Objective The use of light aluminum alloys engine in the automobiles can effectively reduce fuel consumption and environmental pollution. However, the poor wear resistance of aluminum alloys is easy to cause the severe surface wear of aluminum alloys cylinder bore during working. Surface modification technology can be used to strengthen the surface of aluminum alloy, which can meet the requirements of the aluminum alloys sliding parts under high load conditions. The self-lubricating effect of graphite and low cost of grey cast iron make grey cast iron as the preferred material for protecting coating of the cylinder surface of aluminum alloys engines. Plasma spraying technology has been widely used in the field of surface hardening due to its high efficiency and flexibility. Therefore, plasma sprayed gray cast iron coating has become one of the effective ways to improve the wear resistance of the aluminum alloy engine cylinder surface. However, it is difficult to precipitate the graphite crystal in coating owing to the rapid cooling of melting particles during deposition. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the controlling of the graphite content in gray cast iron coating. The research status of plasma spraying gray cast iron coatings and the effect of substrate temperature, particle size and elements addition on cooling rate were introduced and summarized. On the basis of above reports and solidification theory, the feasibility of reserving the graphite in the coating was analyzed. The major obstructions for reserving the graphite in gray cast iron coating were also analyzed. Finally, the future research direction of reserving graphite in the plasma spraying gray cast iron coating was prospected.