Xpeng G6 Review & Prices

There are so many new Chinese car brands hitting the UK now, and in the coming years, that it’s going to start getting very difficult to tell them all apart. Already we have BYD, Omoda, Jaecoo, Ora, Haval, Leapmotor, and Skywell. Oh, and the one that no-one thinks is Chinese, but is — MG.

Now here comes Xpeng, a brand that didn’t even exist before 2014, and which didn’t even make any cars before 2018. Yet it’s here in the UK market with a competitive model in the shape of this G6 electric SUV, and with many more models — from a big seven-seat MPV to a sleek saloon that rivals the Tesla Model 3 — yet to come.

Deciding between an Xpeng and one of the other Chinese brands, though, is a bit like choosing a DVD player in the 1990s. Most of the brands you’ve never heard of and you’re not entirely sure what you’re getting.

It gets more confusing when you remember that Xpeng doesn’t see itself nor its G6 as being part of the cheap-and-cheerful Chinese car invasion. Instead, this is supposed to be premium-level stuff, sort of like a Chinese Audi, or at least a well-specified Chinese Skoda. Something that you’d be proud to show off on your driveway.

Xpeng G6: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 270-354 miles
Efficiency: 3.5 miles per kWh
Battery size: 66-87.5kWh
Max charge speed: 280kW
Charge time AC: 10.5-14hrs
Charge time DC: 20mins
Charge port location: Right rear
Power outputs: 258-286bhp

Most people will, though, think you’ve bought a Tesla. That’s not because Xpeng copied Tesla’s styling for the Model Y. In fact, the G6 was launched before Tesla’s recent Model Y redesign, since which the two cars could easily be mistaken for one another. The G6 is a generically egg-shaped SUV with prominent LED light bars front and rear, but little to actually catch the eye nor tell you what it is.

That’s true too of the inside — the same big screen in the centre of the dash as everyone else, the same off-square steering wheel, the same lack of proper buttons which can be a real pain when you’re trying to access stuff on the move. The screen is slick enough to use, and responds very quickly, but having to use it for things like adjusting your door mirrors is very annoying and needlessly complicated. At least Xpeng hasn’t gone ‘full Tesla’ as there are column stalks (taken from the Mercedes parts bin) and there’s a digital instrument panel for the driver.

However, where the Xpeng G6 does score is in its quality. Everything inside looks and feels nice, with the possible exception of the fake leather on the seats, which feels a bit rubbery to the touch. There’s plenty of space, though, even in the back where you’d expect that curved rear roofline to eat into headroom, but it doesn’t. At 571 litres, the boot’s not class-leading (a Skoda Enyaq can manage 585 litres) but it’s roomy and usefully flat-floored. There’s no front-boot, though, which is annoying.

Either annoying or appealing are the G6’s more arcane touchscreen functions, including a ‘mindfulness’ setting, which alters the cabin temperature, lighting, and stereo functions to improve your mood, while the seats can fold back entirely flat to turn the Xpeng’s interior into a double bed. There’s also a pumping stereo, of Xpeng’s own design, which uses speakers in the seats to immerse you in the sound, and a digital voice control system that’s as hopeless as all of the others.

You can choose from a small battery, with 66kWh and rugged lithium-iron phosphate chemistry (LFP) or a bigger 87.5kWh battery with more expensive lithium-ion chemistry. The smaller battery gives you a theoretical range of 270 miles, and it should do 220 miles pretty reliably — enough for most drivers most of the time. The longer-range battery does what it says on the tin, and against a claimed 354 mile range, was showing a 300 mile range on an 85 per cent battery charge, which isn’t half bad.

Better still is the charging. Go for the big battery and it will charge at up to 280kW on a rapid DC charger, meaning that you can go from a 10-80% charge in just 20 minutes thanks to 800-volt charging.

Interested? Check out the latest Xpeng deals available through Carwow. You can also browse used Xpengs from our network of trusted dealers, and when it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

The Xpeng G6 is priced roughly against the Tesla Model Y.  It’s also priced directly against the Volkswagen ID.4, taking both short-range and long-range models into account. The G6 Long Range is also slightly more affordable, and better-equipped as standard, than the Skoda Enyaq Coupe, although the Skoda has a slightly longer range as standard.