2026 Jaecoo J5 review

Jaecoo has added new petrol-powered versions of the J5 small SUV to its expanding model range in Australia and, in doing so, it might have taken a big bite out of the Chery pie.

The new Jaecoo J5 looks vastly different to the Tiggo 4 from the Chinese automaker's sister brand, but shares a few key ingredients, and is very similar in size.

But the Jaecoo is a completely different looking thing inside and out, and offers a different tech package compared to its stablemate.

It’s like putting a Maccas takeaway burger next to the Insta-worthy food truck offering your mate shared – one looks very appetising, while the other will still do the job for similar money.

However, with a price tag that's still razor-sharp in the small SUV market, the Jaecoo J5 could be the tastiest new dish.

How much does the Jaecoo J5 cost?

There’s the more expensive electric version of the Jaecoo J5, which is still affordable for the class it competes in at $36,990 drive-away.

But when it comes to the petrol versions? The pricing is astounding, considering what you’re getting, and the perception that this car has as a compact, premium-looking machine.

That kind of pricing positions the Jaecoo J5 $2000 higher than the budget-friendly Chery Tiggo 4, and also about $1000 higher than the base MG ZS Turbo.

And no, you won’t find anything from Mazda or Toyota for this kind of cash. Even the Kia Stonic and Hyundai Venue are over and above these prices. 

To see how the Jaecoo J5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Jaecoo J5 like on the inside?

One of the J5's strongest selling points is the cabin – it’s a cheap car that doesn’t feel cheap to sit in.

It feels more premium than the related Chery Tiggo 4, I reckon, and part of that comes down to the presentation, but there's also just a nicer overall ambience to the cabin. It feels a little more polished and a little more mature.

I quite like the cloth upholstery, too. Plenty of Chinese-made rivals lean heavily on synthetic leather trim, but good cloth seat trim can be more comfortable in Australia's climate. The seats don’t feel hot or sticky, but if you want the faux leather trim, the higher-spec variant’s leatherette trim is pretty convincing.

Practicality is well sorted too. There are large door bins, soft-touch trimming where your elbows sit, a decent-sized glovebox, storage between the seats, a pair of cupholders, and a centre console bin that's a reasonable size.

This particular grade misses out on wireless phone charging, so the tray ahead of the gear selector looks and feels a bit redundant – but I’m sure there’s an aftermarket solution to turn that tray into a charging station (and there are USB ports down below, which might help!).

The steering wheel takes a little getting used to. It's an unusual design, and the glossy black trim attracts fingerprint smudges.

There are cruise control buttons on the wheel, though there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to switching between adaptive cruise control and the lane-centring functions (press and hold the steering wheel button with an ‘A’ to change modes).

The indicator and wiper controls are straightforward, and I particularly like the neatly concealed rear wiper tucked under the roof spoiler – tidy.

Ahead of the driver sits a compact digital instrument display. It's easy enough to read, but one thing you'll quickly become familiar with is the driver monitoring system. If it thinks you're distracted, it'll let you know.

But you can adjust some of the active safety systems to your liking. Lane departure warning and lane keeping assistance settings can remain disabled between drives if that's your preference, but the driver monitoring camera defaults back on every time you restart the vehicle – so if you don’t like it, you’ll have to disable it each time you get back in. 

Thankfully there’s a swipe-down menu (top-left of screen) that allows you to toggle commonly used features on and off, without having to dive into menus. Just make sure you get it from the top-left, not the top-right of the screen, as otherwise you’ll enter the Notifications screen, which is usually just blank.

Otherwise the central touchscreen is pretty good, though it does require a bit of learning. 

Climate controls are integrated into the touchscreen, and there are a few quirks. Rather than displaying a conventional temperature setting, the system uses a scale from 1 to 16 for the temperature, which is dumb. Fan speed and airflow direction are also managed on-screen, so yeah some knobs and buttons wouldn’t go astray.

The menus beyond the climate and phone mirroring tech are easy enough to learn, and there are changeable settings such as drive modes and all the safety tech adjustments.

One of the standout features is the surround-view camera system. If you're nervous about parking, you'll appreciate the multiple viewing angles, front and rear camera views, 3D surround-view functionality and automatic camera activation when the car senses you're getting close to an obstacle.

There are some unusual inclusions, too. The owner's manual is built into the infotainment system, and yes, there's even a karaoke function if that's your thing. You just need to buy the accessory microphone.

Ramming it home that you didn’t buy an expensive car, there are some things missing in the front cabin area.

The sun visors don't extend, the vanity mirrors aren't illuminated, there's no auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and the overhead controls include blank switches where the higher-spec variant gets a sunshade for its panoramic glass roof. 

In the back, the space is surprisingly good. With the driver's seat adjusted for my 6’0” (182cm) frame, I still had kneeroom behind it, and enough foot space to slide my feet under the front seat. Headroom is excellent thanks to the boxy roofline, while the tall side glass and light-coloured headlining make it feel airy inside.

Amenities include map pockets on both front seatbacks, plus grab handles and coat hooks, but the single rear directional air vent might lead to arguments between the kids on hot days. Maybe they could learn to negotiate because of that, as there’s also only one USB-A port. Sharing is caring, kids.

The floor is relatively flat, making the centre seat more usable than in some other small SUVs. Families will appreciate the ISOFIX child-seat anchor points in the outboard seats and there are three top-tether anchors across the second row, too.

This entry-level grade misses out on a fold-down centre armrest, which is fitted to the Summit grade, but the seats themselves are comfortable, with soft cushioning that should keep passengers happy on longer journeys.

The boot is big for a little car. You can adjust the floor to have either a flat loading lip, or lower it to maximise your cargo capacity. 

Under the floor you'll find a tyre repair kit rather than a spare wheel. There is provision underneath for a spare to be fitted, and it’s frustrating that Jaecoo didn’t just fit a space-saver wheel. 

The cargo hold includes shopping bag hooks, tie-down points, storage nets and a light. However, there's no retractable parcel cover, which could be a problem for people who regularly leave valuables in the back.

To see how the Jaecoo J5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

This is perhaps the part where enthusiastic car customers might feel a sense of disappointment – it’s not the end of the world, but the turbo-petrol, CVT auto, front-wheel drive combination here isn’t exactly excellent…

I was reasonably impressed by the displayed fuel consumption over a few hundred kilometres of mixed driving in urban, highway, freeway, commute and errand driving, however.

While 7.9L/100km isn’t terrific in isolation for a new vehicle with a small-capacity turbocharged engine, it’s better than I expected.

To see how the Jaecoo J5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Jaecoo J5 drive?

It takes a bit of getting used to.

If you're heavy on the throttle, you might find the combination of the turbo-petrol engine and CVT auto a little frustrating until you’re used to it. 

The throttle response can feel quite sensitive, while the transmission itself isn't always the smoothest or most intuitive with its behaviour.

Once you learn how it likes to be driven it's a much more agreeable experience. But it’s never what I’d call ‘fun’, despite at times feeling pretty responsive.

The powertrain responds best to measured inputs rather than sudden throttle stomps. 

Drive it smoothly and it feels perfectly acceptable for daily commuting duties.

Mash the accelerator from a standstill and you may encounter some of the hesitation and flare that CVT haters know well. This isn’t going to offer a strong counterargument to those CVT sceptics.

The throttle calibration can also feel inconsistent, so pay attention to that during your test drive. Furthermore, the CVT in our press car felt jerky after a cold start on a chilly morning.

It was less of an issue once the car was warmer, but if you live somewhere where the mercury drops to single digits (or negative digits), you'll want to warm your car up for a few minutes before setting off. 

But if you're simply looking for an automatic SUV, and maybe you don’t even know what a CVT is or how it differs from a regular auto transmission, then you might find it perfectly fine.

If you want a little more urgency to the car’s responses there's a Sport mode that sharpens things up and gives the drivetrain a more eager character.

The trade-off is heavier steering, which can make low-speed manoeuvring feel a little more cumbersome than necessary. But you can adjust that separately to make it more urban-friendly.

Ride quality is on the firmer side for this segment, but it’s not uncomfortable. There's a solid, planted feel to the way the suspension deals with the road, though it can occasionally feel a little bouncy over uneven surfaces.

One advantage is the independent rear suspension setup. While many rivals make do with a simpler torsion-beam arrangement, the J5’s more sophisticated rear-end helps it feel composed through corners and enables competent corner-to-corner handling.

The steering is predictable and easy to live with. Around town it lightens up nicely for parking manoeuvres, while at higher speeds there's enough weighting to inspire confidence. But as I mentioned, the Sport steering mode just adds resistance, and makes it harder to park.

With a better set of tyres – the Chao Yang Aggressor rubber fitted to the J5 isn’t terrific – it would be even more fun, and potentially less sensitive to road imperfections. It could possibly be quieter at higher speeds too, as it can suffer from some road roar in the cabin.

Braking performance is respectable, too. The pedal feels progressive and the car pulls up confidently under hard pressure.

And while we're talking about everyday safety considerations, the technology is less annoying than in other cheap cars in this class.

This vehicle allows you to customise many of the driver assistance systems, including disabling some of the more intrusive warning chimes if they're not to your liking.

The lane keeping tech will stay off if you want it to, and the speed sign chimes can be banished if you find them frustrating, too. 

It mightn’t be a benchmark-setting car in terms of its powertrain, but there are lots of livable and likable traits to the drive experience beyond that engine and auto.

To see how the Jaecoo J5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

You might think that the Jaecoo J5 is a stripped-out small SUV, but the standard kit list is actually pretty lengthy in this two-strong petrol-powered SUV model range.

2026 Jaecoo J5 Track equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic projector LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Remote start
• Push-button start
• 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster
• 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 6-speaker sound system
• ‘Premium’ steering wheel
• Cloth upholstery
• 6-way manually adjustable front seats
• Surround-view camera system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Full active safety suite - details below

2026 Jaecoo J5 Summit adds:

• Fixed panoramic glass roof with power sunshade
• Power tailgate
• Dual-zone climate control
• 8-speaker sound system
• 50W wireless phone charger
• Leatherette upholstery
• 6-way power-adjustable front seats
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Colour-adjustable front ambient lighting
• Rear centre armrest with cupholders
• Soft-touch dashboard and upper front door trim

To me, the extra expenditure is worth considering. I mean, if it’s the difference between your repayments forcing you to sacrifice a couple of coffees per week, then do it. Unless you really like cloth trim.

To see how the Jaecoo J5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Jaecoo J5 safe?

The Jaecoo J5 range (ICE and EV) hasn't been crash-tested by ANCAP as yet, but the closely related Chery Tiggo 4 wears a five-star safety rating against 2023 protocols.

Standard safety equipment includes: 

• 7 airbags incl. front-centre
• Forward collision warning 
• Autonomous Emergency Braking – AEB
• Emergency lane keeping 
• Lane departure warning
• Lane departure prevention
• Adaptive cruise control
• Traffic Jam Assist
• Integrated Cruise Assist 
• Blind-spot monitoring 
• Lane Change Assist 
• Rear Collision Warning 
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Door Opening Warning 
• Speed limit information
• Speed Control Assist
• Driver monitoring

The Jaecoo J5 comes with the whole gamut of safety technology you’d expect, and – frankly – most of it is inoffensive.

It has all the nanny kit to help you stay safe, while the parking assistance gear includes one of the best surround-view camera setups available – not just against its rivals, but at any price point in the Australian market.

There are overhead, front, rear, side and see-through view options, as well as sensor-activated camera view to stop you from bumping into things before you see them. And those parking sensors are mounted front and rear, too. 

To see how the Jaecoo J5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Jaecoo J5 cost to run?

Kia's seven-year warranty helped redefine buyer expectations in Australia, and Jaecoo is attempting a similar play with its eight-year ownership package.

The ‘step-up’ arm of Chery offers a step up in terms of its ownership promise, which could be enough to win over some new buyers. Those are compelling arguments to buy a J5 and service it with the brand’s network, right?

Well, I’d say yes. But I also want to point out that one of the ways these newer cars are more affordable is the thinness of their sheetmetal, and even a gentle press on the J5's panels shows that. 

The underlying structure is no doubt strong, but based on our initial impressions the panels might cop a hiding even in a gentle collision. And, the paint doesn’t seem to be overly thick either, meaning your new car mightn’t look that new for long, especially if you’re not cautious about your car park spot selection.

To see how the Jaecoo J5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert's Take on the Jaecoo J5

This is an excellent car with an average powertrain.

It is so close to being an overall top choice for new-car customers, but the engine and transmission can be frustrating, particularly if you consider yourself someone who likes driving.

However, as a commuter car, or a vehicle that seems to be a set-and-forget option with outstanding aftersales ownership provisions and reasonably user-friendly tech, it really makes a strong case for itself.

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MORE: Explore the Jaecoo J5 showroom