Aion UT is a grown-up family ride with a cuddly face

SINGAPORE – Your eyes are playing tricks on you. The Aion UT may give off chic Mini vibes, but it packs the cabin space of a Volkswagen Golf into its compact frame. Just as appealing is its price point, which is aggressively low even for a Category A certificate of entitlement (COE) electric car.

This is the newest baby from Aion, a brand that ended 2025 as Singapore’s second best-selling Chinese brand. Its popularity was fuelled by the V, a slightly oversized Category A COE electric sport utility vehicle (SUV).

With the UT, Aion seems to be using the same playbook, making its compact electric hatchback a bit bigger than class-rivals such as the Nio firefly, the Mini Aceman E and the Dongfeng Box.

In any case, the compact hatchback is an endangered species in Singapore. The quirk of the COE system means larger, more refined SUVs often cost only a fraction more. So, you have to really want something like the UT to ignore the larger Category A electric SUVs out there.

Beyond expounding on the pleasures of effortlessly dodging the haphazardly placed pillars of the Katong Shopping Centre carpark and avoiding the tipping sensation of a tall SUV, there is also a certain appeal about the way the UT looks.

Aion may not describe the car as being “kawaii”, but there is more than a bit of Pikachu energy about the way the UT looks. To keep its proportions looking snug like a smaller car, Aion has supersized the details. The door handles and those doe-eyed headlights, for example, are larger than normal.

The wheel axles are pushed towards the edges of the bumpers. This not only gives the Aion an attractive stance, but also creates a long wheelbase, translating into space for limbs and battery cells.

That extra width over typical hatchbacks means more shoulder space. It also helps to make the cabin look and feel airy. At the back, even with a child booster seat mounted, there is enough room to squeeze two relatively compact grown-ups alongside – an important consideration for younger families, for sure.

Then, there is the lidded cubby – useful to hold wet wipes – below the centre air-conditioning vents. The car also comes with a flip-down mirror to let the driver check on the toddler in the back, and a boot that can pack a pram and, possibly, some sandcastle-building equipment.

With no retractable cover to shield the boot’s contents, owners can use the deck under the removable floorboard to hide valuables like laptop bags from prying eyes.

The infotainment touchscreen, with its clear presentation, is as large as you would expect from an electric vehicle (EV) these days. Pairing it wirelessly for Apple CarPlay is effortless.

However, while the car has a built-in navigation system, it is not quite as sleek as the smartphone’s. More than once in the city, instructions are called out too late.

With every other car cabin being dominated by an infotainment touchscreen, it does not seem too jarring to have to poke and swipe to control the majority of features in the UT.

To Aion’s credit, there is a pleasant logic about the way the menu is organised.

Controls for features that are frequently needed, such as the air-conditioning and the all-round cameras, are permanently displayed at the bottom of the touchscreen. Also among the permanent digital buttons is one that calls up a second set of often-used features, allowing the driver to change the radio station, toggle driving modes and tweak the position of the wing mirrors.

But there are also quirks. For example, it is a three-step process diving into the touchscreen menu to open or close the blinds for the glass roof. As with some other Chinese EVs, the hazard light switch is on the ceiling, and not on the dashboard.

The car has a smartphone app that can be used to remotely unlock the car, activate the air-conditioning or check on the battery’s state of charge, but not to start the car.

Then again, there is no way to actually “start” the car. Like many EVs today, all it takes is to stick the UT’s shift stalk to drive and the car is ready to go.

It is easy to get into a comfortable driving position, even though the steering wheel adjusts only for height, but not for reach. This is one of the few signs of cost-cutting – besides the finishing on top of the door panel and dashboard – in an otherwise generous cabin.

Other than typical driving modes like Comfort and Sport, the UT also has one curiously named “Motion Sickness Relief”. This reduces the intensity of the car’s energy recuperation and softens the braking action. However, it also dulls the accelerator a bit, although not as exaggeratedly as the Eco mode in some cars.

In other driving modes, the UT feels livelier. The car is quite softly sprung and rides more calmly than something like the Aceman E. Unlike taller SUVs, the UT does not pitch very much, which is good for ride comfort. Nipping whatever is causing the persistent wind noise to creep into the cabin at highway speed would take cabin comfort up half a notch.

In the city, where it has to do battle with delivery riders and ride-hailing drivers, the UT feels nippy and competent. Rivals like the firefly and Aceman E feel more alert in the way they react to the steering. However, it is still easy to get into a rhythm with the UT when it comes to stringing a series of corners together.

Aion offers the UT in two versions – Standard and Premium. Beyond its added gadgets – such as electric ventilated seats and a panoramic glass roof – the Premium offers a performance boost. With 210Nm of torque compared with the Standard’s 145Nm, it completes the 0-100kmh sprint in 10 seconds, which is two seconds quicker than the Standard.

The $4,000 extra it costs over the Standard adds nearly 36 per cent more battery capacity.

Based on the multi-day test drive, the UT Premium should be able to achieve the 410km claimed range. This is more than the Standard’s 335km range and that of key rivals like the Aceman E (310km) and the firefly (320km), but behind the Box (430km).

Given that it is unlikely that an owner will leave it to the last kilometre of charge before plugging in, the slightly longer potential range of the UT Premium will certainly be welcomed.

Behind its Pikachu-like face, the UT is a competent and small family car that is worth a look, assuming you can ignore the appeal of the SUV.

Aion UT Premium

Price: $166,988 with COE, before applicable discounts
Motor: Permanent synchronous with 60kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate battery
Transmission: Single-speed front-wheel drive
Power: 100kW
Torque: 210Nm
0-100kmh: 10 seconds
Top speed: 160kmh
Power consumption: 17.4kWh/100km
Charging capacity: 6.6kW AC; 80kW DC
Range: 410km
Agent: Vincar EV
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comparable considerations

Nio firefly ($219,999 with COE before applicable discounts)

Plusher than the UT in some areas, the Nio firefly is great fun to drive. Nio has been touted to be among the few Chinese brands that can match Tesla’s technology, although this is not particularly apparent in the firefly. What the compact EV has plenty of are design flair and handling dynamics.

Mini Aceman E ($248,888 with COE)

As the electric Mini with just enough space for the family, the Aceman is a stylish car which identifies as a crossover rather than a hatchback. The ride seems firmer than it needs to and the operating range could be longer, but there is no denying the appeal of that funky Mini badge.

Dongfeng Box ($223,888 with COE before applicable discounts)

Adorable to a fault, the Box is a serious car beyond its cutesy design. Prioritising operating range over performance, the hatchback can travel 430km before it needs to be plugged in. The infotainment system could be more intuitive to use, but it gets the job done.