Li1.5V3O8 nanosheets as a cathode material for high-rate lithium-ion batteries are prepared by sol–gel method. SEM and TEM observations show that the prepared samples are nanosheet structure, with a typical width of 600 nm and length of 800 nm. Charge–discharge measurements demonstrate that Li1.5V3O8 nanosheets exhibit high initial discharge specific capacity of 260, 204 mAh g− 1 at current densities of 130 mA g− 1 and 175 mA g− 1, respectively. Even after 100 cycles, the discharge specific capacity still remains 170 mAh g− 1 and 100 mAh g− 1. The high discharge specific capacity and good cycling stability are attributed to nanosheets morphology of Li1.5V3O8 that can provide lithium ions with more sites, shorten diffusion distance, and maintain good contact between the active material and electrolyte. All these results indicate that Li1.5V3O8 nanosheets are promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.