GWM ORA 5 vs Jaecoo J5 EV: Two Electric SUVs Under $37k, Compared

Two Chinese-brand electric SUVs, about the same size and almost the same money. The ORA 5 is a compact crossover from GWM; the J5 EV is the electric version of Jaecoo's small SUV. On paper they are close enough that the decision comes down to a handful of facts: what you pay, how far each goes, whether you tow, and how the warranties read. There is also one gap we want to be upfront about. Neither car has an ANCAP result in our records, so the safety section is short and says so plainly. We have not driven either one, and nothing here is a driving impression.

What each one costs

GWM sells the ORA 5 Lux at $33,990 drive-away and the Ultra at $36,990 drive-away. Jaecoo's J5 EV Summit is $35,990 recommended retail before on-road costs, and the drive-away figure we hold for it in Victoria is $36,990, the same as the ORA 5 Ultra. The two brands advertise on different bases, which is why the tables below show both columns. Where a column says est. RRP, that figure is worked back from the drive-away price by us, not published by the maker.

So the comparison is not as simple as a $2,000 gap. Put the cars side by side on drive-away money and the Ultra and the J5 EV Summit land in the same place, which makes the Ultra the closer match in equipment terms and the Lux the cheaper way in. In our records the J5 EV comes in one grade, so there is no cheaper J5 EV to hold against the Lux.

All three are battery electric. The weekly line is a finance estimate on an assumed rate, not a quote. The J5 also comes as a petrol (Track and Summit) and a Hybrid Summit. Those are separate cars and are not in these tables; our news pieces on the petrol and the hybrid have their pricing.

Safety: the honest gap

We hold no ANCAP result for the ORA 5 or the J5 EV, so we are not going to guess a star rating for either, and no rating from a different market or an earlier model applies here. If an ANCAP star rating is a requirement for you, a fleet policy for example, check ancap.com.au before you sign, because a result can land at any time. Our ANCAP explainer covers what the ratings do and do not tell you.

What we can say is what each car is listed with. Both carry seven airbags. Autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and lane keep assist are standard on the ORA 5 Lux, the ORA 5 Ultra and the J5 EV in our records. Pedestrian detection on the AEB is listed for the J5 EV and the ORA 5 Lux; the Ultra shows no data for it, which is a gap in our record rather than a missing feature. Jaecoo lists a driver attention monitor for the J5 EV; the ORA 5 rows show no data for it. The 360-degree camera is standard on the J5 EV and the ORA 5 Ultra, and shows no data on the Lux.

Range, battery and charging

The ORA 5 is the longer-range car on paper. GWM claims up to 435km, which it prints as WLTC range, from a 58.33kWh battery, with a consumption figure of 15.5kWh/100km. The J5 EV claims 402km on the WLTP cycle from 58.9kWh. That is 33km, or about 8 percent, in the ORA 5's favour. The two procedures are from the same family, but the footnote wording differs, so read the 33km as a hint.

The ORA 5 has 150kW and 260Nm and GWM quotes 0 to 100km/h in 8.0 seconds. The J5 EV has 155kW and 288Nm; Jaecoo's spec sheet prints no 0 to 100 time, so we show none. On DC the ORA 5 takes up to 120kW and GWM quotes 10 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. The J5 EV takes up to 130kW and Jaecoo quotes about 28 minutes for 30 to 80 percent. Those windows are not the same, so the numbers are not like for like. At home, the ORA 5 charges at 6.6kW on AC, about 6.6 hours for 0 to 100 percent, and the J5 EV takes 6.6kW single phase or 10.3kW three phase.

One feature to know about: GWM quotes vehicle-to-load output of up to 6kW on the ORA 5, enough to run appliances from the car. We hold no V2L figure for the J5 EV.

Space, boot and towing

The ORA 5 is 91mm longer (4,471mm against 4,380mm) and has 100mm more wheelbase (2,720mm against 2,620mm), which is where rear legroom comes from. The J5 EV is 27mm wider, 9mm taller and sits higher, with 200mm of ground clearance against the ORA 5's 175mm. The J5 EV has the bigger boot by 22 litres, 384 against 362. We hold no seats-folded figure for either.

Towing is a clear win for the J5 EV: 1,250kg braked, against 750kg for the ORA 5. Jaecoo's tow ball download limit is 75kg; GWM publishes no tow ball figure that we hold. Our towing rig check needs a kerb weight and a gross combination mass, and neither car has both on our record, so we have not embedded it. If you plan to tow, our towing planner works from the figures you enter, and the ball weight guide explains why the tow ball limit often matters more than the headline rating. Spare wheels differ too: GWM says every ORA 5 comes with an integrated spare tyre; Jaecoo's sheet lists a tyre repair kit for the J5 EV.

Equipment by grade

Four states, as always: Standard, Optional (with a printed price), No (the document says it is not fitted) and No data. The J5 EV has one grade in our records, so it sits against both ORA 5 grades. A pill that says No data is a gap in our record, not a missing feature.

Screens: 14.6 inches in the ORA 5 and 13.2 in the J5 EV. Speakers: 6 in the ORA 5 Lux, 9 in the Ultra and 8 in the J5 EV. All three have 18-inch wheels. The two cars share a lot of kit and the main difference is where the data is thin: the Ultra shows the most standard equipment in our records, and the Lux shows the most No data.

Warranty and servicing

Jaecoo gives eight years and unlimited kilometres on the vehicle, and eight years and unlimited kilometres on the battery. GWM gives seven years and unlimited kilometres on the vehicle and eight years and unlimited kilometres on the battery. Both list a 15,000km service interval, and Jaecoo adds 12 months. Jaecoo has a five-service capped schedule of $299, $359, $359, $359 and $299, which is $1,675 in all, and its sheet describes an eight-year capped price servicing program. We hold no capped service cost for the ORA 5.

Running costs, finance and tax

For two electric cars of this size, home charging is the biggest running cost lever and the two are close on battery size and range, so the calculator above is the better guide than any single figure we could quote. Servicing is cheap on both, with a 15,000km interval, and the J5 EV's eight-year capped program is a plus for predictability.

On tax, both cars are battery electric and sit under the fuel-efficient luxury car tax threshold. Run the check on the ORA 5 Ultra and it comes back exempt: Battery-electric and under the $91,661 threshold. Run it on the J5 EV Summit and it comes back exempt: Battery-electric and under the $91,661 threshold.

So which should you buy?

• You want the lowest entry price: the ORA 5 Lux, at $33,990 drive-away. The J5 EV has no cheaper grade.
• You want the most range on paper: the ORA 5, at up to 435km against 402km, with the caveat about cycles above.
• You tow a small trailer or a boat: the J5 EV, at 1,250kg braked against 750kg.
• You want the longest vehicle warranty: the J5 EV, at eight years against seven. The battery warranty is eight years on both.
• You want to power things from the car: the ORA 5, with up to 6kW of V2L from GWM. We have no V2L figure for the J5 EV.
• You want more room behind the front seats: the ORA 5 has 100mm more wheelbase; the J5 EV has the bigger boot by 22 litres.
• You need a published ANCAP rating: neither has one in our records. Wait, or check ANCAP directly.

Keep reading

The cars: GWM ORA 5 range and Jaecoo J5 range, or all GWM and Jaecoo models. Other head-to-heads: Atto 3 vs Jaecoo J5, ORA vs MG4 and Dolphin vs MG4 vs ORA. From the news desk: the ORA 5 launch and Uber driver offers on the J5.