AIways U5

Chinese EV automaker AIWays are upping their games

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PRICE

€40,000

Engine Type 150 kW / 204 hp

Maximum Torque 310 Nm

Battery Capacity 63 kWh

Passenger Capacity 5 People

Body Type SUV

Car Weight1.77 0 kg

0 - 100Km/H (MpH) 7,8 seconds

Charging Time 35 Mins*

Range 400Km

AIWays might not be so popular in the west but its a Chinese EV startup which is known as a the Aiways U5. Aiways stands for “AI” (means ‘love’ in Chinese) is on the way” and was founded back in 2017. Though still at its earliest stage compared to other bigger EV brands like Tesla, the company is currently on the evolving phase and the introduction of the AIWays U5 back in 2019 showed how far the company is willing to go with its EV manufacturing.

Founded by Fu Qian who was the former China sales chief of Volvo cars alongside Gary Gu, the company acquired a 50% stake in the Chinese domestic automaker Jiangling Holdings as well as striking some good deals worth millions of US dollars which at the end gave it the right to produce EVs from China regulators and to use Jianling’s auto production plant which in turn helped increase its output.

AIWays U5 which was announced late November 2018 was approved for EU market which is a big deal for the brand as it opens it up to the world outside of China.

And in its bid to further expand its production, it was seeking to raise funds at a price which would value it at over US$2 billion while it joined the Volkswagen Group’s CO₂-pool.

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The U5 was first introduced during the Geneva Motor Show back in March 2019 after a few months since its announcement It’s a 4.68m long electric CUV EV and it went on sale that December in its home country, China.

While its already a production vehicle, the company was supposed to release a follow-up called the AIways U6ion SUV Coupe during the Geneva Motor Show 2020 but due to the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of the vehicle from China to Europe could not be made

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AIways U5 interior

History of the U5

The production of the AIways U5 was publicly unveiled back in 2018 in Beijing Auto Show and the car was previewed as the Aiways U5 Ion Concept back in its home country when it was first unveiled with a starting price of about CN¥ 197,900 to CN¥ 292,100.

Things quickly changed when he Chinese brand decides to take its production abroad starting from Europe which quickly earned it the great reputation it deserved. Pricing in Europe is below €40,000.

Availability of the Aiways U5 in other regions of the world such as US, Africa and Latin America is yet unknown however, the company has further tried cementing its place in the EV market with the U5 which has sold quite a number of cars in Europe and its home market of China.

The safety of the U5 is unfortunately not so amazing scoring just 3 due to a massive impact that left the vehicle’s front shattered and might not be a well-built car in terms of accident safety and so forth. The crash test conducted might make the entry of the U5 into other markets in the world a bit difficult as different region have different crash test level which must be passed before being allowed.

European launch

The U5 was planned to be made available to the left-hand-drive European market as of April 2020 and as of December of that same year, the vehicle was available in the Netherlands and Belgium as well as showing up in the vehicle registration statistics for both countries. In the Netherlands, the price starts from €39,950. The Aiways U5 is also available in Germany.

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Aiways U5 back

Specifications

The AIways U5 isn’t the ultra-powerful EV SUV instead, a compact-SUV which uses a 150kW (201 hp), 310 N m (230 lb⋅ft) electric motor, which allows the compact SUV to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds.

The all-electric range is 410 km (250 mi) on the WLTP cycle, thanks to a 63-kWh battery but there is in fact the higher-premium variant which has a slightly heavier build though it uses the same battery seen in the base model and the all-electric range is about 400 km (250 miles) and acceleration can go from 0 to 100km/h under 7.8 seconds.

Price

 United Kingdom Not Available
 The Netherlands €39,950
 Germany €35,993

Availability

 United Kingdom Not Available
 The Netherlands In production
 Germany In production

Prices shown are recommended retail prices for the specified countries and do not include any indirect incentives. Pricing for the UK includes the direct incentive of the “Plug-In Car Grant (PICG)”.

Pricing and included options can differ by region and do not include any indirect incentives. Click on a country for more details.

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Aiways U5 aerial view

Real Range Estimation between 235 – 505 km

City – Cold Weather * 340 km
Highway – Cold Weather * 235 km
Combined – Cold Weather * 285 km
City – Mild Weather * 505 km
Highway – Mild Weather * 300 km
Combined – Mild Weather * 385 km

Indication of real-world range in several situations. Cold weather: ‘worst-case’ based on -10°C and use of heating. Mild weather: ‘best-case’ based on 23°C and no use of A/C. The actual range will depend on speed, style of driving, weather and route conditions.

Indication of real-world energy use in several situations. Cold weather: ‘worst-case’ based on -10°C and use of heating. Mild weather: ‘best-case’ based on 23°C and no use of A/C. The energy use will depend on speed, style of driving, climate and route conditions.

Aiways U5 crash test score
Unfortunately, the Aiways U5 scored just 3 out of 5 stars in its crash test.

Safety (Euro NCAP)

For more details on the safety rating of this vehicle, visit euroncap.com. The Aiways U5 safety rating is about 3 out of 5 stars which isn’t very great. However, the car’s adult occupant safety score is about 73% while child occupant score is about 70%.

The rating year was in 2019 and things could have changed with the most recent model of the U5 in 2021. However, vulnerable road users safety stays at about 45% while safety assist is about 55% which doesn’t make the U5 a very safe-to-drive EV.

Dimensions and Weight

Length4680 mm
Width1865 mm
Width with mirrorsNo Data
Height1700 mm
Wheelbase2800 mm
Weight Unladen (EU)1720 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVWR)No Data
Max. PayloadNo Data

* = estimated value. Average energy consumption and range based on moderate drive style and climate. Real-life values may differ significantly. Pricing information might not be actual for some regions. No rights can be derived from the information on this site.

Home and Destination Charging (0 -> 100%)

Charging is possible by using a regular wall plug or a charging station. Public charging is always done through a charging station. How fast the EV can charge depends on the charging station (EVSE) used and the maximum charging capacity of the EV. The table below shows all possible options for charging the Aiways U5. Each option shows how fast the battery can be charged from empty to full.

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Aiways U5 interior

Europe

Charging an EV in Europe differs by country. Some European countries primarily use 1-phase connections to the grid, while other countries are almost exclusively using a 3-phase connection. The table below shows all possible ways the Aiways U5 can be charged, but some modes of charging might not be widely available in certain countries.

Charging Point Max. Power Power Time Rate
Wall Plug (2.3 kW) 230V / 1x10A 2.3 kW 32h15m 10 km/h
1-phase 16A (3.7 kW) 230V / 1x16A 3.7 kW 20h15m 17 km/h
1-phase 32A (7.4 kW) 230V / 1x29A 6.6 kW † 11h15m 30 km/h
3-phase 16A (11 kW) 230V / 1x16A 3.7 kW † 20h15m 17 km/h
3-phase 32A (22 kW) 230V / 1x29A 6.6 kW † 11h15m 30 km/h

† = Limited by on-board charger, vehicle cannot charge faster.

Fast Charging (10 -> 80%)

Rapid charging enables longer journeys by adding as much range as possible in the shortest amount of time. Charging power will decrease significantly after 80% state-of-charge has been reached. A typical rapid charge therefore rarely exceeds 80% SoC. The rapid charge rate of an EV depends on the charger used and the maximum charging power the EV can handle. The table below shows all details for rapid charging the Aiways U5.

  • Max. Power: maximum power provided by charge point
  • Avg. Power: average power provided by charge point over a session from 10% to 80%
  • Time: time needed to charge from 10% to 80%
  • Rate: average charging speed over a session from 10% to 80%

Europe

Charging Point Max. Power Avg. Power Time Rate
CCS (50 kW DC) 50 kW 50 kW 56 min 250 km/h
CCS (175 kW DC) 92 kW † 78 kW † 36 min 390 km/h
CCS (350 kW DC) 92 kW † 78 kW † 36 min 390 km/h
Charge Curve
1261 FastchargeCurve
Data made available by Fastned

Aiways U5 is an affordable Chinese EV SUV
Click to View Car Pictures
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