The Jaecoo J8 SHS is the plug-in hybrid flagship of Jaecoo, Chery's rugged-SUV sub-brand, and it is now the largest, most powerful vehicle in the lineup. Built on Chery Group's Super Hybrid System (badged SHS-P for this plug-in application), the J8 SHS pairs a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine with three electric motors and a 34.36 kWh LFP battery to deliver 422 hp, over 100 km of pure-electric range and more than 1,000 km combined. It seats seven across three rows, comes standard with all-wheel drive, and undercuts most Western-badged three-row PHEV SUVs by a wide margin on price. The J8 SHS is already on sale in the UK and Australia, with Middle East availability following, positioning it as a value-driven alternative to family SUVs like the Kia Sorento PHEV, Toyota Kluger and premium three-row hybrids costing twice as much.
Performance & Specs
The Jaecoo J8 SHS runs Chery's Super Hybrid System in its plug-in configuration (SHS-P): a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine rated at 105 kW (141 hp) and 215 Nm works alongside three electric motors — two at the front (75 kW/170 Nm and 90 kW/220 Nm) and one at the rear (175 kW/310 Nm) — through a dedicated 3-speed hybrid transmission. Drive to the rear axle is purely electric, giving the J8 SHS all-wheel drive without a mechanical driveshaft. Combined system output is 315 kW (428 PS / 422 hp) and 580 Nm of torque, enough for a 5.8-second 0-100 km/h time and a 180 km/h top speed — both figures confirmed by Jaecoo's own UK and Australian specification sheets and repeated across multiple independent test drives in both markets.
A note on the power figures: readers will find a second, higher output — 395 kW (537 PS) and 650 Nm — attached to the J8 SHS in several early previews, including Chery's own April 2026 global reveal at its International Business Summit in Wuhu and a run of aggregator spec sheets that picked that number up afterward. That higher figure has not carried through to the production cars actually reaching showrooms: both Jaecoo UK's official configurator and Jaecoo Australia's confirmed launch specification independently list 315 kW/580 Nm for the shipping SHS-P powertrain, and every road test we found from UK and Australian outlets measured the car against that lower number, not the 395 kW one. The most likely explanation is that 395 kW/650 Nm was an early platform-level figure for Chery's Super Hybrid System shared with the related Omoda 9 SHS — itself confirmed to use a punchier tune, reaching 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds against the J8's 5.8 seconds on the same battery — rather than the final calibration Jaecoo settled on for the heavier, comfort-tuned J8. We're reporting the confirmed 315 kW/580 Nm figure throughout this article because it's what buyers in every market that has actually launched the car are getting.
| Powertrain | 1.5T + 3-motor SHS-P PHEV |
|---|---|
| Power | 315 kW (428 PS / 422 hp) |
| Torque | 580 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | 5.8 s |
| Battery | 34.36 kWh LFP |
| Range | 169 km EV / 1,000+ km combined |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | Plug-in Hybrid (SHS-P) |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | 422 hp |
| ACCELERATION | 5.8 s (0-100 km/h) |
| TOP SPEED | 180 km/h |
| DRIVETRAIN | AWD (electric rear axle) |
| BATTERY | 34.36 kWh LFP |
| ELECTRIC RANGE | 169 km (NEDC) |
| COMBINED RANGE | 1,000+ km |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 4,820 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,930 mm |
| Height | 1,710 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,820 mm |
| Ground clearance | 162 mm |
At 4,820 mm long on a 2,820 mm wheelbase, the J8 SHS sits in the same footprint as three-row mainstream SUVs like the Toyota Kluger and Hyundai Santa Fe, but its 1,930 mm width gives it noticeably broader shoulders. Jaecoo offers the car with either seven seats (bench-style second row) or six seats (captain's chairs with power recline and massage on the top UK Executive trim). Reviewers who have driven the production car single out the third row as genuinely tight for adult knees and headroom, with no dedicated air vents back there — a common trade-off in this class rather than a J8-specific flaw. Boot space is 738 litres with the third row folded flat, dropping to 200 litres with all seven seats in use, and the SUV is rated to tow up to 1,600 kg braked or 750 kg unbraked.
| LENGTH | 4,820 mm |
|---|---|
| WIDTH | 1,930 mm |
| HEIGHT | 1,710 mm |
| WHEELBASE | 2,820 mm |
| CARGO VOLUME | 200 L (7 seats up) / 738 L (3rd row folded) |
| FUEL TANK | 70 L |
Charging & Battery
The J8 SHS uses a 34.36 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, chosen over the nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry some early spec sheets listed, for its durability and 8-year unlimited-kilometre warranty coverage. DC fast charging tops out at 70 kW, enough to take the battery from 30-80% in roughly 20-25 minutes depending on market and ambient conditions — Jaecoo UK quotes 20 minutes, Jaecoo Australia around 25. A 6.6 kW onboard AC charger handles a full 0-100% charge in about 5.5 hours, and the system supports 6.6 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) output for running external appliances. Electric-only range is quoted differently by market because of the test cycle used: Australia's NEDC-rated figure is 169 km, while the UK's stricter WLTP test returns 134 km (83 miles) for the same battery and powertrain. Combined range with a full 70-litre tank and a charged battery exceeds 1,000 km in Australia and over 700 miles (roughly 1,127 km) on the UK's cycle.
| BATTERY | 34.36 kWh LFP |
|---|---|
| AC CHARGING | 6.6 kW (0-100% in ~5.5 hrs) |
| DC FAST CHARGING | 70 kW |
| DC 30-80% TIME | ~20-25 min |
Design & Interior
The J8 SHS wears Jaecoo's family face: a tall, slatted chrome grille flanked by slim LED headlights, a nearly vertical front end that echoes classic body-on-frame SUVs, and a floating roofline with blacked-out D-pillars. The PHEV-specific chrome side strip and rear badge distinguish it from the petrol-only J8. Inside, the top-spec cars run to quilted leather upholstery, heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, ambient lighting, and a frameless rear-view mirror. UK Executive-trim buyers get power-reclining, massaging second-row captain's chairs in place of the standard bench. A panoramic sunroof and a 14-speaker Sony sound system — including speakers built into the front headrests — round out the cabin, and Continuous Damping Control (CDC) adaptive suspension is fitted across the range to manage the SUV's roughly 2.3-tonne kerb weight.
Technology & Features
Dual 12.3-inch curved displays merge the digital instrument cluster and central touchscreen into a single panel, run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip with an eight-core CPU. The infotainment supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a "Hello Jaecoo" voice assistant, a head-up display, and 50 W wireless phone charging. A 540-degree camera system stitches together a top-down panoramic view, and a "transparent chassis" mode shows the ground beneath the car on the central screen for tight parking or rough surfaces. The powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control and window shades for rear passengers round out a features list aimed squarely at family buyers rather than off-road enthusiasts.
Safety & ADAS
The J8 SHS ships with a 20-feature driver-assistance suite built around front and rear collision alert, advanced autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist recognition, adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam assist, lane departure warning and prevention, emergency lane keeping, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert and braking, driver monitoring, and door-open warning. Ten airbags are fitted across the cabin. Combined with the 540-degree camera and transparent-chassis view, the suite puts the J8 SHS's active-safety equipment roughly on par with mainstream rivals from Toyota, Kia and Hyundai, though independent crash-test ratings for the SHS-P powertrain specifically had not been published in either the UK or Australian market as of September 2026.
| ADAS LEVEL | L2 (20-feature suite) |
|---|---|
| ADAS FEATURES | AEB (pedestrian/cyclist), ACC, traffic-jam assist, LKA, ELK, BSM, RCTA, 540° camera, transparent chassis view, DMS |
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | EV RANGE | COMBINED RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia — Summit (7-seat) | 422 hp | 580 Nm | 5.8 s | 180 km/h | AWD | 34.36 kWh | 169 km (NEDC) | 1,000+ km | $42,590 | Sole Australian trim; quilted leather, massage front seats, 14-speaker Sony audio |
| UK — Luxury (7-seat) | 422 hp | 580 Nm | 5.8 s | 180 km/h | AWD | 34.36 kWh | 134 km (WLTP) | ~1,127 km | $60,500 | Entry UK trim, bench second row, same powertrain as Executive |
| UK — Executive (6-seat) | 422 hp | 580 Nm | 5.8 s | 180 km/h | AWD | 34.36 kWh | 134 km (WLTP) | ~1,127 km | $63,200 | Power-reclining, massaging captain's chairs replace the second-row bench |
Pricing & Availability
The Jaecoo J8 SHS is on sale now in two of its confirmed launch markets. In Australia it arrived in dealerships in July 2026 as a single, generously equipped Summit AWD variant priced from AU$59,990 (about $42,590) before on-road costs. In the UK, the car is offered as the Luxury (7-seat) from £45,500 (about $60,500) and Executive (6-seat) from £47,500 (about $63,200), both on-the-road prices, with the range having launched earlier in 2026 ahead of Australia. Jaecoo has also confirmed the J8 SHS for the Middle East, where its Performance trim is listed from roughly AED 161,000 (about $43,800) in the UAE, and New Zealand, where it has already been reviewed by local outlets. A seven-seat version was the first to be approved for Australia, alongside a six-seat captain's-chair layout under consideration for later release. Notably, the J8 nameplate itself is export-focused: in China, the closely related, facelifted version of this vehicle is sold under Chery's own Tiggo 9 badge rather than as a Jaecoo, so the SHS-P powertrain's domestic Chinese pricing is not directly comparable to the export figures above.
How It Compares
Against our own catalog's large PHEV SUVs, the J8 SHS is the least powerful of the four but the cheapest at its Australian price point, and its 422 hp is still more than enough for family duty. The BYD Tang DM-i undercuts it slightly on price while offering more power and a longer combined range, and the Denza N8L is in a different performance league entirely at 751 hp for barely more money — both are a reminder that Chinese-market PHEV SUVs routinely out-spec Western-badged rivals at this price. The J8 SHS's real competitive set isn't these Chinese EV-first brands, though; it's aimed at buyers cross-shopping a Kia Sorento PHEV, Toyota Kluger Hybrid or Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, where a seven-seat plug-in hybrid with 422 hp and genuine EV range for well under $45,000 (before the UK and Middle East's higher local pricing) simply has no direct equivalent.
- 422 hp and a genuinely usable 134-169 km of electric-only range from a plug-in hybrid priced well under most Western three-row rivals
- Seven real seats (or six with captain's chairs), 738 L of boot space with the third row folded, and an 8-year unlimited-kilometre battery warranty
- Strong standard equipment across every trim — dual 12.3-inch displays, a 20-feature ADAS suite, massaging seats and a 14-speaker Sony system
- Third row is tight for adults with no dedicated air vents, and reviewers note vague steering and body roll through corners
- Early marketing quoted a higher 395 kW/650 Nm output that the shipping UK and Australian cars don't actually deliver
The Jaecoo J8 SHS is a genuinely competent answer to the question "what if a mainstream three-row family SUV had a proper plug-in hybrid powertrain and didn't cost $70,000?" With 422 hp, real EV range, and a seven-seat cabin backed by an 8-year battery warranty, it undercuts the Kia Sorento PHEV and Toyota Kluger Hybrid on both price and powertrain sophistication. It won't out-handle a European SUV, the third row is adults-need-not-apply territory, and Jaecoo's own early marketing muddied the water on power output before the production car settled at a lower, still-strong figure. For buyers prioritizing space, features and running costs over outright dynamics, the J8 SHS earns a strong recommendation as one of the best-value seven-seat PHEVs currently on sale.
