Enchanted by the looks, but it hardly works
We leased an Aiways U6 a few months ago after a brief test drive, enticed by its design. Having sat on the lot for months, we assumed its initial oddities would be resolved by a software update. We were entirely wrong.
The list of problems is endless, so here is what actually works:
- It drives. Pedals and steering work as expected, and it's quite comfortable.
- Good ACC. It detects vehicles from a distance and brakes smoothly.
Everything else you expect from a modern EV is a joke. A subset of the problems we've encountered:
- No app: Unlike almost every modern EV, this brand no longer supports an app for their vehicles. They claim online this is due to "reorganization," but it has completely disabled their customer-facing IT infrastructure.
- Settings reset: Since so much is broken, disabling intrusive features is a must. However, the car remembers absolutely nothing from one drive to the next. Every setting resets when you park, forcing you to navigate sluggish menus to turn them off every single trip.
- Cable lock-out: We frequently cannot unplug the charging cable from the vehicle. Locking/unlocking the doors does nothing. The key fob button combination does nothing. The screen's "release" button is greyed out, suggesting the car doesn't even recognize it is plugged in. Last time, it was stuck for 30 hours. Fortunately, we have a second vehicle, or we would have been stranded.
- No native navigation: For a "Premium" model, lacking built-in navigation is highly disappointing.
- Screen freezes: Both displays freeze. The driver display suddenly stops updating your actual speed. When it finally unfreezes, the speedometer quickly counts down to your current speed rather than jumping, proving it's a severe software lag, not a monitor defect. The main console also freezes for seconds at a time; once, it froze during a turn, making it impossible to tell if the turn signals were actually operating.
- Laggy, imitation UI: The system tries to copy Tesla's real-time surrounding vehicle rendering, but at a painful 2Hz refresh rate. It renders oncoming cars frozen in place 10 meters ahead when they are already behind you, leading to comical digital collisions. Because of this lag, lane warnings yell at you without showing which line you are allegedly crossing.
- Half-baked lane assist: The lane assist is aggressively unpredictable, especially on smaller roads. Even when perfectly centered, it will suddenly yank the steering wheel to "correct" you, only to immediately drop the suggestion.
- Wind leaks: During crosswinds, outside air noticeably blows straight through the doors, directly cooling your body.
- Awful connectivity: Wired-only Apple CarPlay is a bizarre omission for a "Premium" car, especially since Android Auto is wireless. Furthermore, if two registered phones (one Android, one iPhone) are in the car, the system panics, freezes, and refuses to play music from either device for the entire trip. Shockingly, the native Android Auto screen displays a massive watermark reading: "Pre-production hardware. Not for resale."
- Broken clock: Without fail, the clock starts at 2:37 every time we start the car. If it eventually syncs, it doesn't recognize daylight savings, leaving it an hour behind. It randomly switches between correct and incorrect times, and there is no manual setting to override it.
- Update connection errors: The "Check for update" button fails every time with a generic "No connection" error. The only time we bypassed this was on home Wi-Fi, which insisted the buggy software was "up to date." It is alarming that the manufacturer is satisfied selling a vehicle in this state.
- Range deception: When charged to 100%, the display always claims a 405km range. This is the fictional WLTP estimate, not the dynamic range. Actual performance is 60-80% of this, making the static 405km display highly misleading.
Regarding customer service: they do absolutely nothing. I sent a polite, detailed email via their official form 2.5 months ago regarding these defects. Complete radio silence.
We tried to take matters into our own hands. We contacted several of their "approved workshop partners" listed on their site, only to learn something laughable: there is no diagnostic testing equipment for the U6 anywhere in Denmark. Workshops can only service the older U5. The importer cannot help either, as they also lack the tools.
We are annoyed beyond reason and trapped in this lease for another 8 months. We are literally counting down the days until we can return this atrocious car and replace it with something proper.








