EVERY so often a new car brand arrives claiming to have cracked the electric SUV formula. Sleek looks, superfast charging, loads of tech and a whisper-quiet cabin — the promise is always the same.
The Xpeng G6 is the latest to make that pitch, a Chinese-built EV that wants to stand toe-to-toe with Tesla’s Model Y and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. On paper, it’s all there: an 800-volt platform, ultra-fast charging, 340-mile range and a slick, minimalist interior stuffed with screens.
In reality, it’s a slightly bumpier story . . .
Design
Credit where it’s due — the G6 looks good. The low, coupe-ish roofline and “Robot Face” light bar give it presence without resorting to cartoonish aggression. The surfacing is clean, the proportions are tidy, and it certainly attracted attention during my time with it. I lost count of the people asking what it was — proof that even in a world full of electric crossovers, a bit of mystery still helps.
It’s a well-sized car too: big enough for family use, small enough to feel manageable on narrow streets. The 571-litre boot is vast, and the long 2.89-metre wheelbase gives the cabin stretch-out space. It’s all very well packaged, even if the high, broad central tunnel feels old-fashioned in a world where open, flat-floored EV interiors are the norm.
Interior
Sit inside and you can tell Xpeng has watched what Tesla, Polestar and BYD are doing. The cabin is dominated by a 15-inch touchscreen running the brand’s Xmart OS, with a small digital instrument panel just ahead of the driver.
There’s certainly no shortage of tech — the display is fast, bright and endlessly configurable — but after a few hours it starts to feel like you’re the one being configured.
Basic tasks, like adjusting the mirrors or directing the air vents, are buried in touch-screen submenus. Even turning off the speed warning requires a stretch to the top-left corner of the display. It can be done, but only once per trip. It’s the sort of ergonomics that make you nostalgic for buttons.
The dashboard display, meanwhile, is so hyperactive it borders on comedy. At one point I found myself at traffic lights watching animated cars and buses stream past a digital rendering of my own car — essentially a pixel-perfect version of what I could already see through the windscreen. Clever? Maybe. Useful? Not remotely. Distracting? Absolutely.
The seats themselves are fine, supportive and multi-adjustable, but the leatherette upholstery feels more like vinyl than luxury. It’s the one area where the G6’s premium aspirations are betrayed by its material choices. Space, though, is generous front and rear, and the overall cabin layout is tidy and practical once you stop fighting the interface.
Driving Impressions
Here’s where the gloss begins to dull. The G6 rides on Xpeng’s latest SEPA 2.0 800-volt platform, which sounds sophisticated enough to promise some dynamic sparkle. Sadly, the reality is less cutting-edge.
The chassis feels unsettled on British roads — too stiff for comfort yet too soft to stay composed. Over minor imperfections it jiggles; over bigger ones it thumps. You get the sense the dampers and springs are having a mild domestic every time the surface changes. It’s not unbearable, but it never relaxes.
The steering, too, needs help. Out of the box it’s comically light. Thankfully, you can adjust it through the Individual drive mode — once you’ve found the right submenu — and the added weight helps a lot. Still, it never quite communicates what the front tyres are doing.
Performance is fine: brisk, quiet and predictable. The rear-wheel-drive long-range version I drove (with the 87.5 kWh battery) claims around 340 miles of range and will sprint from rest to 62 mph in a shade over six seconds. More impressive is its charging speed: up to 280 kW on a rapid charger, which can take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in under twenty minutes. That’s proper next-gen pace.
Unfortunately, despite the range, it’s not a car I’d choose for long journeys. The fidgety ride and the lack of physical controls means you’re always tapping, swiping or muttering commands to adjust simple things. For something that looks so futuristic, it’s strangely fatiguing.
Technology & Safety
On paper, the G6 is bursting with clever kit. The XPilot 2.5 driver-assistance suite uses twelve cameras and twelve ultrasonic sensors to handle adaptive cruise, lane-keeping and automatic parking. The hardware is capable, and the safety credentials are solid — Euro NCAP awarded it five stars in 2024.
The problem isn’t the tech itself, but how it’s delivered. The voice assistant is fluent and understands natural commands from all four zones of the car, yet you still need to use the touchscreen for most adjustments. It’s like having an over-qualified autopilot who insists you handle the controls yourself.
The sound system — 18 speakers, 960 watts — is genuinely impressive, though, and the cabin lighting and app-based features (including remote lock/unlock and pre-heating) work flawlessly. There’s a lot of cleverness in the G6; it just needs a layer of restraint to turn it from impressive to intuitive.
Range, Charging & Practicality
The 87.5 kWh battery offers between 341 and 354 miles on the WLTP cycle, while the smaller 66 kWh version manages about 270. Both benefit from a standard heat pump to keep winter efficiency sensible. Real-world range will likely be closer to 280 miles in mixed driving, which is perfectly usable.
The boot’s 571 litres is generous, and with the seats folded it expands to 1,374 litres. The cabin itself feels roomy, aided by a long wheelbase and a wide glass area. It’s just a shame that the large, high central tunnel eats into legroom and spoils what could have been a more open, lounge-like feel.
Verdict
The Xpeng G6 is a fascinating newcomer: a good-looking, feature-packed electric SUV that offers strong range, ultra-fast charging and a price tag designed to tempt buyers away from the usual suspects. It’s spacious, well-equipped and loaded with ideas.
But beneath the promise, it still feels like a work in progress. The ride lacks polish, the steering needs fine-tuning, and the obsession with touch-screen control makes simple tasks unnecessarily fiddly.
For short hops or city use it’s fine — even enjoyable once you learn its quirks — but for long-distance touring it never quite settles.
There’s genuine potential here, though. If Xpeng can give the G6 the chassis refinement it deserves and rein in the digital overkill, it could evolve into a real contender. For now, it’s an interesting conversation starter — a car that looks the part and turns heads, but doesn’t quite back up the show with the substance.
- AT A GLANCE:
- Xpeng G6 RWD Long Range
- OTR Price: £44,990
- Battery: 87.5kWh
- Power: 285 PS
- WLTP Range: 354 miles
- 0-62mph: 6.2 secs
- Rapid Charging: 280 kW
