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There are various reasons why the swarm of new Chinese cars arriving in the UK in recent months have proved incredibly popular among drivers: affordable prices, heaps of equipment and some of the most advanced tech on the market.

But another is the immense range of the electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Chinese brands are bringing to market.

And the most popular Chinese car in Britain has just proved it can almost drive the full length of the UK without needing to stop to refuel or recharge.

Jaecoo has sold 23,840 examples of its 7 SUV, dubbed the 'Temu Range Rover' for its likeness to the Range Rover Velar but at around half the price, in the first half of 2026.

And the variant most customers are choosing is the Super Hybrid System Plug-in (SHS-P), which is advertised to offer 747 miles of range from its petrol-electric drivetrain.

But it has just completed an authenticated real-world fuel economy test in which it drove a staggering 828 miles without stopping.

That's just 11 miles short of the distance from Land's End, the southernmost point of England, to John o' Groats at the northern tip of Scotland.

The Jaecoo 7 SUV - the car dubbed the 'Temu Range Rover' that's become Britain's third best-selling new model - has just been driven the length of the UK on one tank of fuel

The Jaecoo 7 Super Hybrid System Plug-in (SHS-P) has an advertised range of 747 miles on a single tank of fuel and fully-charged battery. It just went for 828 miles in a real-world test

The Jaecoo 7 SHS-P, which is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an 18.3kWh battery providing up to 56 miles of EV-only range, completed the real-world endurance test alongside an Omoda 7 with the same SHS-P setup.

Omoda is the sister brand to Jaecoo - both sit under the Chinese Chery Group banner.

The Jaecoo surpassed its on-paper range by a staggering 11.14 per cent.

Though it should be noted that the cars were piloted by 'professional efficiency drivers' Kevin Booker and Sam Clarke, who know every trick in the book to extract the longest range from a single tank of fuel.

At the same time, the Omoda 7 SHS-P, which has a claimed range of 700 miles, also surpassed its advertised range by 10 per cent, emptying its tank and battery after 770 miles of constant driving.

Costing just £35,170, the Jaecoo 7 SHS-P is almost half the price of the cheapest Range Rover Velar PHEV (£65,450), while the Omoda 7 SHS-P is even cheaper at £32,005.

The economy run took place in late June at UTAC Millbrook on a closed proving ground designed to emulate real-world driving conditions.

Over the course of two days, Omoda and Jaecoo held the economy challenge on the circuit, a two-mile-long, five-lane-wide banked track.

It was chosen to replicate dual carriageway and motorway conditions, as well as hilly routes designed to mimic countryside driving.

The Jaecoo 7 (right) and Omoda 7 SHS-Ps completed their economy runs in late June at UTAC Millbrook on a closed proving ground designed to emulate real-world driving conditions

The Jaecoo 7 (left) has some close similarities to JLR's Range Rover Velar (right) but is about half the price

Since September 2025, the Jaecoo 7 has consistently featured among the UK's top ten best-selling vehicles and, in its first year on sale, shifted more than 30,100 units to private buyers.

Together, Omoda and Jaecoo recorded 52,828 vehicle registrations in the first six months of 2026, continuing their strong sales momentum from their initial year on sale in 2025.

Kevin Booker, lead economy driver in the challenge, commented: 'This was all about demonstrating what can be achieved in these cars.

'What many people won't realise is that we completed this challenge during a heatwave.

'Although the mileage was covered over two days at Millbrook, the time flew by behind the wheel, even in temperatures as high as 41C.

'This journey has shown that, with the right mindset and the right car, you really can achieve more while using less.'