A series of 6-substituted aminocarbonyl benzimidazole derivatives were designed and synthesized as nonpeptidic angiotensin II AT(1) receptor antagonists. The preliminary pharmacological evaluation revealed nanomolar AT(1) receptor binding affinity and good AT(1) receptor selectivity over AT(2) receptor for all compounds of the series, a potent antagonistic activity in isolated rabbit aortic strip functional assay for compounds 6b, 6d and 6i was also demonstrated. Furthermore, evaluation in spontaneous hypertensive rats and a preliminary toxicity evaluation showed that compound 6i is an orally active AT(1) receptor antagonist with low toxicity.