GAC AION UT might look like a challenging Scrabble hand, but it’s actually the name of the latest sharply-priced entrant into Australia’s increasingly competitive electric car market.

It starts at $30,990 driveaway for the Premium, increasing to $35,990 driveaway for the Luxury, though the catch is this is introductory pricing for the first 600 customers who pre-order between March 12 and April 9.

In addition, pre-order customers will receive a bonus 10A portable charger and 22kW wall charger. After this, pricing reverts to $31,990 (+ORCs) and $35,990 (+ORCs) for the Premium and Luxury respectively.  

This puts it head-to-head with the likes of the identically priced BYD Atto2 and Jaecoo J5.

The AION UT is covered by GAC’s eight-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and five years roadside assistance as long as servicing is carried out at a GAC dealership, while the high-voltage battery is covered by an eight-year/200,000km warranty.

Common to both variants is a 150kW/210Nm electric motor driving the front wheels, sufficient for a 0-100km/h time of 7.3sec.  

A 60kWh battery provides up to 430km of range (WLTP) and has a maximum AC charge rate of 11kW and DC rate of 87kW, which provides a 30-80 per cent charging time of 24 minutes.

The AION UT measures 4270mm long, 1850mm wide and 1575mm height with a 2750mm wheelbase, making it roughly similar in size to a Hyundai Kona. Boot space is 321 litres.

The entry Premium features 17-inch wheels, one-touch power windows front and rear, a 14.6-inch infotainment system with smartphone mirroring, digital radio and voice control, a six-speaker stereo, 8.88-inch digital instrument display, LED lights, heated and power adjustable front seats (six-way driver, four-way passenger – and a heated steering wheel.

Stepping up to the Luxury adds a power tailgate, panoramic sunroof with electric sunshade, power-folding side mirrors, wireless phone charging and auto anti-glare rear-view mirror.  

Both variants have a comprehensive safety suite, including seven airbags, emergency call system and a huge amount of active driving assists, including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and keep assist, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed control, front and rear cross-traffic alert with braking, blind-spot detection, front and rear parking sensors and a surround-view camera.

Deliveries of the GAC AION UT will begin in Q2 2026 from the brand’s 18 dealers nationwide.

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