Battery size: 75.3 kWh
Range: 317miles
Max charge rate: 180kW
Introduction
If you're keeping a list of the new brands to arrive from China you can now add another – GAC. While the name may sound like an electrical wholesaler, it actually stands for Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. and it's one of China's largest automotive firms. It has roots dating back to the 1950s and has joint ventures with a number of carmakers, including Honda and Toyota.
Seeing how BYD and Chery (with its Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo brands) has turned the UK car market on its head over the past year, GAC has decided it also wants a slice of the action. It has brought over its Aion brand – another electrical appliance-sounding name – and is launching in spring 2026, initially with a Volkswagen ID.4-sized electric SUV called the 'V'. It will quickly follow up the V with the 'UT' electric hatchback to rival the MG4, and a range of hybrids and range-extending hybrids over the next few years.
Range, battery and charging
While rivals like the aforementioned Volkswagen ID.4 offer different battery sizes to suit a range of needs and budgets, the Aion V comes with just one. In fact, that approach goes for the whole car, as we shall see.
It's a 75.3kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery (LFP) and uses GAC's 'Magazine Battery 2.0' technology. This sees the packs tightly packed together, which, apparently, ensures better thermal management, and in turn, this means the battery performs better. Also, GAC says it thinks the battery is the safest in the world as not only has it passed the famous nail-penetration test (something which BYD proudly talks about with its Blade batteries), but also a bullet-impact test. Aion claims a range of up to 317 miles for the V.
The Aion V also sits on 400V architecture, and has a maximum DC charging capability of 180kW – that's better than many rivals like Kia EV, Volkswagen ID.4, Renault Scenic, and Toyota bZ4X. This allows a 10-80% top-up in 24 minutes, while the 11kW onboard charger ensures an 8.5-hour full recharge from a home wallbox. There's also vehicle-to-load (V2L) allowing a 3.3kW at 220V power supply.
Practicality and boot space
Chinese cars tend to offer plenty of interior space and the Aion V is no exception. Despite there being a high centre console room up front is plentiful, but it's in the rear where the V really impresses. There's genuinely limo-like levels of legroom, with over 6ft passengers able to easily sit behind similarly lanky front-seat passengers and still have room to stretch out. The back seats don't slide but they do recline.
Speaking of reclining there are two seating configurations. Prod 'Rest Mode' on the touchscreen and the driver's seat (plus the front passenger if you have one) will recline to the horizontal position, the sun blind will close, the climate control will be set to 26 degrees, and there's the choice of slow paced music or natural sound; there's even automatic timer to wake you up from your slumber. Meanwhile, 'Lounge Mode' allows full sleep to take place. By removing the front headrests, the front seats can recline and adjust so that they join with the rear seats. This is perfect to watch movies from the infotainment screen, says Aion.
Aside from the party tricks, the rear doors open pretty much at 90 degrees, which is brilliant for loading child seats, and the Isofix points are located behind a velcro flap. There's an armrest with two cupholders, and strangely, a single USB-A port on the back of the centre console.
At 427 litres, boot space is average. That's around 40 litres smaller than a Skoda Elroq's boot. Fold down the rear seats and there's 1,638 litres, and the three-level floor system is handy, even if the rear wheel arches eat into the overall space available.
Cubby storage is just okay, and, surprisingly, there’s no glovebox. Instead, you get two hooks that pop out from the dashboard where the glovebox would be, which might be handy for carrying a takeaway home. I’ll return to the subject of takeaways later…
Interior, design and technology
Inside and the Aion V feels like it’s trying to punch above its price tag – and it largely succeeds.
The design is straight out of the standard Chinese carmaker rulebook – a plain design, a large central touchscreen, no physical buttons, and a large centre console with a pair of side-by-side phone storage places and cupholders. The surprise for me, though, was that the Aion V has a simple round steering wheel – something that’s becoming a rarity these days as square-shaped wheels are in vogue.
The touchscreen is what we've come to expect from most Chinese carmakers, too, and it could have been lifted out of anything wearing a BYD, Chery or Geely badge. The software is super-quick, the screen clarity excellent, but the menus are almost endless and the system itself is tricky to use on the move.
The equipment levels are also what we've come to expect from the new wave of brands from China as everything is included. The Aion V gets dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof with electric sun blind, heated and ventilated front seats, an eight-way electrically-adjustable driver's seat, heated rear seats, ambient lighting... The list goes on. The standard interior colour is black with leatherette upholstery, but fork out £1,495 on the Premium Pack and you get leather seats, a single tray table on the back of the passenger seat (a little strange – why not two?), plus a treat under the armrest.
A fridge is something you'd expect from a car wearing a Range Rover badge, but Aion has gone one step further. In the V there's a 6.6-litre 'CoolHot Box' that can keep items warm up to 50 degrees or cold to minus 15. It means the Aion V could be perfect for transporting takeaways and keeping them hot, or a box of ice lollies on a warm day – just not at the same time, obviously. The box only uses 0.5kWh of energy if it were running for a full 24 hours, says Aion.
Design-wise, the Aion looks a little anonymous from the front, but I do think the whole car has more of an off-roader vibe than something like a Volkswagen ID.4, for example. The 19-inch wheels look a little lost, though, and the overall side profile is not too dissimilar to a MINI Countryman Electric. The rear lights also have a passing resemblance to those used on the KGM Torres EVX…
Motors, performance and handling
Much like with everything else on the Aion V, there's only one choice of power. There's a 204hp motor that sends its juice to the front wheels, and while that may put off some buyers who desire a four-wheel drive it will be perfectly fine for the majority of drivers. The Aion V gets from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds – not remarkable, but absolutely fine for its intended family audience. That said, I did find the V likes to get its power down onto the road as quickly as possible, and, especially when leaving junctions, it will spin up its front wheels even on a warm spring day.
The Aion V doesn't feel particularly engaging behind the wheel, but you could level this observation at a whole swathe of electric family SUVs. The steering weighting is meaty, though, and there's certainly a feel of heft from behind the wheel. The Aion V feels surprisingly solid, and not light and wayward like some Chinese SUVs such as the Jaecoo E5 or Leapmotor C10.
Part of this feeling of solidity is down to the suspension. It's a little jiggly at slow speeds, but pick up the pace a little and the Aion V just glides over potholes and road imperfections. Many Chinese SUVs have an overly soft ride, but the V has a nice balance between comfort and good road holding. One thing I also like is how plush the whole car feels when driving; there's not much road or wind noise, and the suspension can't be heard bouncing up and down in the wheel arch – that's not something you can say even for some German rivals.
Running costs and pricing
We don't have finance deals on the Aion V just yet, but it's likely to be competitive. That said, while the list price of £36,450 isn't chunky, it's clear Aion isn't chasing outright value. The brand isn't slapping a £1,500 discount on the V (to compete with the UK's electric car grant) like Geely and Leapmotor do.
For the level of specification you get, the price is good. Plus, Aion is giving a 'Great 8' package on every car, which includes an eight-year warranty, eight years' free servicing, eight years' roadside assistance, and free MOTs for, you guessed it, eight years.
Verdict
The Aion V is spacious, well-equipped, comfortable and should prove easy to live with. It might not be exciting to drive, and the brand is still relatively unknown, but as a practical family EV it ticks a lot of boxes. There is no USP, though, so it will be interesting to see whether Brits will rush into Aion showrooms in quite the same way that they have done with some other Chinese newcomer brands. Only time will tell.
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