Ni-Go composite coating was prepared on Q235 steel by electrodeposition. The effect of rare earth cerium on the morphology and properties of the composite coating was studied. The results show that when the cerium concentration is 0.8 g . L-1, the deposition rate of the composite coating increases to 7.142 g . dm-2 . h-1, the hardness reaches 608.8 HV, the wear amount is the smallest, the friction coefficient is the lowest, the self-corrosion potential Ecorr ( -0.3993 V ) is corrected, the corrosion current Icorr ( 3.258 . 10-6 A . cm-2 ) is the smallest, the corrosion rate is the lowest, and the corrosion resistance of the composite coating is the best. It was found that after the addition of rare earth cerium, the coral-like micro-sized convex polymer of the Ni-1.0GO composite coating became a small coral-like convex polymer with a smaller size, and the coating structure was significantly refined. When the cerium concentration is 0.8 g . L-1, the Ni-1.0GO-0.8RE composite coating has the best microstructure and the best performance. The main reason is that the rare earth cerium improves the dispersion ability of the particles in the plating solution and the cathodic polarization rate. The effect of increasing the precipitation potential of hydrogen ions at the cathode inhibits the occurrence of hydrogen evolution reaction, which further improves the performance of the composite coating.