There was a time when every carmaker wanted to go big. Midsize SUVs and pickups were all the rage, and diesel engines were king. In 2026, however, it’s an entirely different story.
Car buyers have realized that you don’t always need seven seats, that a pickup isn’t the best daily driver, and that electrification is the way forward. Manufacturers have responded by building more of these smaller models for our market—both hybrids and BEVs—many of which landed in just the past year or so. One of those is the GAC Aion UT.
At first glance, it’s easily one of the most interesting offerings out there right now. It looks incredibly quirky, and with its measly price tag, it’s had a lot of people taking second looks. But more than anything, it’s the model GAC hopes will help establish its Aion sub-brand here in the Philippines. It certainly has the potential, especially since it’ll cater to many first-time car buyers as well as those who want to try out EV living.
It’s clearly a value-for-money proposition, but is it really worth consideration?
Watch: 2027 GAC Aion UT review
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Styling
The GAC Aion UT follows the trend of small, cutesy Chinese EVs, with its quirky styling that stands out both on the road and in a full parking lot. It’s similar to a kitten with an angry face—there are seemingly aggressive-looking headlights on a rather tame-looking front fascia.
The panels are smooth, with minimal visible edges from the front to the rear. There also aren’t many lines here, giving the UT a rounded, egg-like physique. Even the hood opening is almost invisible when viewed from certain angles. I also like the colorway here, and as someone who isn’t fond of white-top cars, that’s me saying a lot.
It’s a design that I think will age nicely, as it keeps that clean, minimalist exterior and does away with that overly futuristic vibe that some EVs are going for these days. It’s quirky, but for the most part, it’s ordinary. Even the wheels appear normal.
I do have to say, though, this car is bigger than it actually looks. Its wheelbase is already in subcompact-crossover territory. Perhaps it’s that cute aesthetic that makes it seem like a tiny vehicle, which it really isn’t.
Interior
That size is more apparent once you get inside, as there is heaps of space here in the UT. There’s legroom for days for all five passengers. The cabin is also wide enough that front passengers won’t be rubbing elbows 24/7 and for three people to somewhat fit in the second row. Comfort leaves a lot to be desired, but we’ll talk more about that later. The design matches the exterior as well, with unaggressive lines and minimal edges on the varying interior trim.
Quality-wise, it’s decent for a million-peso car. It’s not premium, but it doesn’t feel cheap at all. If anything, the combination of the colors and different textures of plastics gives you a sense that you get more than what you pay for. The fabric seats are also nice and plush, and there’s good bolstering for front-row passengers.
There isn’t so much storage space here, however, as you only get a cubby (albeit a bit slippery) under the center console and a small compartment underneath the center armrest. There’s a tray for your phone in the middle alongside two cup holders, and that’s it. There’s a glove box in the middle below the dashboard where you can keep the more important stuff you want out of sight, but it’s not easily accessible so it might not be the best option for keeping items you’d often need within arm’s reach.
Still, overall, not bad for a ‘small’ car. Even trunk space is abundant, with 440 liters available. It won’t fit a golf bag when stored horizontally in the back, but you can fold the seats down to open up more space for larger items like these.
Powertrain performance
The Aion UT boasts a maximum range of 400km with its 44.13kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. Its single electric motor produces 134hp and 145Nm and propels the front wheels. Power is plenty, and even with five people on board plus some cargo, there’s enough oomph from that electric setup.
The problem here, however, is the range. GAC may have overestimated 400km, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get better than 9km/kWh. That’s with me being very, very careful with the throttle and being steady on the highway, keeping expressway speeds to 80kph at most. This was on a chill Sunday drive from Laguna to Makati, with barely any traffic on the road.
With heavy traffic, consumption worsens to 7.5km/kWh. In reality, that range is just 350km at best. This was the reason I was wondering Australia was going to get a ‘short range’ variant with 320km, when Philippine-spec units were actually close to that already. But I digress.
Still, it’ll be much cheaper to run this EV than a gasoline or diesel car these days, especially if you’re just going to charge it at home. Using a public AC charger won’t be ideal, as most are 20kW+ chargers and the Aion UT only supports up to 6.6kW. You’ll end up paying more without the quicker charging time—ask me how I know. If you do have access to a DC charger, you can opt to plug the UT there, as this EV supports up to 64kW DC fast charging.
Ride and handling
Its energy consumption may be dismal for a relatively small car, but at least the UT has a comfortable ride. It’s pliant on the expressway and doesn’t feel wallowy, unlike most of the Chinese EVs and hybrids we’ve tested in recent years. NVH levels are decent for an econobox, and it isn’t too noisy whether on the highway or in the city. It also can tackle roads like EDSA or C5 without the car feeling like it’s going to fall apart. If anything, you won’t hear any random squeaks and rattles while driving through imperfect roads, which also says a lot about its build quality.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, comfort for the fifth passenger isn’t the best. Even at low speeds, you’ll feel a lot of oscillations when you’re in that middle seat in the back. That’s probably because of the way the seats are built—the middle part bulges upward, so the seating position is quite high.
In addition to that, body roll is significant in the Aion UT, especially for that fifth passenger. Simply put, this car isn’t for mountain roads. It has power to go uphill, sure, and it feels quite nimble, but you will feel every bit of each corner even when you don’t take them on too quickly.
What it’s built for is the city, and in urban spaces like Metro Manila, it excels. It has some size to it, as I mentioned, but it’s quite easy to drive. The throttle isn’t aggressive like in other EVs, which is important since this will cater to a lot of first-time buyers. It’s also easy to maneuver in tight spaces, as the steering is light, visibility from behind the wheel is excellent, and there’s even a 360-degree camera to help with tight parking spots and narrow roads. Or even traffic jams, if necessary.
Extra features
As implied, the UT is loaded with tech. On top of that panoramic-view camera, there’s a massive 14.6-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It comes with a six-speaker setup that’s mediocre at best, but expected given the price point. It comes with matching cute wallpapers as standard—unnecessary, but also an unsurprising gimmick considering how this car looks. This head unit is paired with a smaller 8.88-inch digital instrument cluster that displays plenty of information like the tire-pressure monitoring system. The second screen is much smaller, but it has the basics covered in an easy-to-digest layout. You might be familiar with how other Chinese cars have insanely cluttered clusters, so this is a breath of fresh air.
There’s also ADAS here, which is surprising. There’s adaptive cruise control and forward and rear-collision warning, which is almost unheard of at this price point. My only gripe, however, is that cruise control isn’t intuitive to use. The controls are on the same stalk that you use to shift gears—you shift down to activate it. I read online that to deactivate it once it’s engaged, you have to flick the stalk up like shifting to reverse, which is weird and unnatural. In my case, I had to step on the brake pedal whenever I had to disengage cruise control.
Clearly, ergonomics is an issue here, but not just with those stalks, as that massive center screen also comes with—you guessed it—touchscreen controls. All of the settings, even the side-mirror positioning, can only be adjusted through a few presses on that large touchscreen display. That’s the price to pay for a clutter-free interior design, I suppose. I’m still not a fan of it, though, especially when it’s executed like this.
Verdict
The Aion UT comes in at P1.068 million, which is about the price of a Toyota Wigo or Honda Brio. That’s pretty good, if you ask me. Besides, for that amount, you get a small EV that feels like a proper car, not a cheap golf cart. In most small and overly budget-friendly electric cars, that’s unfortunately the case.
It’s not the perfect starter car, because the learning curve to understand its controls and features can be steep, but the whole package itself is solid. Complaints aside, this would still make an ideal electric daily driver.
SPECS: 2027 GAC Aion UT
Price: P1,068,000
Battery: 44.13kWh lithium iron phosphate
Motor: Permanent-magnet synchronous
Power: 134hp
Torque: 145Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Drive layout: FWD
Estimated range: 400km
Seating: 5
Score: 8.5/10
More photos of the GAC Aion UT 2027:
