Jaecoo’s E5 electric crossover landed earlier this year, heralding the Chinese brand’s second model and its first all-electric SUV for the UK. Al Suttie gets his mitts on it for a week.

Jaecoo E5 Luxury

List price (BiK): £30,440 (3%)  Economy: 248 miles   Test efficiency: 232 miles

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Monday

The other day, I overheard a conversation where one of the protagonists opined that all Chinese cars look the same. Not sure which optician he’s using, but I think he should book a check-up. No need for ocular antics with the electric Jaecoo E5 as it intentionally looks all but identical to its petrol-powered J5 sibling. Other than the blanked-off front grille of the E5, it’s much the same sharp looker.

Tuesday

As is now par for the course with new cars, there’s the usual hunt the button on the infotainment to disable overly intrusive safety aids. Discussing this with a friend recently, she told me her car drives her mad with these audible prods and didn’t realise they could be turned off. How many others are suffering in, well certainly not silence, but ignorance? At least in the E5 it’s a relatively simple task.

Wednesday

Jaecoo has not gone mad on the EV acceleration thing with the E5, instead opting to provide a decently strong 0-62mph dash of 7.7 seconds. That feels spot on for this size and type of SUV, plus it doesn’t encourage any battery-draining drag starts. With a claimed range of 248 miles, the E5 keeps its sensible hat on for daily duties and the dash display tallies with reality.

Thursday

Around town, the E5 is as easy to live with as any of its rivals. A tight turning circle, decent all-round vision for the driver helped by the panoramic parking camera, and light steering. On more open roads, the suspension can stumble over sharper ridges and there’s more lean in corners than with a Ford Puma Gen-E. There’s also an irritating rattle from the driver’s door at anything more than 20mph.

Friday

The Jaecoo E5 might not have driving enthusiasts signing up, but families are going to love it. There is more than ample room in the back for teenagers and the Luxury model driven here comes with a panoramic glass roof to give the cabin a more open feel. You also get heated and ventilated front seats in this spec.

Saturday

I’m not a big fan of slab-like dash displays and infotainment screens, and happily the Jaecoo sidesteps this with its cabin design. The main dash screen is a rectangular strip and shows all the vital info clearly. You also get a physical control to turn on the headlights, while haptic buttons on the steering wheel take care of the usual stereo and cruise control functions.

Sunday

Decent battery range, plenty of equipment and a cabin that’s as well built as any in this class means you might suspect the Jaecoo is going to be pricey. It’s not. In Luxury trim as here, it’s notably cheaper than a Škoda Elroq or Kia EV3 to lease, which means you don’t need a new pair of specs to see the appeal of E5 to fleet drivers.