Jaecoo 5 and Jaecoo Are Here, And Competitors Should Be Worried

I did not expect to walk into a car launch and find a string quartet.

But that is exactly what greeted guests at the official launch of the Jaecoo 5 and Jaecoo 8 at Shangri-la Hotel on 5 May 2026.

Vertex Automobile, the sole distributor of Omoda Jaecoo vehicles in Singapore, clearly wanted to set a high bar for a product launch. And I think they succeeded.

The Brand That Came Out of Nowhere

Some quick context first. Omoda Jaecoo sits under China’s Chery Group and hit 1 million units sold in just three years, which makes it the fastest-growing car brand in the world right now.

In Singapore, Vertex Automobile posted a nearly 600% year-on-year sales increase, putting Omoda Jaecoo at third place for best-selling EV brand in Q1 2026. Third place is an incredible feat for one of the youngest EV brands here.

Looking at the incredible value proposition of the high competitive Jaecoo 5 and Jaecoo 8, I have no doubt that Vertex’s sales will remain strong for the rest of the year and beyond.

In the words of Ms Sng Khai Hing, Executive Director of Vertex Automobile, “We are just getting started.”

Jaecoo 5 BEV

The Jaecoo 5 is a pure-electric SUV priced from $169,999. That makes it one of the most affordable vehicles in the market today, despite the insanity of the latest COE prices.

The design of the Jaecoo 5 is deliberately off-road-adjacent: upright stance, prominent body lines, flush rear door handles. It is intentionally distinct from other EVs flooding the market right now which normally comes with sleeker and curvier lines.

Despite its smaller dimensions, there is a 35-litre washable frunk up front, which sounds small but is exactly right for muddy shoes, a wet umbrella, or charging cables you do not want rolling around the boot.

A standout of the Jaecoo 5 is its fully featured infotainment software. There is a dedicated Pet Mode baked into the system, which keeps the cabin climate running for your animal while you step out. The infotainment runs on a 13.2-inch touchscreen with a separate 8-inch instrument cluster, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and 64-colour ambient lighting across the front and rear rows. There’s even a camping and karaoke mode, should you need to spend more time in the car.

Practicality is another strength. The cabin has 35 storage compartments total, and there’s decent leg and headroom all round. Vegan leather is used throughout the cabin. These aren’t any run-of-mill vegan leathers either. These are fully TUV Rheinland-certified as pet-friendly which coupled with the earlier mentioned Pet Mode, makes the Jaecoo 5 an ideal vehicle for fur parents.

At the rear, the boot space is 480 litres, expanding to 1,180 litres with the rear seats folded.

On the powertrain: 155 kW, 288 Nm of torque, 0-100 km/h in 7.7 seconds, WLTP combined range of 402 km and city range rated at 601 km. Front-wheel drive, 58.9 kWh LFP battery, DC fast charging at 130 kW gets you from 30% to 80% in 28 minutes.

The Jaecoo 5 also comes with V2L (vehicle to load) capabilities, meaning you could use the onboard battery to power your electrical appliances. As a demonstration of this, Calvert Tay, a local social media darling and singer, was invited to put up a performance, fully powered by the Jaecoo 5’s battery.

Other than powering a live performance, the V2L capability of 3.3 kW also means you can run a portable fridge, a fan, or a kettle from the car on a camping trip.

All in all, that is a lot of features, functionalities and capabilities for the price in the Jaecoo 5.

Jaecoo 8 Super Hybrid

The Jaecoo 8 was the headline reveal of the night. At 4,820 mm long, with 7 seats and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, this heavy weight SUV is alot of car for the price of $234,999.

The vertical grille slats spanning the full height of the front fascia seem to hint at something that is more German and give it a presence that sits closer to a luxury full-sizer than anything else in this price bracket. Standing beside it at the event, it genuinely reads bigger and more authoritative than even the dimensions on paper suggest: 1,930 mm wide, 1,710 mm tall, 2,820 mm wheelbase.

The powertrain is what Jaecoo calls the Super Hybrid System: a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with an electric motor, producing 315 kW combined and 580 Nm of torque. Zero to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds. That is 0.1s quicker than a Golf GTI. In terms of range, it is rated for 134 km (WLTP) running on its battery, and total combined range of up 1,200 km with its titanic 70L fuel tank.

The standout feature for the Jaecoo 8 is its “CDC Magnetic Levitation” suspension. Using magnets, Jaecoo’s Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system that adjusts suspension stiffness in milliseconds based on road conditions.

To prove its effectiveness, Vertex Automotive invited 10 automobile journalists to take part in the “Takumi Challenge”, putting them through Singapore’s notorious “99 bend” stretch of road with a cup of fully filled water and challenging them to split as little as possible.

Inside, the Jaecoo 8 is firmly in premium territory. Nappa leather throughout, 8-point massage for the driver and front passenger, ventilated seats across driver, front passenger and second row, a 3-mode built-in fragrance system, 14 Sony speakers, and a Head-Up Display. Second-row passengers get their own dedicated HVAC touch controls.

Boot capacity is 200 litres with all seven seats in use, 738 litres with the third row folded, and 2,021 litres with both rear rows down.

There’s A Jaecoo For Everyone

The Jaecoo 5 is for the Singapore driver who wants to go fully electric without spending north of $200k, and wants a car that does not look like it is apologising for hitting that price. The pet mode, the karaoke function, the V2L that can power a live band provides significant lifestyle upgrade over traditional ICE vehicles for not alot of money.

The Jaecoo 8 is for the family that has outgrown their current SUV and wants something that feels properly premium without paying for a European badge. Seven seats, sub-six-second 0-100, massage seats, and 1,200 km of combined range. All that for barely 15% more money than the Jaecoo 5.

No matter which is your preferred Jaecoo, both are worth a look. You can view and test drive either cars at the Vertex Automotives’s Ubi or Commonwealth showrooms.

Omoda Jaecoo Showroom (Ubi)
3 Ubi Road 4, Singapore 408608
Tel: +65 6742 3393
Mon – Fri: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sat – Sun: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Appointment Only: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM, 7:00 PM – 10:00PM

Omoda Jaecoo Showroom (Commonwealth)
#01-05/06 One Commonwealth, Singapore 149544
Tel: +65 6228 2778
Mon – Fri: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sat – Sun: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Appointment Only: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM, 7:00 PM – 10:00PM

The Jaecoo 5 BEV and Jaecoo 8 Super Hybrid were viewed at the official launch event hosted by Vertex Automobile Pte Ltd on 5 May 2026. All opinions expressed are the author’s own and have not been influenced by the brand.