What South Africans can actually expect from hybrid Jaecoo J5?
The 2026 Beijing Auto Show was a busy and chaotic baptism of fire for me as a first-time visitor, but the real test didn't happen on a carpeted convention floor. As a media guest of Omoda & Jaecoo, I was whisked away from the neon lights of the capital to the brand’s industrial heartland: Wuhu. This wasn't just a factory tour. We were there for the 9 Countries Super Hybrid Marathon, a real-world endurance challenge designed to put the new Jaecoo J5 SHS-H through its paces before its local launch
The humid air of Anhui Province is no joke, and as we lined up for the Omoda & Jaecoo 9 Countries Super Hybrid Marathon. Representing Team South Africa, I joined two colleagues not just to drive for a trophy, but to stress-test the Jaecoo J5 SHS (Super Hybrid System) before it hits South African shores later this year. The brand's representatives sealed our fuel tanks with stickers, and we set off for the two-day challenge.
The heart of the machine
The marathon didn't start on a dusty road; it started at the high-tech O&J Campus in Wuhu. Standing among the glass and steel of the global headquarters where the Jaecoo J5 was conceived, we were about to take it from the lab to the real world. As Team South Africa, we looked at teams from Brazil, New Zealand, France, and Spain, among others, and hoped to represent our country with pride while also providing a realistic consumption figure.
Realism over records
Our goal was simple: provide a benchmark that actually matters to someone driving in South Africa.
The sauna strategy: Brazil and Spain chased the podium by sacrificing comfort, enduring the heat to squeeze every millilitre of fuel by not using air conditioning (AC).
The SA strategy: Treat the car like a South African would. Music on, AC humming, and the hybrid system left to do its own heavy lifting.
- Back home, nobody is going to drive from Johannesburg to Durban in December with the windows up and the AC off just to save a few rands. To give South Africans a real-world look at what this car can do, we hit the on button on the climate control and kept it there.
The Trek: From Wuhu to Dousha River
Leaving the campus, we carved through the Yinhu Road transit before hitting the open expressways.
Day 1
Chaohu Lakeside: We cruised along the scenic lakeside avenues, using the regenerative braking to feed the battery during the winding sections.
The Climb: The route took us through the Taoxi and Fengle service areas, eventually pushing toward the Dousha River Hot Spring Town where we spent the night.
Day 2
- This was a 309 km straight shot back toward Wuhu. As we merged onto the highway, we saw the competition tucking into the slipstreams of trucks, windows rolled up tight, and drivers looking increasingly focused. We stuck to our strategy of not exceeding 100km/h but also not travelling below 80km/h, allowing us to make reasonable progress while remaining efficient.
Results
Despite the AC handicap we gave ourselves, the J5’s efficiency was impressive. While our competitors sat in mobile saunas, we cruised in 16°C comfort.
| Metric | Team South Africa result |
| Final standing | 3rd place overall |
| Real-world consumption | 3.7 L/100km (winner 3.4 L/100km) |
| Comprehensive range | 1 068.6 km |
Finishing third while being one of the only teams to use air conditioning felt like a moral victory. We provided a realistic test of the J5's abilities, akin to someone hypermiling during an extended trip, without sacrificing basic luxuries like air conditioning, music, and regular breaks. Clocking over 1 000 km on a single tank/charge is achievable in the hybrid J5 in a relatively normal driving environment, which is exactly what the SA market needs to hear.
Verdict
The Jaecoo J5 SHS is headed to South Africa in the coming months, and if our marathon run is anything to go by, it’s arriving at the right time, as consumers look for more efficient options amid rising fuel prices. Its Omoda C5 SHS sibling shares a lot with the Jaecoo, so expect their pricing to be similar as well.
Related: Omoda C5 HEV (2026) Review
