Jaecoo J5 Track review: A bargain small SUV, but how does it shape up to main rivals?

The Jaecoo J5 small SUV went on sale in Australia earlier in 2026 in pure electric form and has remained surprisingly popular since. Not wanting to stop its sales momentum, its maker has also introduced cheaper petrol and hybrid drivetrains as well, but kept the same bargain pricing to entice small SUV shoppers across the land. 

But with no shortage of capable small SUVs vying for attention, attractive pricing alone isn’t enough. Does the petrol Jaecoo J5 have the substance to match its showroom appeal? Let’s find out. 

How much does the J5 Track cost to buy? 

While the electric J5 EV is priced from $36,990 driveaway, the petrol models are priced at $25,990 driveaway and $29,990 driveaway respectively, making them both quite affordable. For reference, that’s a $3000 higher starting price than the Chery Tiggo 4 that the J5 is based on, but we think it’s worth the extra spend. 

2026 Jaecoo J5 pricing (driveaway): 

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Despite the low starting price, the J5 Track is reasonably well equipped and includes features such as 18-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing automatic LED lighting, keyless entry with push button start, cloth upholstery, a synthetic leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 13.2-inch portrait touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and safety kit like seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, blind-spot assist and a 360-degree camera.

Is the $4000 spend to the J5 Summit worth the extra cash? That’s up to you, but it does adds synthetic leather upholstery, electric front seats with heating and ventilation, colour-selectable ambient lighting, a wireless phone charger,  a panoramic roof, an electric tailgate and dual-zone automatic climate control. That’s a lot of kit for not much cash, though the fundamentals of the J5 are unchanged and ticking the box for the Summit doesn’t make it an overall better car. 

How does the J5 compare to rivals? Well, the Tiggo 4 starts $2000 lower at $23,990 driveaway, as does the Mahindra XUV3XO, while the entry-level MG ZS is even cheaper at $22,990 driveaway (an equal $25,990 if you want the turbo engine… which you definitely do, as it’s quite slow). If you’re looking for a tiny SUV from a more established brand, there’s the Hyundai Venue (from $23,750 plus on-road costs for the entry-level manual), Kia Stonic (from $28,180 +ORC) and Mazda CX-3 (from $30,670 +ORC) – all of which are noticeably more expensive than the Jaecoo, and not as well equipped. Food for thought. 

How fuel efficient is the J5 Track? 

Err, not very… Under the bonnet of the petrol J5 is the same 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine as the Tiggo 4 and as in that car, it’s quite thirsty for its size in the J5. It’s officially rated at 7.5L/100km on the combined cycle (the similarly grunty but larger 2.0-litre engine in the CX-3 is rated at 6.3L/100km, let alone the 1.0-litre turbocharged mild-hybrid Stonic at just 5L/100km) and around town, it carries a 9.8L/100km rating, but you’ll use more than that. In our testing week with the J5 in driving skewed towards urban, it used 8.6L/100km.

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The J5’s CO2 emissions are also hefty for a car of its size at 172g/km. But we already knew this about the Tiggo 4, so it’s hardly a surprise, but we think it should be more efficient. Yep, there’s a hybrid model now to offer superior performance and reduce fuel consumption, but it’s also priced considerably above the petrol models. To help running costs, the J5 can at least run on 91 RON regular unleaded fuel.

How comfortable is the J5 Track? 

We weren’t sure what to expect with the petrol J5 in terms of ride quality as the Tiggo 4 is far too soft, and the electric J5 was more composed but heavier than the petrol model. Interestingly, the petrol J5 is actually too firm in some driving situations, like in bumpy urban areas, where you can really feel every change in the road surface. The flip side to that is that you feel the road more than in the Tiggo 4, in which you feel almost nothing, so it’s definitely an improvement. This is partly because the J5 uses independent rear suspension compared with the Tiggo 4’s unsophisticated torsion beam, meaning that it can deal with bumps easier and quicker. 

Thankfully too, the steering in the J5 is an improvement on the overly light rack in the Tiggo 4 with reasonable feel and light weighting, but a CX-3 runs rings around both in that area. The J5 is not what you’d call a keen handler – the slippery Chaoyang tyres don’t help here and we’d definitely gift higher-quality rubber to the J5 if we owned one – but grips reasonably well in the dry. Refinement is a definite improvement on the Tiggo 4 as well. 

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As it does in the Tiggo 4, the turbo-petrol engine in the J5 provides a good level of thrust once you’re up to speed. However, set off from zero and you notice that the throttle makes it jump off the line until the CVT transmission kicks in and slows progress. Extra calibration would make it more pleasant to drive. The transmission is otherwise fine for a CVT, with a bit of rubbery dynamic but it’s reasonably responsive to throttle input at speed. 

As for the J5’s active safety features, which are a typical bugbear of Chinese cars, they’re certainly far superior in their operation than when Chery relaunched in Australia in 2023. While they’re still a bit sensitive, particularly the lane keeping assistance and driver monitoring, you no longer feel as though the car is trying to control you.

How spacious is the J5 Track?

The cabin of the Tiggo 4 majors on features, even if its screens actually make it feel a bit dated. The entry-level J5 Track, however, is the opposite as its plastics are all hard to touch but its touchscreen is much bigger and brighter, and its layout more modern. As a result, it overall feels more premium than its cousin. We’d still like to see the soft-touch dashboard and door tops from the upper-spec Summit feature on the Track as it’s a step too far in cheapness.

The synthetic leather steering wheel is the only soft touch point in the cabin, but it still presents well thanks to interesting textures and solid build quality. It’s also great to see a Chinese car with cloth upholstery instead of the usual synthetic leather which makes it feel warmer inside. The front seats are quite comfortable as well. 

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An 8.8-inch display handles the driver’s display, which is brighter and easier to read than the Tiggo 4’s equivalent – and far more modern than the ancient driver’s screen in the CX-3 – but it still displays too much information. The 13.2-inch touchscreen is bright and quick, and includes a basic amount of features including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio and even a karaoke feature that requires a Jaecoo accessory microphone to use, but sat-nav and live services do not feature. 

The touchscreen itself is fine, but aside from the stalks, steering wheel buttons and hazard light/drive mode and lock buttons on the centre console, there are no physical buttons inside, which can be annoying. For example, we wish the slim air-conditioning menu stayed active at the bottom instead of disappearing when CarPlay or Android Auto is being used. If the climate control were automatic, it would be less of an issue, but because it’s manual, you need to touch it a lot. Thankfully, a brief swipe up from the bottom wakes it up, but it’s not permanent and there’s no home icon to press either.

Storage in the J5 is excellent, however, with good door bins, open trays and useful cup holders on the centre console bridge with a large tray underneath. There is also a big glovebox and a big box underneath the centre console. 

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The situation is equally positive in the rear of the J5 as two taller adults will be fine, thanks to great headroom and fine legroom – it’s far larger than a CX-3, for example. Amenities in the rear seat include map pockets, door pockets, an air vent and a singular USB-A port, but not the central armrest with cupholders or panoramic glass roof of the upper-spec Summit. Two ISOFIX points and three top-tether points handle child seat duties, while the doors open reasonably wide too. 

The petrol J5’s boot measures 384 litres with the rear seats up and 1284 litres with them folded, which are both healthy figures in the segment. There’s also a dual-level boot floor to help expand the available space, as well as a few hooks and side storage, though no parcel shelf to cover the boot when parked and – despite there being space for one – no spare wheel. Note to Jaecoo – a space-saver spare should feature here. 

How much does the J5 Track cost to service?

An excellent and long eight-year/unlimited km warranty covers the Jaecoo range, which includes eight years of roadside assistance as well. The petrol J5’s annual service intervals are every 15,000km, which is the average for the industry, and five years/75,000km of servicing costs $1675, or on average $335 annually. 

Should I buy a Jaecoo J5 Track? 

If you’re after a budget small SUV, the Jaecoo J5 Track is absolutely worth consideration. It looks more expensive than rivals thanks to its Range Rover-like appearance, it’s covered by a long eight-year warranty with cheap servicing, and it’s spacious for a small SUV. And despite its positioning as the Tiggo 4’s more premium cousin, it’s still a bargain at under $26,000 driveaway. 

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Jaecoo J5 Track standard equipment: 

• 18-inch alloy wheels (with a tyre repair kit)
• Dusk-sensing automatic LED exterior lighting
• LED front and rear daytime running lights
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Remote window operation and remote start
• Heated and auto-folding mirrors
• Cloth seat upholstery
• Height-adjustable driver’s seat
• Manual air-conditioning with a rear air vent
• Synthetic leather-wrapped steering wheel
• 8.8-inch digital driver’s display
• 13.2-inch portrait touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio
• Six-speaker sound system
• 3x USB ports
• Eco and sport driving modes
• 7x airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist
• Lane keeping assistance with adaptive lane guidance
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert (with braking)
• Door open warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitoring
• Auto high beam
• 360-degree camera
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Anti-theft alarm

J5 Track specifications: