CeO2 nanomaterials are widely used as excellent catalysts for CO oxidation, tail gas purification and gas reforming, but they are rarely used in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, a hybrid of few-layer carbon encapsulated defect-rich CeO2-x (CeO2-x@C), which was prepared by an direct-current arc-discharge process, is presented as a new efficient ORR catalyst. The defective structure of CeO2-x, involving oxygen vacancies and the presence of Ce3+, plays an important role on the ORR catalysis. Our CeO2-x@C achieves more positive onset potential (similar to 0.74 V), larger limited current density (similar to 6 mA cm(-2)) and an electron transfer number of similar to 4, compared to the non-defective CeO2-carbon hybrid. Compared to the sample prepared via hydrothermal method, the CeO2-x derived from arc-discharge process has more uniform structure with surfactant-free surface, which may also contribute to the high ORR activity. Besides good ORR activity, our CeO2-x@C also shows excellent stability and good resistance to methanol crossover effects. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.