In fact, the Jaecoo 7 is the UK’s third best-selling car this year (January to April 2026) and was comfortably the best-selling car overall in March.
Here, we unpack the Jaecoo brand, why its 7 model is selling so well and whether you should consider buying one.
: see the models that aced our tough lab testsWhat is the Jaecoo 7?
It’s available with three engine options:
The cheapest current model is the Pure version of the petrol hybrid, while the £36,505 Black Luxury version of the plug-in hybrid is the most expensive.
Real-world figures (as provided by our lab tests) will no doubt differ, but the full-hybrid model has an official fuel consumption figure of 51.8mpg, while it's 35.3-37.7mpg for petrol models. The PHEV is the most efficient, officially, averaging 403-471.1mpg.
The Jaecoo brand itself was established in 2023 by Chery International and focuses exclusively on manufacturing SUVs for sale outside of the brand’s native China. Like Chery, Jaecoo is headquartered in Wuhu, China.
While the 7 was the first model Jaecoo introduced to the UK, it also sells the 5 and E5 small SUVs (the 5 is petrol powered, the E5 is an EV) and the 8 (a large plug-in hybrid SUV).
Why is the Jaecoo 7 proving so popular?
There are several possible reasons why the Jaecoo 7 is so popular in the UK.
Like most Chinese cars, it’s offered with a longer warranty than cars from European and Japanese manufacturers (7 years/100,000 miles compared to the typical 3 year/60,000 miles).
It also has a large dealer network, covering most areas of Great Britain (Jaecoo doesn’t have any dealers in Northern Ireland) and places emphasis on selling cars to customers through dealerships as well as online.
The brand also offers a Europe-wide roadside assistance service that lasts for the length of the warranty, when you service the car according to the schedule. Many brands offer similar packages, although some (such as Skoda) only offer one year’s free breakdown cover when you buy a car.
The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model, which is the most popular version of the Jaecoo 7 in the UK, has big appeal to the UK’s large company car market because of current tax advantages that PHEVs benefit from.
As the Jaecoo 7 is very competitively priced when compared to popular European and Japanese cars, dealer discounts are rare and the brand doesn’t usually offer large deposit contributions on finance deals. It instead offers low (or even 0%) interest rates on finance deals, which means monthly finance payments are cheaper than many rivals. As finance sales account for around nine in ten new cars, this is particularly important for Jaecoo.
As more Chinese brands launch in the UK and there are lower-priced alternatives, it’s hard to say whether the Jaecoo 7’s popularity will endure. As with other brands that import cars, the 7’s sales figures are also heavily dependent on just how many cars are shipped to the UK each month.
Is the Jaecoo 7 any good?
We’ll be lab-testing the plug-in hybrid version of the Jaecoo 7 later this year, so will be able to give a definitive verdict then.
However, we’ve driven the full-hybrid version of the Jaecoo 7 outside of lab conditions to get some initial impressions of the car.
Like many Chinese cars, most of the controls are located on the touchscreen. While this can be distracting and complicated to use, you do get some physical controls, such as for the exterior mirrors and the seats.
The instrument display isn’t the easiest to read or configure, while we found the touch-pad steering wheel controls are fiddly to operate.
We found that its seats are well-shaped and are more tailored to taller people than other cars from Chinese brands, while the boot and cabin are also a decent size.
The interior materials are good for a mid-range SUV (though you will find some hard plastics in some areas). The hybrid system is quiet and smooth, but you’ll clearly notice when the engine kicks in.
The most significant issue in our time with the car was how it handled bumps in the road. At low speeds when driving over even small bumps, you could clearly feel them in the cabin – something that’s not an issue with many other SUVs.
: see the models that did best in our testsExpert opinion: should you buy a Chinese car?
Dino Buratti, Which? cars expertChinese cars account for more than one in eight new cars registered in the UK so far in 2026, but should you consider buying one?
Regardless what brand you go for, I recommend taking any car you’re interested in for a test drive before buying, but this applies even more so to Chinese cars, which can have some unusual quirks. And check where your nearest dealership is as you might be in for a long drive for servicing or warranty repairs.
Discover the pros and cons of EV ownershipsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/what-exactly-is-the-jaecoo-7-and-why-is-it-so-popular-aepWk2H3hi0t