Update 20/6: Nio published official images of the Nio ES8 and more specs.

The third generation of the Nio ES8 SUV was revealed in China. It has an all-new design reminiscent of the ET9 sedan, larger dimensions, more lidars, and more power. The ES8 is Nio’s first mass-production model, revealed in December 2017.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released images of the production version, along with core specs. MIIT must approve every car sold in China, and automakers are not happy about it, as the homologation filing reveals their secrets before official launch. But we do not mind. The new ES8 is reportedly based on the NT3 platform, like the ET9 sedan.

The new ES8 (EL8 in Europe) is a large SUV with dimensions of 5280/2010/1800 mm (length/width/height) and a wheelbase of 3130 mm. The curb weight is 2,630 mm.

For comparison, the previous generation is 5,099 mm long, meaning it’s 181 mm shorter. The full dimensions of the previous generation ES8 are: 5099/1989/1750 mm with a 3070 mm wheelbase.

The all-electric SUV is AWD with a 340 kW motor mounted on the rear axle and a 180 kW second motor in front. The total maximum output is 520 kW (697 hp). The maximum speed is 220 km/h.

For comparison, the previous generation has a maximum output of 480 kW. The front motor is the same 180 kW, but the rear is 40 kW less—300 kW.

The images also reveal two additional lidars, one on each side, complementing another lidar unit above the front windshield — a notable upgrade from the previous generation, which had only a single lidar above the windshield.

Like all Nio-badged vehicles, it is equipped with a swappable battery pack containing ternary nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC) chemistry.

Based on spy shots from May 2025, the ES8 will have an electric frunk system similar to Onvo L90. MIIT didn’t reveal the interior, but the EV will most likely offer 6- and 7-seater variants like the previous generation.

The current generation ES8 starts at 498,000 yuan (69,280 USD) in China, and the top trim price is 598,000 yuan (83,200 USD). ES8 is Nio’s flagship SUV.

However, the sales were not very good recently, as the company sold only 292 units in May in China, down 68.8% year-over-year and down 45.8% from April.

So far in 2025 (Jan – May), Nio sold 2,270 units of ES8, down 35.9% year over year. ES8 had a 3.8% share of all Nio brand sales in the same period.

Nio plans to launch a new flagship SUV called ES9, a SUV version of the premium ET9 flagship sedan. ES9 will be released in the first half of 2026, Nio co-founder Qin Lihong said last month.

The homologation filing is usually the last step before the car’s official launch in China, so the ES8 is expected to be released in Q3 2025.

Update: 20/6:

Nio published official images and confirmed the new ES8 will be on its third-generation NT3 platform featuring 925V and supporting 600 kW peak charging power. The peak charging current is 765 A.

Nio says the NMC battery supports 5C rate fast charging, allowing it to add 250 km of range in 5 minutes. “Or you can also fully charge in 3 minutes”, Nio adds, hinting at its signature battery swap service, where you can swap an empty battery for a full one in about 3 minutes.