Jaecoo 7 vs Skoda Kamiq: SUV newcomer takes on a family favourite

On the face of it, luxury and value for money are two concepts that go completely against one another. Rarely will someone quaff a bottle of vintage champagne while considering it excellent value for money. And in a real sense, it would sort of miss the point if such things were more keenly priced.

The definition of luxury cars, however, is harder to pin down. Yes, lots of leather and wood can make a model feel special, but the latest and most pampering in-car tech, along with endless interior space, can have a similar effect for some buyers, and obtaining these things needn’t be too costly. 

That’s where Jaecoo, a fresh name in the UK car market, comes in. Its new 7 model aims to deliver a C-segment-sized SUV for B-segment cash, and it comes packed with almost every bit of in-car kit you can think of. But does it feel posh, or do its selling points come at the expense of compromises elsewhere?

To find out, we’ve put the Jaecoo against a similarly priced alternative from a class below. The Skoda Kamiq is a down-to-earth family car that shuns many of the luxurious pretences, and aims to please in other ways. It gets more standard kit for 2025, too.

Jaecoo 7

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On paper, it’s hard to deny that the new Jaecoo 7 offers a huge amount of car for the cash. The petrol-powered option is absolutely loaded with standard kit, yet costs £29,435, which is just over £1,000 less than the Skoda Kamiq it faces here. 

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Due to the scheduling of our photo shoot, the exterior images show the plug-in hybrid 7, which aside from an additional flap for the charging port, looks identical to the petrol-engined car from the outside. The interior pictured, however, is of the petrol model.

Tester’s notes

While some Chinese newcomers, including its Chery group stablemate the Omoda 5, look a little anonymous, the Jaecoo has some features that help it stand out from the crowd. To either side of that huge front grille are a pair of headlights with square LED elements, which look almost Audi-like.

Elsewhere, there’s clearly a lot of Range Rover influence, even down to small details such as the electrically retractable door handles. One thing that lets the side down are the 19-inch alloy rims, which make the 7 look rather under-wheeled.

Many cars have ambient lighting, and the 7 is no different. You can select from a range of colours to personalise the gentle hue that glows from several places on the doors and the dash. 

Less conventional is a feature which makes the ambient lighting flash with the music. I use ‘with’ in the loosest sense – when we tried it, it didn’t really seem to keep time to the rhythm, but flashed on and off and changed colours at random. This is every bit as distracting as you might think.

Skoda Kamiq

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The Skoda Kamiq last appeared in an Auto Express comparison test in June 2024, when it beat the Jeep Avenger. This time it’s back in a more potent guise; while the previous car used the 1.0 TSI engine, we’re pitting the 7 against the 1.5-litre model. 

When equipped with an automatic gearbox to put it on terms with the Jaecoo, the Czech competitor comes to £30,645 in SE L Edition trim – the second highest of four trims. If you’re happy to stick with the six-speed manual, it costs £29,295.

Tester’s notes

Skoda’s Simply Clever Plus pack (£340) adds extras that make life easier throughout the Kamiq. Rear-seat passengers each get a tablet PC mount on the back of the front seats, while loading the kids in and out of tight spots becomes a little less stressful thanks to pop-out door edge protectors. 

Further forward, the pack adds a small waste bin in the driver’s door pocket and drawers under the front seats. The boot gets a net on the underside of the parcel shelf and a double-sided floor; one side is rubber and the other is carpet.

In comparison with Ford Bluetooth systems, which just instantly work, connecting a device wirelessly to the Kamiq set-up always seems like a struggle, with the system usually taking a few attempts to connect successfully.

Even then, Android Auto can take minutes to pair automatically, although you can speed things up by manually selecting the option yourself. But you’ll still need a USB cable anyway, because there’s no wireless charging.

Head-to-head

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On the road

The Kamiq shows just how much room for improvement there is for the Jaecoo 7’s chassis and powertrain engineers. While you’d expect a smaller car with similar power to feel more lively, the Skoda is much quicker, much lighter and more composed through the corners, plus rides more smoothly over bumps.

Cruising refinement is fairly similar with this pair, but the 7’s indecisive, laggy gearbox makes it fall even further behind.

Tech highlights

All Jaecoo 7 models get a pair of huge digital displays, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and synthetic leather upholstery. Our test Skoda has lots of kit, but misses out on niceties such as the 7’s panoramic roof.

Both have turbo petrol engines. The Skoda’s gives away 100cc in capacity and 25Nm in torque to the 7, but its peak arrives lower in the rev range, and its 148bhp maximum is 3bhp higher.

Price and running

The clearest difference between these two is in fuel efficiency. The Kamiq returned 43.8mpg in a mix of driving – reaching as high as 52mpg on a 70mph motorway run.

In contrast, the Jaecoo 7 averaged 27.4mpg. That means over the course of 10,000 miles, the Skoda will cost almost £900 less to run in fuel bills alone – and delivers much stronger straight-line performance as an added bonus.

Practicality

The Jaecoo 7 is 259mm longer than the Skoda Kamiq, and it offers more space inside. But, it’s in the boot where its advantage is clearest, with the 7’s 500-litre volume beating the Kamiq’s by a clear 100 litres. 

While the Chinese model has an advantage when it comes to rear-seat space, the difference isn’t huge. In reality, both vehicles are very spacious, but the Kamiq’s packaging feels smarter.

Safety

Jaecoo has yet to officially submit the 7 for Euro NCAP testing. But its five-star ratings in other global markets suggest a strong score here, especially given that it comes with so much standard driver-assist tech.

The Kamiq achieved a five-star rating in 2019, and its safety kit has increased since then to align with NCAP’s ever-more stringent scoring criteria. Its lane-keep assist is less intrusive than the 7’s.

Ownership

We’ll watch Jaecoo and its sibling brand Omoda over the next couple of years to see how owners rate the experience of living with the newcomers’ products, but a seven-year warranty is a promising start.

Skoda is a much better-known quantity to owners, but its 23rd-place finish in our 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey was underwhelming for a brand which has performed strongly previously.

Verdict

Winner: Skoda Kamiq

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In many ways, the Kamiq is all the family car you’ll ever really need. It’s not the most striking or flashy compact SUV out there, but it’s one which manages to get all of the fundamental things right.

Ride comfort and handling are above average for the class, refinement is fine and the engine range is strong, whether you want a manual or an automatic gearbox. Its greatest strengths lie with its logical ergonomics, intuitive technology and impressive interior and boot space. There are some models that are slightly better value for money, but few get so many things very right.

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Runner-up: Jaecoo 7

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The Jaecoo 7 is an intriguing first attempt from a new maker, but it’s one which also proves that Chinese brands do their best work when fully electric powertrains are involved. 

The 7 is a car that is split down the middle when it comes to scoring, because its marks are either great or disappointing. In the former camp are interior space, equipment levels and aftersales care, but it’s let down by an underwhelming drive with a poor automatic gearbox and a hugely thirsty petrol engine. Those who like the luxury style might be tempted, but everyone else would be better served by the Skoda Kamiq.

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