China’s largest electric SUV, Nio ES9, began domestic presales at 420,000 yuan (61,440 USD) with the BaaS battery rental service. This model boasts a body length of 5,365 mm, a steer-by-wire technology, a foot massage function, 47 speakers, and a combined peak power of 520 kW (697 hp).

The Nio ES9 is a long-anticipated flagship SUV that inherits most of the technologies and features introduced during the launch of the Nio ET9 sedan. This luxury model will begin presales in May 2026. On April 9, 2026, the ES9 began presales in China.

Exterior of the Nio ES9

The Nio ES9 is a massive vehicle with minimalistic styling. Despite the latest regulations, it adopts hidden door handles, a closed front end, and split headlights. As mentioned, the ES9 is the biggest fully electric SUV on the Chinese market at the moment. Its exact dimensions are 5365/2029/1870 mm with a wheelbase of 3,250 mm. The ES9 rides on massive 23-inch wheels.

Despite being a massive SUV, the Nio ES9 boasts a considerably low drag coefficient of 0.264 Cd. For clarity, a smaller Porsche Cayenne Electric has a drag coefficient of 0.25 Cd. The lower Cd means a lower energy consumption and quieter rides on highways. Back to the ES9, it is available with an optional golden exterior package.

This large SUV reportedly adopts a 6-longitudinal, 11-horizontal, and 8-vertical cage-type body. It has a total of 85kg of 2000 MPa hot-formed steel and 91% aluminum alloy. It comes standard with 12 airbags, including seat cushion airbags and second-row center airbags. The ADAS system of the ES9 includes 31 sensors and the Shenji NX9031 chip.

The new car adopts thin running lights, each comprising 6,826 facets. The headlamps are integrated into the bumper with high beams, achieving a range of 600 meters. A light width reportedly allows the car to cover six lines on the road. Another feature of the ES9’s headlamps is three dynamic lighting effects.

Cabin of the Nio ES9

The Nio ES9’s interior adopts Nappa leather and maple wood. The automaker brags that 100% of surfaces inside the car are soft-touch. The ES9 Horizon Special Edition takes it further by adding real wood inlaid with aluminum trim, and a rhodium-gold badge inlaid with natural gemstones inside the car. There are six seats inside the car with a 2+2+2 layout.

The second-row seats of the Nio ES9 offer 26-position power adjustment, with the right seat supporting 150 mm of lateral sliding. The seats’ heating area reaches 1.91 square meters, including a cushion, a leg rest, a backrest, armrests, a headrest, and a neck pillow. However, the major highlight of these captain chairs is a 42-point massage system, which comprises a 20-point foot massage function. The third-row seats adopt power adjustments and heating.

The ES9 adopts a 15.6-inch floating screen. It is complemented by a 48-inch thin screen that crosses the center console. Another highlight of the ES9 is an augmented reality head-up display with a projection diameter of 130 inches at 13 meters focus. Of course, the ES9 adopts the Nomi Mate voice assistant with an orb-like avatar sitting on the center console. The car adopts 47 speakers with a rated power of 3,020 W. Other features include sunshades on windows, two 16-inch screens in the rear, and a fridge.

The Nio ES9 boasts a standard trunk capacity of 477 liters. At the same time, it has a 123-liter hidden storage compartment under the trunk’s floor. By folding down the third-row seats, the car’s user can expand the trunk volume to 1,586 liters. The car could be automatically lowered by 35 mm to ease the loading process.

Another storage compartment hides under the hood of the ES9. There is a frunk for 216 liters with a static load capacity of up to 100 kg and a dynamic capacity of 50 kg. It is equipped with a charging port and supports 11 opening methods, including gestures, tapping, kicking, voice commands, and pressing the car’s logo. The air suspension also automatically lowers the car when the hood is up.

Powertrain and prices

The Nio ES9 adopts a 900V high-voltage system. As a result, it boasts a dual-motor AWD with a peak power output of 520 kW (697 hp) and a combined torque of 700 Nm. This model speeds up to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. The ES9 adopts a 102 kWh ternary NMC battery pack for 620 km of range. It supports fast DC charging and battery swap technologies.

The Nio ES9 comes standard with the steer-by-wire system with a variable steering ratio. The car’s chassis adopts an active suspension that allows adjusting the ride height and stiffness. It also supports rear-wheel steering, reducing the turning radius to 5.4 meters. The car’s ground clearance could be increased by 60 mm.

The Nio ES9 became available for preorders with a price range of 528,000 – 658,000 yuan (77,235 – 96,250 USD). Thanks to the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) battery rental service, this price could be reduced to 420,000 – 550,000 yuan (61,440 – 80,450 USD). The ES9 will start sales in May 2026.

Nio recently reported the first-ever quarterly profit in China, mainly due to the successful launch of the third-gen ES8 crossover. According to China EV DataTracker, William Li’s company delivered 28,905 units of the new ES8 to customers from January to February 2026. It accounted for 80.4% of the brand’s sales.