I love the simplistic appeal of the Aion UT compact electric car, but it needs to be cheaper

Lots of folks aren’t too bothered about the badge these days. If that rings true for you, the Aion UT will be of interest. Even more so if it’s a compact but practical hatchback you’re after.

I’ve already tried the other car in the UK range to date – the Aion V, which is an SUV and both fall under the umbrella of a Chinese company called GAK (so neither are available in the USA). The Aion V was quite impressive with an interior that was a real standout. The Aion UT looks smaller, but comfort is on a par even if the experience feels a little cheaper.

Which is where things get a little baffling, because the Aion UT is priced from £28,950. That’s kind of expensive when I think of key rivals I could get for similar, or less, money. I mean, the fabulous Renault 5 can be had for less cash and, even sticking with Chinese brands, the MG4 Urban is cheaper too.

However, the Aion UT is an easy car to like. The exterior is decent having been designed in Milan no less, and the interior plenty spacious and comfortable for most. There’s practicality too, with a 60kWh battery offering up to 268 miles of range while performance is sprightly because it’s built on the same platform as the larger Aion V. Less weight and height mean the Aion UT is reasonable capable for a family hatch. Add in generous levels of space front and back plus a 440-litre boot and the UT starts looking like an appealing proposition. Aion is also offering a ‘Great 8’ bundle that covers everything related to the car, including warranty, servicing, roadside assistance and MOTs, all of which transfer with it too. Sounds impressive, eh?

The styling

I thought the Aion UT looked good in the Jade Green colour car I got to test. The not-so-small supermini was deceptively larger than I’d anticipated and, apparently, the sleek shape got itself a 0.32 drag coefficient. It is very smoothed off, with a front end that is both raked and largely angle free. There was just enough going on with the design to give it a bit of a personality too, with nicely executed headlights, pixel-styled DRLs and black plastic trim on the lower half of the front bumper area.

Down the sides, there were contrasting black trim flourishes including plastic wheel arch liners, sill panels and practical door mirrors. The charging flap sat at the back of the wing, which isn’t my preferred location for charging at some places out on the road, but the condensed overhang of the front end meant that shouldn’t be an issue in reality. I liked the view from the rear as well, with quirky taillight mouldings that cut dramatically into the tailgate, an over the window spoiler and more black plastic at the bottom working well together.

While the Aion UT is easier to recognise than many Chinese cars on the outside, the best bit of the design experience was the interior. Inside, the cockpit felt spacious and very comfortable with great seats. Weirdly, the door cards reminded me of the nicely sculpted soft touch panels in the Aion V, but when I touched them, they were simply hard plastic. The effect was very convincing and presumably means they are cheaper to produce.

Elsewhere, the look was minimalist with a simple dashboard layout that had only air vents to cheer it up. The centre console was a chunky thing too, but boasted cup holders and a sizable, concealed storage area. Just in front, down below the vents and chunky infotainment screen, there was a funky little storage bin with a knob on it that invited a tug, but curiously it opened with a turn. Legroom and comfort in the back row were good while the off-white seat coverings looked very agreeable.

The drive

Having been impressed with most aspects of the Aion UT, I was slightly disheartened to see the 17in alloy wheels shod with Chinese tyres that I’d never heard of. I know this isn’t a performance car but EVs are well known for their instant torque, so good grip means everything. As it turned out, they performed well enough once I’d got out onto the open road, although it was still possible to get some scrabbling from the front wheels when pulling briskly out of country lane junctions.

The Aion UT was very decent to drive though with a Sport mode adding a tad more zest into the mix, and it felt like there was more than enough power on offer. Equally, it seemed to be quite efficient, maybe because the powertrain had less to haul around then when it’s used as the basis for the Aion V SUV. I had been told that the suspension setup had been tailored to suit the surroundings compared to the Chinese model and that seemed easy to believe as the car behaved well across a mix of surfaces.

Mind you, I did tire of the ADAS alerts, which reminded me a little of the first time I drove another rival option, the BYD Dolphin on UK roads. Sudden steering wheel movements are never appreciated and so some fettling on that front would probably be welcomed by UK buyers. I’d also have liked a little more in the one-pedal driving department. I couldn’t really fault the way the car drove, but brake regen settings seemed very conservative, which might feel like a letdown to folks who love managing an EV with one foot. There was minimal wind noise on the motorway and even those tyres got on with the job without making too much of a fuss.

The technology

As expected, the Aion UT kept most of its tech credentials hidden within the confines of its central 14.6in infotainment screen, complimented by a 8.8in driver display. This sits up on the dashboard and boasts a credible definition plus the font and icon choices looked good too. Physical buttons were nowhere to be seen, save for the controls on the steering wheel, so everything had to be adjusted via the screen. Basic tasks could be tweaked using shortcut options, but I did also find digging deeper was less user-friendly. Familiarity with the car would probably have eased the frustration.

I spent some time fiddling with the wireless Apple CarPlay, but in the end got connected using a co-driver’s Android Auto setup. We did have some issues with our route too, but in retrospect I suspect that was more to do with their phone and sense of direction than the car itself. Although the Aion UT is billed as a compact it does benefit from having 360-degree parking cameras as the sloping nose and occasionally obscured rear corners could be tricky to gauge when parking in tight spots.

My car also got a boost from a Premium Pack option, yours for an additional £1200, which added more electric-focused goodies into the mix that included folding door mirrors and a powered tailgate. A sizeable panoramic glass roof and wireless phone charging also featured, and the overall feeling did, indeed, add a premium touch to the overall package. A heat pump comes as standard too. The 140Watt ADiGO six-speaker audio system was a bit of a meat-n’-potatoes affair but acceptable enough.

Should you buy the Aion UT in 2026?

Despite its higher-than-expected price, the Aion UT makes a lot of sense. Much of that is to do with how much space it offers inside. While it’s easy to think of the Aion UT as a compact EV, it delivers a more capacious cockpit than cheaper rivals and is more akin to something like the pricier Volkswagen ID.3. In that respect, it could be seen as a bit of a bargain.

Add in the tempting exterior looks, a comfortable and accommodating interior layout plus a respectable range and the Aion UT looks like a realistic option that’s well worth exploring.

Aion UT technical specifications