Tin oxide (SnO2)/graphene composite is synthesized via a simple wet chemical method using graphene oxide and SnCl2·2H2O as raw materials. Graphene of high reduction degree in the composite can provide high conductivity and large-current discharge capacity. SnO2 nanoparticles with dimension around 5 nm are uniformly distributed on the graphene matrix. The SnO2/graphene composite exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance such as high reversible capacities, good cycling stability and excellent high-rate discharge performance. The initial discharge and charge capacities are 1995.8 mAh g−1 and 1923.5 mAh g−1, respectively. After 40 cycles, the reversible discharge capacity is still maintained at 1545.7 mAh g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1, indicating that the composite is a promising alternative anode material used for high-storage lithium ion batteries.