First Drive: Jaecoo 7 – Range-Rover Looks on a £30k Budget

Why this newcomer matters

China’s Chery Group is taking the UK by storm with a two-brand strategy: Omoda targets mainstream buyers while Jaecoo positions itself as the premium, design-led arm. If that’s new to you, picture the Volkswagen Group ladder: Chery = Skoda, Omoda = Volkswagen, Jaecoo = Audi. The Jaecoo 7 is the first UK arrival from the “Audi” rung – a mid-size SUV priced from £30,115 on-the-road yet styled so convincingly that even my children mistook it for “a new Range Rover” as it rolled onto the driveway.

Thanks to Fish Brothers of Swindon – whose multi-franchise stable already includes Kia, Lexus and Honda – I spent a day behind the wheel to find out whether the Jaecoo’s substance matches its style.

My First Impressions…

At a glance the 7 borrows all the right cues – clamshell bonnet, floating roof and flush door handles – without straying into copy-cat territory. The cabin continues the premium theme with quilted seats and a portrait 14.8-inch infotainment screen that wouldn’t look out of place in a Tesla. Wireless Apple CarPlay, a Sony sound system and a 360-degree camera suite come as standard.

What’s it like ‘On the Road’

Powertrain: 1.5-litre turbo petrol (147 hp) in my test car; a 202 hp plug-in hybrid follows this summer with up to 56 miles of electric range.

Drive modes: Seven in total. Eco and Normal keep things relaxed (sometimes too relaxed), while Sport releases enough punch to sprint confidently away from traffic lights. Off-Road, Mud, Snow and Sand remained unused on this test – the weather was kind, however, Fish Brothers expressly banned any rough-stuff, and my 150-mile motorway loop from Swindon to Cardiff offered little scope for river-crossing heroics over the Severn or the Wye.

Ride & handling: Steering is light but accurate; suspension copes well with Swindon’s winter-ravaged asphalt. Cabin noise is low at motorway speeds, adding to the “junior luxury” vibe.

Now the practicality check

Boot space: 412 litres with the seats up – fine for golf clubs or a bulky cricket bag, though smaller than some rivals.

Range: Up to 500 miles on a tank in the petrol version; Jaecoo quotes 700 miles combined for the forthcoming PHEV.

Cup-holders: Two, large, and firmly gripping a double-shot flat white – a small but welcome detail.

What about value for money?

With the entry model comfortably below the £40,000 Expensive-Car Tax threshold, the Jaecoo 7 undercuts premium European and Korean SUVs by thousands while looking the part. Add Chery’s long warranty and Fleet Alliance lease rates (ask me for a tailored quote!) and the arithmetic gets even harder to ignore.

My verdict

Would I still choose a Range Rover if money were no object? Of course. But for those of us living in the real world, the Jaecoo 7 delivers 80 % of the kerb appeal for roughly 30 % of the price – and throws in modern tech and a low Benefit-in-Kind PHEV option for good measure.

Expect to see a lot more Jaecoo badges on UK roads this year – and keep an eye out for the all-electric Jaecoo 6 and seven-seat Jaecoo 8 arriving later in 2025. If you want to be an early adopter, speak to us about your EV options today – whether that be salary sacrifice, company car or a personal contract.