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By Jonathan Crouch

The spacious Seres 3 aims to reset the compact EV crossover value proposition. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 37

Another new Chinese brand Seres brings us this car, the Seres 3, a small electric SUV. Selling primarily on its relatively low price, it also takes on established market players with more cabin space and extra equipment.

Backgroundword count: 153

Seres is yet another ambitious Chinese brand, founded quite recently in 2017 by Chongqing-based industrial group Sokon and headquartered in California. The Seres 3 compact electric crossover we look at here is the smallest of three SUVs it initially plans to bring to Europe; the others are the mid-sized Seres 5 (another EV) and the largest Seres 7 (a Plug-in Hybrid). The brand is imported to the UK by Innovation Automotive, known previously for selling DFSK electric commercial vehicles here. The same importer has also launched another slightly more up-market Chinese brand in this country, Skywell. But Seres is our focus here - and specifically this Seres 3. If you discount the much cheaper Dacia Spring and Citroen E-C3 models (as you might as they're quite restricted on range), it's pretty much the cheapest real-world EV you can buy - and certainly the cheapest electric SUV. Which makes it worth a second look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 168

Seres is offering just a single EV powertrain; which sees a 161bhp e-motor energised by a 53kWh battery pack. Performance is acceptably eager - a sub-9 second 0-62mph sprint time is claimed on the way to a 96mph maximum. But you won't often be exercising much of that pace for fear of further reducing the already rather restricted driving range, pegged at just 205 miles. To give you some perspective, an obvious rival like Vauxhall's Mokka Electric manages 252 miles. In this Seres, you can extend the range to 315 miles if you're exclusively driving around town. Overtakes will need to be carefully planned - there's a modest 195Nm of torque. But parking in town should be easy thanks to a rear camera and all-round sensors. There are three driving modes - 'Normal', 'Eco' and 'Sport'. And a reasonable level of camera safety kit, including Forward Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning. You're unlikely to want to go off road, but if you do, there's Hill Descent Control.

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