New Nio ET9 is the brand's largest EV yet

Nio has taken the wraps off its new ET9 – a range-topping model that’s set to rival the likes of the BMW i7 and Mercedes EQS SUV. Nio hasn’t entered the UK market just yet, although it brought its smaller ET5 to last summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, while its Onvo sub-brand was recently reported to be launching its L60 here in 2025.

European availability of the new ET9 has not yet been announced, but in China the model is priced from 788,000 yuan (roughly £71,000), rising to 818,000 yuan (around £90,000). In its homeland the ET9 was launched in First Edition trim, which was limited to 999 units and sold out within 24 hours.

At 5324mm long and 2016mm wide, the ET9 is larger than the Mercedes EQS but shorter than the BMW i7. Its 1,620mm height, along with its ground clearance and rakish roofline, give it a coupé-SUV profile more akin to that of the ET5.

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The ET9 follows a familiar design language to the rest of the Nio range, with thin, horizontal LED headlights, a flush, streamlined front bumper and several prominent Lidar bulges on the roof. There’s a full-width LED light bar to the rear, and the ET9 rides on 23-inch wheels with Pirelli’s P Zero EV tyres. 

Sitting on Nio’s latest NT 3.0 platform (which will also be used by the Onvo L60), the ET9 has 900V architecture – the first time this technology has been implemented in a Chinese car. There’s a 100kWh battery pack for a 403-mile range (under the more lenient CLTC testing scheme), although the 900V platform means a recharge rate of up to 600kW is possible, allowing for 158 miles of range to be replenished in five minutes.

It’s not only charging where Nio has tried to make the ET9 stand out; the newcomer also gets the company’s Skyride chassis system. This incorporates active hydraulic suspension that can respond to inputs within one millisecond, by adjusting stiffness, damping and height. Nio has already showcased the four-corner independent suspension by placing a table-top football on the ET9 and moving the car around. 

In addition, there’s steer-by-wire –  meaning there’s no mechanical connection to the front wheels – and rear-wheel steer to help shrink the ET9 sizeable 3,250mm wheelbase in tight corners and car parks. 

Powering the new model is a dual-motor set-up with a 455bhp unit on the rear and a 241bhp motor on the front. This enables a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.3 seconds.

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Offered in a four-seat configuration only, the ET9 prioritises cabin accommodation and technology for “unparalleled comfort and privacy in both business-travel and personal-use scenarios”. The interior features what Nio calls a Sky Island – the section that splits the huge panoramic roof –  combining with a 2.15-metre Executive Bridge centre console that extends from the front to the rear of the cabin. 

Up front there’s a huge 48-inch display that reaches the entire width of the dashboard, coupled with a 15.6-inch infotainment screen. The driver also gets a head-up display, and there is a massage function with a 16-point ‘hot stone’ feature, recline angle of 135 degrees for the rear seats, a fold-out table and active noise cancellation that can reduce exterior sounds by 14 decibels. 

The ET9 reveal took place at a special Nio Day in China, where the company also announced a new, cheaper Firefly electric sub-brand for the UK. 

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