Aion RT sets EV efficiency Guinness record in first province that bans gas cars

GAC's Aion brand has pulled off the lowest EV power consumption feat of just 8.571 kWh per 100 km, or 13.79 kWh per 100 miles.

Its upcoming 2027 Aion RT sedan that will be released on August 10 has just set a Guinness World Record for the most efficient production EV while driven around Hainan's coastal loop. For comparison, 8.6 kWh/100 km is roughly half what the average mass market EV consumes in real-world conditions.

Tesla's Model 3, for example, which is often held up as a popular benchmark among sedans in the Aion RT class, typically offers efficiency of 12–14 kWh/100 km on a good day. The larger and more luxurious Lucid Air is considered an efficiency champ and praised for its 14 kWh/100 km energy consumption driving at constant speed. GAC's compact sedan undercuts them by a wide margin and on a real 400-mile coastal route, not in a lab cycle.

The timing and location may not be accidental, as Hainan just confirmed it will become mainland China's first province to fully ban the sale of internal combustion vehicles, targeting 2030 under its newly released ecological zone plan. The island already leads the country in EV penetration, and officials want their market share above 45% by 2030, backed by expanded charging infrastructure and a growing renewable energy base. Running the record attempt on the very roads where new gas cars will be prohibited in a few years has a rather symbolic meaning, too.

While the Lucid Air has been built from the ground up with efficiency in mind, GAC hasn't detailed the Aion RT sedan's full specs yet, so it is not clear what sacrifices have been made to achieve that record-busting efficiency. Its predecessor, however, was priced at the equivalent of $14,000, so if the 2027 Aion RT is close to that tag, it will be billed as a budget sedan quietly outclassing more premium efficiency benchmarks like Tesla or Lucid.

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