The electrochemical performance of aqueous rechargeable lithium battery (ARLB) with LiV3O8 as the anode and LiMn2O4 as the cathode in saturated LiNO3 electrolyte is studied. In an attempt to improve the cycle performance of the as-assembled ARLB, coating with NiO nanofibers on the surface of the anode has been proposed via in situ chemical precipitation method. The influences of the coating on the structure, morphology, and electrochemical properties of LiV3O8 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge/discharge experiments. Cycling tests reveal that the stability of the ARLB with NiO coated anode has been greatly improved. Moreover, the rate capability of the ARLB with coated anode is also enhanced compared with the ARLB with bare anode. The improvement of electrochemical properties for ARLB with coated anode can be attributed to NiO coating improves the stability of LiV3O8 in the aqueous electrolyte effectively. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.044208jes] All rights reserved.