Nio ET5 Touring launches with 482bhp as firm’s first electric estate

The Nio ET5 Touring has launched as the nascent Chinese firm's first electric estate and one of only a handful on the market. It is aimed at bringing more space, a strong focus on driver enjoyment and more advanced interior technology, the firm said.

With European deliveries starting by the end of this summer, the ET5 Touring is expected to be one of the first cars Nio brings to the UK – although not yet officially confirmed, the brand is expected to launch here in 2024 – along with the ET5 saloon.

The electric estate will be one of just a small number of such cars when it does arrive, joining the budget-conscious MG 5 EV and upcoming Vauxhall Astra Sports Touring Electric.

However, the BMW i5 Touring will be a more direct rival, given that one of the Nio estate's key development goals was to retain the levels of driver involvement that customers have come to expect from established brands, such as BMW. To achieve this, it gets a 50:50 weight distribution, four-wheel drive, a low centre of gravity and a 2888mm wheelbase – 107mm shorter than the i5 Touring.

Driver involvement also comes from powerful motors, with the hottest variant packing a 201bhp motor on the front axle and a 281bhp motor at the rear. The result is a combined 482bhp, 520lb ft and a 0-62mph time of 4.0sec. 

This makes it slower than the BMW i50 M60, but faster than the base 402bhp Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo. Stopping power comes from four-piston calipers, allowing it to come to rest from 62mph in 33.9m. 

Power is drawn from a 100kWh battery, which gives the car a top-end range of 347 miles. A 75kWh battery pack is also available in cheaper models for a 270-mile range.