Jaecoo 5 Review & Prices

The Jaecoo 5 is the Chinese brand’s smallest SUV, with clear styling cues to the larger Jaecoo 7 and a similar ethos: lots of space inside, lots of standard kit and the choice of a frugal plug-in hybrid engine. Unfortunately, it’s dreadful to drive in most situations.

Like choosing an off-brand version of your favourite Häagen Dazs ice cream from a budget supermarket chain, you certainly get value for money here, but the Jaecoo 5 reminds you that sometimes it’s really worth spending the extra. There are some far more premium alternatives to choose from at this price point, too, such as the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Toyota Yaris Cross.

The term ‘Temu Range Rover’ comes to mind, but whereas the larger Jaecoo 7 is akin to the sleek Velar, the Jaecoo 5 is very much an Evoque driving through a hall of mirrors. That’s not to say it’s ugly, but the large grille, somewhat featureless sides and small wheels all look a bit awkward with the smaller silhouette.

Neither is the Jaecoo 5 as posh inside as a real Range Rover, but again it’s easy enough on the eye with an inoffensive, minimalist design - and it’s certainly well equipped for the price. The large, portrait-oriented infotainment system is responsive to use, featuring crisp graphics and some handy shortcuts which help to navigate the (slightly fussy) menus.

Material quality is a mixed bag, but the mix of soft, trimmed surfaces and hard plastics is on par with similarly-priced alternatives.

Interior space is where the Jaecoo 5 impresses most, with masses of space for passengers both front and rear. The driver’s seat could drop down a touch further, but otherwise it’s easy for tall adults to get comfortable on long drives. There are plenty of storage cubbies around the cabin, and the 480-litre boot is pretty much top of its class for a small SUV.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the oily bits under the skin, the Jaecoo 5 begins to unravel. There’s a sole petrol engine offering - though you can opt for the superior, electric, E5 EV instead. Even if you’re not a keen car enthusiast the motor will get on your nerves, because it’s noisy, slow, hard to drive in a smooth manner and not particularly efficient.

It’s not very comfortable to drive around town, either, with the suspension struggling to remain composed on bumpy, uneven city roads. It settles down enough on the motorway, but the moment you head on to a country lane the Jaecoo’s tendency to lean around bends and vague steering rob you of any confidence.

Verdict

There’s a lot to like about the Jaecoo 5, and if your budget stretches a bit to the electric E5 it’s a much better all-rounder. But if you want to stick to combustion power there are plenty of excellent other cars you should shortlist ahead of this – the MG HS, Renault Captur, Ford Puma and Toyota Yaris Cross to name a few.

Interested? Check out the latest Jaecoo E5 deals and E5 lease deals available through Carwow. You can also browse used Jaecoo cars through our network of trusted dealers, and when the time comes to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

Prices for the Jaecoo 5 start at around £24,500 for the entry-level Pure trim, or £28,000 for the fully loaded Luxury model. That makes it very competitive among alternatives, starting a fraction cheaper than the Ford Puma despite being a bit bigger.

The Renault Captur, MG HS and Dacia Duster are all similarly excellent value, while the Toyota Yaris Cross is a bit more expensive and a bit smaller, but comes with an excellent hybrid engine.

Pure versions of the Jaecoo 5 get 18-inch alloy wheels, the large central infotainment display, and front and rear parking sensors. You also get cloth upholstery and halogen headlights.

Stepping up to Luxury makes sense as it feels like better value, still being reasonably priced but adding loads of kit such as a Sony sound system, artificial leather upholstery, LED headlights, a panoramic glass roof and more extensive assistance kit.

The Jaecoo 5 is comfortable enough, but it’s a bit jittery on rough roads and rubbish in corners

In town

Compact dimensions make the Jaecoo 5 easy to place on tight city streets and an upright body gives good visibility of the road ahead, as does the fact you sit high (a bit too high, actually).

However, the petrol engine and automatic gearbox frustrate at low speeds, because they don’t respond particularly quickly to your pedal inputs, meaning it’s really difficult to be smooth. And while it soaks up big bumps fairly well, the suspension has a tendency to fidget and not settle down on poor road surfaces.

All-round parking sensors come as standard, but you’ll need to step up to the Luxury model to get a surround-view camera. It’s a shame the basic reversing camera is only available on the all-electric model.

On the motorway

The Jaecoo 5 settles down nicely at motorway speeds, with the suspension’s jitteriness at lower speeds much less noticeable. It’s also pretty quiet at constant speeds, but the engine is very noisy when accelerating and the gearbox is a bit dim-witted so won’t always change gears as quickly as you’d like.

Top-spec models get the good kit again, with adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection nice-to-haves if you do a lot of motorway miles.

On a twisty road

If you’re looking for something to put a smile on your face on a country road then steer clear of the Jaecoo 5. The engine isn’t particularly powerful, the gearbox is easily flummoxed, the body leans a bit too much and the vague steering isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring. The Ford Puma is a bit more uncomfortable over potholes but the trade off is that it’s a lot more fun to drive in the twisties.

Loads of interior storage and a useful boot, but alternatives are roomier in the back

It’s easy enough to get comfortable in the front of the Jaecoo 5, because the cabin feels spacious for what is a relatively small car. There’s a good amount of adjustment in the steering wheel, but it would be nice if the seat would drop a bit lower so taller drivers don’t feel quite so perched up high.

Storage is excellent, with cubby holes galore – big door bins, hidden compartments and a tray for two phones (one of which gets wirelessly charged in Luxury trim). The only complaint is the glovebox, which isn’t particularly big.

Space in the back seats

Rear seat passengers won’t have quite as good a time as those in the front, because it’s a bit tight on kneeroom and headroom, and finding somewhere to put your feet isn’t easy. It’s slightly roomier in a Renault Captur, but the MG HS is your best bet if you really need space in the back.

The other issue is the narrow door aperture, which makes it a bit fiddly to get a bulky child seat through, though once it’s in there’s enough room to get everything secured.

Storage is good too, with large door bins and pockets in the seats ahead of you, though just the single USB-A slot isn’t great in 2025.

Boot space

Boot capacity is impressive, so if you need lots of storage then the Jaecoo 5 is a good shout. At 480 litres the boot is about the same size as the Renault Captur (484 litres) and Dacia Duster (472 litres), with only the MG HS outgunning it with a huge 507-litre boot.

There’s not much in the way of handy features like straps and hooks for your luggage though, just some side pockets for storing smaller items. There’s a double height floor to free up more space, but if you want to use the under-floor area there’s no carpet lining so items will rattle around on bare metal.

The design might be simple and there are cheap materials here and there, but overall quality is good and the infotainment system works well

The interior design lacks the posh looks you might expect after looking at the exterior design, but it’s simple and minimalist with materials that feel more than good enough for the price. That said, as with most alternatives you’ll find cheaper materials lower in the cabin, such as around the door bins.

Still, the large infotainment display is excellent. At 13.2 inches it’s just the right side of being too big and being incorporated into the centre console means it’s kept nicely out of your field of view.

The graphics are sharp – even if they do look like they come from a generic Android tablet – and it responds really quickly to your inputs, with a useful shortcuts tab for functions you regularly use. It’s fiddly to use the on-screen temperature controls though, and there are no physical buttons to use instead.

Entry-level Pure models get cloth upholstery and manual adjustment for the seats, but if you go for the Luxury model you get artificial leather and powered seats with heating and ventilation. All models get scratch- and wear-resistant seats that are ideal for pet owners, but if you go for the electric E5 you get a ‘pet mode’ that can regulate the temperature in the car to keep animals cool.

Under the bonnet is a petrol-powered 1.6-litre engine that makes 147hp and comes paired to a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Neither is particularly engaging – the engine isn’t very powerful and is quite noisy under acceleration, and the gearbox never feels quite in tune with what you want it to do.

It’s not very efficient, either. During our testing on a route that was mostly a mix of suburban and higher-speed country roads, we saw just 37mpg, which is about half what you can expect from the hybrid-powered Toyota Yaris Cross. It also struggles to match the 42mpg we got in the slightly more powerful petrol engine in the Ford Puma.

Emissions aren’t crazy high at 159g/km, but that does tip you into one of the highest first-year road tax bands, adding a hefty sum to the purchase price that you just don’t get with other small cars.

If you’re committed to the Jaecoo, the electric E5 is the better bet for running costs, and falls into the lowest tax band for private and company car buyers.

Although the Jaecoo 5 hasn’t been put through safety tests yet, the experts at Euro NCAP gave the larger Jaecoo 7 and the mechanically similar Omoda 5 the full five stars, which could indicate positive things for this car.

Assistance kit is much better in the Luxury model and justifies stepping up, budget allowing. Adaptive cruise control, surround-view cameras, blind spot detection and automatic headlights are all nice to have.

With Jaecoo still being new to the UK, we’re yet to build a picture of how reliable its cars will be. However it’s reassuring that Jaecoo offers one of the longest warranties for any car maker in the UK at seven years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first.