impressed by this Electric Vehicle’s drive, quality, and features, which are now available in the UAE. It is an EV car brand that targets customers who want more for their price. I saw some features during the test drive in super expensive cars. Let us get into more details in the article.

Why an Electric Vehicle for the UAE market?

Globally, all countries are changing their ways of looking at life, transportation, and climate change. The UAE proactively addresses climate change through comprehensive strategies for emission reductions, renewable energy adoption, and infrastructure resilience. However, the effectiveness of these measures will depend on the nation’s ability to implement policies effectively and transition away from fossil fuel dependencies. The UAE was the first Gulf nation to commit to net-zero emissions. Promoting EVs helps reduce transport-related carbon emissions, a major contributor to greenhouse gases. EVs are essential for the UAE to meet its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.

The UAE government has taken many initiatives that can help reduce the country’s net-zero emissions by 2050. Projects like the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park allow for a cleaner EV charging grid. EVs can run on home-charged solar power, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Transitioning vehicles to electric helps preserve oil reserves for export revenue while reducing local combustion-related pollution. Integration with smart grids, AI traffic management, and autonomous systems supports future EV mobility. EVs align with UAE Vision 2031 and smart mobility frameworks.

The Review

ZEEKR showcased its innovative ZEEKR 001 and ZEEKR X models on February 12, 2025, at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, hosted by AW Rostamani Group. The ZEEKR X has two variants – Premium & Flagship. I got the chance to drive the fully loaded Flagship model for 3 days (I know it’s a very short time to experience the proper potential of the car). I picked the car from the Showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road. As the Demo car was jam-packed, the showroom team could not give us a fully charged vehicle. I received the EV with a 264 km range (Fully charged gives 420 km). Ideally, as reviewers, we get automobiles with full fuel or fully electrically charged vehicles.

Design & Specifications

The ZEEKR X model is a Compact Luxury SUV, as the vehicle brochure mentions. It measures 4432mm(L) x 1836mm (B) x 1566mm(H), has a 2750 mm wheelbase, and has a 191mm Ground Clearance. The vehicle has a 4-seat configuration, but you can seat five people with the back seat handrest folded. The Flagship ZEEKR X model has a 66 kWh @1C battery, which means it has a 66 kWh battery and supports 1C charging, which can handle a 66 kW fast charger efficiently. The battery can safely charge or discharge at 66 kW of power, completing a full cycle in 1 hour. It has *WLTC Range (km) of 420km. The EV charging time is 10 – 80% (150kW DC) in 30 minutes and charging time 0 – 100% (22kW AC) in 4 hours. It supports 150 kW DC fast charging and 22 kW AC charging.

(*Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Cycle Range – the distance (in km) an electric vehicle (EV) can travel on a full charge based on the WLTC standard.)

The ZEEKR X Flagship CL SUV has a Maximum power (KW/HP) of 315/428 and a Maximum Torque (Nm) of 543. The ZEEKR X comes with a Fluid-Side turning rear indicating lamp, Pixel RGB LED for Ambient light, electric release front and rear doors, Electric liftgate with height adjustment and memory function, and Panoramic Sunroof heat Protection. The EV has frameless Windows for front and rear doors. For more details, please see the specifications on the website.

My First look of ZEEKR X

Outer appearance

The body design is slick, stylish and looks compact from the outside. The combination of the crystal white car painted body with contrast black fittings and thin sleek light design gives a very sporty feel, but still feels strong and rugged due to the round design with no prominent edges.

The body has an aerodynamic curve design. The front end of the EV has a smooth nose-dipping design, which can be seen on many super luxury sports cars. The side profile line has a smooth ride from the front, covering the cabin area, and then taper down with a sharp fall on the hatchback side.

The back-end of the EV has striking fold designs on the body with thin LED lights and vertical brake lights. The back-end bottom area of the EV has an ABS black plastic cover that protects the car from damage, and a silver metal skirting covering to avoid any damage from the flying debris below the vehicle.

Keyless Remote, NFC Card and interiors

The ZEEKR X EV has a small, square-ish remote and keyless NFC entry card. Its proximity sensor activates about 20 feet from the car. The doors and side mirrors open, and the EV engine comes to life. There is a welcome tone and display on the dashboard and centre console. When the side mirrors open, the EV projects the ZEEKR logo on the ground. The door handles go inward, providing hand space to open the door.

The review car’s interior was midnight blue with a polar white interior. The EV has a white baseline interior with contrast black side fittings and ambient subtle LED lighting. The roof is a contrasting dark with a non-movable glass fitting, which reduces heat entering the vehicle.

Sturdy Frameless Window Doors

The doors feel sturdy and solid, and opening and closing are smooth. The inside panel of the doors is a combination of polar white and midnight blue. The white PU material on the door is like a skyline design with subtle LED lighting that can be seen during nighttime driving. The buttons on the inside part of the door panel have a matt copper finish, and the opening button is a simple push styling instead of a lever.

ZEEKR X – Dashboard

Again, the EV’s dashboard area combines midnight blue and polar white PU finishes with a copper-finish frame dividing the contrast colours. The dashboard also has black vertical fin designs illuminated by ambient light at night and moving to the music played in the car.

The dashboard has a 14.6” central screen display that provides all the car’s controls and features, including GPS, Android Auto, and music control. You can also control the seating, interior lighting, climate control, individual front seating controls, and more.

Latest Electrical features

The driver can access an AR HUD screen, which must be activated from the central screen display. The ZEEKR X Flagship model has 13 speakers and a YAMAHA Surround Stereo Premium Audio system. As for the mobile charging, the EV is equipped with multiple USB Type-C charging ports. It has 2 Front Row USB ports and 2 Rear Row USB ports. EV comes with a silicone-coated gripping fast Wireless charging pad located in the driver’s handrest. Just below the handrest, there are two cupholders. The car has wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.

Comfortable and Stylish Seats

The EV comes with White Polar colour PU material seats. The rear seating has three seats for people, but can be more comfortable with the middle handrest brought down from the centre, which also has dual cup holders. The front seating has additional features like Vibration and relaxation mode, which has a 4-way power lumbar adjustment. It can be adjusted to a 6-way power seat with height, recline, and reach. The front seats are made of memory foam.  The back panel of the front seats are made of ABS plastic with midnight blue colour, with an added copper metal plate, adding rich styling to the seats.

Driver Area Console

Instead of integrating the Instrument Cluster inside the dashboard, the ZEEKR X EV has an 8.8” High-Definition Instrument Cluster on the Steering Wheel Telescopic column, which can be adjusted manually in four ways.

The emergency parking and the SOS button are located at the front centre of the roof, where the front touch controls the ambient light.

The steering wheel has a sporty, stylish design. It is made of super-fibre material, and the ZEEKR Logo is in the centre, with a copper-shiny finish. There are two multi-control buttons on the left and right steering wheels.

Spacious Leg room, cargo space, air conditioning and wheels

The interior leg room in the front and back is quite spacious for a compact SUV EV. The rear seating is very comfortable. The EV’s AC is designed to comfort the driver and co-passenger with 2-zone Climate control. The front AC outlets are well hidden and developed into the dashboard, and additional outlets for the air flow are present in the pillars.

The EV comes with two Cargo spaces. In front, it has a small 362-litre space, and in the back, or the boot space, it has a maximum of 1,182 litres. The fifth door can be opened and closed from the centre console, or there is a button on the fifth door to close automatically.

The EV comes with forged wheels 20” Alloy OD 728 mm w. The tires are 245/45R20, with a mute, self-repairing tire. All four wheels have Disc brakes for excellent braking.

Safety and Features

The ZEEKR X model comes with many of the latest Safety features, including ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), mALC (Automatic Lane Change), LCC (Lane Centering Control), and CMSF & CMSR (Collision Mitigation Support Front and rear). It also has DOW (Door Open Warning), FCTA & RCTA (Front and rear Cross Traffic Assist), PEB (Parking Emergency Brake), BSD (Blind Spot Detection), and EMA (Adaptive Manoeuvre Assist).

The ZEEKR X has a 360 ° Camera and a digital Video Recorder (DVR). For safety, it has seven airbags: 1 Far Side Airbag, 2 Side Curtain Airbags, 2 Side Airbags, and 2 Front Row Airbags.

The EVS come with the 8155 Intelligent Cockpit Computing Platform, which also indicates driver condition with the help of the DPS (Driver Performance Monitor) present just below the High-Definition Instrument Cluster.

The ZEEKR X Compact Luxury SUV Test Drive

When I picked up the EV from the Showroom, the outside temperature was around 50 degrees, and the AC was on full blast mode. I wish the DEMO car had some tinting on the glass to cut down the heat from the sun. I was given the EV and didn’t have the complete information about the car’s features. Once on the open road, I tested the pick-up, and it was accelerating and thrilling. I felt like getting pushed and stuck to my seat, but of course, I slowed down to avoid any traffic fines.

Great handling on turns

Thanks to the Macpherson Strut Front Suspension and Multilink Rear Suspension, I tried a few high-speed turns and had a comfortable drive. Even on the speed bumps, I didn’t feel too much of a jerk. From start position at a signal or roundabout, the central console, showed the 360 ° Camera which showed both of my tires close to the curve, the front and side and overall view from the top side which is created by the 8155 Intelligent Cockpit Computing Platform by stitching the video angles from all the camera.

Wireless Android Auto

Connecting my phone to the EV for the first time was relatively easy, and Android Auto worked smoothly with my music playing from the system. The phone calls were clear to hear, and when I checked with the opposite person I was speaking to, he confirmed that my voice was clear, with little noise cancellation.

Safety features while testing

The safety features like the ACC, mALC, LCC, CMSF & CMSR, FCTA & RCTA, PEB, EMA and BSD greatly helped my drive. But sometimes I found the CMSF & CMSR too protective and were reducing the speed compared to my safe distance driving. I presume you can reduce the distance in the system as requested.

I am used to drive in my car using automatic gear control knob which is present in between mine and co-passenger seat. The EV automated P, R, N & D controls are on a stick on the steering wheel’s right side, and the left side has the wiper controls. So sometime, my right hand would go for the knob down and then to the drive stick near the steering wheel. Also, I had little trouble switching to neutral mode as the stick would move directly to Drive or reverse. So to avoid any rollover issues, I would press the Park button, which is push mode on the drive stick.

Night Drive test

My next drive during the night will be to test the features on a long drive. The sleek, thin headlights were already in automated mode, so the lights switched on, and on the highway, the intelligent light coverage or distance would increase for better visibility. I could feel the light angle change down as soon as the sensor detected the presence of another vehicle in front of the EV.

EV charging and issues

Strangely, to my knowledge, I drove around 150 km for two days, but with around 65km left of charge, as I got a warning about a low battery. So I had to take the EV to a charging station, and the closest station without paying any money was Silicon Central Mall. This EV charging station allows 2 hours but has an average charging speed.

I used the charging cable provided in the cargo booth compartment.  So I started charging with 25km left on the battery and charged the EV for 1 hour 55 minutes, which gave me a total of 251 km range. The only problem was that I was stuck in the mall with nothing to do.  Ideally, whoever buys an EV should have a home setup or a garage setup to charge their vehicle and a home setup would be quicker. There are other outdoor options to charge your EV, like DEWA charging stations, and some ENOC petrol pumps also have fast charging options. The ZEEKR X uses a charging port similar to that of Tesla cars. But honestly, I have not confirmed this.

Overall Experience

The ZEEKR X Compact Luxury SUV is an excellent vehicle for customers who want the Super Luxury car features at a better price. As it is an EV, you get great pick-up speed at the signal, a smooth ride, a good turning radius, and amazing safety features. A perfect family car with no worry about climate pollution or fossil fuel: it has an impressive 420km range on a single charge, so you can go to Abu Dhabi and be back on a single charge. There is a slight drawback to charging the vehicle, and you need always to keep the EV battery charged or recharge if you are going to have a very busy travel long distance, which may exceed 400kms.

The ZEEKR X model 8155 Intelligent Cockpit Computing Platform also informs you about the more frequent usage of the EV battery. It suggests you disconnect any electrical charging, such as fast charging smartphones or devices, for a long time. The EV batteries get exhausted even while you are driving and standing still with your AC working and music system on, or any electrical device using the EV batteries. The music system is excellent, and you will enjoy your drive while listening to your favourite music on your system, phone, or radio.

Excellent EV for the UAE market.

The ZEEKR X model is ideally suited for city driving, and with the UAE government’s support for free Salik and special designated Green—eco-friendly parking, it can be a good buy for customers.

According to AW Rostamani Group, customers get 5-year/100,000 km free service, 1-year free insurance and registration, Free tinting, and an optional rent-to-own offer. Interested buyers can own the ZEEKR X starting from AED 1,999/month.

Readers interested in knowing more and offering can get in touch, visit the showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road, or call 800ZEEKR

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