By skyforbes 
I was fortunate to drive 250 km in the Xiaomi YU7, the Chinese manufacturer’s new electric vehicle. This is a long ultra-high performance SUV, with premium cabin and fast charging. Here are my first impressions.
Xiaomi YU7 Max with me, Nicolas Declunder, Aranya Resort, Beijing.
Xiaomi has just launched the YU7, its second electric vehicle, a large sporty SUV, after the SU7, a sporty sedan. We traveled to Beijing at the brand’s invitation, for a 250 km round trip between Beijing and Aranya.
Being the holder of a Chinese driver’s license, I had the chance to drive the YU7 in the city, on highways, as well as on mountain roads.
Technical Specifications
Model: Xiaomi YU7
Dimensions: 5.00 m x 1.99 m x 1.60 m
Power (horsepower): 690 horsepower
0 to 100km/h: 3.23 s
Autonomy level: Semi-autonomous driving (level 2)
Max speed: 253 km/h
Car connector: Type 2 Combo (CCS)
Test Beginning and Vehicle Discovery
It was exactly 9:00 AM this Sunday, June 22, 2025 when we entered our hotel parking lot in Beijing to take possession of our Xiaomi YU7 for its road test. The previous day’s briefing had left us in anticipation and excitement was palpable for all the media present — after all, we were part of the first international team for a tour organized by Xiaomi. Although we had seen many photos of the car, we were surprised when looking inside the cabin to realize the interior space.
The fleet in our hotel parking lot with the YU7s before our departure
After some explanations from our instructor, he got behind the wheel and we took our places in the car, heading to Aranya Forest Park. We avoided traffic jams this Sunday morning leaving this sprawling metropolis, our journey of approximately 250 kilometers through city, highway and mountain roads aimed to evaluate Xiaomi’s bold leap into automobiles with the YU7, their second electric vehicle.
The rear view of our test YU7
From the first minutes aboard the YU7, we understand that Xiaomi didn’t simply copy the best — they had a completely different approach to improving life aboard the vehicle, particularly for families. We enter a category of premium-luxury electric vehicles that for me, doesn’t yet exist in France, except perhaps at Porsche and Mercedes.
First Impressions: YU7 Design
As often in the automotive world, a vehicle’s first impression is based on its exterior design, and it must be said that Xiaomi strikes a big blow with its YU7. The stylists masterfully managed to take the visual codes that made the SU7 sedan successful — those front lights and that rounded rear light strip now signature of the brand — to integrate them into an SUV silhouette that is reminiscent of the elegance of the Ferrari Purosangue.
A 3:1 wheel-to-body ratio and a 2:1:1 wheel-to-height ratio preserve Xiaomi’s characteristic proportions, giving the vehicle a lowered sporty SUV stance and pronounced wheel arches. This might be the only aesthetic flaw on the standard finish YU7 whose ground clearance is 185mm and the wheel arches a bit too pronounced compared to the Pro and Max finishes which integrate air suspension allowing ground clearance variation.
The true feat of the YU7 lies in this capacity to visually contain a generous size. With its dimensions of 4,999 mm long, 1,996 mm wide and 1,600 mm high, the YU7 positions itself directly against the BMW X5 (4,935 × 2,004 × 1,755 mm), reference of the large premium SUV segment. And could even rival an Audi Q7 (5,064 mm × 1,970 mm × 1,703 mm) while adopting a lower, and therefore more sporty profile than these.
These measurements, far from being trivial, find their justification on board where five-seat habitability proves particularly generous. A true style lesson given by Xiaomi’s designers, who manage to reconcile imposing road presence and harmony of proportions. And this feeling is shared by the European automotive press with whom I was able to discuss during this first day.
At launch, the YU7 will be available in 9 colors including: Coral Orange, Beige Gray, Emerald Green, Whirlpool Blue and Violet Ash. Apart from gray, Xiaomi therefore targets fairly flashy colors to highlight the YU7’s sportiness. You’ll have the choice between 6 wheel models of 19, 20 and 21 inches with Michelin tire mounting on the last 2 sizes. Real carbon inserts will be optional for the front air intakes and hood as well as the rear spoiler.
Interior: Very High-End
The quality of the interior presentation immediately positions the YU7 as a premium-luxury offering on our Max model with Nappa leather seats, carbon fiber dashboard and Alcantara-like material that dresses the cabin. The 3-meter wheelbase offers rear passengers exceptional legroom, while maintaining a 678-liter rear trunk and a 141-liter front trunk for a total of 819 liters. With seats folded down, we reach a total of 1,970 liters including the frunk.
For comparison, a more compact Tesla Model Y (4.7 meters long) announces respectively 822 and 116 liters for a total of 938 liters and 2,138 liters with seats folded down.
Me in front of the YU7 in Grey Space color
Passenger space and storage volume are certainly among the best I’ve been able to test, and an ideal configuration for long trips with 4 (or 5 people) like our expedition.
Leather and woven carbon dress the front dashboard.
During the first 45 minutes that take us to the highway, our instructor explains all the vehicle’s functions, and there’s not too much of 45 minutes to go around. Xiaomi wants to make a strong impression.
When I settled into the front passenger seat of the YU7 Max, the first thing that strikes you is the space that opens up around me, the storage spaces we have all around us and the seamless integration of Xiaomi’s ecosystem.
The 16.8-inch 4K panoramic touchscreen dominates the dashboard, running on HyperOS — Xiaomi’s proprietary operating system. This is an aspect I dread being a user of Apple devices under the iOS ecosystem. But Xiaomi has evolved well on its integration to this system since the launch of the SU7. The YU7 Max variant we’re testing has a dual-motor configuration with all-wheel drive producing 690 hp (508 kW) and 717 Nm of torque. The 0–100 km/h acceleration is given at 3.23 seconds. We couldn’t test the standing start, but given the accelerations and pickup we were able to test, this seems consistent. The instantaneous torque delivery characteristic of electric motors offers smooth overtaking capability on highways leading out of Beijing.
I also like the 5 driving modes that display with the number of available horsepower, including beginner mode which limits power to 200 horsepower with linear accelerations, which will allow adaptation time for new users of an electric vehicle.
The air suspension allows adjusting the chassis rigidity in sport mode up to 47% compared to that measured in standard mode. The YU7 analyzes and adjusts automatically according to road conditions, but we couldn’t verify this during our test since we were on roads in perfect condition.
Note that the YU7 also has an “intelligent suspension” mode that allows it to remember by geolocation places where the suspension must raise to cross obstacles you’ve saved on the map.
At the end of an hour of driving — including highway speeds, air conditioning use and mixed traffic — the YU7 demonstrates very satisfactory energy management, with the onboard computer projecting 510 kilometers of remaining range.
Autonomous Driving on the YU7
Xiaomi chose to maintain a LiDAR on the roof in central front position, this will certainly be a safety and technological advantage on autopilot capabilities that we didn’t have the opportunity to test in the city.
On the highway, the system is operational, we’ll need more time to evaluate it. We also note that the ADAS system is powered by Nvidia’s latest chip, the Drive Thor, with 700TOPS computing power which we’ve already talked about here.
Hypervision: this screen is nothing other than a revolution in the automotive field by its layout, design and the speed at which we adapt to it. While we had just discovered the new AR-HUD system on the Xpeng G7, Xiaomi risks already putting this technology in difficulty to impose a new standard. Note however that we can’t yet compare since we haven’t taken the road with the Xpeng G7, we simply got on board while stopped. The screen is very readable even under bright sun. It’s really very well integrated, and you get the impression that the screen floats above the dashboard.
Ecosystem Synergy: The Xiaomi Advantage?
Perhaps the most convincing aspect of the YU7 experience is how it seamlessly integrates with Xiaomi’s broader ecosystem. Smartphone connectivity goes beyond simple mirroring (like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto) — the vehicle becomes an extension of your phone.
The car’s 5 screens interact with each other and Xiaomi includes programmable buttons connected via Bluetooth that can be magnetically attached in the cabin to control: navigation, music selections, climate control preferences, and even seat positioning. The detachable rear screen is illustrated below.
This ecosystem approach represents a fundamental shift in automotive thinking. Rather than treating the car as an isolated product, Xiaomi leverages their position as a complete technology company to create a unified user experience that extends from your pocket to your driveway. I’m not a user of the Xiaomi ecosystem, but I can understand the advantage for its many users in China.
If the base version of the YU7 is equipped with an LFP battery, known for being less vulnerable to fires, the 2 high-end versions continue to use NMC chemistry which develops better charge-discharge performance but is also more expensive. In all cases, it’s an 800-volt architecture. Charging is very fast with the high-end version and the 101.7 kWh battery: 12 minutes to go from 10 to 80%. On the 96 kWh battery version, the same exercise takes 21 minutes.
Regarding range, Xiaomi announces between 760 and 835 km of range depending on versions, on the Chinese CLTC cycle. That’s approximately between 670 and 740 km on the European WLTP cycle. Beyond acceleration capabilities and speed increases, all versions of the YU7 have 4-piston front brakes. Brembo brand on our Max test version, the car’s braking from 100 to 0km/h is recorded at 33.9 meters, a performance similar to a Porsche Cayman.
Braking System
Position Type
Front brakes Four-piston fixed caliper
Rear brakes EPB caliper
Optional 21-inch tires 245/45 R21
Optional 21-inch rear tires 275/40 R21
A Cabin Where It’s Good to Live
In addition to being luxurious and comfortable, the cabin is very quiet. We appreciate certain details such as the glove box whose opening is secured with a 4-digit code, a 5.2-liter storage drawer under the left rear seat intended for children, the 4.6-liter fridge stored under the center console, the 2 80W wireless chargers on the front console, the 23-speaker internal audio system allowing 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos rendering.
Having a vehicle where the front trunk opening still operates with a lever under the dashboard, I appreciate Xiaomi’s efforts to facilitate front trunk opening which proves practical in many scenarios. They went all out to help you open and close this “frunk” which can be controlled by UWB key (geo-locatable) on phone, by an external physical button above the wheel arch, by voice command from inside or outside the vehicle, from the central screen or with the physical key.
The glass roof is not opening, but photochromic to block up to 99.9% of the UV spectrum and 99.86% of the IR spectrum. If we can’t measure these figures, our test took place on a very sunny day and I was able to see that the roof, darkened in 55 seconds, let no light through. The sun appeared as a very faintly luminous circle through the darkened glass. Less impressive than the technology implemented by Zeekr, but just as effective. Let’s specify that photochromic roof technology is also found at Porsche, Volkswagen and Renault.
Beyond an OEKO-TEX certification — which certifies an environment conducive to babies — the YU7 has HEPA certification on filtration of outside air entering the cabin. This is reassuring even though we couldn’t verify it since air quality was very good during our test. The front seats with massage, heating, ventilation and “zero gravity” allow passengers and driver to travel and rest in complete comfort.
In the rear seats, no problem with knees or headroom, despite my 1.83 meters and although the YU7’s height is only 1,600 meters. Note that the rear backrests are independent and can recline to 135 degrees.
But Xiaomi’s ingenuity is revealed especially in practical details: 36 storage compartments intelligently scattered throughout the cabin, creating true daily logistics. At door level, we particularly appreciate being able to place objects in slots or interstices illustrated below by placing water bottles or phones. It may seem trivial, but it’s very practical in regular use. And the backlighting is well integrated!
At the back of this storage under the front armrest, Xiaomi has integrated a slot with power outlet that will allow integration of optional blocks such as a set of walkie-talkies with a flashlight or a Bluetooth speaker, etc. We love the modularity and attention paid to users’ different needs.
The Magnetic Ecosystem: When Personalization Becomes Art of Living
Revolutionary Magnetic Fixing Points
Xiaomi has arranged 9 magnetic points strategically distributed in the cabin, 6 of which are powered at 27 watts. These 9 magnetic points distributed in the cabin radically transform the personalization approach.
The CEO of Xiaomi illustrates 3 accessories to mount on a magnetic point on the dashboard. Unlike traditional solutions requiring screwing or gluing, these magnetic fixings allow instant adaptation according to the moment’s needs. Need a glasses holder during a sunny trip? It fixes in one second. Traveling with children? Fun accessories position within reach.
You can customize each button, infinitely and even create scenes: put front seats in rest position, darken the panoramic roof, switch ambient lighting to blue color and at the same time play a certain musical program… We also think of home automation integration that will turn on garage lights and start heat pumps in your house with 1 click…
Revolutionary Apple Integration
Xiaomi Apple iphone integration on Yu7 is unmatched.
UWB (Ultra Wide Band) unlocking transforms the iPhone into an intelligent key: approach the vehicle, and it unlocks automatically, with your iPhone in your pocket.
But developers have also opted for support of the programmable action button in the iOS menu, iOS widgets for control from the home screen as well as “Dynamic Island” management which will allow real-time display of your YU7 information. In short, everything is there.
The CarPlay shortcuts menu displays as soon as an iPhone connects with the YU7.
The CarPlay floating window function constitutes a major advance and a first (for me at least) in the automotive world. It allows displaying for example the CarPlay menu with active navigation on the Xiaomi system, unlike traditional implementations that monopolize the entire screen.
Multitasking will also allow simultaneous use of CarPlay and the vehicle’s native functions such as the YU7’s semi-autonomous driving information. This multitasking mode is illustrated below with switching from 2 to 3 windows with a finger swipe.
Complete Apple Ecosystem
And to conclude on Apple, Xiaomi teams also highlighted integration with the Apple ecosystem. You can therefore use your Apple Watch for vehicle control: air conditioning, locking, status, etc. But also synchronization and sending of routes from iPhone to the car’s navigation system.
Native Apple Music integration, Apple Watch as vehicle remote control and iPad support in rear seats complete an ecosystem of unequaled richness. For Apple-equipped families, the YU7 becomes a natural extension of their technological universe.
For example, it’s possible to install iPad tablets in the rear, on front seat headrests. Xiaomi offers its own application on the App Store allowing access to car functions: music, ventilation, seat adjustments, etc. Never seen before in the auto industry.
iPhone owners will find in the YU7 an unequaled level of integration, transforming their vehicle into a personal technological hub. This synergy between Chinese innovation and Apple ecosystem opens a new era where the electric car finally becomes what it should have always been: a computer on wheels perfectly integrated into our daily life.
And Lei Jun didn’t imagine these integrations for nothing: more than 50% of Xiaomi car buyers own an Apple smartphone.
But power isn’t everything, and Xiaomi proves it with its many unprecedented functions in the automotive industry. Enough to make Xiaomi’s car very practical for daily use. Provided you’re comfortable with technology. And this is perhaps the big difference with Europe: the average age of new car buyers. It’s 35 years old in China versus 52 years old in Europe. A big gap.
Active and Passive Safety
We’ll wait here for feedback from independent organizations C-NCAP and C-IASI which seem to have validated more than 50 tests before launch. We were bombarded with technical information on the vehicle’s active and passive safety, particularly on steel-aluminum cabin construction and its impact resistance. It therefore seems that the car is on good foundations to meet users’ safety expectations.
At the Xiaomi factory, the YU7’s cradle demonstrates the new metal developed by Xiaomi (in purple) which would have the same resistance as that used in submarines (2,200MPa).
It should also be noted that the car comes standard with “EV tires” which reduce ground contact to reduce energy consumption, they tended to understeer in fast driving on mountain roads, you’ll need to switch to more sporty tires such as Michelin Pilot Sport EV to drive on such roads. The rear wheels of our Max version require 275/40 R21 mounting.
Pricing and Competition
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced YU7 pricing during the presentation ceremony in Beijing. You need to count 254,500 yuan (about 30,300 euros) for the Propulsion version. 279,900 yuan (about 33,300 euros) for the Pro version and 329,900 yuan (about 39,000 euros) for the Max.
Let’s specify that the car is currently only sold in China, just like the Xiaomi SU7. Lei Jun doesn’t hide it: he wants his cars to be sold everywhere around the world eventually. Rumors announce 2027 for Europe, but the first countries served outside China should be in Asia, notably Russia.
In terms of competition in France, the YU7 would position itself for me against an electric Porsche Cayenne or electric BMW X5 in terms of finish, materials and interior space. But these vehicles don’t exist yet.
The car is superior in every way to the Tesla Model Y except for storage volume. In China, we could compare the YU7 to the Zeekr 7X but all the journalists present were unanimous that the YU7 is a notch above at all levels except charging speed.
Of course, we can compare with the Porsche Taycan, with more sporty temperament, but also much less habitable. After all, it’s normal, it’s not an SUV but a sedan.
The Road That Tells a Story
We get the impression that Xiaomi has learned a lot from the SU7. The YU7 gives the impression of being a fundamentally better car, with more premium materials, more rigorous assembly quality, overall we feel an upscale move compared to the SU7, really oriented towards premium territory… My strong points:
1. The reflection that was invested: they really thought about how people use a car, without just copying what everyone else does. Very intelligent solutions, every idea from the SU7 improved. It’s a car that women will love as much as men.
2. In addition to being practical, it’s spacious, both for luggage and occupants. The rear seats offer excellent thigh support, the front seats also have their tricks. It’s a car that’s bigger than you think, but seems smaller in person.
3. It’s also more beautiful in person. Photos give a somewhat flat rear. In reality, you really see the curves of the rear part. It’s also quite low, very streamlined, and green is a color that pops. A real eye-catcher.
We realize here the low profile of the YU7 which surprises new users with a very spacious cabin.
Find more of my articles in French on Frandroid Survoltés.
I think Xiaomi’s biggest challenge will be meeting production demands and future YU7 orders. International sales cannot begin until demand is satisfied in China. It’s about 30 weeks for the SU7, the YU7 could take much more. A new factory is under construction, I think they need more.
Overall, a very impressive product, which demonstrates how fast brands learn in China.
Learn more about Review and 250km test drive of the Xiaomi YU7 Max in Beijing Aranya.