More than 30 Chinese-made cars that caught fire on Wednesday were seemingly already sold to customers who could now face losing out on thousands of pounds.
The Jaecoo vehicles had been bought by clients, according to a representative, having been in the care of National Vehicle Distribution.
Black smoke filled the sky above Southampton as 33 cars burned in the docks.
The vehicles were estimated to be worth almost £1million in total, based on a starting price of £27,505 per vehicle.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said 33 hybrid vehicles were involved – but the cars are believed to be electric E5 vehicles from Chinese brand Jaecoo.
The burnt-out cars remained at the site, surrounded by cordons waiting to be moved.
A spokesperson for Jaecoo UK said the company had been informed of the fire, that it was reported at around 4am before being brought under control within an hour and remained under investigation.
Associated British Ports own the land at the docks and their security were ushering reporters away from the site.
Thirty-three Jaecoo SUV electric vehicles worth almost £1million have been engulfed in a fire at Southampton docks
Huge plumes of smoke filled the air after the blaze broke out in the early hours of Wednesday
Damage was seen done to the electric cars at the storage compound in West Bay Road
Food technician Jacek Majchrzak, 44, who lives near the docks, said: ‘I got up at about 5am this morning and heard some sounds like ‘boom, boom’ or something.
‘I ignored it and kept on going around doing stuff before work.
‘I checked my calendar and saw it was bin collection day so I went out and I saw it. I think, “What on earth is going on?”
‘It’s thick black smoke and I can hear small explosions. I text my neighbours but by the time they were up at 6am it was gone.
‘I thought it was rubbish disposal or recycling or something.’
The Jaecoo 7 was the UK’s most popular new car in March and the best-selling new car of 2026 to date according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
It has been nicknamed the ‘Temu Range Rover’ because of its styling and lower price compared with luxury SUV brands.
Some 10,000 Jaecoo 7s were registered in March alone, outselling the Ford Puma and Nissan Qashqai.
Firefighters were called at about 4.20am to the site after reports of ‘explosions’
The cars involved are believed to be electric E5 vehicles from Chinese brand Jaecoo (file pic)
Despite only going on sale in January 2025, 26,048 Jaecoo 7s were sold during 2025, making it the fourth most popular retail car in the UK.
This blaze came about less than a month before China introduces strict new battery safety standards to reduce risks of fire and explosions in the fast-growing sector.
At the height of the incident, there were 10 fire engines, two water carriers, an aerial ladder platform and support vehicles on scene tackling the blaze, the fire service said.
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Fire at docks that destroyed Jaecoo EVs occurs weeks before China’s new laws around battery blazes
The Jaecoo E5 went on sale in August 2025 and is the only all-electric model that Jaecoo – the fastest-growing mainstream automotive brand in the UK – currently offers.
It remains unclear what triggered the fire, which spread to other vehicles parked in close proximity – in some cases leaving just charred remains. Jaecoo UK says the incident is ‘under investigation’.
But its timing could not be worse for Chinese lawmakers ahead of new ‘no fire, no explosion’ EV battery safety rules arriving on July 1.
Despite this week’s event, experts say EVs are incredibly safe amidst ongoing claims that they are prone to fires and more dangerous than internal combustion cars.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a set of technical standards for the batteries in EVs and plug-in hybrid cars.
The new safety requirements are part of a revised list of 294 national standards spanning 13 sectors for EV battery safety.
These cover everything from energy consumption to recycling and, crucially, safety.
The rules set out stricter mandatory tests which will require companies to ensure their batteries won’t catch fire or explode within two hours of a ‘thermal runaway’ – the most common cause of battery-related blazes.
This is the chemical chain reaction that takes place inside a lithium-ion battery when a damaged or overheating cell releases stored energy faster than it can dissipate.
The uncontrolled heat generation triggers a domino effect to other cells, spreading fire rapidly.
Due to the intense heat when the materials inside the batteries burn, EV fires are typically much more difficult to extinguish.
The new regulation also adds new tests relating to crash impacts and tolerance of fast charging.
Seven government departments signed off on the joint action plan, which has now been approved, published and will take effect in a month’s time.
Following Wednesday’s blaze in Southampton, one nearby local told the Daily Echo: ‘It woke me up around 3.30am.
‘After a while, I got up to find out what was causing so much noise and that’s when I saw the smoke.
‘I called the fire service at around 4.20am and was told the incident had already been reported. The car horns and explosions were quite loud.
‘By about 5.40am, it looked as though the fire had been put out. The smoke was very thick and had an acidic smell.’
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
A spokesman for Jaecoo UK said: ‘Omoda & Jaecoo UK has been informed of a fire at Southampton docks. The fire was reported at around 4am and was under control within one hour.
‘There are no reported injuries. The incident is under investigation at this time.’
Associated British Ports, which operates the dockyard, said earlier in the day: ‘There has been a fire in a vehicle storage compound in the Western Docks area of the Port of Southampton. All personnel are safely accounted for.
‘The fire is well under control and has impacted around 25 vehicles.
‘ABP staff are supporting the incident response services in their work.’
The company’s website describes the Southampton docks as ‘the UK’s number one vehicle handling port, processing 600,000 vehicles per year’.
