2026 Jaecoo J5 EV Review: Australia's Best Value Electric SUV?

The Jaecoo J5 EV is the latest compact electric SUV to arrive in Australia. It is priced from $36,990 drive-away, making it one of the most affordable small electric SUVs on the market. Direct rivals include the BYD Atto 2 ($35,990), Leapmotor B10 ($41,990), MG S5 EV ($47,990), Kia EV3 ($47,600) and Zeekr X ($49,900) . The Jaecoo J5 EV undercuts most of them on price, sometimes by more than $10,000.

Jaecoo is the lifestyle brand under Chery Group. The J5 EV shares its platform with the Chery E5, which arrived in Australia last year.

Exterior

The J5 EV has a boxy, upright shape that draws comparisons to a shrunken Range Rover. The proportions are clean and the LED headlights give it a sharp front end. It sits on 18-inch aero alloy wheels wrapped in Continental tyres.

Here are the key dimensions:

Inside

The interior is the highlight of the J5 EV. Jaecoo says the cabin design was inspired by a waterfall, and the result is a curved, flowing dashboard with a portrait-style infotainment screen at its centre. Light-coloured upholstery and a large glass roof make the cabin feel open and airy.

Storage is generous. There are two large cupholders and dual wireless charging pads on the central bridge, plus storage trays behind and under the infotainment screen. Door bins, the glovebox and centre console are all roomy.

The 13.2-inch portrait touchscreen handles all key vehicle functions including climate control. There are no physical buttons for the air conditioning, which means you need to look at the screen to adjust the temperature. The screen was slow to respond during testing and popular features like seat heating are not on the home screen. Satellite navigation is also missing. Most owners will use wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead.

The 8.9-inch digital driver display sits flush with the dash and looks sharp. Steering wheel controls use haptic touch, which works but feels less satisfying than physical buttons.

Front seats are six-way power-adjustable, heated and ventilated, and trimmed in Jaecoo's 'Super EcoClean Skin' synthetic leather, which the brand claims is resistant to wear, scratches and odours. Taller drivers may find the minimum seat height still feels a little high.

The rear seat is practical. There is good headroom and reasonable legroom. The flat floor makes the middle seat usable. Rear passengers get a USB-A port, an air vent, a fold-down armrest and door bins. Safe exit warning sensors are fitted for rear occupants, which is rare at this price.

The boot holds 480 litres to the roof, accessed via a power tailgate with a low load lip. There is also a 35-litre frunk under the bonnet. There is no spare tyre.

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On the Road

The J5 EV is not a driver's car, but it is not trying to be. Around the city it is comfortable and quiet. The suspension is more neutral than many Chinese EVs, which tend toward a soft and bouncy setup. The ride over rough roads is smooth. It is one of the better handling front-wheel drive SUVs available on the market.

The powertrain delivers strong rolling acceleration. However, from a standstill the front wheels struggle for grip under moderate throttle, and there is noticeable torque steer. This is the same issue found in the related Chery E5 but also common in many front-wheel drive EVs. It is not dangerous, but caution should be taken, particularly in cold weather.

The brake pedal feels inconsistent, and the regenerative braking has a delay before it kicks in, even on the strongest setting. The transition between coasting and regen is not smooth. Dialling the regen down and using the brake pedal normally works better.

Steering is on the light side with limited feedback. Switching between Eco, Normal and Sport drive modes does not change this much. The car does feel nimble and easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces, and the surround-view camera is high resolution.

On the highway, the J5 EV offers Level 2 autonomous driving as standard, with adaptive cruise control and active lane centring. ADAS settings are saved permanently, so you do not need to reconfigure them each drive.

The ADAS system worked very well on a 300km road trip we took to Seal Rocks. It is one of the better systems in a vehicle in the under $50,000 price bracket.

Battery, Range and Charging

The J5 EV uses a 58.9kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. The claimed WLTP range is 402km, which is on the shorter side compared to some rivals but more than enough for daily city use.

During our time with the car, we took it on a 300km road trip up north to Seal Rocks with some range to spare. The 402km of range is certainly achievable around town in an urban driving environment.

AC charging tops out at 10.3kW and DC fast charging at 130kW. These are solid numbers for the price bracket.

Warranty and Running Costs

The J5 EV comes with an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Roadside assistance is included for up to eight years (service-activated). Capped-price servicing runs for eight years at an average of $190 per year, totalling $1,520 over the full period.

For comparison, the MG S5 EV costs roughly double that per year to service. The Kia EV3 costs $1,897 over seven years. The Hyundai Kona Electric and Zeekr X are similar. Even the Toyota Corolla Cross, one of the cheapest petrol rivals to service, costs $1,275 over five years.

Should You Buy the Jaecoo J5 EV?

If you want an urban family SUV for under $40,000, the J5 EV should be near the top of your list. The price is sharp, the warranty is class-leading and the running costs are among the lowest in the segment.

The interior is well-finished for the money, the boot is large and the ride is comfortable. The 402km range is enough for most daily use and weekend trips.

The main drawbacks are torque steer under hard acceleration, light and uncommunicative steering, and a slow infotainment system with no physical climate controls. These are real issues, but none of the rivals at this price are without flaws either.

At $36,990 drive-away, the J5 EV is hard to argue with on value.

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