Jaecoo J5 BEV delivery. Photo courtesy of Kerry Jeston. This new entrant to the Australian market has shot into the top ten consistently over the last few months — with 1,845 units sold since its launch early this year. Jaecoo is a sub-brand of Chery. For a first-time EV owner’s point of view, I reached out to one of my former professional colleagues when she announced on Facebook that she had purchased her first EV and it was a Jaecoo J5. Here is her story. It was great to hear her excitement down the phone line. Kerry told me: “The Jaecoo is an experiment for us. A toe in the water if you like. We have kept our three ICE cars — a classic 1978 Porsche, a 2027 Amarok ute, and a 2024 Volvo XC40. The Jaecoo is our first dabble. The technology is amazing for a $AU 37,000 car with 400 km of range. I used to drive a BMWX4 and thought that was pretty high spec.” I asked her what impressed her the most and she listed off a set of features: AI integration, screens, cameras to help change lanes, and the safety features. “I can talk to car. I did my first highway drive yesterday and used voice commands. Turn up the air conditioning and use seat heater. And the styling, it looks like a baby Range Rover. And the space — plenty of boot space. We have 4 grandkids under the age of 4. Plus, two dogs. I paid an extra $AU 200 to get rubber mats.” The purchase process was quite unique. She acknowledges the influence of the greatest EV sales person ever, “biggly” — “Trump leveraged us.” “We had actually been thinking about moving to an electric vehicle for quite a while, but hadn’t really found anything that felt right for us. My husband (Steve) is very much a ‘car guy’ and he was the one who first sent me a YouTube review about the Jaecoo 5 saying it looked like incredibly good value for money. I watched it, then my son watched it too, and we were all pretty impressed. Steve had also been considering the BYD, but felt the boot wasn’t big enough. The Jaecoo has greater functionality.” Steve and Kerry with their Jaecoo. Photo courtesy Kerry Jeston. “Not long after that, we went overseas, and while we were away, my son and his wife actually did a test drive in one for us. They both came back saying, ‘Mum, you are going to love this car.’ Around the same time there were all the ongoing issues with petrol prices and fuel uncertainty, and while we were in Ireland there were huge farmer protests happening right through the streets of Dublin. It just really reinforced for us that this was probably the right time to make the change. We got on the phone, ordered one and paid the deposit. “One of the biggest attractions for me was the styling. It genuinely looks like a baby Range Rover — very sleek and modern — and the interior looks far more expensive than the price point would suggest. It doesn’t feel like a budget car at all inside. The standard features are incredibly high spec for the money. “Practicality was also a huge factor for us. The leather seats are scratch resistant and antibacterial, which is fantastic when you have grandsons, two dogs, and live near the beach like we do. Everything wipes down easily, which honestly matters a lot in real life. “I absolutely love the vertical touchscreen, and the technology has been really seamless once you get used to it. The wireless phone charger works perfectly, Apple CarPlay has been easy to use, and there are lots of clever little storage cut-outs and pockets throughout the car. I can even pop my handbag securely in the front storage area which I love. The cameras are terrific too — especially the 360-degree camera, which makes parking and manoeuvring so much easier. “Another major selling point was the eight-year unlimited kilometre warranty, which felt very reassuring when buying a newer brand entering the market. We also found the servicing package really good value. Service at 20,000 km $AU 155.00 and again at 40,000 km $AU 225.00. “Interestingly, while we were overseas, we noticed the same car was selling in the UK for around £30,000, which converts to roughly AU$60,000. That made us feel as though Australians are currently getting extremely good value, probably because the company is trying to establish itself here and get a foothold in the market.” Those who want a more technical review might like to check out this video. And for a comparison with similar electric alternatives, see here. I asked what they would do with the three ICE cars currently sitting in the garage. “See how it goes,” she answered. “If we are super happy, we’ll sell the Volvo.” What about charging, I asked? They have installed solar on the roof and a level 2 charger in the garage. The garage charger just needs the final go ahead and it will be operational. For now, they are using the trickle charger that came with the car. “The only downside for me has been the learning curve with the technology. Stepping into such a tech-heavy car has been a little daunting because I really didn’t know what I was doing at first. I’ve been learning a lot through YouTube and Google as I go along.” Kerry mentioned that she would have liked more information at handover. “We are used to changing over our cars every 2 years. The salesman was a very nice man, but did not do a detailed handover. He was very busy. He reminded me a little of real estate agents. The experience left me feeling a bit nervous because of the brief handover.” On the Jaecoo Facebook page, there were similar comments, with one poster quoting her local dealer saying that they were selling five Jaecoo J5’s a day. If you want to eavesdrop on the excitement of cars being delivered, and the frustration of those waiting, check out this Facebook page. Here are some photos from another satisfied customer: In the background is a beach in southeast Melbourne, Victoria. Photo courtesy John H. “But overall, it’s beautiful to drive, gorgeous to look at, and we’ve already had lots of friends asking questions about it. I absolutely love it. Quite a few are waiting for my three- or four-month review before deciding whether they might buy one too. [I’m looking forward to writing that one up.] At this stage, I genuinely think it’s a really good-value car and something well worth considering. I believe we have made a smart decision.”
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