Nio EL6 (2023 - ) review

The EL6 shouldn’t be too expensive to run, particularly if you have the capacity to charge at home. A choice of two battery sizes helps balance upfront costs against the range you need for your regular travels, the bigger one able to go around 300 miles on a full charge. At which point in a normal electric car you’d be looking to plug in. But Nio’s biggest selling point – in theory – is the ability to swap out your flat battery for a fully charged one in minutes and carry on your way. Quite how much that service will cost and where it will be available is still to be ironed out, but Nio is already offering the swaps in mainland Europe, and the company has confirmed it’s part of the UK business plan.

Nio launched its first car in Scandinavia in 2021, and though it has expanded into several markets since then, we still don’t know how reliable the EL6 will be. We do, however, know the car feels solidly built, with cabin quality that’s easily comparable with premium brands including Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. A heavy reliance on software may, on the face of it, leave the EL6 vulnerable to bugs, though does at least mean Nio can send over-the-air updates to fix issues without you needing to visit a workshop.

All the cars Nio already sells in Europe have scored top marks in safety tests, so we’d be confident the EL6 will do the same. Safety tech includes a really sharp reversing camera, along with lane departure warning, speed limit assistance and autonomous emergency braking that can stop the car if the driver doesn’t respond to a hazard. What’s more, the car also gets advanced driver assistance technology that allows the car to be driven hands-free on the motorway, although the technology is not yet approved for use in the UK. However, systems including adaptive cruise control and lane centring assistance can still provide a useful safety net.

Because the EL6 is a bit bigger than most in its class there’s loads of space inside, with plenty of leg- and headroom in the back. The sculpted seats have plenty of support and nice, supple upholstery while massage, heating and ventilation add further to the luxury. A glass roof also contributes to the sense of space, especially with the paler interior colours. Software meanwhile manages the ride quality according to the road surface under the wheels, contributing to calming sense of peace and refinement on long motorway trips. Stress levels may rise threading it through tight gaps in town traffic thanks to the sheer size of it and the boot doesn’t feel as generous as the numbers claim, so if carrying capacity is a priority you might be better off with a BMW iX3 or Mercedes-Benz EQC.

Technology is a huge part of Nio’s pitch, expressed via the deliberately obvious sensors on the outside through to an interior stripped of switches and buttons in favour of a digital instrument cluster and giant central screen. In the modern style this controls everything, and it’s merely supported by the steering wheel controls, which can carry out multiple functions depending on the context. If lacking the slickness of the Tesla operating system it so clearly mimics it’s all generally up to the job, which is just as well given there’s no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity to fall back on. Instead you have Nomi, which is Nio’s take on voice assistants like Siri or Alexa. The more upmarket of the two versions available gives Nomi a kind of digital face, which turns to address whoever is talking to it. It’s quite disturbing at times, and the sound of the actuator motor that operates the ‘face’ is disconcertingly loud in the otherwise quiet Nio cabin. In practice the Nomi system is a bit of a gimmick, given it struggles to understand basic commands and the interactions are quite unnatural. Nio says the system will improve before the car launches in the UK, but whether customers will want it is another thing.

Whichever battery you go for all EL6s use a twin-motor drive system delivering around 490 horsepower between the two of them. Which is a lot, and delivers startling acceleration for such a big car and makes overtaking very easy. Four modes help you choose the level of response you get to the accelerator pedal, a fifth letting you configure your preferred combination of settings should you so wish. Where Eco takes the edge off things for a more mellow response Sport and Sport+ modes feel a bit unnecessary, given the EL6 is not an especially sporty car. While it doesn’t lean too much in the corners the steering feels a little vague, this and the suspension’s focus on comfort meaning little reward for indulging in the upper reaches of the performance on offer.