Make and model: Xpeng G6 RWD Long Range
Description: Large electric coupé-SUV
Price range: £36,990 to £44,490
Xpeng says: “The ultra-smart all-electric mid-sized coupe SUV marks a new milestone in one of the world’s biggest markets.”
We say: The Xpeng G6 is a competent first step from this new to the UK brand with its use of technology particularly impressing.
Introduction
Xpeng will be a name certainly unfamiliar to UK buyers as the brand, the latest in the flood of Chinese manufacturers heading into the UK, is as of July 2025 only just launching onto the market and the G6 is its debut model.
Established in China in 2014 by two executives from the giant SAIC automotive group, Xpeng launched into Europe last year and has a $700m deal with Volkswagen to jointly develop electric vehicles. While X is now a favourite moniker for modern technology, the firm is named after founder He Xiaopeng though it does sell itself on the same description used by smartphone makers, emphasising the artificial intelligence (AI) used in its product by describing them as “Smart EVs”.
The brand’s UK expansion is in the hands of the long-established IM Group, custodians of Subaru and Isuzu, and so far there are five Xpeng outlets in Britain – there should be 20 by the end of the year with many more added in 2026.
Reports suggest that within four years Xpeng will be offering five models to UK buyers, including the rapid P7+ liftback that made its debut at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed (a year after the G6 did the same), a larger sister to the G6 dubbed the G9, and an angular seven-seat MPV dubbed the X9.
What is the Xpeng G6?
Xpeng arrives in the UK with a coupé-SUV that clearly marks itself out as a direct rival to the big-selling Tesla Model Y – even in its shape it is reminiscent of the American rival’s SUV but it also faces a growing number of electric contenders including recent launches such as the latest Renault Scenic E-Tech and the upcoming MG IM6.
Currently there are two versions of the G6, both with a single motor powering the rear wheels and dubbed Standard and Long Range – the former is priced from £40K and quotes an official range between charges of up to 270 miles, the latter, costing from £45K claims up to 354 miles.
A third model is on the way – also making its UK bow at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the G6 Performance uses an all-wheel-drive two-motor chassis.
First impressions
As mentioned on first viewing the swooping, curvy proportions of the Xpeng G6 mark it out as an obvious Tesla Model Y rival. The design, penned by Juanma López whose CV includes previous work for Audi, Lamborghini and Ferrari, is fairly easy on the eye, if a little soulless.
This is officially a mid-sized SUV but it certainly feels like a big car – close to 4.8 metres long and a shade under two metres wide, a trait that becomes obvious when squeezing into supermarket parking spaces.
However both from the exterior perspective and particularly when one slips into the minimalist interior the impression is also of high quality finishing and an abundance of tech – you cannot miss the enormous 15-inch, again Tesla-rivalling central touchscreen, with the double wireless smartphone chargers just below it.
We like: Immediate impression of quality modern tech
We don’t like: Little distinction in the visual appearance
What do you get for your money?
Xpeng follows the convention of the new Chinese brands by offering long lists of standard equipment with its cars. All versions of the G6 sit on 20-inch alloy wheels, they all have front seats clothed in a leatherette material and both heated and ventilated, the steering wheel also heated, and they include two wireless smartphone charging points and a panoramic sunroof.
The audio system boasts some 18 speakers and 960 watts of power, and through that huge touchscreen one can work through a multitude of apps across music, video (not when driving of course) and social media.
Also part of the standard kit is a virtual assistant – a little droid graphic sits in the top corner of the screen and can be activated from any part of the car. It’s reasonably effective though did stumble over a couple of actions we asked it to carry out.
The safety specification is impressive too, that high-tech image Xpeng promotes extending to an extensive set of driver-assistance technology, dubbed XPilot 2.5 and combining 12 ultrasonic sensors with a dozen cameras. These look after 12 safety functions, five active driving functions and six parking functions.
Xpeng launched in Europe over a year ago and the G6 was tested by Euro NCAP in 2024. It earned a top-level five-star rating, with particular praise for the way its autonomous emergency systems reacted to vulnerable road users such as cyclists.
As well as all the major aids one expects, there are little touches that emphasise the tech involved. The driver’s digital display shows individual vehicles moving ahead of one’s car and when they stop lit brake lights can be seen on the display, and it even spots traffic cones at the side of the road.
Another excellent safety feature is the camera view that appears on one side of the infotainment screen as soon as one operates the indicators – unlike the likes of Kia and Hyundai which show the side of the road ahead in the direction one intends to turn, the Xpeng system looks behind into the blind spot, a major safety aid.
The final touch is a good warranty, extending to five years or 75,000 miles and with the battery covered for eight years.
We like: Plenty of standard kit
We don’t like: Not convinced by the voice assistant
What’s the Xpeng G6 like inside?
The G6 feels like a quality car the moment one gets into it, and a roomy one – there is plenty of space for five in front and back, especially above the head, along with a boot of 571 litres, extending to 1374 litres with the rear seats folded. Even the front seats will fold flat if wanted so one could use them as a bed.
General fit and finish is good too, with a host of soft-touch surfaces and that leatherette padding used to upholster the seats repeated in such areas as the doors. It’s easy to get comfortable, with loads of electrically-powered adjustment in both front seats.
The controls take the recent rush to putting everything on a screen almost to extremes. The 10-inch digital display directly ahead of the driver shows such essentials as speed along with those oddly addictive traffic graphics, then there is the huge 15-inch touchscreen atop the centre console, with a double wireless smartphone charging pad directly below the screen.
The only physical controls are eight buttons and two dials on the steering wheel that allow changes to the audio and the climate control temperature and fan speed. Everything else, from changing the direction of the air vents to brake regeneration, is controlled on the touchscreen, which can be irritating – and something Xpeng will need to change if it is to meet forthcoming Euro NCAP regulations on physical controls.
Admittedly while looking initially intimidatingly complex, use of the touchscreen does quickly become second nature – though being so big means that in some cases one is stretching a long way to press a button, which again is rather too distracting from the road ahead.
We like: General quality well up to sector standards
We don’t like: Everything is controlled by the touchscreen
What’s under the bonnet?
Our test car is the long-range version, making use of a single motor driving the rear wheels and with an 87.5 kWh battery, compared to the 66 kWh unit of the standard range model. It also has a bit more power, rated at 285hp instead of just under 260, and enough to send this quite big vehicle through 62mph from rest in 6.7 seconds – not as swift as some of its rivals, but more than fast enough for most owners.
In terms of range our car is rated at up to 354 miles, compared to the 270 of its standard sister. In a week running the car on a range of roads, and making proper use of the brake regeneration (more of which shortly) the real-world achieved range proved surprisingly close to the WLTP figures.
The 800-volt technology employed means a claim of a mere 20 minutes to recharge the battery from 10 to 80% – but you will only achieve that on a 280kW DC charger, the locations of which are not yet exactly prolific. At home on a wallbox a full charge takes around 9.5 hours.
Another plus is the fact that every version of the car includes a heat pump as standard, helping to make the most of range and charging when temperatures drop.
If we had to be picky, the door of the charging port, on the rear offside quarter, feels a little flimsy compared to the rest of the car. However you don’t ever need to touch it, opening and closing achieved electrically either by a button on the keyfob or the touchscreen.
What’s the Xpeng G6 like to drive?
The G6 is typically EV-easy to drive. Unlocking the car brings everything to life, requiring merely the selection of drive on the right-hand steering wheel stalk – because of this the wipers are housed on the indicator stalk which can be initially confusing.
On the road the ride is, adequate. So long as the surface is in reasonable condition the car will cruise along happily, but it becomes a bit bouncy when imperfections are encountered. Its steering is not that involving either, encouraging one to stick to measured progress rather than more enthusiastic driving.
The combination of large glassware and thin pillars means a good view out of the front and sides – the bonnet is low which does not aid viewing it but at slow speeds the car does offer electronic guides to the distance to obstructions in front – parking sensors and a 360-degree camera are all standard.
The view out back is also somewhat restricted through a fairly tiny screen, but the indicator-activated blind-spot camera neatly fulfils a lot of the rear view requirement one needs.
There are four levels of brake regeneration available, including an ‘X-pedal’ setting which allows the EV trait of virtual one-pedal driving slowing the car almost, if not quite, to a stop. During our week with the G6, making intelligent use of the regeneration proved a plus to maintaining battery range. The minus is a lack of physical means of varying the regen settings, something else that has to be done through the touchscreen.
The car is comfortable to travel in, with hushed progress, the only sound from the motor artificially induced at slower speeds – with a choice of sounds to boot.
Another major plus – intrusive driver alerts for such things as speed limits and lane centring have quickly become a necessary bane of today’s driving but the first time one of these is activated, a button comes up on the driver’s side of the infotainment screen and a simple press will cancel that alert for the remainder of the journey.
We like: Easy cancelling of intrusive alerts
We don’t like: Vague steering
Verdict
Overall the Xpeng G6 is a commendable first effort for a new to the UK brand. It offers a lot of space, is easy to drive and comes with plenty of standard equipment while the level of technology in the car will impress many.
Those who rate on-the-road dynamics will likely be disappointed by the G6’s somewhat ordinary road manners, but for those who want an upmarket-looking electric SUV – and particularly those who don’t want to go the Tesla route – the G6 will certainly be worth checking out.
Similar cars
Audi Q4 e-tron | BMW iX1 | Kia EV6 | MG IM6 | Renault Scenic E-Tech | Skoda Enyaq | Tesla Model Y
Key specifications
Model tested: Xpeng G6 Long Range RWD
Price as tested: £44,990
Powertrain: single electric motor, rear-wheel drive
Gearbox: Auto
Power: 285 hp
Torque: 440 Nm
Top speed: 124 mph
0-62mph: 6.2 seconds
Range: 354 miles (WLTP)
CO2 emissions: 0 g/km
Euro NCAP safety rating: 5 stars (2024)
TCE Expert rating: Not yet rated (as of July 2025)
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