Coche pequeño, grandes ambiciones: Cómo se conduce el Firefly de Nio

“Hey Nomi, where are you?” The call for the digital co-driver goes unanswered in the latest Nio. A glance at the dashboard reveals the absence of the usual animated companion with its expressive eyes. That is not the only difference.

Firstly, this car is three sizes smaller than the ET5 – which at just under €60,000, was the previous entry point to Nio’s range. That’s not to mention the new flagship ET9 at Maybach-level pricing. Secondly, the Nio logo, depicting a stylised sky over a mountain peak, is conspicuously absent from the bonnet.

Strictly speaking, this isn’t a Nio and doesn’t aspire to be one. While Nio CEO William Li, who has been described as the Chinese counterpart to Elon Musk, and his team at the development and design centre in Munich are behind the four-metre-long four-door vehicle, it’s sold under the Firefly brand, establishing a sub-brand much like Citroën did with DS or Seat with Cupra. BMW’s approach with Mini, integrating it as a subsidiary rather than spinning it off as a new brand, serves as another parallel.

Transforming from a brand focused on serious luxury liners for environmentally conscious high earners, we now have a charming, characterful small car that effectively halves the price tag associated with the Nio badge. Instead of nearly €60,000, the Firefly is expected to cost around €30,000 when it arrives in Germany, potentially before the year’s end. The fact that it’s nearly twice as expensive as in China is partly due to EU tariffs. In Norway, for instance, prices start at approximately €25,000.

Additionally, European consumers’ higher expectations and the creators’ confidence—remarkable for a small car—play a role. Consumers demand ample comfort features and, crucially, a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating. Meanwhile, the creators aim to position Firefly as a lifestyle brand, distancing it from budget models like the BYD Dolphin, Citroën C3, or Leapmotor T03. They see Firefly competing with Mini, which, as a Munich-born brand with Chinese ownership, shares a similar genesis.

Similar aspirations to Mini, but a distinct interior

Externally, both cars are equally extroverted and characterful. However, the Firefly appears less chubby-cheeked and more gender-neutral, perhaps due to the three LED dots per headlight replacing the bulging eyes. Internally, the differences are stark: the playful, over-the-top globetrotter from the BMW empire contrasts with the restrained, downsized Nio, furnished as seriously as a solicitor’s waiting room—and just as elegantly. Despite budget cuts, William Li’s team hasn’t compromised on material quality or attention to detail.

In terms of space, Nio’s small car is surprisingly generous. A 2.62-metre wheelbase on a genuine skateboard platform allows the motor to be mounted on the rear axle instead of the front. This configuration expands the interior space, providing the rear bench with unexpected travel suitability. The panoramic roof further enhances the sense of openness. The boot offers between 404 and 1,253 litres, complemented by a 92-litre frunk—likely the largest in its class—and over two dozen storage compartments throughout the cabin, including two sizeable hidden compartments beneath the front passenger and rear seats. The Firefly certainly offers ample space. But how does it drive?

As if the interior wasn’t already a blow to its Munich-based counterpart, the Firefly, contrary to the famed go-kart feel, performs even better in its natural habitat. While the Bavarian contender is better for driving outside the city—see our Mini Cooper E review—the Firefly excels in urban environments. With its rear-mounted motor, the front allows for greater steering angles, reducing the turning circle to 9.4 metres. Navigating tight city streets requires little more than a beer mat’s worth of space.

Acceleration has never been an issue for electric vehicles. Although 105 kW might sound modest for a car weighing around 1.5 tonnes, the 200 Nm of torque available from the get-go compensates effectively. Consequently, the 0 to 100 kph sprint in 8.1 seconds feels brisk, and the top speed of 150 kph is adequate for a city-focused electric small car.

Beyond its agile handling, the Firefly boasts several electric-specific features. Once the appropriate menu option is located on the screen, one-pedal driving becomes reliably available, and the navigation system calculates routes inclusive of charging stops.

Battery swapping: technically feasible, practically not yet

The LFP battery, with its 42.1 kWh capacity, offers a relatively modest range of 330 kilometres. At least these are European figures, which are more stringent than China’s. Nevertheless, one must reconcile this with the car’s urban and short-distance focus to maintain the Firefly’s appeal.

Even though the Firefly doesn’t identify as a Nio, it inherits some virtues from its larger cousin: the electric small car can, in theory, swap its battery. The catch: the battery is much smaller than the 75- or 100-kWh units in Nio models, rendering them incompatible with existing (and still rare in Europe) Nio swapping stations. A previously announced Firefly-specific swapping system appears to have been shelved, with plans to integrate Firefly batteries into the next generation of Nio swap stations.

These battery swapping stations don’t yet exist, meaning this feature isn’t currently usable, even in China, let alone Europe. Consequently, the vehicle is limited to a rather sluggish charging performance of 11 kW AC and 100 kW DC, which, for now, diminishes the otherwise innovative vehicle’s allure.

Oh, and one more thing, the Firefly inherited the digital co-driver from Nio. While it no longer flirts with the driver through a cartoonish character, it now chats away in multiple languages, thanks to ChatGPT. The co-pilot has a new name: Lumo. Thanks, Nomi—you could have mentioned you had a cousin.