NIO ES8 History
NIO's full-size flagship electric SUV — the brand's first production vehicle, launched in 2018 with available seven-seat seating and battery-swap compatibility.
Photo: “Nio ES8 front” by Jengtingchen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
Browse this model's history and yearsHistory
The ES8 was unveiled in December 2017 as NIO's first production vehicle, with customer deliveries beginning on June 28, 2018 — making it the car that put NIO on the map as a real automaker. Built on an all-aluminum structure with dual electric motors producing around 480 kW (643 hp) combined, the ES8 offered seven-seat capacity and AWD, targeting premium Chinese families.
From launch, all ES8s were compatible with NIO's battery-swap network, allowing a depleted pack to be swapped for a fully charged one in around three minutes at a Power Swap Station — a tangible operational advantage over charge-only competitors. Battery options grew over time from the original 70 kWh pack to 84 kWh, 100 kWh, and eventually a 150 kWh semi-solid-state unit.
A third generation of the ES8 was announced for 2025 with a pre-sale price of approximately RMB 416,800. Cumulative deliveries surpassed 210,000 units across its production life as of 2025, underscoring its importance as the brand's full-size flagship.
Generations
First generation · ES8 Gen 1
Photo: “Nio ES8 front” by Jengtingchen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
NIO's founding production vehicle — the original aluminum-body, dual-motor full-size SUV, delivered from June 2018.
2018 Photo: “2018 NIO ES8” by User3204 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2022 Photo: “NIO ES8 Shishi 01 2022-06-24” by JamesYoung8167 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second generation (NT 2.0) · ES8 Gen 2
Photo: “NIO ES8 II 001” by JustAnotherCarDesigner / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Rebuilt on NIO's NT 2.0 intelligent platform with LiDAR, updated styling, and expanded battery options.
2022 Photo: “2022 NIO ES8 (2)” by Ssu / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2024 Photo: “Nio eS8 at Nio House Suzhou Center-20240523” by Shwangtianyuan / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- 4-door SUV
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the NIO ES8
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.