The V2O3/reduced graphene oxide (V2O3-rGO) 3D gels are synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction and annealing process, using graphene oxide and NH4VO3 as raw materials. The V2O3 nanoparticles with the size of 4–10nm are homogeneously and closely anchored onto the graphene foam. When used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the V2O3-rGO 3D gel exhibits high capacity (786mAhg−1 at 0.07Ag−1), good cycle stability (350mAhg−1 at 1.86Ag−1 after 1000 cycles) and excellent rate capability (192mAhg−1 at 37.2Ag−1) as well as distinguished electrochemical properties at a wide temperature range of 0–75°C. The desirable electrochemical performance should be attributed to the high content of V2O3, the nanoscale size of V2O3 and the 3D porous graphene network.