Affordable Chinese SUV confirmed for Oz

Jaecoo, the semi-premium arm of Chery, has locked in its J5 small SUV for an Australian launch.

Arriving early 2026, the J5 will serve as the entry-point to the brand’s line-up, which currently consists of the J7 mid-size SUV and J8 large SUV.

Sharing its Chery Group T1X platform with the Omoda 5 small SUV, the J5 will be fairly unusual in that it will be offered with the choice of three distinct power options.

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The combustion option will be a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 108kW/210Nm driving the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic. A plugless hybrid version will pair a 1.5-litre engine to a dedicated hybrid transaxle. It will also be offered in fully electric form, which overseas is called the Jaecoo E5.

The electric version puts out 155kW for the European market, and is equipped with a 58.9kWh LFP battery with 402km of driving range (WLTP). Specifications are yet to be locked-in for the electric or hybrid variants for the Australian market.

The J5 looks like a shrunken-down version of the J7, with a familiar grille, lights, two-tone colour scheme, and wheels, while the electric version is set further apart with a closed-in face, at least for overseas markets.

Inside, a large 13.2-inch portrait multimedia screen dominates the cabin, with the J5 also featuring an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster. The brand confirmed the car will feature wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a six-speaker audio system, and a 480-litre luggage space, as well as “advanced safety and driver assist technologies” which are yet to be detailed for our market.

The J5 is also aimed at a younger buyer cohort, and has various accessories overseas to make it more friendly for pets specifically to appeal to this buyer demographic.

2026 Jaecoo J5

The compact SUV is already on sale in the UK, where the brand has surged to a three percent market share just three months after launching, during which time the J7 has shot to become the kingdom’s best selling plug-in hybrid.

The combustion version in the UK is offered with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo producing 102kW/275Nm and driving the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, a combination we seemingly won’t be getting in Australia.

2026 Jaecoo E5 (overseas version shown)

The global boss of Omoda Jaecoo, Shawn Xu, told CarsGuide earlier this year that the immediate sales of Chery and Jaecoo products were “unsurprising” in Australia, because the brand was experiencing explosive growth in all the markets it has launched in so far.

He predicts Omoda and Jaecoo together could be a top-ten player in Australia “within two years”, with the brand’s Chery parent already knocking on the door thanks to its range of affordable hybrid and combustion models.

Stay tuned for more details on the J5 range, including pricing and specifications, closer to its February 2026 launch window.