At room temperature, crystalline Mg-based alloys, including Mg 2 Ni, MgNi, REMg 12 and La 2 Mg 17 , have been proved with weak electrochemical hydrogen storage performances. For improving their electrochemical property, the Mg is partially substituted by Ce in Mg-Ni-based alloys and the surface modification treatment is performed by mechanical coating Ni. Mechanical milling is utilized to synthesize the amorphous and nanocrystalline Mg 1−x Ce x Ni 0.9 Al 0.1 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) + 50 wt%Ni hydrogen storage alloys. The effects made by Ce substitution and mechanical milling on the electrochemical hydrogen storage property and structure have been analyzed. It shows that the as-milled alloys electrochemically absorb and desorb hydrogen well at room temperature. The as-milled alloys, without any activation, can reach their maximal discharge capacities during first cycling. The maximal value of the 30-h-milled alloy depending on Ce content is 578.4 mAh/g, while that of the x = 0.08 alloy always grows when prolonging milling duration. The maximal discharge capacity augments from 337.4 to 521.2 mAh/g when milling duration grows from 5 to 30 h. The cycle stability grows with increasing Ce content and milling duration. Concretely, the S 100 value augments from 55 to 82% for the alloy milled for 30 h with Ce content rising from 0 to 0.08 and from 66 to 82% when milling the x = 0.08 alloy mechanically from 5 to 30 h. The alloys' electrochemical dynamics parameters were measured as well which have maximum values depending on Ce content and keep growing up with milling duration extending.