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Chinese maker Aiways finally enters the UK market with this car, the U5 - yet another mid-sized EV crossover. Selling points include value and cabin space. But the competition is fierce.
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Background
You might well feel, particularly if you're a Western auto maker, that the last thing Europe needs right now is another Chinese car manufacturer. Particularly one that wants to base itself in Europe and sell almost all its cars on our continent. Such are the plans of Aiways, who are finally launching in the UK with this car, the all-electric U5.
All Aiways models are EVs and until quite recently, most of them were sold in China. That followed a successful company start-up in 2017 from ex-VW Group executives, who quickly established a full R&D centre, a battery plant and a factory with an annual capacity of 300,000 units. Cut-throat Far Eastern competition though, saw the company take the unusual step in 2024 of withdrawing from the Chinese market altogether, then relocating to Germany and focusing on Europe.
You might wonder about the name. The first two letters don't designate 'Artificial Intelligence' but apparently spell 'love' in Chinese. Not that the UK has had much opportunity to fall in love with the brand's first European product, the U5, which (as first new brand models usually are) is a mid-sized crossover. Its launch here was much-delayed, first by Covid, then by the marque's growing financial woes. Now though, it's really here. Let's take a look.
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Range data
| Min | Max |
| Price | 35000 | 38000 |
| Max Speed (mph) | 99 | 99 |
| 0-62 mph (s) | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Electric WLTP-Rated Driving Range (miles) | 250 | 250 |
| Min | Max |
| Length (mm) | 4680 | 4680 |
| Width (mm) | 1865 | 1865 |
| Height (mm) | 1700 | 1700 |
| Boot Capacity (l) | 419 | 419 |
Driving experience
If you were to create a blueprint for the engineering spec of a typical mid-sized electric crossover in our current day, the U5 would tick most of its boxes. There's only one version and it comes with a 63kWh battery capable of taking the car up to 255 miles. That figure betrays the relative age of this design, as does the rather abrupt take-off from rest unless you're careful to initially feather the throttle. If you don't, you'll get a full 204hp experience, which comes with 310Nm of pulling power, so this Aiways model won't feel slow. 62mph from rest is dispatched in 7.5s (or 7.8s in top-spec 'Prime' guise) and top speed is limited to 99mph to preserve range.
It's fortunate that few customers in this segment are seeking an engaging driving experience because the U5 doesn't offer that. Probably wisely, it concentrates instead on more useful everyday virtues. There's a softly-sprung ride and refinement is excellent - you can only hear the electric motor wine if you really listen for it. Steering is light too - unhelpful on twisty B roads but a boon in town.
You will of course need to engage the most frugal of the provided drive modes - 'Eco' - to get anywhere near the range prediction. And make full use of the provided brake regeneration settings, which unfortunately can only be accessed by the centre screen, rather than more conveniently with steering wheel paddles.
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Design and build
The first two letters in the brand's name might not designate Artificial Intelligence but it looks like there's been plenty of that deployed in the design of the U5, overseen by former GM Europe stylist Ken Okuyama. It appears exactly the kind of shape that a computer program might generate, with its sharky nose, concave flanks and 'floating' contrast-coloured roof. Actually, the driving factor behind this clean sheet design was the desire to create a class-leadingly spacious cabin. Perhaps that's why to look at, the U5 seems initially an even larger car than it actually is. The 4,680mm length makes it one of the biggest cars in the mid-sized EV crossover class, 31mm longer than a Skoda Enyaq and a full 96mm longer than a Volkswagen ID.4.
Get inside, where there's the usual screen fest, with an instrument display panel split into three to give drivers a proper sense of separation between the different kinds of information. You'll quickly realise that this is one of those EVs that starts merely by unlocking, climbing in and pressing the brake pedal. Otherwise, the main thing of note is the lack of the usual passenger-side glovebox, which is supposed to create an extra feeling of spaciousness. If you really want a glove box, you can add a kind of clip-on case in this area as an accessory. There's a smartphone-style bent-glass instrument cluster and a decently sized 12.3-inch infotainment centre screen with a voice control 'digital assistant' avatar in the form of a virtual whale (supposed underline this U5's environmental credentials).
Like some rivals, the Aiways designers seem addicted to shiny smudgeworthy piano black trimming, the faux leather upholstery isn't much like the real thing and there's rather too much plastiminium for things you regularly use like the door pulls. But most of this is fine given the price point and both the dash top and the upper part of the door cards are nicely finished in soft-touch surfacing.
We referenced cabin space earlier. What might really sell the U5 to you is the almost limo-like standards of leg room at the back. Few similarly-priced rivals can beat this. Three adults will easily fit. There's a big 419-litre boot too and although the rear bench can't fold completely flat, pushing it forward extends this to 1,619-litres.
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Market and model
Basically here, you're getting a mid-sized EV crossover for the price of a more compact one: think ID.4 for the price of a VW ID.3 if it makes more sense. That's a big draw, particularly as few pricier mid-sized EVs are as spacious as a U5.
There's just a single 63kWh battery size and two trim levels, 'Xcite' priced from around £35,000 and 'Prime', priced from around £38,000. Both are very well equipped with features like a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 360-degree surround view camera set-up and a whole suite of driver assistance technology, including adaptive cruise control (with automatic stop/go functionality for jams) and Lane keeping assist, part of a comprehensive camera safety package guarantees a five-star Euro NCAP rating. There's also power-adjustable front seats and dual zone climate control.
Top 'Prime' trim adds a panoramic sunroof, upgraded interior materials and extra driver assistance systems. Plus a haptic panel for the climate controls. The key option is a clip-on case that sits in the space ahead of the front passenger vacated by the lack of a glovebox.
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Cost of ownership
We gave you the EV mileage figure in our 'Driving' section - 250 miles from the 63kWh battery in base 'Xcite' form - or 250 miles in plusher 'Prime' trim. Unlike with rivals, there's no alternative longer-ranging variant available. Energy efficiency is rated at 3.95mpkWh.
The U5 doesn't charge especially quickly - at up to 92kW; to give you some class perspective, a rival Hyundai IONIQ will charge at up to 350kW. Still, this Aiways model can DC-charge from 20-80% in 35 minutes. If you're AC charging from home using a typical 7.4kW wallbox, you need nine hours and 45 minutes for a full charge. If your home or business has access to a three-phase supply, an 11kW wallbox will charge the car from empty in six hours and 30 minutes. The battery is made up of 24 modules that are supplied by CATL.
To ease potential customer fears about buying into an unknown brand, there's a very comprehensive five year / 93,205 mile (150,000 km) warranty. And the marque guarantees 75% of battery capacity for up to 8 years and 93,205 miles.
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Summary
In relocating from China, Aiways obviously thinks it'll have an easier time in the European market. The company might have a shock in store. The U5 is entering an over-crowded class, lately bolstered in this car's mid-sized EV crossover segment by strong entrants from other Chinese brands - Xpeng, Leapmotor, Skywell, Jaecoo and smart, to name but a few. Still, this Aiways model has space and value on its side, attributes that might see it selling better than expected.
This in many ways is the definitive Chinese mid-sized EV and if we'd got it when we should have done (just before Covid), it would have offered a stiff challenge to the established European brands. The U5 proposition doesn't seem quite as strong now, but if you prioritise practicality and get offered the right price, it's still worth a look.
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