Category B COE Jaecoo 5 may be a value-for-money buy

SINGAPORE – Spend enough time living under the same roof and you eventually look like your partner. Just ask Chery. From a couple of paces away, the Jaecoo 5 electric vehicle (EV) can be mistaken for a Range Rover Evoque.

This may not be a coincidence. In Jiangsu, China, Chery has been sharing a home with Jaguar Land Rover since 2012. It has been a fruitful marriage – one that can produce up to 200,000 British-badged off-roaders and executive saloons a year, including a special version of the Range Rover Evoque, which is sold only in China.

Well, the Jaecoo 5 is not related to the Range Rover. Along with the Omoda-branded models, which are also sold here, the compact electric sport utility vehicles (SUV) are pure Chery creations, made for places like Singapore.

While Range Rover trades on prestige and heritage, Chery is laser-focused on giving maximum bang for the buck with its Jaecoo-branded models. The Chinese brand is making a rather opportunistic move with the 5, while the certificate of entitlement (COE) system is a bit topsy-turvy.

The big news in recent months has been how the price of Category A COEs – supposedly reserved for affordable cars – managed to become more expensive than COEs for larger, more premium vehicles at two tender exercises in as many months. This, in turn, drives up the prices of mass-market electric vehicles, nearly all of them competing for Category A certificates.

In comes the 5, a mass-market EV with 155kW, which puts it in the Category B COE. As COE prices fluctuate from one tender exercise to the next, the Jaecoo can end up being priced below the familiar Category A COE rivals.

On the road, the additional 55 per cent of power over mass-market electric SUVs like the 100kW BYD Atto 2 does not make the 5 some kind of a hot rod. Like the other recent Chery models, the Jaecoo is tuned for more comfort and the urban crawl with a bit of expressway driving.

Acceleration off the line is brisk. But get too greedy with the accelerator and the 18-inch Giti tyres will squeal in protest and the body leans in the corners when pushed – all to curb the driver’s enthusiasm. Take it easy and the car charms with its quiet cabin.

The 5 clearly has more grown-up priorities, like enabling the driver to get moving as soon as possible. Its doors unlock just as the driver approaches, and it has conventional door handles, which are far more convenient to use than motorised flushed door handles that many EVs are fond of.

The digital ergonomics are pleasingly sensible and simple. The 8.9-inch digital driver display – with its retro-electronic calculator font – is easy to read. The 13.2-inch vertical touchscreen display in the middle of the dashboard is functional, rather than overly fancy.

The touchscreen’s menu structure is flat and easy to use. But climate control and volume adjustments are not permanently displayed on the screen – it takes an extra tap or two to summon them.

Setting up the car before driving off for the first time is similarly straightforward. There are conventional controls for the mirrors and seats located exactly where you expect them to be. Pairing the smartphone wirelessly to stream music and make calls is done in a few quick steps.

The only gimmick in the cabin is probably the elaborate tune that plays every time the driver steps into the car, along with an animated welcome message on the screen.

Even though the architecture underpinning the 5 is also used for the petrol-hybrid powertrain option, which is not sold in Singapore, the cabin packaging is quite good. There is no transmission tunnel hump on the floor to compromise rear accommodation. So, it is possible to fit three adults in the back.

The boot is usefully square and the floorboard can be lowered to carve out more space, at the cost of a flat loading lip. Surprisingly, for an EV with a motor in front, the 5 has 35 litres of storage space under the bonnet.

In Singapore’s context, the “frunk” may be useful for sweaty gym gear or similarly strong-smelling takeaway food, preferably not at the same time.

The car has the usual suite of driver-assistance systems, including more advanced features, such as automatic lane keeping and adaptive cruise control. Steering corrections can be smoother and less hesitant, but otherwise, the aids are generally fit for purpose.

When cruising, the car’s energy regeneration function can be inconsistent. At times, it freewheels smoothly when the accelerator is eased. At other times, it decelerates rather markedly, in a bid to recover energy to charge up the battery.

In any case, the 5 can cover just under 400km in real life before it needs to be plugged in. The range and maximum charging speed are broadly comparable with those of rival EVs.

Those coming from a petrol-engine car that can cover over 500km on a full tank will need to adjust to charging more often than they used to refuel.

With petrol-engine cars, turning down the power can improve fuel efficiency, but chances are that detuning the 5 will not meaningfully increase the operating range as much as a significant bump in battery capacity.

On its own, the 5 is as competent an EV as it comes, ticking nearly all the boxes expected of a mass-market electric car. Just as significant about the car is its role in Chery’s chase for sales success, by tapping the gap in the market ignored by every other mass-market EV today.

Jaecoo 5

Price: $229,999 with COE, before applicable discounts
Motors: Permanent magnet synchronous with 58.9kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed, front-wheel drive
Power: 155kW at 18,000rpm
Torque: 288Nm at 4,500rpm
0-100kmh: 7.7 seconds
Top speed: 175kmh
Power consumption: 16.5kWh/100km
Charging capacity: 11kW AC; 130kW DC
Range: 402km
Agent: Vertex Automobile
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comparable considerations

Omoda E5 ($222,999 with COE before applicable discounts)

The Omoda E5 is the Jaecoo’s mechanical twin, but the two do not look anything like each other. The biggest difference is how the E5 has just 99kW of power, qualifying it for the Category A COE bracket. Other than that, it is down to personal preference between the city-slicker style of the Omoda or the slightly more outdoor-looking Jaecoo.

BYD Atto 2 ($240,888 with COE before applicable discounts)

Ignore the BYD at your own peril.The Atto 2 does everything expected of a compact electric SUV right. From the sleek digital interface to the general sense of quality in the finishing, the car feels like a more evolved car than the familiar Atto 3 and edges ahead of the Jaecoo, which feels a bit more spacious overall.

Aion Y Plus Premium ($257,988 with COE before applicable discounts)

The quirky Y Plus launched the Aion brand in Singapore in 2024. The electric car is more like a mini-people mover as it is a crossover. Its quirky boxy form translates to a usefully airy and spacious cabin. Overall, it feels like a well-sorted and refined car.