The Nio ES8 is a full-size luxury electric SUV manufactured by the Chinese electric vehicle company Nio.
Nio is one of the few Chinese EV brands that have done well in Norway and most of Europe.
It is the brand’s flagship SUV model, known for its spacious interior with six or seven seats, high-performance dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, and advanced technology features, including a unique battery-swapping system.
The latest Nio ES8 is built on the advanced NT 3.0 platform and features a 900-volt high-voltage architecture.
Performance: The dual motors deliver a combined output of 520 kW (697 hp) and 700 Nm of torque, enabling acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 4.0 seconds.
It comes standard with a 102 kWh battery pack, offering a CLTC-rated range of up to 635 km. Nio also offers a battery-as-a-service (BaaS) subscription model, which lowers the initial purchase price and allows for mid-journey battery swaps at Nio Power Swap stations.
The cabin experience focuses on luxury and technology, with a premium Nappa leather interior, real wood accents, and a class-leading 4.7 square meters of glass for an open view. It includes a 15.6-inch central touchscreen, a 38-inch AR head-up display, and advanced features like electrochromic privacy glass, a built-in fridge, and a 21.4-inch ceiling-mounted screen with Dolby Vision for rear passengers. The six-seat version offers standard “zero-gravity” captain’s chairs with leg support, while both configurations prioritise comfort with features like a five-zone climate control system and massage functions.
It is available in 6-seater (2+2+2) or 7-seater (2+3+2) configurations. The six-seater model includes three “zero-gravity” seats with leg supports for enhanced comfort.
Offers impressive cargo capacity with 777 liters of space even with all seats in use, expanding to 3,240 liters when seats are folded.
The air suspension can lower the vehicle height by 50mm in seven seconds, resulting in a second-row step-in height of just 380mm.
Electrochromic glass for the windows and sunroof can switch between clear, sunshade, and privacy modes with four-zone independent control.
The dashboard features a 15.6-inch AMOLED center display, a slim digital instrument cluster, a 38-inch augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD), and an optional 21.4-inch mini-LED rear entertainment screen.
The vehicle features NOMI, an AI-powered voice assistant with a circular display on the dashboard. NOMI Mate 3.0 system interacts with the driver and passengers through voice commands and displays visual expressions on a circular AMOLED screen. NOMI is a core part of the ES8’s digital cockpit and its SkyOS software system.
Key functions of the NOMI system in the ES8 include:
- Responding to voice commands to control various vehicle functions.
- Adjusting climate control, seat settings, and media playback.
- Providing navigation assistance and managing HUD (Head-Up Display) settings.
- Offering a humanized and interactive experience, considered a signature feature of Nio vehicle
The ES8 is equipped with the AQUILA Super Sensing system, which uses an advanced AI driving system that includes 31 high-performance sensors, among them a long-range LiDAR and 4D imaging radar. This system, powered by four NVIDIA Orin-X chips, delivers a computing power of 1016 TOPS and supports NOP+ (NIO Pilot Navigation Plus), which offers advanced driver assistance for highways and urban environments.
NIO is also preparing an updated NIO World Model (NWM) software for the ES8, which will enable features like automated battery swapping assistance and point-to-point full-domain navigation.
This 2026 Nio ES8’s starting selling price in China is approximately USD42,000, with a higher-trim Executive Luxury Edition starting around USD50,000 and a Signature trim around USD63,000. The price includes features like air suspension, a 230-liter frunk, and a 102 kWh battery pack, and it’s competitively priced for the luxury SUV market.
