A surfactant-assisted solvothermal synthesis is hereby applied to produce carbon-coated LiFePO4/C nanostructured Li-ion battery cathodes. The use of different mixed alcohol/water solutions for the dissolution of a cationic surfactant is absolutely peculiar in this field and herewith exploited to tailormake the properties of the active material particles (e.g., morphology and electrochemical behaviour). Thorough investigation is carried out by means of X-ray powder diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and constant current charge-discharge cycling. The best performing sample, obtained in a 20:80 w/w ethanol: water solution, demonstrates good specific capacity values, high Coulombic efficiency and rate capability, with stable behaviour upon long-term cycling even at ultrafast 100C discharge regime. This is definitely remarkable for a nanosized powder specifically conceived for high power applications obtained by means of low cost raw materials, simple and reliable procedures. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.