If you’re expecting a revolution, you might want to sit down. Because what the hybrid JAECOO 5 SHS-H delivers isn’t fireworks – it’s something far more British: quiet, sensible competence with just enough poke to keep things interesting.

This is JAECOO taking its already perfectly agreeable JAECOO 5 and giving it a hybrid brain transplant. No plugs, no faff, no awkward conversations with extension leads. Just a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine working in tandem with some clever electrics and a DHT gearbox to produce a fairly hearty 165 kW. Which, translated out of engineer-speak, means it’ll do 0–62 mph in 7.9 seconds — brisk enough to avoid embarrassment at roundabouts.

But that’s not really the point.

The point is this: more than 650 miles of range and up to 53 mpg, without you having to change a single habit. You just get in, drive, and smugly glide past petrol stations slightly less often than before. It’s hybrid ownership for people who don’t want to think about owning a hybrid.

Visually, nothing’s changed inside or out — and that’s probably for the best. It still has that upright, slightly rugged stance, like it spends weekends hiking (it doesn’t) and weekdays doing the school run (it absolutely does). The waterfall grille is still front and centre, shouting “adventure” while the rest of the car quietly whispers “Tesco car park”.

Starting at just over £26k, it undercuts a lot of the hybrid competition while offering a reassuringly long warranty to calm any lingering doubts.

So no, it’s not thrilling. It’s not outrageous. It’s not even particularly new, philosophically speaking.

But in a world obsessed with extremes, the JAECOO 5 SHS-H might just have nailed something far more difficult: being exactly what most people actually need.