XPeng G6 review

If you love your tech more than you love your cars, you’ll probably find plenty to appreciate in the XPeng G6.

After all, Xiaopeng (XPeng’s full name) is a tech company first and foremost. Cars are just one of the arms of the octopus, alongside its development of humanoid robots, flying eVTOL delivery vans and AI chips. Not the potato kind. In other words, XPeng is a company that sounds like it’s come straight from Futurama or Westworld.

The G6 is the first of the brand’s cars to launch in the UK, and it’ll be followed up by the X9 MPV and another coupe-SUV thing called the L03.

You could replace the XPeng logos with Tesla ones and barely anyone would spot the difference. The G6 is quite Tesla-like inside, with everything being accessed through the touchscreen. Perhaps it’s the car to buy if you want something that looks like a Tesla but doesn’t have any association with the American brand and its higher-ups.

Or, it’s the car to buy if you want an EV and have to rely on public chargers. It’ll scoop up a 10-80% charge in just 12 minutes at its maximum 451kW charging rate. Just a slight problem: you can’t charge at 451kW anywhere in the UK yet, with the fastest public chargers currently available being about 400kW.

Otherwise, the XPeng G6 is a car with very few outright dealbreakers. You’d be happy enough to live with it for a couple of years. But, at the same time, it’s not exactly brimming with reasons to choose one over any of the numerous other electric SUVs on the market.

The 326-mile range is fine, but you can go further on a charge in a Tesla Model Y or Renault Scenic E-Tech. The five-year/75,000-mile warranty is good, but the Kia EV6 and Aion V will cover you for even longer. It’s fairly plush inside, but a BYD Sealion 7 feels more luxurious.

We’re starting to think that one person designed the interiors for every Chinese car you can buy in the UK. Surprise, surprise, the XPeng G6 features a large touchscreen, a compact digital driver’s display, squidgy leather-adjacent upholstery and two phone trays on the centre console. Both trays will wirelessly charge your phone at a high speed, and cool it down with a little fan at the same time.

The 15.6-inch touchscreen is very snappy and crisp, and the simplicity of the cabin is quite calming. Until you have to remember where all the lesser-used settings are hidden in the swamp of submenus. We really dislike having to dive into the touchscreen to change the drive modes, driver assistance settings and the car’s characteristics.

You can set up the steering wheel buttons to adjust the air con, which saves you having to jab at the small climate icon on the screen. It’s annoying, therefore, that the steering wheel buttons are incredibly easy to hit by accident while you’re driving.

Some configurability could extend to the driver’s display, mind. It’s busy and packed full of info, although we’re pleased it exists – the Tesla Model Y could really do with something similar.

The seats are pillowy soft and there are a surprisingly extensive selection of massage programmes to choose from. Frameless doors and plush dashboard materials make it feel premium. The G6 can be immensely relaxing if you take it easy and don’t dive too far into the settings menus.

Well-connected, too. The in-built phone connectivity works well and the G6 features a lot of the entertainment apps you’re already familiar with. Simply log in to the likes of Spotify or Netflix with your account details and you’ve got it right there in the car. Although, with such a fast charging rate, you won’t get much binge-watching done…

There’s also not much time to use the built-in meditation and sleep modes. The latter reclines your seat, sets an alarm at your preferred wake-up time, and keeps the cabin temperature at a set level all night if you want. It’s broadly similar to Tesla’s Camp Mode. The mindfulness mode is highly unusual, blasting music at full volume. We struggled to relax in it, and we reckon you’d feel like a bit of a berk using it in the Sainsbury’s car park.

A new G6 costs between £39,990 and £49,990 depending on the version you pick, meaning you avoid the luxury car tax surcharge (provided you don’t go for any options on the Performance version). Even so, the cabin – and particularly the equipment list – feels luxurious. There’s Level 2 semi-autonomous driving, an 18-speaker sound system and heated/cooled seats, among many other things. There’s no difference in equipment list between the different versions, besides Nappa leather upholstery on the big-battery versions – you’re mainly paying for more range or more performance.

Besides not having a glovebox, the XPeng G6 is seriously practical. At the front, there’s decent storage provision with big door bins and useful centre console cubbies. As mentioned, you’ve got a couple of phone trays, although you’ll probably end up putting the keys in one of the cupholders.

The panoramic glass roof makes the cabin feel incredibly light and airy. Even with it closed, the G6 feels very spacious. Rear legroom is exceptional – you’ll have space to stretch out even if you’re freakishly tall. Headroom is surprisingly generous, too, and the curved roofline impedes less than you’d expect. You can recline the rear seats for long-distance comfort.

Large rear doors make it easy to put a child seat in (unless you’re in a tight car park), and the Isofix points are fairly painless to locate. There are cupholders, vents, lights, seatback pockets and USBs – although your passengers might struggle to reach them!

Take off the front headrests and the front seats can fold completely flat, making them an extension of the rear bench. Great for sleeping in your car – but do you do that often?

With the rear seats in their most upright position, the G6 gives you 571 litres of boot space – which is competitive with the likes of the Renault Scenic E-Tech and Volkswagen ID.5. The space is wide but a little shallow, and it could do with some hooks and nooks to make it more versatile. The parcel shelf is mounted lower than you expect. You do get some underfloor storage that can be used for charging cables or rarely used items.

There’s no frunk, but you can add one from the options list for £160.

The G6’s coupe shape means rear visibility is pretty poor, so you’ll be thankful for the various cameras and sensors. And you do get a rear wiper, unlike in the Model Y.

In the accepted EV fashion, there are Standard Range, Long Range and Performance versions of the G6. The first two are rear-wheel drive, while the dual-motor Performance model is all-wheel drive.

The Standard Range car comes with a 68.5kWh battery, which promises a maximum range of 292 miles. Long Range and Performance versions pack in an 80.8kWh battery, and the quoted range rises to 326 and 316 miles respectively.

To us, the Long Range model is a bit of a misnomer when you compare it to the Tesla Model Y Long Range’s 378 miles and the Peugeot e-3008’s 432-mile maximum. But it’s on a par with contemporaries such as the Aion V and BYD Sealion 7, and it’ll be enough for the majority of use cases.

Especially when the G6 can charge so fast. Its 451kW maximum charge rate is groundbreaking, astonishing and futureproofed – the UK is yet to offer chargers that can match it. If you were to find a powerful enough charger, you’d get back to 80% charge in just 12 minutes. The smaller battery tops out at 382kW, which still gives you the same 12-minute recharge time.

Standard Range models boast 248hp and a speedy 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds. The 292hp Long Range model is only a couple of tenths quicker. If you want to go warp speed, go for the 480hp AWD Performance range-topper and its scorching acceleration time of 4.1 seconds. Every G6 has a 125mph top speed, and can tow 1,500kg.

With the G6 sitting in insurance groups 43 or 44 out of 50, be prepared for chunky premiums. It’ll cost more to insure than the Scenic E-Tech, Aion V, Skoda Enyaq and Peugeot e-3008, although the Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y are in the same ballpark as the G6.

The XPeng G6 drives well provided you’re not expecting any sort of driver engagement.

The accelerator pedal is well calibrated, providing smooth and uninterrupted progress but without sheer brute force that your family members might not appreciate. Every G6 can get a lick on, and the Performance model is basically a shrink ray for the horizon.

You don’t get as much body roll as you might expect in exuberant cornering, with the G6 remaining composed. It’s best as a cruiser, and isn’t keen on being thrown around on challenging roads.

The steering is lifeless – so there’s not much point in the sportier driving modes making it feel heavier – and the brake pedal feel is numb at the top end.

Motorway refinement is fine if not outstanding. Wind noise is kept to a minimum but tyre roar is noticeable. Big 20-inch alloy wheels come as standard, which perhaps contributes to potholes and motorway expansion joints being felt more than we’d like.

XPeng would probably rather you left the car to drive itself. That’s the impression you get after getting lost in the touchscreen trying to change some of the car’s driving settings. The sheer array of driver assistance tech is mind-boggling, and when it works well it makes for more relaxing journeys.

But on the rare times it doesn’t do what you expect, it’s harder than it needs to be to turn a lot of these systems off.