One step sol–gel route was developed for synthesizing Li2ZnTi3O8/C nanocomposite, in which a thin layer of carbon was coated on the surface of Li2ZnTi3O8 nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were high crystalline and their size was found to be ca. 20–30nm. The synthesized Li2ZnTi3O8/C nanocomposite was used as an anode for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and exhibited a high reversible charge–discharge capacity, excellent cycling stability and high rate performance. A large capacity of 284mAhg−1 can be kept after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.2Ag−1. These results can be attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of Li2ZnTi3O8/C nanocomposite. A thin layer of carbon on the surface of Li2ZnTi3O8 nanoparticles could improve significantly the conductivity and the anode made of nanoparticles greatly decreased the diffusion distance for lithium ions and electrons in the solid state.