Heads up, there’s yet another new electric car brand on the way in 2026 – Nio has confirmed its Firefly brand will make it to the UK in 2026 with a new electric supermini. This first model from the Chinese brand will also take the name of the brand, which won't be at all confusing.
The company recently announced that it had started production of right-hand drive versions of its Firefly EV, which will be sent to the Singapore market in the first instance but will arrive in the UK in 2026, according to news agency Reuters, which said that the company was refocusing on markets with less punitive trade tariff measures in place with China where the car is being manufactured.
The Firefly is intended to be a premium supermini along the lines of the Mini Cooper Electric. Its design is notable for the trios of lights front and rear and a pared back, minimalist interior dominated by a 13.2in central touchscreen and a squared off steering wheel.
We're also quite excited about the many storage options inside the cabin, including under the front and rear seats and in the middle of the front bench. There's also a reasonably sized frunk, which has a plughole in the bottom in case you want to transport fish or fill it with ice at a picnic.
The Firefly EV is equipped with a 143hp e-motor that manages 0–62mph in 8.1secs and a 42kWh LFP battery that’s apparently good for 205 miles on the WLTP cycle. The battery offers a peak charge rate of 100kW, though a recharge time from 10 to 80% in 29 minutes shows that’s carefully managed by the car’s computer system.
Firefly is a newly launched sub-brand of Nio, a Chinese carmaker that’s best known for its battery swap tech. The Firefly is said to be compatible with Nio’s next generation battery swap setup, but we don’t know whether that will be available in the UK.
Firefly will focus on building small electric cars, starting with this electric supermini the company describes as “more than just a car, it represents a lifestyle defined by the freedom to glow”, which gives us a good idea of the marketing onslaught we’ll face next year. The Firefly is already on sale in the Netherlands from €29,900 (£26,300) and also Norway, and in the coming months is set to expand further across Europe.
It'll have to hurry up in the UK, though, because as we found out recently, Chinese carmakers are taking an increasing share of the market. Check out all the other new cars that are arriving in 2026 here.
Call us fickle, but we're really looking forward to trying out this underseat rear storage 
