JMEV Elight Electric Review

COE premiums have been on a steady climb lately, but for those who still want the combination of a quiet electric drivetrain with the elegance of a sedan at a cut-throat price, this JMEV Elight poses itself as quite the interesting proposition.

Should you make this your next budget-friendly electric sedan?

There's plenty of knee and leg room for those in the second row of this JMEV Elight

Easy Commuter

First things first. If this Elight has perked your interest, there's a high chance you're looking for the best deal there is. So you'll want to know that at $169,888, this JMEV isn't the cheapest electric sedan you can currently get.

That honour (as of press time) goes to the Aion ES Electric. But the Aion ES, at $164,988, comes with a 55.2kWh battery. This JMEV Elight comes with a 63kWh item under those floor mats (all prices inclusive of COE). And it sports an official energy consumption of 6.2km/kWh. That's better than the 6km/kWh official energy consumption rate of the Aion ES. So, on paper at least, you can expect to eke out just a bit more range in this Elight, and that could well be worth that small premium.

Access to the air-conditioning settings are all within easy reach, whether you'd prefer to adjust these via the infotainment screen or the physical buttons on the centre console

Our three-day drive, however, saw this JMEV Elight post an unusually high average energy consumption rate of 4.5km/kWh, which is not exactly great next to its claimed figure. And neither is this figure great when compared against the 6.5km/kWh that the Aion ES achieved during our quick stint in it.

It's a good thing, then, that the JMEV Elight proved competent from behind the wheel. Those looking for a fuss-free drive will be pleased to note there's a light and well-paced steering so your daily commutes and parking manoeuvres can all be settled with minimum effort.

The JMEV Elight can be charged at a maximum power of 60kW

Spacious and more

And those seated at the back are not going to find themselves wanting for leg or knee room in the JMEV Elight either. Bear in mind that I say this all while being very conscious of the fact that recent Chinese entrants have greatly raised what is now the expected level of accommodations for rear passengers. The fact that this JMEV Elight rides so pliantly also aids passenger comfort levels.

Its 14.6-inch infotainment screen shouldn't be too alien to anyone who has had some experience with the interface of other systems from Chinese brands, and the presence of physical controls for the air-conditioning settings and wing mirror adjustments are always welcome.

The car also comes with some premium features including a chilled compartment in its centre console and a moon roof for both front and rear passengers

But the car also has some points that warrant improvement. To start, its gear selector demands quite the deliberate push (or pull) before it agrees to switch the car between forward and reverse. It's a small fault, to be sure, but one that infuriates when you've got to do a multi-point manoeuvre and find the car doggedly insisting that it should be in neutral.

Then there's its 'throttle' pedal. With a century sprint time of 8.9 seconds, JMEV Elight isn't slow. But the first third of its accelerator pedal seems to do precious little, so you'll need to get accustomed to driving this with a heavy foot.

Get up to speed and you'll find that the Elight also permits a fair share of road noise into its cabin, despite our test car being shod with a set of Michelin e.primacy tyres, which should be at least decent at controlling generated tyre roar.

The JMEV Elight is one of the most affordable all-electric sedans you can currently get here in Singapore

At a great price? 

So, should you make this your next all-electric commuter? The JMEV Elight enters Singapore amidst compelling competition, but also a stark COE landscape. With Cat A premiums at record highs (and likely to climb), the case for a budget-oriented model can be challenging. 

On one hand, this JMEV Elight could find appeal amongst those who want all the convenience of their own vehicle, but still want to keep their monthly instalments to a reasonable level. The Elight offers so much space and is so easy to drive - a feat that would have been difficult just a few years back. As one of the most affordable cars on the market right now, that's certainly commendable. But competition in this segment is hotting up - not just with the Aion ES, but also the recently introduced BYD Seal 6. 

On the other hand, the entire 'budget' notion is basically being blown out of the water - at this point, the COE alone could be up to 70% of a car's sticker price. That might be the toughest pill for buyers to swallow. 

Looking to go electric on a shoestring budget? There's also these options to consider:

The Dongfeng Box is funky, well-specced, and competitively priced

The Omoda E5 is feature-packed and sensibly priced

The Aion Y Plus sports a spacious interior, polished drive, and wealth of equipment