Cheapest vs most expensive: should you buy a basic Jaecoo 7 or a top-spec Dacia Bigster?

Since it arrived in the UK back in 2013, Dacia has been a byword for no-nonsense practicality and value for money. In 2026, however, Jaecoo is after its crown.

The Jaecoo 7 is currently one of the best-selling new cars in the UK, thanks in no small part to the amount of equipment you get for your cash. The thing is though, the Dacia Bigster is still a fair bit cheaper than the Jaecoo 7, and you can get a top-spec version for about the same as a basic Jaecoo.

But cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean better-value, and you have to consider running costs as well. To help you decide which is best, I’m going to compare these two cars in detail.

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Cheapest Jaecoo 7 vs most expensive Dacia Bigster: prices and deals

The Jaecoo 7 starts from £29,210 at the time of writing, and this is for the Pure model with a self-charging hybrid engine. Through Carwow, you can currently save just over £2,100 on this car, bringing the price down to £27,100.

On the other hand, a basic Dacia Bigster will set you back just over £25,000, dropping to £24,000 when you buy through Carwow. This is for the basic Expression model with a petrol engine and a manual gearbox, but the top-spec Extreme hybrid version still comes in at less than the Jaecoo.

It costs £28,515, falling to £27,700 when you buy through Carwow. This being the case, it makes sense to use the range-topping Bigster as a comparison.

The Bigster also depreciates slightly slower than the Jaecoo. According to Cap HPI, after three years and 30,000 miles you’ll lose around £11,400 on the Bigster, compared to £13,000 on the Jaecoo.

Leasing is a different story though, because the Bigster is quite a bit more expensive if you go down this route. Over three years and 30,000, the Dacia costs a total of £18,300. It’s £409 per month with a £4,000 initial payment. Even the basic Bigster costs £354 per month on similar terms, costing a total of more than £16,000 overall.

The Jaecoo can be yours for £256 per month with a £3,400 upfront payment, bringing the total over three years and 30,000 miles to around £12,400.

Jaecoo also offers lower interest on its PCP deals – 2.9% at the time of writing compared to 6.9% from Dacia. The Bigster holding its value better does make the monthly payments slightly lower, but the higher balloon payment at the end means you’ll end up a few grand worse off if you choose to keep the car at the end.

As a rough guide, with a £5,000 deposit, over three years and 30,000 miles, the Dacia will cost you around £310 per month with a £16,000 optional final payment, whereas the Jaecoo is closer to £360 per month with a £13,400 optional final payment.

In short, there’s not much between these cars unless you lease one.

Cheapest Jaecoo 7 vs most expensive Dacia Bigster: standard equipment

As standard, the Jaecoo 7 Pure comes with an impressive amount of kit. You get a 13.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.3-inch digital driver’s display, adaptive cruise control and keyless entry. It does have antiquated halogen headlights though, which is bonkers on an SUV in 2026.

The even the top-spec Bigster does without adaptive cruise control, and the 10.1-inch screen is slightly smaller than the Jaecoo’s but it does have a panoramic glass roof, a surround-view camera, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. You’d have to pay an extra £3,600 for the Jaecoo 7 Deluxe to get a similar level of equipment on that car.

So these two are fairly evenly matched in terms of equipment, but you get a few more luxury features for your money with the Bigster. It’s just a shame you can’t get adaptive cruise control on any model.

Cheapest Jaecoo 7 vs most expensive Dacia Bigster: engines and running costs

The cheapest Jaecoo 7 you can buy comes with a 1.5-litre petrol hybrid engine, and it’s best-described as adequate. It’s pretty smooth around town, and with 224hp on tap it’s quick enough for a car like this, but it’s not quite as fuel efficient as other hybrid engines.

It’ll do 52mpg according to official tests, but the Bigster’s hybrid engine will do 60mpg. It uses a 1.8-litre petrol engine paired to an electric motor, and it’s a touch smoother than the Jaecoo’s system at low speeds. It can’t match the Chinese car’s pace, with 155hp at your disposal, but it feels nippy enough.

That extra eight miles to the gallon makes it cheaper than the Jaecoo to run as well. Let’s say you cover 10,000 miles per year. At 60mpg, and at the current average price of petrol of £1.64 per litre, the Bigster will cost you £1,245 in fuel. The Jaecoo will cost £1,430.

So the Bigster has the nicer hybrid engine, and it’s cheaper to run as well. There’s no plug-in hybrid option for company car drivers though, whereas the Jaecoo offers an excellent PHEV system for just over £35,000.

Cheapest Jaecoo 7 vs most expensive Dacia Bigster: interior and practicality

In terms of interior quality, the Jaecoo 7 is really impressive for the money. There’s soft-touch leatherette on the dashboard, door tops and centre console, whereas the Bigster uses a lot of hard-wearing black plastic. The Dacia feels more robust, but the Jaecoo is the posher-feeling option.

That said, the Bigster has a few things going for it up front. You get proper buttons for the climate control, and it has a dedicated switch to turn off all the annoying safety aids. Then there’s the practicality to consider.

As the name may suggest, the Dacia Bigster is a bigger car than the Jaecoo 7. That translates into increased passenger space, and a much, much larger boot.

The Jaecoo is great for rear passengers, with acres of leg and headroom and big windows making it feel bright and airy in the rear. The Bigster doesn’t feel much roomier in the rear, but there is a bit more space for taller adults to stretch out.

The boot, however, is much bigger. The Jaecoo has 500 litres of space on offer, which is below par even when compared to similar-sized SUVs. It’s then dwarfed by the Bigster, which has 612 litres of space in the hybrid model.

Whichever way you slice it, the Dacia Bigster is the most practical of these two cars.

Cheapest Jaecoo 7 vs most expensive Dacia Bigster: which should you buy?

The Jaecoo 7 is a really impressive car for the money. When you compare it to something like a Volkswagen Tiguan, it offers similar levels of kit for a few grand less. It’s well worth a look if you’re after an affordable family car.

But with the Bigster, Dacia has proved that it’s still the king of value. The top-spec car gets all the kit you need, a hugely practical interior and an efficient hybrid engine. Couple this with the fact it’s more comfortable to drive than the Jaecoo, and you have your answer.

A top-spec Dacia Bigster is better value for money than the cheapest Jaecoo 7.

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