Gac Aion Ut vs Volkswagen Polo

What's the difference?

Chinese newcomer GAC couldn’t have timed the arrival of its Aion UT in Australia any better.

At the time of writing, we were in the midst of another Middle East-related fuel crisis, and more buyers than ever before were considering switching to their first electric car.

It’s a good thing there hasn’t ever been a better time to buy one, especially with price tags getting lower and lower thanks to keen new players like GAC.

The Aion UT, which is a vaguely Corolla-sized hatchback is now one of the most affordable new EVs on the market, and aims to outfox its primary rivals, like the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora.

But, as you may have figured out by now, newcomer brands can come with their fair share of quirks. So, is the Aion UT the affordable hatchback it needs to be? We went to its Australian launch to find out.

The Volkswagen Polo is about to turn 30 in Australia but, by 1996, it was already 21-years and three generations old in Europe.

As the least-expensive jumping-on point for the brand here today (RIP VW Up!), the Polo has deftly juggled affordability with the premium pricing that its German engineering demands.

But, at nine-years old, and in an era of newer, hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) and often cheaper alternatives from China and elsewhere, is the ageing Polo as convincing?

We test the mid-spec CityLife to find out.