Bismuth doped α-MnO2 nanorods are synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method based on the redox reactions. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical properties of the products are evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements. In ours work, the pure MnO2 nanorods exhibits a relatively low specific capacitance of 87 Fg-1, whereas the 1％ (atomic ratio) Bi-doped MnO2 exhibits excellent pseudocapacitive behavior with a specific capacitance of 171 Fg"1 and shows a better cycle performance. In addition, highly stable and reversible performance after 2000 charge-discharge cycles is also demonstrated.