XPENG G6 Review

Introduction

Just when you thought your brain had absorbed every bit of information it could about Chinese automotive manufacturers, another one comes along.

Over the past couple of years, the UK has seemingly been invaded by a host of new brands that are hoping to succeed outside of their homeland.

BYD, Haval, Jaecoo, Leapmotor, Omoda, Ora and Skywell are just some of them.

Now, meet XPeng.

"Peng" is a Cantonese word meaning "low cost, high quality", and that describes what we have before us today.

The founder of XPeng is someone called He Xiaopeng – and, it turns out, XPeng is pronounced much the same way (along the lines of “shao-peng”).

The Guangzhou-based manufacturer is hoping to convince you to pull the trigger on its own SUV, the G6, instead of a Skoda, Kia, Hyundaior Tesla.

We will see if it cuts the mustard.

At A Glance

The XPeng G6 looks impressively futuristic.

It is shaped similarly to a Tesla Model Y and, much like a Tesla, there’s no main front grille – a modest lower grille is present within the front cladding, with the bodywork shaped above it.

Two wide cutouts on either side, shaped like air intakes, house some of the front lights. There is also a skinny light bar running across the end of the bonnet, broken up by the XPeng badge in the centre.

Again, like a Tesla, the sides are very smooth, featuring only a modest crease that works its way steadily upwards between the wheel arches, which are covered with a black line, while thicker cladding sits at the bottom of the doors.

The door handles are flush against the bodywork, too.

Around the back, it looks quite bulbous, with the tailgate smoothly curving from diagonal to vertical from the bottom of the rear windscreen downwards.

The taillights are presented in a lightbar, similar to the front, broken up by a camera in the middle, with the manufacturer’s name spelt out just beneath it.

The number plate sits within an indentation beneath the bottom of the tailgate, while the cladding is even thicker towards the floor.

Overall, it’s an impressive-looking car.

It appears more robust than SUVs from other Chinese manufacturers, although the front curves give it a more family-friendly appearance than an aggressively sporty one.

Key Features

The XPeng only comes in one trim level.

As standard, it’s fitted with 20-inch alloys, a 14.96-inch infotainment touchscreen with satellite navigation and DAB radio, an 18-speaker 960-watt audio system, a 10.2-inch digital instrument display, and a heated leather steering wheel.

You also get eight-way electrically adjustable heated and ventilated front seats with leatherette upholstery and memory function, four-way lumbar adjustment, heated rear seats, four USB ports, and two wireless phone chargers.

A powered tailgate, pop-out flush door handles, a large panoramic glass sunroof, dual-zone climate control, automatic headlights and wipers, and power-folding door mirrors are also all included as standard.

That is some list – and to say the XPeng G6 is generously equipped would be an understatement.

There is plenty there that would add thousands of pounds in optional extras to your typical Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz.

It is worth noting that Apple CarPlay/Android Auto aren't yet offered, but we're told that this will be added soon via a software update. If you have to make do without it for now, existing customers should receive it sooner rather than later.

In terms of power, there are two choices: Standard Range and Long Range.

Both are rear-wheel drive only, with 258 and 285PS respectively.

There will also be a Performance version available at some point soon, featuring all-wheel drive and approximately 470PS, but it's not yet on the market.

We will cover battery sizes next.

Range & Batteries

The Standard Range model features a 66kWh (65.3kWh usable) battery and boasts a range of 270 miles.

The Long Range version, on the other hand, can manage 354 miles, despite the extra power of its electric motor, thanks to a larger 87.5 kWh (84 kWh usable) battery pack.

The Performance model will feature the larger Long Range battery but won't be able to travel quite as far, likely around 340 miles.

These figures are competitive with numerous rivals, although the exact range you'll achieve in practice depends on several factors, including ambient temperature and driving style.

Performance & Drive

We are testing the Standard Range rear-wheel drive version, which accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 6.9 seconds.

If you do want more speed, though, you'll shave 0.2 seconds off the 0-62 time with the Long Range version.

Mind you, the forthcoming all-wheel drive Performance edition will cut that to a more eye-watering 4.1 seconds.

The Standard Range's pace should be more than sufficient, especially in an SUV.

Straight-line speed is a strength of the XPeng G6 – it feels sprightly and keen to move along, with a burst of torque surging you off the line, even in the least powerful model that we’re testing.

Sadly, the excitement isn’t matched by the vehicle’s other characteristics.

Around corners, there's some body roll, and although the grip levels feel generally sufficient, it doesn't take much speed to overwhelm the tyres.

The car certainly feels every kilogram of its two-and-a-bit-tonnes kerb weight.

Your ability to thread the car around a quick bend isn’t helped by the steering, which lacks feedback and provides minimal feel through the wheel.

Even applying some throttle mid-corner doesn't result in anything that might hint at nimbleness.

There is a Sport mode, accessible via the touchscreen, but it's a hassle to select in the first place, and once you do, you'll be hard-pressed to notice the difference it makes to the driving experience.

As for ride comfort, on smooth motorways at speed, and at low speeds around town, it’s reasonably good.

But the chassis feels quite springy, bouncy and unsettled, even in a straight line, and especially when the road surface isn’t in pristine condition.

Hit a bump or a pothole and you’ll know about it.

The regenerative braking system works well and feels reasonably consistent. However, it's frustrating that there are no paddles behind the steering wheel to adjust the system's strength – changes must be made via the infotainment screen.

Generally, journeys feel relaxed and hushed, with soundproofing doing a good job of reducing the noise of the electric motor.

It is a shame that the Chinese car's driving characteristics don't match its sophistication in other areas.

Charging

DC charging speeds are impressive, especially given that the Standard Range's 210kW top-up rate is considerably slower than that of the Long Range model.

The latter’s charging speed is 280kW, which is quicker than that of a Tesla Model Y, although Kia now offers cars that can charge at 350kW.

Given that the Long Range is quicker but has a larger battery, it means both models replenish their electron supplies from 10-80% in just 20 minutes.

The maximum AC charging speed is 11kW, meaning a 5-100% top-up takes approximately seven and a half hours in the Standard Range model and around nine and a half hours in the Long Range model.

It is worth bearing in mind that many homes can't support charging speeds of up to 11kW, so you may be limited to around 7kW in practice.

Want to know more about EV charging? Check out our guide to

Running Costs & Emissions

Of course, since the XPeng G6 is all-electric, there are no fuel figures or emissions to worry about.

That will make it attractive as a company car, as electric vehicles attract the best rates for Benefit-in-Kind tax. However, with so many of them on the market, competition is getting tougher.

Road tax, too, isn’t free anymore for electric cars and, although you’ll get a discount for the first year, the Standard Range is right on the cusp of attracting a £425-a-year extra tax for years two to five, in the name of the Expensive Car Supplement.

It will escape it, just – but the Long Range model, as its list price is above £40,000, will attract the supplement.

Interior & Technology

If you prefer minimalist interiors, you'll love the XPeng G6’s cabin.

The steering wheel is marginally flatter at the top and bottom compared with the sides, and, if anything, it could double up as a gaming controller of some sort.

The wheel, along with the rest of the interior, is also very white – this is only available in the Long Range version (it’s technically a very light grey, as noted in XPeng’s brochure) – otherwise, you get an all-black interior.

If you do get the ‘grey’ interior, it’s actually a duo-tone, as the outline of the steering wheel, the steering column, the floor, the underside of the centre console and the top of the dashboard still come in black, along with part of the doors.

The black interior, however, is almost 100% black, with very little in the way of silver or grey to brighten things up, apart from a tiny bit beneath the headrests, the dashboard outline, and one or two small places on the centre console and the wheel.

As a result, we prefer the two-coloured white/grey and black arrangement, which looks very sophisticated and adds to the car's appeal.

Apart from colours, there's not much else to see.

The infotainment screen looks very nice and contemporary, anchored on the dashboard like a tablet.

There are two air vents, one on each side of the dash, with a third, longer one fitting beneath the 14.96-inch infotainment screen. That is about everything.

As for the infotainment system itself, it’s made in-house by XPeng and features crisp graphics and a modern interface.

In fact, the operating system makes it feel much like using an actual tablet.

The system has a lot of depth to it, but that means it's a minefield. Despite the nice graphics, it isn’t the most intuitive to use, and some of the icons are on the small side, making them difficult to hit accurately while driving.

There is some good news: while a minimalist cabin design inevitably means the air conditioning controls are buried into the touchscreen, you can adjust the temperature, along with audio volume, using a scrolling wheel on the steering wheel.

You can also perform various actions using voice control – forget Alexa or Siri – and let us introduce you to Xiao P, an AI-powered robot whose avatar is visible on the infotainment screen.

Unfortunately, English might not be its first language, as it wasn’t as accurate at interpreting our instructions as other premium rivals.

You also get a 10.2-inch digital instrument display behind the steering wheel, which has a similarly sharp and attractive interface as the infotainment system.

It provides a lot of helpful information, but it appears cluttered with data, and the options to personalise the layout are limited.

The build quality feels good, albeit not on a par with established premium brand cars.

The synthetic leather is pleasant to touch, feeling soft and squishy in places, although cheaper, more rigid plastics can be found lower down.

Practicality & Boot Space

Finding a good driving position is easy in the G6, thanks to eight-way power adjustment in the driver’s seat, along with four-way lumbar adjustment.

The seats are comfortable, too, offering good levels of support to your back over rougher roads, although the side bolsters could hug you a bit tighter.

You are sitting in a reasonably commanding position, too, aiding forward visibility – more so as the windscreen pillars are swept back out of the way, although they’re not the thinnest.

Rear visibility is compromised by the roofline, which slopes down significantly, and is further hindered by the roof spoiler. Additionally, the rear windscreen is much shallower and sits at a very acute angle.

The pillars are much thicker, too, especially as the rear side windows taper inwards to a point, maximising the amount of bodywork that gets in the way. Front and rear parking sensors, as well as a full 360-degree camera, are all included as standard, which should help mitigate the issue.

In terms of space, you’ll have no issues in the front, with plenty of legroom and headroom on offer, while the wide centre console should enable both occupants to rest their elbows at the same time.

The rear is even more impressive, though, offering a significant amount of legroom, so even taller passengers are unlikely to struggle, plus the seats can recline, and there’s a respectable amount of under-thigh support as well as a flat floor.

If you are tall, then you should still find there’s sufficient headroom, too, despite the steep slope of the roofline.

The panoramic sunroof extends to the back, actually gaining you some extra space due to the glass being thinner than the rest of the surrounding ceiling. However, it's unlikely you'll need to rely on it to fit.

The boot space measures 571 litres, which isn’t bad when you consider that it beats many foes despite the sloping roofline eating up a lot of potential capacity. The available space in the G6 expands to 1,374 litres with the rear seats folded down in a 60:40 split.

For a car with premium aspirations, however, we'd have liked to see the more convenient 40:20:40 configuration, which is even offered by a couple of non-premium manufacturers.

There is plenty of space in the cabin to store your belongings, including a deep cubby in the central armrest, more storage beneath the centre console, a couple of cupholders and large door bins.

It is not all good news, though – there's no 'frunk' offering additional space under the bonnet, nor is there even a glovebox, which is a disappointing omission.

Safety

The XPeng G6 was safety tested by Euro NCAP in 2024, earning a five-star rating, with scores of 88% for adults, 85% for children, and 75% for safety assists.

The G6 gets XPilot 2.5 – a suite of advanced driver assistance systems, including a dozen sensors, a dozen cameras and five radars to protect you.

Automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring control, adaptive turning cruise, an automatic speed limiter, enhanced auto parking assist, remote parking assist, and driver state monitoring are all included as standard.

You also get blind spot detection, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, as well as front and rear collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and traffic sign recognition, among other features.

Parking sensors, plus a 360-degree surround view camera, are also part of the package.

Options

There is no options list, as such, for the XPeng G6 – the only two things you can do are add an electronically deployable tow bar and choose the body colour.

Confusingly, XPeng is offering those who opt for the cheaper Standard Range model a free choice of paint – white, grey, black, or silver.

However, paying more money for the Long Range version comes with a choice of either white or a charge of several hundred pounds for other colours.

Rival Cars

The XPeng G6 faces lots of competition for your money.

We have already mentioned the Tesla Model Y, while the Skoda Enyaq and Enyaq iV, as well as the Renault Scenic E-Tech, are also likely to join the fray.

The impressive duo of the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are also worth bearing in mind.

Also, consider the Volkswagen ID.4, Ford Explorer, and Peugeot e-3008.

Verdict & Next Steps

The XPeng G6 puts up a good fight but falls short in a couple of significant areas.

Its straight-line performance, practicality and charging speed are right on tap, and it comes with a superb equipment list that’s tough to beat, along with a lovely, sizeable interior.

Alas, the ride quality isn’t great, and the handling isn’t much cop either.

As a piece of tech – a gadget – it's terrific and very sophisticated, but as an actual vehicle to drive, less so.

If XPeng can sort that out, it’ll be well worth considering.

For now, if the driving experience is essential to you, we'd recommend looking elsewhere, although the generosity of that equipment list is difficult to ignore.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the XPENG G6 SUV

**Correct as of 24/07/2025. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £4,039.29 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.