New Jaecoo 7 SUV goes on sale with punchy sub-£30k pricing

• UK debut for new mid-size SUV
• Choice of petrol or plug-in hybrid engines
• Priced from £29,435

Chinese car maker Jaecoo has kicked off its expansion into the UK with this, the new Jaecoo 7. It’s a mid-size SUV, designed to rival everything from the Kia Sportage up to the Range Rover Evoque.

First impressions are important, so the Jaecoo 7 has a big task on its hands if it's to build and maintain a foothold over here. Its pricing certainly makes a statement, though – petrol models start from just £29,435, while the plug-in hybrid costs from £35,065. Both are available to order now ahead of the first deliveries in January 2025.

What is the Jaecoo 7?

If you’ve never heard of Jaecoo before, don’t worry. The brand launched in 2023 as an offshoot of Chery, China’s largest car exporter with ties to Jaguar Land Rover. Chery has already launched one brand in the UK with the Omoda 5, but Jaecoo is positioned as its premium alternative, aiming to steal sales from the likes of BMW, Land Rover and Volkswagen.

So what is the Jaecoo 7? Well, it’s a mid-size SUV for starters, similar in size to the Kia Sportage and BMW X1. It sports traditional SUV looks, with an upright front end and a giant “waterfall” front grille. There’s a hint of Range Rover Velar at the rear with the LED tail-lights, while the front gets a pair of similar LED lights, too.

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Jaecoo offers the 7 with two engine options. Kicking off the range is a 1.6-litre petrol engine, available with either front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. It’s good for 145bhp, and Jaecoo claims it’ll return up to 37.7mpg, although we expect that to drop slightly for the four-wheel drive version. Both models use a dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and four-wheel drive models get a host of off-roading modes.

Then there’s the plug-in hybrid model. This uses a different 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor and a 18kWh battery. The petrol engine itself delivers 141bhp, but with the motor working alongside it, total power stands at 201bhp. It’ll hit 0-62mph in under eight seconds, but more importantly, Jaecoo claims it’ll return up to 403mpg.

Like all PHEVs, that figure relies on you spending most of the time in EV mode, but you’ll still achieve up to 47mpg if the battery is nearly flat according to Jaecoo. Give the battery a full charge and you’ll have up to 56 miles of pure-electric range.

The Jaecoo 7 has all of the usual safety kit expected of a modern SUV, contributing to its five-star Euro NCAP score. All models also get a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.

How much does the Jaecoo 7 cost and when can I buy one?

Jaecoo may have its sights on Range Rover buyers, but you wouldn’t know it from its pricing. The Jaecoo 7 starts from just £29,435 for the pure-petrol model, while the PHEV costs from £35,065. Petrol models with four-wheel drive cost £32,850.

For comparison, a petrol Kia Sportage costs about the same as the petrol Jaecoo 7, but the PHEV Kia is about £5,000 more than the PHEV Jaecoo. All Jaecoos are considerably cheaper than a Range Rover Evoque, which starts from just under £44,000.

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The Jaecoo 7 will be offered in two trim levels. ‘Deluxe’ is the entry-point and only offered for the front-wheel drive petrol model. It gets a panoramic sunroof, a 13.2-inch infotainment screen, a digital driver’s display, heated seats, a wireless smartphone charger and a surround-view parking camera.

‘Luxury’ trim is exclusive to the four-wheel drive petrol model and the plug-in hybrid. The infotainment screen is upgraded to a 14.8-inch unit, while you also get a heated steering wheel, a ventilated driver’s seat, an air purification system and a Sony sound system.

Interested in a plug-in SUV? Read our list of the best plug-in hybrid cars on sale today…