Aion V Review & Prices

Aion is another in a long line of Chinese brands entering the UK at the moment, and the first from the huge state-owned company GAC Group. Aion is actually the world’s third-largest producer of fully electric vehicles after Tesla and BYD, and it’s hoping to offer the UK market a slice of the action with this - the Aion V.

It’s a large SUV with lots of room for passengers and a tempting price tag, but it’s not particularly great to drive and the interfaces don’t yet feel very polished. It’s like a really great-looking cake that’s just a little bit dry when you cut into it, though you get the sense that with a little bit of a tighter recipe it could be very tasty indeed.

Alternatives include Chinese EVs such as the Leapmotor C10, Geely EX5, MG S5 EV and Xpeng G6. Offerings from better-known manufacturers include the Kia EV3, Skoda Elroq and Renault Scenic E-Tech.

Aion V: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 317 miles
Efficiency: 4.2 mi/kWh
Battery size: 75.3kWh
Max charge speed: 180kW
Charge time AC: 8 hrs 30 mins, 0-100% (11kW)
Charge time DC: 24 minutes, 10-80% (180kW)
Charge port location: Front right
Power outputs: 204hp

Externally, the Aion V isn’t bad-looking - and its chunky proportions do grow on you somewhat. The front end’s rather uninspired with just a flat, featureless panel where you’d find a grille on a combustion model, but the four-line LED daytime running lights are smart and they’re echoed in the taillights at the rear.

It’s definitely a large, chunky vehicle, with standard 19-inch alloy wheels somehow looking quite small against its bulk. But beefed-up wheel arches and roof bars give it a bit of SUV presence that’s often missing from the more blobby, undefined alternatives such as the Leapmotor C10 or Geely EX5.

The good first impression continues on the inside. The design is nothing to shout about - it’s as dull as most new EVs, with a large central touchscreen, slim driver’s display, two spots for your mobile phone directly underneath (one with wireless charging) and a choice of light or dark interior trims.

But it feels very solid and well-built, with nicer materials than many similar cars. Plus, Premium models come with real leather instead of the artificial alternatives fitted to most other new cars these days.

There’s also lots of space in the back seats - six-foot passengers will find ample legroom and headroom in comfortable seats with a wide fold-down centre armrest. Opt for the Premium pack and you get the most delightfully over-engineered tray table on the passenger seat backrest - designed so you can work on the move, provided you have a chauffeur.

Up front, the touchscreen is bright, clear and responsive, but has some quirks that make it a pain to use. Too many functions are hidden in longwinded menus and with slightly poorly translated names, while mandatory safety features for the European market are, in some ways, not implemented well.

Storage isn’t much to get excited about either, as the Aion V doesn’t have a glovebox. It does have an under-armrest storage compartment, though, and in Premium models it’s also a cool/hot box which can go from a faintly ridiculous -15 degrees C up to a roasting 50 degrees. If you’re tired of your takeaways getting cold on the drive home, this could be the car for you.

The Aion V uses a large 75.3kWh battery pack which, according to official tests, is good for a range of 317 miles. That’s not a bad figure at all - it’s halfway between short- and long-range versions of the Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq, and easily beats out the Leapmotor C10 and Geely EX5. It’s not tremendously efficient, but will fast-charge at a rate of 180kW which is more powerful than most alternatives. It means you can go from 10-80% in 24 minutes at a suitably powerful charger.

In between charges, you won’t find too much exciting about the way the Aion V drives. It’s designed for comfort rather than being engaging in the corners. The electric motor is nippy but not absurdly powerful, and the steering is pretty lifeless.

It’s quite quiet, though, so should make a decent long-distance cruiser if that’s what you’re interested in from your electric SUV.

Verdict

The Aion V offers a genuinely posh-feeling interior and loads of passenger space for a little more than its Chinese alternatives, and it is a much better-rounded package than a Leapmotor C10 or Geely EX5. But annoying quirks and an underwhelming driving experience mean that an MG S5 EV, Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq are better bets.

While you wait for the Aion V to hit Carwow, check out our favourite electric SUVs here. You can also see which Chinese cars we think are the best, and remember that Carwow can even help you to sell your old car when it’s time to move on.

The Aion V starts from £36,450, and there’s only one battery and motor combination to choose from. While there are no trim levels as such, there is a £1,450 ‘Premium Pack’ which offers a lot of extra kit.

However, as standard you get power adjustable front seats which are heated and ventilated, a heated steering wheel, 19-inch wheels, all-round LED lights, a panoramic sunroof, wireless smartphone connectivity, vehicle-to-load, dual-zone climate control and a 360-degree camera to name just a few things. This is a very well-equipped SUV.

The Premium Pack adds full, genuine leather upholstery, massaging front seats, the aforementioned tray table and cool/hot box, an air quality sensor, and the availability of cream or tan interior trims as well as the standard black.

While it’s well-equipped, it looks quite pricey next to the Geely EX5 or Leapmotor C10 - at least while their manufacturer discounts last. The MG S5 EV, Skoda Elroq and Kia EV3 also undercut it by a fair amount, though none of them have the same luxurious features available.

The Aion V is reasonably comfortable, but it feels unsettled over sharp bumps and the steering is lifeless

In town

The Aion V is quite a large car, but it has nice square dimensions and a low window line so it’s not too difficult to judge where the corners are in tight town driving. A 360-degree camera also comes as standard so parking is a doddle.

The steering is light enough, and the electric motor responds quickly. Over big bumps and potholes it’s pretty comfortable, but small, sharp imperfections on the road do shudder through the cabin.

On the motorway

With 204hp on tap, the Aion V doesn’t have a silly amount of power like some electric SUVs. That isn’t really a problem in the real world, though, as there’s still plenty of punch when you want to merge in from a short sliproad or perform a decisive overtake.

Once up to speed, the Aion V is quiet and relaxed. The safety aids work okay but the unmarked steering wheel controls mean it’s not always obvious which button controls what. And just like round town, hitting a sharp bump like an expansion joint on a bridge sends a shudder through the cabin.

On a twisty road

The Aion V feels quite heavy when you start cornering too quickly, even though by EV standards it’s not that much of a porker. It leans a fair amount in the bends and the lightweight steering really gives you no indication of what the front wheels are doing.

Even in its ‘Sport’ mode, this isn’t a sporty or fun car to drive. Try a Geely EX5 or MG S5 EV if that’s what you’re after.

Plenty of room for rear-seat passengers, but the boot is smaller than the alternatives

Up front in the Aion V you get plenty of room in standard-fit electrically adjustable seats. The passenger doesn’t have any height adjustment, though, so you feel a bit like you’re perched too high. And neither seat has adjustable lumbar support, even Premium Pack models which can massage you. Make it make sense.

There’s another glaring omission, and that’s the glovebox. Aion has tried to compensate by fitting two sturdy flip-down curry hooks in the passenger footwell, but they’re no substitute. Other storage options are limited, as the door bins and cupholders are both pretty small. If you have the Premium Pack model with the cool/hot box under the centre armrest, then your only large storage area is the awkward-to-access gap under the centre console.

Space in the back seats

It’s pretty palatial in the back seats of the Aion V. A six-foot adult can really stretch out even behind a driver of a similar size, with loads of headroom and even more legroom. Plus, the standard panoramic roof is massive and lets in loads of light, so it feels even bigger and airier - helped by large windows all round.

It’s wide and flat enough that three adults will be more comfy in the rear than they would in an MG S5 EV or Kia EV3.

The rear bench is pretty comfy and can also be reclined to a good degree for in-car naps. If you want the ultimate in comfort, the front passenger seat folds flat to allow the occupant behind to put their legs up. Premium Pack models also get a folding tray table on the passenger seat backrest, which is great for having a quick bite to eat while you charge, or even putting a laptop or tablet on to work in the car. It’s the most wonderfully over-engineered table we’ve seen outside of a Bentley.

For storage, you get seatback pockets, small door bins, cupholders in the flip-down centre armrest, and there’s also a USB charging port and some air vents in the rear.

Boot space

With 427 litres of space, the Aion V is quite a bit down on the alternatives, with the Kia EV3 offering 460 litres of space, the Skoda Elroq 470, the Geely EX5 461, and MG S5 EV 453.

The Aion’s boot isn’t very clever, either. The parcel shelf is a right pain to use, as it’s flimsy and difficult to slot in. It also velcros to the back of the rear seats to stay in place when they’re reclined, but this just feels like a cheap and dirty solution.

The Aion V’s interior feels well-built but there are a few really infuriating design choices

The Aion V’s dashboard follows the same template as many Chinese EVs, including the Leapmotor C10 and Geely EX5 - horizontal lines, a big central touchscreen, a slim driver display, and twin pads for phone storage.

Aion has used pretty nice-feeling materials for the most part, though, and they all seem well screwed-together without any particularly suspect areas or untoward creaks and rattles. There are a couple of exceptions - there’s a shiny bit of trim above the air vents that seems out of place, and the grippy surface for the phone pads feels downright nasty - but it’s a nicer place to sit than an MG S5 EV.

It’s a shame that the same level of polish hasn’t been applied to the infotainment system, because while it’s clearly powerful with good resolution and snappy responses it suffers from having too many functions hidden in long, scrolling menus or behind indecipherable icons.

There are also some really weird quirks. For example, the law dictates there be a warning in European cars to let you know the passenger airbag is turned on - most models do this with a discreet LED. Aion has done it with a permanently-on, translucent widget on the screen. You can drag it around depending on which bit of content it’s covering up, but it’s always there - and always just a little bit in the way.

Special mention has to go to the cool/hot box in the centre console, which is a unique feature. Unique because, while there are plenty of cars with coolboxes, none of them we’ve ever tested before will go as low as -15 degrees C - enough to keep your ice creams fully frosty. Or, if you’re bringing a curry home from a slightly too far-away takeaway, it’ll go up to 50 (yes, 50!) degrees hot.

The Aion V uses a 75.3kWh battery that’s good for a claimed 317 miles per charge. That’s quite a usable figure, and it’s largely borne out in the real world. During our testing, we saw an average of 3.2 miles per kWh, but that needs to account for a road tester’s heavy right foot. In the real world, 3.5 miles per kWh is more likely, which would mean a true range of just over 260 miles.

That’s not quite as good as the big-battery versions of the Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq, both of which are good for around 300 miles real-world, but it’s on par with the MG S5 EV and quite a bit better than the Geely EX5 or Leapmotor C10. Both of those cars do use smaller batteries.

If you need to charge up when you’re out and about, a max charge rate of 180kW is good and equates to a 10-80% charge in around 24 minutes. It’ll charge faster than any of the aforementioned models, though it’s very close to the Skoda Elroq.

As a full EV, the Aion V will pay the lowest rate of VED and company car tax. But being built in China it’s very unlikely that it’ll qualify for the government’s EV grant, and Aion hasn’t announced plans to match it like Leapmotor and Geely.

Euro NCAP score: 5/5 (2025)

Adult occupant: 88%
Child occupant: 85%
Vulnerable road users: 79%
Safety assist: 78%

When crash tested by Euro NCAP the Aion V scored the full five-star rating, with good scores in all individual categories too.

All the safety equipment you’d expect is included as standard, as well as driver assistance tech such as adaptive cruise control. There’s no way to quickly turn most of it off, though, as even the shortcut menu doesn’t cover everything. You’ll need to go deep into a complex menu system to find all the functions, some of which don't have especially obvious names. Hopefully this is something Aion can fix with an over-the-air update, as something like MG’s ‘MG Pilot Custom’ is the gold standard in this regard.

Aion is a new brand to the UK and so obviously there’s no historical reliability data. It’s also parent company GAC’s first foray into the UK market, though it’s the world’s third-largest producer of pure electric vehicles so it certainly has experience in that regard.

Aion’s hoping to attract customers with one of the most comprehensive aftercare packages going. You get an eight-year, 100,000 mile warranty that also includes eight years of servicing, roadside assistance and MOT testing. There’s also a separate eight-year/125,000 mile warranty on the battery, and all of this is linked to the car rather than the owner so it’ll transfer if you sell it. It’s an impressive offering, though with only 15 dealers confirmed in the UK so far you could end up taking your car quite a long way for servicing.