Revisión de conducción del GAC Aion UT: Un rival suavizado del ID.3

Con GAC, another Chinese automotive giant is making a push into the European market. The 70-year-old state-owned company has already established a presence in Portugal, Finland, and Poland with its Aion V since September. The VW ID.4 rival is also expected to arrive in Germany soon.

For its European expansion, the Chinese automaker is targeting high-volume segments. After entering the mid-size SUV class with its first European model, it is now addressing the still highly competitive C-segment with a classic compact battery-electric vehicle. The Aion UT is produced in both China and Thailand and has been available in its home market since March of this year. The model is slated for a European launch starting in 2026.

The vehicle’s exterior has already been adapted to European preferences—GAC operates a European design center in Milan to ensure its models resonate with local customers. However, the influence of its direct competitor is immediately apparent. The basic shape closely resembles the VW ID.3, though distinctively Chinese design elements, such as the round, cartoonish headlights, lend it a degree of individuality.

Spacious luggage compartment

The acronym UT stands for ‘Urban Traffic’, and with its dimensions, this electric vehicle, designed from the ground up for European customers, is indeed well-suited for city driving. It measures 4.27 meters in length, 1.85 meters in width, and approximately 1.58 meters in height. To maximise interior space, the compact car, much like the ID.3, has a long wheelbase of 2.75 meters.

The luggage compartment offers 440 litres of space with the rear seats upright—more than the ID.3. GAC has not yet disclosed the cargo capacity when the second row is folded down. During the test drive, I also sat in the back. Despite the compact dimensions, the UT provides ample legroom. At 1.85 meters tall, however, I had barely any headroom to spare. The standard panoramic sunroof likely contributes to this limitation, which isn’t one of the EV’s strengths.

Maximum charging power rated at 130 kW

The company equips its ID.3 rival with a 60 kWh LFP battery, which is claimed to deliver a maximum range of up to 420 kilometres. Our test drive was too brief to verify the real-world range. However, we were able to assess the accuracy of the claimed energy consumption of 16 kWh per 100 km. After our highway-heavy round trip, the display showed 19.8 kWh. The UT is clearly not a benchmark for efficiency.

The peak charging power is specified at 130 kW. In this regard, its Volkswagen rival, since its update, is significantly superior, offering a maximum of 145 to 185 kW. According to GAC, the UT can charge from 30% to 80% in just 24 minutes under ideal conditions. The fact that the manufacturer doesn’t start the timer at the usual 10%, as is standard practice, raises questions. Otherwise, the claimed time would likely exceed 30 minutes. Unfortunately, a charging curve check wasn’t possible due to the short test. On a practical note, the charging port is located at the front right.

A touch too soft

Under the hood is a 100 kW electric motor with 176 Nm of torque that drives the front wheels. Given a curb weight of around 1.5 tons, this might not seem impressive, but the compact car accelerates decently, even beyond the 130 kph mark. The official top speed is 160 kph, though during the test drive, the speedometer maxed out at 166 kph. The UT offers three driving modes, with noticeable differences in power delivery between Eco and Normal modes. One-pedal driving is nearly achievable, though not entirely: the UT merely coasts and doesn’t come to a complete stop.

The UT doesn’t exactly encourage enthusiastic driving, partly due to noticeable wind noise above 100 kph. Additionally, the suspension lacks dynamism. While the UT is a comfortable ride, in my opinion, GAC’s engineers have made it a touch too soft. It feels as though you’re barely connected to the road. The electric compact car feels like a magic carpet—though not in a positive way.

During quick steering inputs, the car tends to sway, and body roll is clearly noticeable in fast corners. Combined with the overly light and vague steering, this doesn’t inspire confidence. Even in terms of driving dynamics, it’s clear that the UT hasn’t been fully tailored to local customer preferences. However, that could still change before it launches in Europe.

‘Hey baby’ gives drivers a reason to blush

Once behind the wheel, the clean cockpit layout stands out. At the centre is a 14.6-inch touchscreen, complemented by an 8.8-inch display for driving information directly behind the steering wheel. The menu is logically structured, though some widgets are a bit too small, making it difficult to operate. That is especially true when driving on rough roads, where it’s easy to mis-tap.

As with the Aion V, the voice control system is problematic. It only responds to ‘Hey Baby’, which feels awkward and almost embarrassing from a European perspective. The success rate for various commands is also inconsistent.

The software isn’t yet fully adapted to the European market. Both the German and English versions still contain several translation errors. For example, when regenerative braking—referred to in the menu as ‘kinetic energy recovery’—is set to its lowest level, the display shows ‘closed’, instead of ‘turned off’.

Inexpensive materials, cleanly processed

The test vehicle’s interior colour scheme is initially striking. The dashboard, door panels, and seat upholstery are lilac, which is a refreshing change in a segment dominated by dark plastic interiors. While the build quality is solid and all components fit well, the materials feel far from premium. That also applies to the synthetic leather upholstery favoured by Chinese automakers, which feels distinctly artificial. The rest of the material mix is similar, with hard plastics dominating, and even the textured surfaces don’t feel particularly pleasant to the touch.

However, the agency responsible for organising the test drives emphasised that the test vehicle was a pre-production model not yet fully adapted to European standards. A nice detail is the small storage compartment in the front of the centre console, which, with its lid and knob, resembles an old vanity case. Combined with the illuminated vanity mirror, it’s clear which primary target group GAC has in mind for the UT.

The dual wireless charging pad is another practical feature. Apart from the upholstery, the seats also make a good impression—they’re not only comfortable but also provide adequate lateral support. The front seats can be fully reclined, making the compact suitable for car camping.

Conclusión

With the Aion UT, GAC has, at least on paper, exactly the right car for the European market. The compact’s appealing design and consistently comfort-oriented approach should make it a pleasant everyday companion. However, the Chinese automaker still needs to refine a few areas—particularly the suspension tuning, software, and interior material selection.

The charging times are also not particularly impressive for the C-segment. In this market, the model is likely to achieve high sales figures only if it significantly undercuts its main competitors, particularly the VW ID.3, in terms of price. To truly challenge Volkswagen, the UT should ideally be priced well below €30,000 in its base configuration.