Jaecoo 8 review

Bigger and better, that’s what the Jaecoo 8 is promising. It’s either an extremely easy or difficult task, depending on how you look at it. 

We’re talking about critical vs commercial success here. You see, Jaecoos (especially the Jaecoo 7) are selling like hotcakes right now, despite not-so-favourable reviews from the press. 

With seven seats, plug-in-hybrid power and clever suspension, the Jaecoo 8 hopes to buck the last part of that trend. Can it dethrone the best seven seaters, such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Peugeot 5008, both in showrooms and our reviews? Only time will tell on the former front, but read on to find out about the latter.

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What’s new? 

- April 2026 - We drive the Jaecoo 8 for the first time at the UK media launch 

- March 2026 - Jaecoo’s largest, most expensive model, the 8, is announced. It’s a seven-seat SUV available solely as a plug-in hybrid. 

How fast is it and which engine is best?

Every Jaecoo 8 has the same plug-in-hybrid (PHEV) setup, consisting of a 1.5-litre petrol engine, three electric motors and four-wheel drive. It delivers 422bhp and the resulting 0-62mph time is just 5.8sec. 

So yes, it’s fast. It feels so much quicker than basically every direct rival, including the Hyundai Santa Fe (8.0sec) and Peugeot 5008 (8.3sec) PHEVs.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

You might assume the 8 has the handling chops to match its mega straight-line strength. However, it doesn’t. The steering feels remote, meaning you’re left with little indication as to what the front wheels are up to. The tyres lack a truly reassuring amount of grip, too, and the body tends to lean a bit during hard cornering.

By contrast, the Santa Fe instills a lot more confidence. It has tighter body control, as well as more precise, direct-feeling steering. 

But at least the Jaecoo 8 has the edge for ride comfort… right? Well, no. You can feel the suspension fidgeting over all but really smooth surfaces, and it thwacks over sharp imperfections, sending vibrations up through the interior. 

It’s a shame. The 8 has clever adaptive suspension, just like the closely related Chery Tiggo 9 and Omoda 9. However, the Omoda is the only member of the three to ride smoothly. You’re better off with an Omoda 9 (or the Santa Fe or 5008) if you’re after a comfortable ride. 

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

The Jaecoo 8’s engine is so quiet it often goes unnoticed. There isn’t much whine from the electric motors, either. Wind noise is kept to a minimum but tyre roar and suspension noise are a bit more noticeable. 

On country roads and motorways, the 8 does a lot of regenerative braking; it’s easy to slow down smoothly. However, around town, you’ll be using the physical brakes more often, which is bad news because the brake pedal is soft and grabby. 

What’s the range and efficiency like and how quickly can it charge?

The Jaecoo 8 has a large 34.5kWh battery and an official electric-only range of 83 miles. That falls just short of closely related Chery Tiggo 9 (91 miles) and Omoda 9 (93 miles), but it’s still a remarkable figure. It trounces the Hyundai Santa Fe (33 miles) and Peugeot 5008 (48 miles). 

The Jaecoo 8, Tiggo 9 and Omoda 9 can all accept DC fast charging; a 10-80% top up is doable in around half an hour. For reference, the Santa Fe and 5008 will take hours to top up, because they can only accept 7kW from an AC home charger.

“I’d trade some of that power for a bit more composure, because the Jaecoo 8 felt unwieldy at times.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

If the Jaecoo 8’s exterior reminded you of an Audi Q7 or Mercedes GLE, then so will the interior. It’s curvy and classy, and there’s plenty of faux leather all over the place. The only bits that let it down are the cheap-feeling black plastic rocker panels – these are your steering-wheel-mounted buttons and some of the controls on the centre console.  

 Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

The driving position is indeed comfortable. The seat, wheel and pedals line up as they should, and there’s plenty of adjustment available.

You sit suitably high up in the Jaecoo 8, and the view out of the front is great. Over-the-shoulder visibility is good, too. On the other hand, your view out of the back is restricted by the slim rear window. At least every 8 gets a panoramic-view camera and all-around parking sensors.

 Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Not really. Say you want to adjust the climate control. There are no physical buttons or dials for that (like there is in the Omoda 9); instead you have to make adjustments via the infotainment touchscreen. That’s easier said than done, considering the icons are quite small and the system quite laggy. What’s more, if you’re using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, the climate control panel disappears until you manually bring it back up.

All in all, to use the interior controls on the move, you end up taking your eyes off the road more than you would in an Omoda 9, Hyundai Santa Fe or Peugeot 5008.

“The screen is set quite far back on the dashboard, meaning I often had to lean forward to use it.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

How much space does it have for people?

Up front, you’d have to be very tall to struggle for space in the Jaecoo 8. Second-row passengers are well accommodated too, and it helps that you can slide the seats back and forth. Another plus point is that the floor is completely flat, meaning the middle-seat passenger won’t have to straddle a hump. 

The second row splits in a 60/40 fashion if you choose the seven seater, but for a premium, you can have six seats instead. How does that make any sense? Well, in the six-seat version, the middle row consists of two electrically adjustable captain’s chairs. 

That’s all the good, but now onto the bad: the third row. There’s so little head room that even average-sized adults will be arching their necks to fit. And if you want any leg room, you’ll have to ask the second-row passengers to slide forward – if they oblige, they’ll likely feel cramped themselves. 

The Hyundai Santa Fe and Peugeot 5008 are much more spacious; a car full of adults will be more comfortable. Sure, you might only plan to put small children in the third row anyway, but just know that there are no Isofix mounts back there. 

If you don’t need seven seats, it’s worth considering the five-seat Skoda Kodiaq iV and MG HS PHEV. It’s worth noting that the Omoda 9 also only comes with five seats. The Chery Tiggo 9 has seven. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

The Jaecoo 8’s third row seats fold flat into the floor, giving you 738 litres of boot space. It slots between the Omoda 9 (660 litres) and Tiggo 9 (819 litres), but also the Santa Fe (621 litres) and 5008 (916 litres). 

In layman's terms, the Jaecoo 8 can cope with a pretty hefty weekly shop or family holiday, but it’s not the most capable load lugger around. The lack of a storage compartment for the charge cables is another point of contention.

“I think the third row is perfect… for Quasimodo. My head wasn’t just pressed against the ceiling, I was hunched over.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

As of writing, the Jaecoo 8 costs around £45,000. That’s a bit more expensive compared with the Peugeot 5008 PHEV, but it undercuts the Hyundai Santa Fe by a clear margin. 

As a company car, the 8 makes a lot of sense, considering its 83-mile electric range puts it in a low BIK tax bracket. You’ll have to get a fully electric car to go any lower. 

There are two versions to choose from: Luxury and Executive. The former gets seven seats, with the front and outer second-row seats heated. There’s also 20in alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control and a 14-speaker Sony sound system. 

The Executive gets six seats: it swaps the bench-style second row for a couple of individual captain’s chairs. These are electrically adjustable, heated, ventilated and messaging – fancy, ay?

 Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

The Jaecoo 8 is too new to feature in any What Car? Reliability Survey, but if anything were to go wrong, the model is covered by a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. That beats the length of cover offered by Hyundai (five years) and Peugeot (three years). 

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The 8 received five out of five stars from safety experts Euro NCAP, and the extensive list of standard safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, front collision warning and rear cross traffic alert. 

Every 8 has an alarm and immobiliser, making it more difficult to steal. But of course, like many modern SUVs with keyless entry, we'd recommend keeping the fobs in a faraday pouch to ward off relay theft.

“I’d be curious to see which sells better: the Jaecoo 8 or Chery Tiggo 9. The two share the same underpinnings and are similarly priced.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer 

Buy it if…

- You enjoy quick acceleration

- You want a lot of standard kit

- You’re a company car driver

Don’t buy it if…

- You want sharp handling or a lovely plush ride

- You need a spacious third row 

- You like simple, physical climate controls

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