Aion V (2026) Review

Introduction

Seemingly every other month a new manufacturer from China appears on UK shores, and we’d forgive you if these unfamiliar names are blending into one amorphous mass. So what should we make of this latest brand?

Aion (pronounced “a-on”, rather than “ion”) is part of the Guangzhou Automobile Group, or GAC, which is one of the largest carmakers in China, and the first to sell a million electric vehicles. It’s also worked extensively with the likes of Toyota and Honda over the years, so is well familiar with the demands of western motorists. Aion as a brand has existed for five years or so, and sells in other parts of the world.

The Aion V is its first UK car, although it’ll be following up with several more over the next couple of years. The V is a C-segment electric SUV, which means it’s a rival for lots of well-established cars, including the BYD Sealion 7, the Skoda Enyaq, the Volkswagen ID.4, the Kia EV5 and many more. However, Aion says that such is the space inside, it’s more akin to a D-segment car, referencing particularly the BMW X5.

To buy, the Aion V costs from around £36,450 and comes packed with kit as standard. For extra swank, you can add the Premium Pack for £1495, which gets you various extras that we’ll delve into below.

On paper, it’s a lot of car for the money, and one that’s sweetened by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty, eight years of free servicing, eight years of roadside assistance and eight years of MOTs, all included.

It all sounds too good to be true. Read on to find out whether that’s the case.

What are the pros and cons of the Aion V?

Pros

• Lots of kit as standard
• Market-leading warranty and aftercare package
• Good build quality
• Very spacious
• Decent to drive

Cons

• Overbearing safety systems
• Ride is a touch firm
• Not much choice in spec
• Road noise is a little high

What are the key features of the Aion V?

The key selling lines of the Aion V are value for money, while driving up the standard of what you get for that money. That means premium feel inside, premium features and premium aftercare, including an expanding service network that includes mobile servicing through the AA and a concierge service for other issues you might have.

There’s a single drivetrain option with 204PS sent to the front wheels and a battery that gives up to 317 miles of range according to WLTP testing. There’s only one trim, too, although the Premium Pack in effect adds a second option. But that’s basically it – one car, one drivetrain, a choice of interior and exterior colours, and away you go.

The V’s chassis has been specifically tuned for UK roads with new components compared to the car sold in other countries. The insurance group is 32, which is low for this type of car, and tests by independent safety organisation Euro NCAP awarded it a maximum five-star score thanks to myriad standard advanced driver assistance systems.

What engines are available in the Aion V and what is its battery range?

The Aion V comes with a single powertrain option with a 204PS electric motor with 240Nm of torque driving the front wheels. That equates to a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds.

Power comes from a 75.3kWh Lithium Ferrophosphate (LFP) battery promising 317 miles of range, which is competitive against its rivals.

The battery can charge at up to 180kW, which means a 30% to 80% recharge in 18 minutes, or 10% to 80% in 24 minutes, using a suitable DC charger. Maximum AC charging power is 11kW.

To compare to rivals (many of which are considerably more expensive), the BYD Sealion 7 has a 300-mile range but is a touch quicker, while the Kia EV5 has a slightly longer range than the Aion but is slower to charge.

What is the performance and driving experience like in the Aion V?

There are quite a few new Chinese cars for sale in the UK that feel nice inside and have lots of features but feel rather unsophisticated to drive. Not so in the Aion V. The company that set up the brand in the UK consists of various well-experienced people that have worked for more established brands, and they fed back to the Chinese engineers to alter the suspension of the V – which is also sold in other markets – to better suit British roads.

The result is really not bad at all. There’s a firmness to the way that the Aion V rides, with a lot of information sent from the road to the driver’s backside, but it’s never crashy or uncomfortable, and the payoff is a stability through twisting bends that other new brands could do well to copy. The steering has more feeling than you might expect, too, weighting up nicely through corners and giving a reasonable amount of feedback for a car of this type.

Steering controls are very similar to that used by Tesla, with two dials that roll up and down and can be clicked left and right. These usually control the adaptive cruise control on the right dial, and the sound system and volume with the left. Once you understand how they work, they’re pretty intuitive.

With 204PS and the inherent instant torque of an electric car, acceleration is brisk. Officially, it’ll hit 62mph in 7.9 seconds, which is not hanging about – it’s certainly fine for quick zips up to motorway speeds or an overtake.

At higher speeds there’s a fair bit of road noise, which stops short of being intrusive but does feel louder than some of its competition.

The only real fly in the ointment is with various driver assistance systems, some of which may be in need of recalibration. “Please control the steering wheel” pleads the information display, despite both hands being firmly in place. “Please pay attention” it chides if you look at the sat-nav screen, look in your mirrors or check your blind spot. Then there’s the speed assistance system, which is meant to keep an eye out for road signs and display the current limit on the driver display. Except it misses a large number of them and then scolds you for speeding when you’re not.

Thankfully, most of these systems can be turned off, but they might be irritating until you do. Hopefully many can be solved through software updates rather than being inherent problems.

We also found that the indicator noise is rather quiet, which can mean you don’t hear if you’ve accidentally left them on. There are visual arrows on the driver display, but they’re right in the top corners and, for our preferred driving position, were obscured by the steering wheel.

What are the running costs of the Aion V?

Power in the Aion V comes from a 75.3kWh LFP battery giving an official WLTP combined range of 317 miles, which is rather decent for the money and compares well to the competition. It can fast charge at up to 180kW using a DC charger, which will give a 30% to 80% battery refill in 18 minutes. A heat pump is included.

As with all electric cars, how much it costs to fuel will depend on where you charge. Public chargers can get pricey, especially fast chargers, but home chargers with a dedicated EV tariff will mean a full charge can be less than £5.

Insurance costs should be reasonable, as the Aion V sits in insurance group 32 of 50, which is below many rivals.

The Aion V comes with a very generous eight-year/100,000-mile warranty, and 125,000 miles on the battery. Every car also gets eight years of servicing thrown in, with eight years of MOTs paid for, and eight years of roadside assistance. Those offers follow the car after you’ve sold it, too.

What’s the interior and technology like on the Aion V?

Aion is very much going for a premium vibe with the V, and it succeeds convincingly. There are a few nods toward Tesla, particularly with its steering-wheel controls and wireless charger in the centre console, but the design is less minimalistic and more simple, classy and adorned with high-quality materials that feel solid to the touch. Diamond-stitched leather adorns the door panels on the Premium Pack-equipped model we tried, with perforated leather on the steering wheel rim. It looks and feels really good for the money, with heated and ventilated seats as standard that feel supportive and comfortable.

The steering wheel feels chunky and sits in front of a small driver display that shows you key driving information. A larger 14.6-inch infotainment display sits in the centre of the dash, designed with a focus on simplicity and high resolution. The design, again, looks very Tesla-like and is similarly infuriating for its insistence on operating everything through the touchscreen. Want to adjust the climate control? Touchscreen. Want to move the side mirrors? You’ll need to select them on the touchscreen and then use the steering wheel controls. There are no physical shortcut buttons at all, which looks nice but does restrict practicality a little.

Still, the display is quick enough to respond and looks sharp enough. You can customise it with your preferred shortcuts and different wallpapers, and it includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The nine-speaker, 360W sound system is decent, too.

How is the practicality and boot space in the Aion V?

The interior space in the V is excellent for this type of car. Aion says it boasts as much room as cars from a class above, and we can believe it. There’s loads of headroom and legroom in the back, with a completely flat floor so that a full-size adult can easily get in the middle seat as well as the outers.

There’s a good-sized boot, too, with a movable floor and 472 litres of capacity with the back seats in place. Those back seats are split 60:40 and also recline for extra comfort. You can’t drop the back seats to almost flat from the boot – you’ll need to go around each side, and there’s no frunk under the bonnet.

The back doors are particularly notable for families, because they open almost 90 degrees from the car – great if you’re loading in kids and car seats. There are ISOFIX on the rear outer seats.

Cars with a Premium Pack get a sturdy fold-up table behind the front passenger seat, which is intended for those that need to get some laptop work done on the move, or while the car is charging. However, there’s only one, so if you have kids in the back, prepare for a fight over who gets table access.

The front and back doors have large pockets in them, and there are storage pockets behind the front seats. There’s a single USB-A charging port for the back, and a USB-A and USB-C port up front, as well as a wireless phone charger ahead of two cupholders. Beneath the wireless charger is a large storage area at the bottom of the centre console. Surprisingly, there’s no glovebox, just a couple of storage hooks above the passenger’s knees.

What safety features are on the Aion V?

Independent safety organisation Euro NCAP tested the Aion V in 2025 and gave it a maximum five-star score. It scored well across the board, chalking up an 88% mark for adult occupant safety, 85% for child occupant, 79% for vulnerable road users and 78% for safety assist systems. Those aren’t class-leading marks, but they’re very respectable.

Aion has bundled lots of safety systems as standard on all models, including adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping and emergency lane assist, blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert. A 360-degree camera system is included, as is a door-open warning system and traffic sign information.

What options are available on the Aion V?

Aion has deliberately kept the Aion V simple to buy. There’s one trim, with one powertrain choice. There are two standard paint colours – Arctic White metallic and Wilderness Sand pearlescent – and a choice of Galaxy Blue, Night Shadow Black or Sea Fluorescent Grey for £675 extra.

Your only other choice is whether to add the Premium Pack, which costs £1495 and adds the CoolHotBox, which is a refrigerated section under the front centre armrest, as well as massage front seats and leather upholstery. Premium Pack customers can also choose from French Cream or Bright Tan interior colours for £195, or another paint colour – Holographic Silver – for £675.

All other features are standard, including 19-inch alloy wheels, electric front seats, a 360-degree camera system, a panoramic glass roof with a shade, and an electric boot lid.

What are the rival cars to the Aion V?

The Aion V is a C-segment electric SUV, which on paper means its established rivals are many, including the Skoda Enyaq, the Ford Explorer, and the Kia EV5.

Then there are the other new Chinese rivals, from the Xpeng G6 and Geely EX5 to the BYD Sealion 7. It’s a packed market, but the Aion V does look to represent very good value for money against the competition.

Verdict on the Aion V

Most Brits will never have heard of Aion, but we suspect that if they give the V a chance, they’ll be impressed. It looks smart, it’s very practical, it drives well and it’s exceedingly competitive in price. Add in a stonking warranty and a very generous aftercare service, and it has loads of appeal for those that aren’t wedded to the more traditional carmakers.

Only the overbearing assistance systems, and a few little software niggles let it down a bit, but those should be fairly easy for the company to fix, and in the meantime you can turn most of them off.

As one of many new Chinese brands to the UK, Aion’s main challenge will be to win the public’s trust and simply let people know that they exist. That will be a big task, but in the V the company does at least have a very decent product to back it up.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Aion V.

**Correct as of 11/05/2026. Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.

Every lease deal is a fixed monthly cost for the whole of your contract, apart from changes to government costs, e.g. VAT changes or road fund license cost changes and in certain specific cases where the funder changes the price. Electric range quoted is WLTP.

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