Jaecoo E5 review

Something you’ve seen before. The Jaecoo E5 is the electric equivalent of the petrol-powered Jaecoo 5, both of which are related to the Omoda E5 and 5 under parent maker Chery. Omoda is more lifestyle-y, Jaecoo is more outdoors-y. At least as far as marketing goes.

To that end, the E5 is equipped with a Pet Mode (yep, temperature control and air filtration) for doggos and a Camping Mode that facilitates outdoor karaoke through an under-bonnet speaker. Good luck getting through Sweet Caroline without being ejected from your plot.

Jaecoo will also sell you a number of related accessories, including an adventure pack with an awning, foldaway rinse kit, and – our own personal favourite – a car-shaped cat scratcher. Nope, us neither.

Spare me the gimmicks, give me the substance.

Right you are. The E5 is driven by a front-mounted electric motor capable of 201bhp and 212lb ft, enough for 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 108mph.

Underneath the floor lies a 61.1kWh LFP battery, which is cheaper but less energy dense than alternative NMC chemistry. It’s good for 248 miles of range WLTP, suggesting half-decent efficiency. That depends how and where you drive it, of course. We’ll get to that later.

Still, that means you’ll want to charge it up on longer trips, and there lies its biggest shortcoming: charging peaks at 80kW DC, which is pants these days. Tellingly Jaecoo quotes a 30-80 per cent top-up when 10-80 is more common (and more helpful). 27 minutes… you’ll have time for a second cuppa at the charging station.

On AC power it’ll manage 11kW three-phase, or 7kW single-phase (what you likely have at home) – about 10 hours overnight. No issue there.

Tell me something good about it.

The Jaecoo 5 is cheap. Its size puts it in direct competition with the Vauxhall Frontera Electric, Citroen e-C3 Aircross and Peugeot e-2008, and besides that Stellantis trio you’ve got stuff like the Kia EV3 and MG S5 EV to consider as well. Let’s chuck the Skoda Elroq in too for good measure.

The Frontera and e-C3 Aircross are less expensive, but only as base models with less kit. And they have smaller boots; the S5 has a tiny battery, unless you opt for the Long Range one that costs more; the EV3 is pricier, but goes further on less battery. The E5 is £27,505, or £30,505 for the top spec with all the gear. Bosh.

So there are lots of ways to spin the argument in the E5’s favour. There’s also plenty of space inside, the interior is mostly robust and it looks smart too. Not as good as the 5, we’d argue, but range gains meant that grille had to go.

Does it, er, drive like the 5?

Ah, we know what you’re getting at. If you’ve read our review of the 5 you’ll know TG’s opinion of it is, um, not high. For many, many reasons.

Luckily the Jaecoo E5 is miles better. The electric powertrain is far more mature than the petrol car’s engine ‘n’ gearbox combo, which means driveability is night and day different.

It’s still not perfect – the calibration of the regen means the E5 displays some annoying habits in motorway traffic, for instance – but it’s not actively offensive like handsomer-but-feckless brother and the steering wheel actually feels like it’s attached to the car. Hallelujah.

But put it in the context of what its rivals can do and it’s just a bit… meh. Others will go further on a charge (so fuel costs will be higher), and provide more fun or comfort or both along the way. The touchscreen OS is fiddly on the move. The ride is iffy. The outside screams ‘we Googled a Range Rover Sport’... is the modest saving really worth it?

The Jaecoo E5 is fine. Not especially good, but not especially awful. If there’s a dealership nearby and you’re prepared to put up with its faults for a bargain, no one is going to judge you. Clearly, because the Jaecoo 7 is now the UK’s second best-selling car and is hunting down the Ford Puma like a wounded bison.

But you can do better than fine. We reckon dynamic ability, ride comfort and refinement – things the E5 lacks, to varying degrees – are always worth investing in, even if the long list of kit, generous boot and large screen make it look like a relative bargain. You get what you pay for, innit.