No, you haven't overlooked the unveiling of a new, miniature Range Rover: this is the Jaecoo E5, the smaller sibling to the incredibly popular Jaecoo 7 SUV that hit the market in January. If you've not seen one of those yet, you're bound to soon - it was the UK's fourth top-selling car in September.

If the 7 is China's answer to a Range Rover Velar, consider the 5 as an affordable Evoque: more compact, less expensive, and more charming. The 5 starts at £24,505, while the Evoque kicks off at £44,380.

Motoring writer Jon Reay took the electric model for a spin, but there's also a petrol variant if you're not into plugging in. Apart from some shared underpinnings with the Omoda 5 and E5, virtually everything about the Jaecoo is fresh. There are certainly echoes of the 7, most notably the blunt, boxy exterior styling.

The interior follows suit, mirroring the 7's massive portrait touch screen in the centre of the dashboard. The E5 also marks Jaecoo's first venture into fully-electric vehicles, with the 7 only available as a petrol or plug-in hybrid.

The E5 boasts a 204bhp electric motor coupled with a 61kWh battery, promising a claimed range of 248 miles - pretty much on par with most of its competitors. It's quite nippy too: 0-60mph is dispatched in 7.7 seconds, which is noticeably faster than a Ford Puma Gen-e or a Vauxhall Mokka-e.

The E5's charging speeds are a tad slower, peaking at 80kW on a rapid charge. This is slightly behind the Ford and Vauxhall, while a Skoda Elroq can handle nearly double that.

However, it does accept 11kW from a 'slow' AC charger, something the MGS5 EV cannot do. The standard petrol model comes with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and a seven-speed automatic gearbox - a configuration found in various Jaecoo, Omoda and Chery models. We've yet to test it in the Jaecoo 5, but based on our experience with other cars, it's not a combination we'd particularly endorse.

The E5 offers an unremarkable driving experience - which isn't necessarily a negative. It may not be as enjoyable or engaging as most of its European competitors, but unless you're planning on tearing down a B-road, that's likely not a major concern.

What might matter more is the ride comfort, which is quite decent for EVs of this size. Impressively, it also provides a very smooth drive: a feature not always guaranteed in today's electric cars.

The brake pedal feel is pretty good, with regenerative and regular braking power blending well together, devoid of the harsh jerkiness often experienced in many EVs.

Jaecoo hasn't significantly reduced the typical electric car wheel spin that occurs when you're a bit too enthusiastic with the throttle pedal, but at least the E5 doesn't suffer from excessive torque steer during hard acceleration. All things considered, it's quite a pleasant vehicle to drive around town or in traffic - just don't anticipate it feeling comfortable on more winding roads.

As you've likely observed, it bears a resemblance to a Range Rover - albeit one from Temu. That's not necessarily a negative: amidst a sea of indistinguishable electric SUVs, at least the Jaecoo's design is somewhat recognisable.

In our opinion, it's the standard petrol-powered 5 that pulls off this look more successfully - it boasts the signature Jaecoo 'waterfall' front grille, while the E5 settles for a less creative blanked-off panel. But either way, it's not an unattractive vehicle.

What you won't find is a great deal of customisation. Apart from the five different paint colours, there's no other way to personalise your E5.

Both trim levels are completely identical externally, right down to the 18-inch alloy wheels, which are common to all petrol and electric Jaecoo 5s.

As is typical with Jaecoo and Omoda, the interior design certainly looks impressive, though it may not feel as high-quality. The layout is heavily focused on the 13.2-inch touch screen in the centre of the dashboard, which controls virtually everything.

There's also a secondary, rather slim, information display in front of the driver that shows your speed, drive mode, and little else.

The screens play a significant role in the interior aesthetics - the surrounding area is quite plain. The material quality is decent for the price, although the most affordable 'Pure' trim level replaces soft-touch plastics with harder materials in many noticeable spots.

While the large touch screen is sharp and functions well enough, wouldn't a few physical buttons be nice? Adjusting the intensity of the braking regeneration involves navigating through confusing menus, whereas most EVs have wheel-mounted paddles or buttons for easy adjustments while driving.

One aspect that's hard to criticise is the generous space: the E5 offers ample room both in the front and back, with headroom being particularly noteworthy. Jaecoo has also incorporated storage spaces wherever possible, so besides the large door bins, there are cubby holes in and under the centre console, as well as behind the massive touch screen.

The boot capacity is also commendable at 480 litres - larger than an MGS5 EV and most other competitors - and Jaecoo has thoughtfully included a small 'frunk' storage compartment under the bonnet as well.

In a nutshell, it's extensive. The E5 comes with an almost absurd amount of kit - even in the base 'Pure' trim.

All E5s are equipped with double-glazed windows, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a '540-degree' panoramic camera, an app for pre-heating or cooling the car, and much more.

Opt for the 'Luxury' trim and you'll enjoy electrically-adjustable front seats that are both heated and ventilated, an electric boot lid, panoramic sunroof and some snazzy multi-coloured ambient lighting.

There's also a plethora of features hidden within the menus of the central display. There's pet mode, which - similar to Tesla's dog mode - allows you to keep the climate control on for your pet while the car is parked and locked.

Then there's camping mode, which not only lets you power appliances like a fridge - via an adaptor - but also enables you to play music through an external speaker in the car's grille. Jaecoo will even offer you a pair of microphones to transform the car into a massive karaoke machine, if you're so inclined.

The E5 is surprisingly attractive. Regardless of whether its aesthetics appeal to you, it's enjoyable to drive, spacious inside, and packed to the brim with features.

However, it faces stiff competition, and most rivals feel more refined - both in terms of interior comfort and driving experience - for roughly the same price.

'EV Chinese Range Rover lookalike I drove is £20k less' - Daily Star