XPENG G6 (2026 - ) Electric review

Tesla has been working hard to improve affordability with the Model Y, trimming fat from the bone with a new focus on cost of ownership. The bad news? This new and improved XPeng G6 not only undercuts the Tesla on price, it’s also much better-equipped and generally nicer to live with! True, given most people look at monthly finance or lease costs rather than bottom line price this comparison may seem crude. But it’s a hard truth Tesla is going to have to face, the speed with which XPeng has improved the G6 yet another demonstration of the ‘China Speed’ the car industry now has to work to. More broadly the G6 lands bang in the middle of a very competitive price point for mid-size electric cars, ownership costs thereon very much dependent on whether you can charge at home or run it as a company vehicle to reap what Benefit In Kind and other tax incentives remain. Similar cars fighting for your attention would include the Volvo EC40, Polestar 2, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and myriad others, the XPeng looking like good value in comparison to all of them.

Still too early to say but, like many Chinese brands, XPeng has huge resources when it comes to manufacturing, engineering and R&D as well as the credibility of partnership with VW for whom its technology underpins a range of domestic market collaborations. We’d take some confidence in that, the five-year warranty meaning most first ownership cycles will be covered should anything go wrong.

When we first drove the G6 we were somewhat damning of the intrusive safety systems and distractions of jabbing away at a screen to control even basic functions like lights and ventilation. Credit to XPeng that it’s addressed many of these concerns, a much-improved menu system meaning you can drag and drop shortcuts to safety-critical features like foglights to the home screen, whose graphics are much easier and clearer to use than those of many rivals. The biggest praise we can offer for the improved safety systems is that we didn’t feel motivated to disable them as we do in many other cars, the fact that when they do trigger they offer you the option to switch them off for the rest of the journey another thoughtful touch. Big blind spots from the chunky bodywork are still an issue but credit due to XPeng for listening to feedback and delivering tangible improvements on the tech.

XPeng has also been listening when it comes to the driving experience, the previously remote-feeling steering now much more positive and pleasant to use, with none of the dartiness that makes the Model Y such hard work to live with. It still plays it safe and there are more exciting cars to drive but ride quality and refinement are all up there and the G6 is quiet, relaxing and a chilled place for racking up the miles. It’s also spacious, the standard panoramic roof making it feel even more so while those in the back get tons of legroom and a reclining backrest for making the most of the slouching space. Up front we also appreciated the standard-fit massage function, which is among the most invigorating and effective we’ve ever tried.

Given how central (literally) screens have become to our interactions with modern cars the user experience – UX in the jargon – is increasingly important. Fresh from driving the latest Model Y we were impressed with how much nicer the XPeng’s improved operating system is, the graphics crisper and easier to use than Tesla’s with chunkier icons and more logical menus. Slick CarPlay pairing is another tick, given Tesla still refuses to offer this. Others still do it better – we’re big fans of BMW’s latest operating system, for instance – but we prefer XPeng’s approach to that of other cars coming out of China. The interior all feels a lot more premium than before as well, with a redesigned steering wheel, new door panels with integrated speaker grilles, heating and ventilation as standard for the front seats along with the massage function mentioned above, impressively powerful 18-speaker sound system and more besides. All this is standard whichever of the powertrains you choose as well, the only options being paint and accessories like dog guards, reinforced rubber floor mats and boot linings, roof rails and similar.

Given the overall similarities to the Model Y little surprise that XPeng offers a similar model progression through Standard Range with the smaller of the two battery options and Long Range single-motor models through to the significantly more powerful twin-motor Performance version, seen here in Black Edition form. All are effortlessly fast and claim range of around 300 miles give or take, a figure we’d be keen to test properly outside of the controlled environment of a press launch test route but experience suggests is within reach. Perhaps just as importantly the huge charging speeds made possible by XPeng’s electric tech have the potential to make long journeys a breeze, at such point as the public infrastructure catches up with claimed 451kW maximum rate. Even at the speeds currently available on the network the G6 will top up its battery fast enough to get you were you’re going in as long as it takes to grab a coffee.