New Aion UT on sale next month: why should you consider this Chinese car over a Renault 5?

Small, affordable electric cars are becoming ever more common these days, and each brings something different to the table. The Citroen e-C3 is dirt-cheap and super-comfortable, the Hyundai Inster is really spacious inside and the Renault 5, our favourite small EV, is oh-so-desirable thanks to the wicked styling and excellent interior.

Standing out in this segment is therefore a challenge, but Aion is hoping to do so with this – the new UT. How does it plan to draw punters away from the charismatic Renault 5? Let’s take a look.

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New Aion UT: design

The new Aion UT is unlikely to win Renault 5 fans around on looks alone, because it’s not quite got the funky charm of that car.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, but a stubby bonnet paired with the slightly elongated side profile makes it look a bit awkward from some angles. I do like the swept-back headlights though, and this dark blue paint makes it look a bit more premium.

New Aion UT: interior and technology

It’s when you step inside that you start to see the UT’s unique selling point. It’s a car positioned to take on the Renault 5 in terms of price, but it has the space and features of a car in the class above.

The 440-litre boot is over 100 litres bigger than the Renault’s, and it even beats larger cars such as the Peugeot E-308 and Volkswagen ID3.

The interior itself is pretty similar in design to the Aion V SUV, meaning it’s standard Chinese EV fare. There’s a 14.6-inch central touchscreen, very few physical buttons and posh-looking leatherette on the dashboard, door tops and centre console. With this light trim, it certainly looks classy.

New Aion UT: batteries, range and performance

The Aion UT will only be available with one battery and motor combination. You get a 60kWh battery pack providing 268 miles of range, beating big battery versions of the Renault 5 by 16 miles and the Peugeot E-208 by around 50 miles.

You also get a 204hp electric motor which is good for 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds – more than half a second quicker than the 150hp Renault 5.

New Aion UT: price and standard equipment

Prices for the Aion UT will be revealed closer to the start of orders, which begin in September this year. The first deliveries will then start in October.

What I can tell you is it’ll come with plenty of kit as standard. There are no trim levels to choose from, and all cars come with heated front seats and a 360-degree camera. The only options to select are the colour, and whether you want the Premium Pack.

This adds a panoramic glass roof, a power tailgate, ventilated front seats and wireless phone charging.

Given that there’s no sparse entry-level car, the Aion UT is likely to start from between £25,000 and £30,000, edging closer to the latter if you get the Premium Pack. That’s about what you’ll pay for a mid-spec Renault 5, but the UT has more kit and a bigger boot.

And that brings me onto the answer to our original question: what does the Aion UT do to stand out? It brings big car features into a smaller package. We’ll be driving it soon to find out for sure, but this should be a more practical alternative to the Renault 5 for similar money.

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