Head to head: Tesla Model X vs Nio ES8

Nio is giving Tesla a run for its money, outselling the US EV giant in China. In a head-to-head competition, the Chinese start-up competes with the California tech giant on the cost front, with a starting price of $65,000 for the ES8 vs $100,000 for a basic Model X. Yes, the X's falcon-wing doors look fancy, but Nio's battery swapping option is also compelling. Photo shows Tesla CEO Elon Musk (left), with an estimated net worth of $190 billion. Nio CEO William Li has an estimated net worth to be $7.11 billion as of June 2021, according to Bloomberg.

Model X Performance still remains the quickest production SUV, hitting 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds. This, however, comes at a huge premium — $20,000 more expensive than the Model X Long Range in the US. Yet in terms of featuresthe ES8 is not very far behind. Despite its large size, ES8 zooms past like sports car — a fast sports car. The version with the largest battery can sprint from 0–100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds. 

In the price range of the Nio ES8, however, it’s hard to find a more exciting model anywhere else. The only problem: ES8 is currently only available in China and Norway. Soon, however, it may hit the road in North America and other European cities too. The Model X is the best-selling full-size SUV, having sold 26,100 units in the US in 2020 and 1,275 units in Canada. By comparison, the ES8 sold 10,861 units in China in 2020.

The ES8 itself holds some records (it has smaller siblings — the ES6 and EC6). CleanTechnica reported that the ES8 outsells the Model X in China. In the first half of 2021, there were 2,451 NIO ES8 sales vs. 1,886 for the Model X over the same period (30% more unit sales). From mid-2018, NIO has completed 22,910 ES8 sales vs 17,904 for the Tesla Model X — a gap of 5,000 units.

One compelling feature of Nio: battery swapping. It lets you avoid the long wait charging the vehicle. A Nio battery swapping station (there are 139 battery swap stations in 62 cities in China) allows owners to drive out with a new, fully-juiced up car in a few. The numbers are growing.

A winning option for Neo is that, with this feature, you can upgrade your battery at any of these stations (say from 70 kWh to 84 kWh, if you want greater range). Nio providing this option for $5,500 for an upgrade from the 70 kWh to 100 kWh battery for the Nio ES8 Founder’s Edition Users ($7,000 for everyone else). Many customers find this swap service compelling.

Both the Model X and ES8 are muscle EVs: both models can seat up to 7 people. The ES8 has a 3,010 mm wheelbase, the longest in its class.

Reviewers rave about the ES8 ample space in the 3rd row. The ES8 accelerates like a sports car — a fast sports car. The 100-kWh ES8, the trim with the largest battery, can sprint from 0–100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds. The lower trims (70 kWh or 84 kWh battery) can make the decent dash too.