All-electric Jaecoo J5 SUV locked in for early 2026 Aussie debut

October 16, 2025November 10, 2025 John Mahoney 14290 Views Jaecoo J5, small EV

Chinese car-making behemoth Chery has announced that it will launch its 2026 Jaecoo J5 small SUV in Australia with a February 2026 arrival in dealers expected.

Available with pure-combustion, hybrid or pure-electric powertrains, the new small Jaecoo J5 is a rival for the Hyundai Kona Electric, MG S5 EV and the Kia EV3.

It is designed to slot into the car-maker’s growing line-up beneath the mid-size J7 and J8 SUVs.

Pricing has yet to be announced for the entry J5 with the 108kW/210Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, but expect a significant discount over the $34,990 charged for the much larger J7 Core.

The new Jaecoo J5 Hybrid, meanwhile, should share its electrified powertrain with the 2025 Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid ($29,990). It will come with a 1.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol combined with a 150kW e-motor and a small 1.83kWh battery.

The front-wheel drive J5 Hybrid’s fuel average will be around the same 5.4L/100km as the Tiggo 4 Hybrid, offering a saving over the base petrol’s 7.4L/100km.

The new J5 EV has been confirmed to land with a 402km range and will be available with the same powertrain as the closely-related Chery E5.

Set to be driven by a 150kW e-motor to be combined with a 61.1kWh battery, it will also come with the higher 130kW charging speeds of the updated 2026 Chery E5 shown earlier this year.

That should see the 30 to 80 per cent charging time drop from 28 minutes to around 20 minutes.

Featuring styling that looks inspired by both the Range Rover Sport and smaller Evoque, the J5 measures in at around 4400mm long, meaning it will be more than 100mm shorter than the J7.

Inside, the Jaecoo J5 will sport a large 13.2-inch infotainment system that runs wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It will be combined with an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster.

There’s also a six-speaker sound system and a 480-litre boot. With the second row stowed that expands to 1284 litres of luggage carrying capacity.

Full pricing and specification for the 2026 Jaecoo J5 is expected early next year ahead of its debut.