I spent a week with the best-selling Chinese car in the UK. Is it any good?

Once upon a time, the best-selling cars in the UK were from historic European brands. In fact, at the turn of the century, the Ford Focus was at the top of the tree. Times have changed, though, and people have opened their eyes to young, upstart brands and new models from China – with the Jaecoo 7 being one of them.

In fact, by June, the Jaecoo was the third most popular car on sale in 2026. I hadn’t driven one yet, so recently I decided to see for myself if the family SUV was selling well on merit, or if it just offered strong value for money.

Before even getting into the Jaecoo I could see why it’s so appealing. ‘Temu Range Rover’ may be a backhanded compliment, but it’s a compliment to the Jaecoo’s crisp, square-jawed looks nonetheless. Okay, I don’t actually think it looks like Land Rover’s finest much at all, but the Velar-esque side profile does make the car appear more expensive than it is.

That’s because the Jaecoo 7 starts at £30,000, which may not be miles off the Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Karoq, but it’s far better equipped and looks more premium inside. With a standard-fit glass roof, LED lights, heated seats and a lightning-fast infotainment system, as well as high-quality cabin materials which feel solidly put together, the Jaecoo makes a strong case for itself inside.

I do find the total lack of buttons on the dashboard a pain in the neck, because having to exit Apple CarPlay to change the heater settings or to turn on the heated seats is more of a faff than it needs to be.

At least the Jaecoo is also spacious, and aside from a shallow boot getting in the way when I was dropping my luggage-laden family off at the airport, I had no complaints for back seat space.

From the driver’s seat, however, things aren’t amazing. The floor-hinged throttle pedal is very small and crowded by the plastic trims in the footwell, which means I catch my foot when accelerating or switching across pedals.

In terms of driving experience, things start to unravel. The Jaecoo 7 is neither very comfortable, nor is it sporty at all, it just kind of…moves you from place to place in a vaguely unpleasant way. I live in a particularly bumpy part of London, and I got fed up with the potholes thudding through the cabin, while on the three airport trips I took in my time with the car the mighty road noise became a nuisance.

I didn’t bother trying to hustle the Jaeecoo down too many country lanes, it’s not meant for that after all, but the overly light steering and body lean are far from confidence-inspiring on the move. Plus, there’s a lag between taking your foot off the accelerator and the car ceasing to speed up, which really gives me the heebie-jeebies.

At least the Jaecoo 7 plug-in hybrid has a cracker of an engine, and I do mean that. It’s powerful and helps the car feel nippy in town, while quiet at high speeds, and I easily saw around 59mpg over the course of the week.

It’s a mixed bag, the Jaecoo 7, with some brilliant touches and a few too many sub-par mechanical aspects, but its biggest problem is actually a family one: the Omoda 7.

See, the Omoda 7 is similar to the Jaecoo 7 under the skin, yet it looks better (in my eyes), it’s more spacious inside with a larger boot, it’s just as well-equipped and there’s a night and day difference in how much better the Omoda is to drive.

In fact, I wouldn’t just have the Omoda 7 over the Jaecoo 7, I’d have it over the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and even the Hyundai Tucson. So yes, I can see why the Jaecoo 7 is selling so well, but I reckon it’s only a matter of time before the Omoda 7 leapfrogs it up the list. It certainly deserves to.

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*Savings are made up of the maximum dealer discount off RRP – subject to dealership, location and trim. Prices correct at the time of writing.