2026 GAC Aion UT review: Australian first drive

Once upon a time, buying a first car probably meant a shopping list that looked something like this: Volkswagen Golf or Polo, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, maybe a Mazda 3.

But GAC has entered the Australian market, and looks set to show those brands how it's done.

The Chinese newcomer has just launched its Aion UT electric hatch loaded with premium features, lots of space, and it doesn’t cost the earth.

If I were 18 again, or if my daughter were 18 and not three, I would be very tempted, so let me tell you why.

The GAC Aion UT is not the absolute cheapest electric hatch you can get, but for its size and equipment it is competitive.

There are two grades: the Premium costs $30,990 and the Luxury costs $35,990. 

Pricing is drive-away for the first 600 vehicles purchased before 9 April, after which the Premium will start from $31,990 before on-road costs.

Both are powered by the same electric motor producing 150kW/210Nm, and driving the front wheels only. 

Standard features in the Premium include 17-inch alloy wheels, a 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers, and FM/DAB+ radio.

It also has synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, surround-view cameras, and a suite of active safety features.

Stepping up to the Luxury adds a wireless smartphone charger, a glass sunroof, an electric tailgate, and a ventilated driver's seat.

There are several optional paint choices. Only white and beige are free – all others cost $600. Honestly, it’s worth it. The lavender, green and crimson red are especially nice in the metal.

As well as a competitive starting price, GAC has positioned itself well in the market for owners, offering a strong eight-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, a separate eight-year/200,000km battery warranty, five years of free roadside assistance, and 2GB of in-car data free for two years.

The Aion UT competes in Australia with the likes of the BYD Dolphin, GWM Ora and MG 4. The Ora is very cute, and the Dolphin is a great all-rounder, plus the MG 4 has the best driving range, so it has some stiff competition on its hands to be worthy of your (or your parents’ hard-earned).

The Dolphin starts from $29,990 plus on-roads for the Essential, while the Ora range opens with the Lux for $35,990 drive-away, and the MG 4 Excite is $37,990 drive-away. 

As looks go, at first, the GAC Aion UT’s are a little… odd. But they grow on you, and actually, GAC’s description of it as a “cute baby” is quite apt.

It has a short bonnet with a flat face, and without a grille (which it obviously doesn’t need as an EV), it’s little in a sweet, bubbly kind of way. 

There’s a wide lower air intake below the number plate, with square-shaped cutouts for the lower lights and sharp, angled headlights.

In profile, it’s a bit flat and devoid of much character, as all the body panels are rounded, but it does have nice little door handles that lie flush.

And the 17-inch wheels are pretty snazzy too.

The minimalist look is finished off at the rear, where it drops away sharply, with large tail-lights the only thing to break up the large panel apart from some very subtle badging.

The inside of the Aion UT is spacious and polished. It presents well, and the build quality is good.

The colours are soft, the sunroof swathes the cabin in light, and the seats are padded and comfortable, making it a nice place to spend time. 

Both versions have synthetic-leather upholstery, but you wouldn’t know it was fake from the way it looks. 

There are three interior colour choices. The creamy white-and-grey combo is quite attractive, but the pink-and-contrast tartan fabric is just full of personality. All pink might have been a bit much, but the two-tone juxtaposition hits just right.

If I were 18 again, or my daughter were older, we definitely would have had this option.

There’s lots of room in the doors to put small items, as well as under the armrest, in the glovebox and down here underneath the floating centre console. 

There’s even a secret storage compartment low down underneath the centre screen for bits and pieces you don’t want rattling around. It would be the perfect place to stash make-up or products like sunscreen and hand cream you need with you when you’re out.

The central cupholders are fine, but not overly generous, and there’s a wireless charger here next to the driver too. The charger could use some kind of rubber base, because the plastic is slippery and means your phone moves around a lot.

For connectivity, there are USB-A and C ports in the front, and an additional USB-A port in the back if you opt for the Luxury grade.

It’s all very minimal, perhaps too minimal in some ways, as everything is basically contained within the infotainment screen.

The screen is large and bright, and everything makes sense, but it can be fiddly to use while driving, including the climate controls.

Although new to the market, GAC already offers its connected car services for the Aion UT. Users can access features such as remote locking or unlocking, preset the climate controls, find vehicle telematics data and even use their phone as a key through the app.

Despite its seemingly small proportions, there is quite a lot of room in the back row.

The floor is flat to give rear passengers more leg room. There’s a lot of space for my legs and head, and I’m around 170cm. 

The bench is quite wide as well, so you could fit three friends without feeling too squished.

There’s some room in the doors for slim bottles, but not heaps. Instead, you’d be better off stashing things in the map pockets on the backs of the front seats, in the little storage section underneath the rear air vents, or using the cupholders in the centre armrest.

At 321 litres, the boot of the Aion UT isn’t massive, but for an electric hatch it’s not bad, and you can lower it down an extra 10cm to give you more capacity. With the seats down, the overall space swells to 689L.

It’s enough to fit two small suitcases or a handful of shopping bags. If you take out the naff cardboard parcel shelf, you can probably even do both. 

In fact, it’s so spacious that I could still use it as a mum with two young children now as our second family car too.

The MG 4 has the largest boot of the lot at 363L, while the Dolphin has 345L on offer. The Ora is the titchiest by some way, with only 228L of space with the seats up.

GAC claims an energy consumption figure of 16.4kWh per 100 kilometres for the Aion UT, with a WLTP-claimed driving range of 430km on a single charge from the 60kWh battery.

During testing at launch, which was a mix of urban and country roads, it used a minimum of 13.3kWh and a maximum of 15.7kWh, which is pretty impressive given the conditions.

As a city-focused car, that’s more than enough to get around on, and even out in the country for a weekend away once in a while. In the current climate, that low-energy figure is not something to be ignored either.

Range-wise, it sits comfortably amongst its peers, with the Dolphin offering between 340km and 490km, and the Ora between 380km and 400km, depending on the variant. 

The two lower grades of the MG 4 range offer between 404km and 505km, although there is a specific long-range variant if that’s something that’s important to you.

DC fast-charging capability for the Aion UT is rated at up to 87kW, with GAC claiming a 30–80 per cent recharge can be completed in about 24 minutes.

As an introductory bonus, GAC is bundling in a 10-amp portable charger and a 22kW home wall charger with every Aion UT sold.

As yet, the Aion UT has not been crash-tested by ANCAP, but the brand says it will be soon and has high hopes for five stars.

I have to say, though, some of the safety tech is too invasive. The overspeed alert triggers after just 1km/h over, the seatbelt warning gets confused if even a light bag is on one of the back seats, and the driver attention monitor is chiming in often.

This last one triggers for even the slightest glance away at the main screen, or even the cluster if you’re trying to mess around with something like the cruise control, which you have to do because literally everything is on the screen.

The Aion UT is quite nice to drive, and I think young drivers especially will find its on-road manners appealing around town.

The ride is soft and comfortable. It’s very soft, in fact, almost too soft. It is compliant and scooches nicely over bumps and rides out the kinks of patchy roads and potholes without being troubled or fussed at all. 

And it’s quiet. No noise from an engine to contend with, of course, but also not much kicked up from the road unless you’re travelling at freeway speeds, and nothing really from the wind either.

It’s also a bit of a pocket rocket. The 150kW isn’t headline-worthy, but it’s more than capable enough for getting around, and the instant torque helps it feel quick and nippy. 

You could even argue it’s too quick for its size, and the power being delivered so quickly could catch people out, especially younger drivers not used to electric cars.

There are two drive modes: Comfort and Sport. You can also adjust the braking and steering forces in these modes to your liking.

It is light on its feet and handles well, considering that GAC has prioritised comfort and efficiency above all else. 

The steering is quite light, but it still feels direct enough to do the job, and there’s not much movement in the body. You only feel some weight shift if you’re going a bit faster into a corner. 

If there’s a trade-off for the comfortable and quiet ride, it’s the poor grip from the tyres.

The 17-inch wheels are clad in Chaoyang SU318a highway tyres, and they are slippery under pressure and squeal at the slightest sign of trouble.

Fair enough, most drivers won’t be racing around in their Aion UT, but if you had to swerve to avoid an animal or pedestrian, for example, or if the road was wet, they might not hold the road as well as they should. 

And there’s another quirk when it comes to stopping – there are three regenerative braking settings: Close, Weak and Medium, but they all feel exactly the same.

Normally, with electric cars, the levels of regen vary from nothing at all to a very harsh, almost emergency brake-like sensation. Genuinely, I could not tell the difference. 

Last year, one in five new cars bought came from China, so our appetite is clearly changing and we’re becoming more open-minded.

In its home market, GAC works closely with Toyota and Honda through joint ventures and sells more than two million cars a year. 

It’s not 'just' another new Chinese car brand. It didn’t start up yesterday; it knows what it’s doing and has its sights set on Australia for massive expansion.

That begs the question: Is GAC the new challenger brand to watch? And is the Aion UT the car that changes the game, especially for younger buyers?

I’d turn off some of those pesky safety alerts, or if GAC could just recalibrate them a little that would be even better, and I’d definitely change the tyres.

The BYD Dolphin is a good car, though, and will be tough to beat. But if you’re looking for a small car, especially an electric one, take a look at the Aion UT. You might be pleasantly surprised.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

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