Since about 2019, every time an automaker or tech company showed off an electric vehicle even vaguely crossover-shaped, it would be deemed a “Tesla Model Y Killer” in the headline. The copy then went out of its way to convince us why this particular car would be the complete undoing of Tesla itself. Why did anyone do that? Was it SEO? Was it contempt and jealousy for the success of the Tesla Model Y and Elon Musk? Was it just the natural tendency of an auto writer to boost up an underdog without any real thought as to whether it truly has the stuff to dethrone the best-selling car in its segment?
I don’t know which reason it is for sure, but dozens of EVs have been dubbed “Tesla Model Y Killers.” Yet none have done much to deter the Model Y. It’s still the best-selling EV in the world.
But things are changing, and changing fast. Nowhere is that more true than in China, where the EV market is accelerating well beyond Tesla these days. So, when it came time for one of China’s biggest EV manufacturers to finally try and dethrone the Tesla Model Y, its attempt was more credible than most.
Nio, the world’s battery-swapping king, made a whole new brand and low-cost platform and benchmarked the Tesla Model Y for its new model: the Onvo L60.
I drove it around Shanghai for a full day, experienced it on freeways, and crowded city streets, and even used its semi-autonomous Level 2 camera-based system. Out of all the “Tesla Model Y killers” on the market, this car might just do it—if Nio can get out of its own way.
(Full Disclosure: Nio flew me to Shanghai in order to get acquainted with it's latest products and chat about its business operations.)
Onvo L60
What's An Onvo L60?
The introduction of electric powertrains has made consumers, marketers and writers alike forget the intent of distinct market segments. Some people consider any EV crossover to be a direct competitor to the rest despite huge differences in range, refinement, and price.
For example, in markets where the BYD Atto 3/Yuan Plus exists outside of China, like Australia and many European countries, it is often dubbed a Tesla Model Y competitor despite its much smaller battery and physical size. Similarly, some have said that Nio’s compact crossover, the ES6 (or EL6 in Europe) would also be analogous to the Model Y, despite being way more expensive.
To be fair, the Model Y is kind of a nebulous vehicle; it’s a compact crossover, but some would consider it an entry-level luxury car, while others would probably figure out a way to drone-strike your house for insinuating that. I think Chinese drivers saw the Model Y as relatively premium when it was first introduced to China, but nowadays it’s lost its luster and is now a mainstream brand.
Thus, Nio’s aspirational positioning as an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz contemporary would have been too upmarket for a direct Tesla Model Y competitor. It needed a new brand if it wanted to go toe to toe with Tesla’s volume-chasing success.
So to create the Onvo L60, Nio crafted a new platform called NT 3.0—something that should help Nio chase higher profit margins without skimping too much on tech features. But there are some compromises. Namely, while all Nio vehicles are dual-motor, all-wheel-drive, the Onvo is available in single-motor rear-wheel-drive form.
Onvo retains the same swapping ability as its more expensive sister brand, but the batteries aren’t interchangeable between the two model lines. Onvo’s batteries are made by BYD and come in 60 and 85-kWh form, compared to the 75, 100, or 150 kWh units in Nio cars. The battery packs themselves are also slimmer—part of why there’s no real way to interchange them.
Nio and Onvo are pretty honest about the fact that the Tesla Model Y was this car’s main source of inspiration and its biggest benchmark. I mean, just look at the damn thing; it’s got the same coupe-crossover silhouette as the Tesla Model Y, although I think calling Onvo’s design a “clone” is intellectually lazy. Onvo wanted to take the things that people liked about the Model Y, but streamline it for Chinese tastes in ways that the one-size-fits-all Tesla hadn’t. But, what does that mean, exactly?
For example, the L60 is slightly bigger than the Model Y; nearly identical in a lot of dimensions, the L60 is three inches longer, to be exact. But, it looks like all of that length went to the wheelbase of the L60, boosting its rear seat legroom. This is very important; Onvo’s representatives see the L60 explicitly as a family-oriented vehicle, and the extra inches are meant to more comfort to the extended family (parents, grandparents, and one child) arrangement common in China. Despite being commonly kitted out in light-colored faux leather, Onvo representatives say they’re easy to clean and hypoallergenic.
The streamlining goes beyond just interior space or a more refined interior catered to a more specific clientele. No, Onvo engineers threw a 900-volt architecture underneath the thing, and a lighting-fast single-wire CANBUS setup, similar to what we’ve seen on the Tesla Cybertruck. It adds up, the L60’s measured CLTC efficiency of 12.1 kWh per 100 km edges out the Tesla Model Y’s 12.5 kWh per 100 km. Yeah, I know that would translate to a staggering 8.26 miles per kWh, but keep in mind that China’s CLTC test is notoriously easy and not all that grounded in reality.
Currently, the L60 is a China-only product, but Nio’s CEO William Li has been clear that he plans to eventually market the Onvo brand in European markets alongside Firefly—another Nio brand focused on small cars.
Gallery: Onvo L60
Gallery: 2024 Onvo L60
Onvo L60: Driving Impressions
In a word, the L60 is solid. True, some of the L60’s interactions feel directly cribbed from the Model Y. The turn signal and gear selector stalks, two click balls on the steering wheel, and big, singular screen are super familiar. But once again, the L60 feels like it fixes a lot of problems with the Model Y – there’s no gauge cluster, but the L60 has a heads-up display.
Everything in this car’s interior comes together in a way that feels so much nicer and better put together than the Tesla Model Y. The L60’s fit and finish are tight, and all of the materials feel pleasing to the touch.. The Model Y sometimes feels a bit amateurish; the addition of its USB-C ports of 12-volt power outlets feels haphazardly placed in the car at random with no bezels, labeling or lighting.
The L60’s interior feels like it was made by a real car company that understands why that little bit of finishing and attention to detail can make a car feel that much more presentable and poised. The whole L60 is just so much more poised than the Model Y; The car’s color-coded interior pieces, like the center armrest, seats, lower dash portion and door inserts elevate the car’s interior ambiance. One YouTuber described it as “premium economy,” which I think is the perfect way to describe the L60’s interior. It feels special for such a reasonably priced car, but I wouldn’t say it’s a threat to any true premium brand.
That’s okay, though. The Onvo is barely $21,000 under certain conditions.
It's Silky Smooth—And That's OK
I’m really glad I was able to drive the L60 on Chinese roads because, in context, so much about what I’ve noticed on Chinese cars made so much more sense when experiencing them on Chinese roads. See, China’s roads (or at least Shanghai’s) feel far more similar to what we’ve got here in the United States than Asia or Europe. The roads are wide, and drivers tend to be aggressive (if somewhat nonsensical.)
Yet, traffic is bad and sometimes the quality of the roads themselves is a little suspect. Thus, many Chinese drivers want something that’s isolated from the road in all aspects: soft handling, a smooth ride and a quiet cabin. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but Onvo’s representatives went out of their way to remind me that the L60 is designed for families who are in search of that experience.
With that in mind, the L60 won’t be a secret star at the track, clipping apexes and doing four-wheel drifts after you’ve dropped off the extended family at the mall for the day. No, the L60’s steering is too light and the suspension is just too soft. Its driving manners are confident, but not entertaining; even in sport mode, most Europeans or Americans would probably wouldn’t have their hair lit on fire by the L60’s driving dynamics.
The L60’s smoothness isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though; it’s better resolved than its Tesla contemporary. Yes, the crossover is very soft, but it is properly damped. There’s no excessive bouncing, pitching or rolling, indicative of a brand that put the softest, cheapest springs underneath the car and did no tuning to ensure the structure and shocks can rein it all in. I found it to be pleasantly butter smooth, especially compared to the Tesla Model Y, a car notorious for its overly firm and bouncy ride. Add in the Onvo’s whisper-quiet interior, and well-sorted one-pedal driving and the L60 feels like an oasis from the intense and constant commotion of Shanghai life.
The unit Onvo let me drive was a single motor, RWD model with the 60 kWh battery installed. I get the gist that this is the most common trim of the L60, and for good reason. The L60 feels swift; I can’t imagine needing an extra motor, but Onvo will happily sell you an AWD model if needed. Power comes from a 322 horsepower motor at the back. Onvo says the car is good for 555 kilometers (345 miles) of range, which is one kilometer more than an equivalent Tesla Model Y. The L60 has a slight weight and power advantage over the Model Y, but both claim a 0-62 mph time of 5.9 seconds.
How's The Tech?
I don’t know Mandarin and I cannot read Chinese. And unlike the Nio, Zeekr, or Huawei cars I’ve had experience with, there’s no English language setting on the Onvo’s infotainment so my comments are somewhat limited to what I can ascertain via context clues and poking around the car’s screen.
Unlike other manufacturers in China that have opted to just let one of China’s big tech companies take care of its EV software, Nio’s developed its own. This new system is called Coconut, and Nio plans for it to be the backbone of all of its products for at least the next ten years. The car’s infotainment screen is powered by a Qualcomm chip. Like any Tesla product or most other Chinese EVs I've fooled around with, there’s nearly no latency. The user experience design is pretty familiar to anyone who has used a Model Y. Maybe a little too familiar, but I digress.
Similarly, Nvidia’s Orin system-on-a-chip powers Onvo’s camera-only level 2 autonomous driving system. It works about on par with Tesla’s Autopilot or GM’s Super Cruise. I was impressed at how gracefully it handled super crowded Chinese roads. It will cut off if there’s too much going on, on the roads, though.
What Does The Onvo L60 Mean For Us?
A lot of people want to see the Model Y fail for one reason or another. Yet, even in China, Tesla’s so-called demise is more complicated than it seems.
Yes, I agree the L60 is a better Model Y for most people. It retains the same overall style as the Model Y, but it’s smoother, has better quality, is better finished, and is more convenient. Sure, Tesla has supercharging, but an Onvo can replace a flat battery with a full one in as little as three minutes. The L60 is cheaper too; with the battery installed it is only about $28,300; cheaper than the $34,200 of a similar Model Y. If the buyer opts to enroll in Onvo’s battery-as-a-service program, the price drops to $20,500, albeit with roughly an $85 per month battery rental fee. That’s a screaming deal, even in China where EV prices feel fantastically cheap. I see why there was so much hype in China for this model.
Still, I’m not sure if the L60 will dethrone the Model Y, for two big reasons.
First, Nio and Onvo have had trouble scaling L60 production upward. In a huge market like China, not nailing it on the first try will make potential customers go elsewhere. While touring Nio’s Anhui factory, our guide admitted that there have been some pain points with getting the Onvo up and out of the door. Similarly, there has been some reporting in China that the L60’s larger battery hasn’t consistently made its way to customers with some claiming that they’ve been delivered a 60 kWh model and given a promise that the 85 kWh battery will show up soon. Others have expressed concern that Nio isn’t moving fast enough to convert or build out Onvo-capable battery swap stations.
Those concerns seem secondary to the real issue I have with the premise that the Onvo L60 will straight-up kill the Tesla Model Y. The Onvo L60 is a great car, but the market has matured past seeing one singular make or model being the winner-take-all in any EV segment. Back in 2020 when the Model Y was released, there weren’t too many EV crossovers like it.
If you’re in the market for an EV crossover it kind of was the only one worth a damn. Now, there are dozens of entries that are above, below, or adjacent to the Model Y—all-encompassing a large number of buyers.
“I think it’ll be more like death from a thousand cuts,” said Will Sundin, owner of the YouTube channel ChinaDriven. The L60 likely will continue to have healthy sales, but other models from BYD, Nio, Geely, and even European and American brands will continue to eat away at the Tesla Model Y’s sales. Especially if the Model Y Highland’s update fails to be something groundbreaking, as was the case with the Model 3.
The Onvo L60 still puts Tesla on notice, though. And that’s no mean feat. If Nio and Onvo ever figured out a way to bring this car here to North America, I think they’d have a real hit on their hands.
Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com
