The Jaecoo 8 Fixed the Wrong Problem, Again
Reviews of the flagship follow a familiar pattern from the smaller Jaecoo 7: genuinely huge value and specification, undermined by a ride quality that the brand's clever adaptive suspension somehow still can't get right.
Illustration for editorial purposes
More Expensive, Same Core Weakness
Stepping up to a bigger, pricier flagship model usually means fixing the smaller car's rough edges. Reviewers keep finding that the one issue that mattered most on the Jaecoo 7 — ride comfort — persists here too, despite genuinely sophisticated adaptive suspension hardware.
Specs at a Glance
| Body style | Seven-seat (or six-seat) large SUV |
|---|---|
| Powertrain | 1.5L turbo petrol Super Hybrid System PHEV, 4WD |
| Power | 428bhp combined |
| Electric range | 83 miles official (34.5kWh battery) |
| 0–62mph | 5.8 sec |
| Warranty | 7 years / 100,000 miles |
Full Review Summary
What Car?
What Car? found the adaptive suspension — shared with the closely related Chery Tiggo 9 and Omoda 9 — still fidgets over all but the smoothest surfaces and thwacks hard over sharp bumps, with the Omoda 9 alone managing to ride smoothly on the same underlying hardware. They rated the cabin as genuinely classy, evoking an Audi Q7 or Mercedes GLE, let down only by cheap-feeling black plastic switchgear on the steering wheel and centre console, and found the brake pedal soft and grabby specifically in town driving.
RAC Drive
RAC Drive praised the 34.5kWh battery as genuinely larger than even a plug-in hybrid Range Rover's, delivering an 83-mile official electric range that puts the car in a low 7% Benefit-in-Kind tax bracket. They rated the 70kW DC rapid charging as a genuine highlight, enabling a 30-80% top-up in around 20 minutes — considerably faster than large SUV rivals like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Peugeot 5008, which are limited to slow AC-only home charging.
Strengths
- Genuinely huge electric range and battery for a PHEV
- Fast 70kW DC rapid charging, rare among plug-in hybrids
- Classy, well-finished cabin
- Strong 7-year warranty and low company car tax banding
Weak points
- Fidgety, unsettled ride despite sophisticated adaptive suspension
- Soft, grabby brake pedal in town driving
- Cheap-feeling switchgear on an otherwise upmarket dashboard
- No independent reliability data yet, given how new the brand is
Who It Actually Suits
Buyers who want genuine seven-seat space, a huge PHEV electric range and fast charging, and are willing to accept a ride quality that trails class benchmarks like the Peugeot 5008. Worth testing the related Omoda 9 too, since reviewers rate its ride noticeably better on the same underlying hardware.
More Jaecoo Reviews
Watch the Reviews
Jaecoo 8 review ↗ (same video, watch above ↗)