XPeng G6 review

Is the XPeng G6 a good car?

It feels like a time of sink or swim for the current raft of Chinese newcomers. But on this evidence, XPeng deserves to stay – even if asking family buyers and company-car drivers to ditch their Teslas or Volkswagen ID.4s might sound like a bit of a stretch. The XPeng G6 is good to drive, relatively efficient and fast to charge, with plenty of kit and room for the kids. If it’s priced right (and early estimates suggest it will be) there’s an awful lot to like.

How much does the XPeng G6 cost?

If you’re in the market for a new car, there has arguably been no better time to broaden your horizons and try something different. There is so much choice right now, with both new and legacy manufacturers pushing boundaries and shortening product lifecycles to keep their cars competitive.

Chinese maker XPeng is looking to capitalise on this with the launch of its G6 electric SUV – a Tesla Model Y rival that’s due on sale in the coming months. It’ll lead a product onslaught that includes the larger G9 and a luxury MPV, before two additional models arrive in 2027. The company, supported in the UK by importer International Motors (IM), wants to have 20 dealers up and running by the end of 2025.

So what sets XPeng apart from the rest? Bosses say it wants to “break the mould” – a mantra aided by the fact that more than 40 per cent of its global workforce is employed in R&D, with designers hailing from big brands such as Audi and Ferrari. XPeng wants to be “the best smart pure electric brand”, whatever that might mean.

The G6 might not look all that conventional, but its slippery shape contributes to a low 0.248Cd drag coefficient. There are two batteries on offer, but just one specification – so everything you see here, including the panoramic roof, 15-inch infotainment system, 18-speaker stereo and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, is standard.

Prices haven’t been announced, but should start from around £40,000 for the RWD Standard Range car, stretching to roughly £45,000 for the RWD Long Range with the bigger battery. The two cars offer up to 270 miles and 354 miles per charge, respectively.

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On the road, the G6 is impressively refined. There’s very little wind or road noise – a feat made all the more impressive considering the frameless windows, although the double glazing surely helps here. This makes it a worthy cruiser, even if the firm suspension can cause it to bounce about a bit.

The flipside is that it’s surprisingly agile for an electric SUV. The steering is direct, and grip good – even in the cold and icy conditions of our test. With 281bhp running through the rear wheels (an AWD ‘Performance’ model is available in Europe, although not at launch in the UK), the XPeng G6 is quick when you need it to be (0-62mph takes 6.2 seconds), but not unnecessarily so; you can feel confident pulling out of junctions or onto motorway slip roads, but the nicely integrated safety systems prevent the tyres from being overwhelmed.

Indeed, the throttle is easy to modulate, and the brake pedal feels well judged – with no noticeable transition between the regenerative set-up and the conventional discs and pads. There are different modes for the recuperation that are accessible via the central screen, with the strongest setting offering controlled one-pedal driving.

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Our UK drive was short but sweet, and took in a varied route including motorways and A-roads, plus some urban stuff as well. With the temperature hovering around four degrees Celsius, we came away relatively impressed by the trip-quoted 2.8mi/kWh. Given our unsympathetic driving style and the tough conditions, that’s not too bad – we’d expect quite a bit more on a warmer day in normal driving.

That translates to a real-world range of 245 miles, but thanks to the big 87.5kWh battery (a 66kWh option will be offered, from around £40k) small gains could easily see that number breach 300 miles or more. That said, XPeng’s quoted 354 miles does seem a bit of a stretch, even on a sunny summer’s day. 

Under the metal lies the maker’s new SEPA 2.0 architecture, which incorporates a cutting-edge 800-volt electrical architecture. As such, XPeng claims the big-battery G6 is one of the fastest-charging EVs on sale, mixing it with models such as the Lotus Eletre and Porsche Taycan. A peak speed of 280kW (215kW on the 66kWh car) means a 10 to 80 per cent top-up takes just 20 minutes.

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XPeng sees itself as a technology leader, but there’s some work to be done on making this user interface more intuitive. The layout isn’t as minimalist as a Model Y’s, but having to delve into sub-menus to adjust the door mirrors or turn on the heated rear screen seems unnecessarily complicated. The latter especially so given how ineffective the small rear wiper is on a wet day.

Ergonomically, it’s easy to get comfortable, although the almost-rectangular steering wheel looks a little odd in-situ. The 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster is a bit busy, and some of the fonts are small – making them hard to read on the move.

Quality is, by and large, very good. Most of the surfaces are covered in softer materials or fabrics, and all cars come with a synthetic leather alternative for the seats. This felt good on our 5,000-mile test car, but we’d need to wait to cast judgement on its durability after 50,000 miles or more – we worry it might start to lose its satin finish after sustained use. If you’re feeling confident, or don’t have kids, you can swap the black trim for white (an £1,100 option on the Tesla) free of charge.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

As mentioned above, there are some user-experience issues with the main central screen. All the functionality is there, however, with sat-nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multiple USB-C ports and cooled charging pads for two mobile phones. The infotainment system itself is quick and responsive, too, thanks to the cutting-edge Snapdragon processor. 

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Whichever of the five seats you’re sitting in, practicality is a G6 strong point. Up front there’s a good amount of adjustment in the seat and visibility is reasonably strong. Odds and ends can be stored in the door bins, within the deep cubby beneath the central armrest, or under the centre console, which also hides a pair of USB ports.

There’s loads of head and legroom in the rear, while the flat floor and reclining seat backs help to maximise comfort. An armrest folds down from the middle seat, but there are no cup-holders hidden within it. Rear passengers will have to make do with a pair of vents; there’s no three-zone climate control.

The boot is a decent 571 litres, with a retractable parcel shelf to keep your belongings away from prying eyes. Despite this being a native EV platform, there’s no frunk, but there is space under the boot floor to store the charging cables. 

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The XPeng G6 was awarded a maximum five-star Euro NCAP crash-test score when it was rated in 2024, ranking it among the very safest cars on sale. It was given a particularly strong score of 88 per cent for adult-occupant protection, with child-occupant protection getting 85 per cent. 

During our drive on wet and cold UK roads, the car’s safety systems appeared particularly well integrated; a number of Chinese cars we’ve driven seem overly assisted, whereas the XPeng’s set-up did its job without feeling too intrusive.

It’s impossible to comment on reliability at this stage, with the first customer cars not due until spring 2025. Warranty details remain under wraps, too, though we’re told it’ll be competitive – likely five years or more.

XPeng G6 alternatives

You simply cannot talk about mid-size electric SUVs without referencing the Tesla Model Y. And indeed, this is the car that XPeng bosses see as the G6’s main rival. It’ll also need to beat the fast-charging and long-range Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, as well as mainstream models like the Volkswagen ID.4 (and ID.5), plus the Skoda Enyaq and Ford Explorer.