GAC Aion UT 2026 review: Premium

The GAC Aion UT is the first GAC I’ve ever driven, so I went into this review not really knowing what to expect. Sort of like walking through a room in the dark, in a house that isn’t yours.

It was full of discovery but without all the falling over and toe stubbing. 

First, what is the Aion UT? It's a fully electric small hatch that almost crosses into SUV territory with its slightly elevated ride height.

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Explore the 2026 Gac Aion Ut Range

GAC Aion UT 2026 review: Premium GAC Aion UT Luxury 2026 review: snapshot GAC Aion UT Premium 2026 review: snapshot

At 4270mm long it’s a similar length to the BYD Dolphin, but shorter than an MG4 Urban, but it does match the MG's price at $31,990 before on-road costs. That’s for the entry grade Premium Aion UT tested here. 

The price is impressive. It’s an electric car for the same money as a petrol car of a similar size, like a Honda HR-V.

The Premium grade has an almost identical features list to the top grade luxury, from powered and heated front seats to a 14.6-inch touchscreen. All it misses out on really, is ventilated seats, wireless phone charging and a power tailgate. 

The Aion UT is not just an affordable small car, it’s more practical than many larger vehicles thanks to clever storage andplenty of cabin space. 

The UT’s 2750mm wheelbase is on the longer side for cars this small and that’s a good thing for occupant space and excellent rear legroom is the result. Rear headroom is more than adequate too, thanks to a tall and flat roofline.

Storage is outstanding with a deep centre console bin and an area underneath for bags. There’s even a hatch under the dash that opens to reveal a netted pocket. There are door pockets, cupholders and a phone tray up front that doubles as a wireless charger if you stump up the extra $4000 for the Luxury grade.

The 321-litre boot isn’t enormous but it's large for a car this size with enough space for a week’s worth of shopping for my family of four or a couple of smaller luggage bags.

2026 GAC Aion UT (Image: Laura Berry)

The main practicality downside is the lack of physical buttons in the cabin for functions such as climate control and media. There are none at all apart from on the steering wheel and the window switches.

Instead, all controls are accessed through the central touchscreen and not only is that more awkward to use but it's a safety concern. A driver could easily be distracted just trying to turn the cabin temperature down.

We lived with the Aion UT for a week doing what families do: from school runs and weekend sports to grocery shopping and family visits. 

This is a front-wheel-drive electric car with a 60kWh battery and 150kW/210Nm motor. That battery size is good for 430km of driving range (WLTP) according to GAC and after 250km in one week there was 170km left, making that claim accurate. Our average energy consumption was 15.6kWh/100km according to the trip computer, which is less than the official 16.4kWh/100km.

In the city and urban areas where we live the UT shines with brisk acceleration, its quiet and smooth nature, good visibility and small size. On motorways, as we found during a trip to a regional area, the UT feels slightly vulnerable among the trucks and the stability was tested in the windy, rainy weather. There were times I wished we were in something larger and higher up.

The driving position is let down by the steering wheel's lack of reach adjustment. I got around this by adjusting my seat, although it's not ideal.

Also not ideal is a persistent driver alert system that reminds you to slow down and avoid distraction. It activates far too easily and interferes with concentration while driving. 

It’s not just the driver being hassled either. My front passenger was told on one occasion not to put her feet on the dashboard even though they weren’t - she had her legs crossed and this seemed to trigger the system.

Finally the styling of the Aion UT isn’t appealing to me. GAC boasts that the little electric car was penned at its Milan design centre, but Chinese rivals like Zeekr and BYD have much more interesting and beautiful creations.