A SiO/graphite/amorphous carbon (SiO-C) hybrid anode with superior electrochemical performance is successfully realized by using a low-cost and simple method. Here, we apply a pretreatment of commercialized graphite by ball-milling to realize evenly dispersion of the components and good effect of carbon coating, thus resulting in excellent cycling stability. Specifically, the as-prepared sample shows a high reversible capacity of 850 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles at 100 mA g(-1) and excellent rate capability of 730 mA h g(-1) even at 500 mA h g(-1). Additionally, a relatively high initial coulombic efficiency of 77% is delivered among SiO-based anode materials. High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) technique is used to further visually verify the conversion behavior of SiO in the first cycle: scattered amorphous silicon particles with size about 5 nm and irreversible Li4SiO4 as the detected resultants. The result of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) reveals that the polarization resistance (Rp) decreases with pre-treated graphite. This work presents a facile approach to prepare Si-based anode material for new generation lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and more insights into the conversion behavior of SiO. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.