Xpeng’s second electric SUV is the compact, swoopy L03 – but is it any good?
Words by: Autotrader
Published on 8 October 2026 | 0 min read
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The Autotrader expert verdict:
3
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Humanoid robots, two-piece cars with six wheels and a personal flying machine stashed in the boot, driverless robotaxis that whirr silently up to your door and whisk you away for a night out – we were shown all of these by Chinese firm XPeng during the official 45-minute presentation on its second model for Europe, the L03 coupe-SUV, and were then given barely any detail on the actual vehicle itself. Which might kind of give you a hint of where this review is going to end up: if you’re that focused on other technologies and only see car-making as a means to a greater AI end, are you ever going to serve up a truly great electric vehicle? Probably not, no.
As a corporation, Xpeng has stated it intends to be carbon neutral for both its operations and the lifecycle of its products by 2050, but some other manufacturers have specified shorter deadlines for the same things. In the interim, the Chinese company has already mapped out a reduction of nine per cent for the lifecycle carbon emissions per passenger vehicle for 2027 when compared to 2023, while it also wants to reduce its corporate-ops emissions by 38 per cent over the same timeframe comparison. It further cites sizeable generation of solar power for its facilities, as well as a significant consumption of ‘clean energy’ in its processes, while some of its manufacturing plants have received green awards in their homeland. As for the L03 itself, there’s not a huge amount of talk about the sustainable materials which have been used for its construction nor its environmental impact across its entire life in service, but it is an electric vehicle with zero tailpipe emissions, while it doesn’t have the largest battery pack in the world either.
Running costs for a XPENG L03
“Those who can take advantage of a domestic wallbox and cheap tariffs will be running something as fast and powerful as a 2014 BMW M4, only for a lot”
The implication is that the Xpeng L03 will be priced competitively considering the amount of performance you can get with certain models, while its electric nature across the board means the lowest possible levels of both personal taxation and also Benefit in Kind liabilities. Those with private parking spaces who can take advantage of a domestic wallbox charger and cheap overnight tariffs will therefore be running something as fast and powerful as a 2014 BMW M4, only for a lot, lot less money.
Expert rating: 5/5
Reliability of a XPENG L03
“There aren’t any owner horror stories lurking online with XPeng’s global car fleet, though, and the company itself clearly isn’t shy of confidence in the product”
Xpeng is still too much of an unknown quantity to us here in the UK – its larger model, the G6, hasn’t been on sale for very long at all – so we can’t be conclusive about its performance in this regard… yet. There aren’t any owner horror stories lurking online with Xpeng’s global car fleet, though, and the company itself clearly isn’t shy of confidence in the product, as the L03 is covered by a five-year, 75,000-mile vehicle warranty and a separate eight-year, 100,000-mile guarantee for the high-voltage battery pack.
Expert rating: 3/5
Safety for a XPENG L03
“Euro NCAP hasn’t yet put the Xpeng L03 through its paces, but the bigger G6 has been assessed and picked up the full five-star rating”
Euro NCAP hasn’t yet put the Xpeng L03 through its paces, but the bigger G6 has been assessed and picked up the full five-star rating. We’ve confidence the L03 should do the same, as it is fitted with plenty of advanced driver-assistance safety systems as standard, but also – in Ultra specification – something called Next Generation Pilot. This is powered by three Turing AI chips and can, in theory, allow the car to drive itself autonomously to a Level 3 standard (allowing the human driver to be eyes off, hands off for extended periods at the wheel), although you'll have to wait for regulations to catch up so you're actually allowed to do this.
Expert rating: 4/5
How comfortable is the XPENG L03
“In terms of the general sophistication of its road manners on the move, the Xpeng L03 is a comfortable, quiet and generally amenable car”
In terms of the quality of its fixtures and fittings, the plumpness of its seats, the adjustability of its driving position and the general sophistication of its road manners on the move, the Xpeng L03 is a comfortable, quiet and generally amenable car. It’s not perfect, as there are a few occasions where its suspension gets all of a fluster, but broadly speaking it’ll be a deeply civilised A-to-B machine. The thing is, so are any number of its electric rivals of a similar size and build, and it doesn’t stand out as exceptional among such competition. Passenger space is generous in the rear of the car, though, albeit that lounging area seems to be at the expense of boot capacity, as the Xpeng isn’t the most voluminous cargo carrier in the world.
Expert rating: 4/5
Features of the XPENG L03
“The Xpeng L03 comes with a standard equipment list that is, as you’d expect of a new brand trying to make a good first impression, bounteous from entry-level to range-topper”
Aside from the potential to be fitted with a trio of advanced, powerful AI chips, the Xpeng L03 comes with a standard equipment list that is, as you’d expect of a new brand trying to make a good first impression on the European scene, bounteous from entry-level to range-topper. Items like adaptive cruise control, a huge head-up display for the driver, a touchscreen infotainment system blessed with built-in Google Maps as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated, ventilated and massaging seats, and a powerful 50-watt wireless smartphone charging pad with a cooling feature for devices are all on the menu, although it’s a shame the Ultra specification – which brings in 20-inch wheels and yellow brake callipers on the outside, plus the Turing AI chips – will only be available with the single-motor Long Range model. We don't think the AWD Performance Ultra will be coming to the UK, although the high-power dual-motor version we tested will be arriving in the regular specification.
Expert rating: 4/5
Power for a XPENG L03
“It’s not power for which the Xpeng L03 AWD Performance lacks – it’s any sort of driving sparkle.”
It’s not power for which the XPeng L03 AWD Performance lacks – it’s any sort of driving sparkle whatsoever. So, while we give the car a high mark here for the speed of the dual-motor flagship model, we’d temper that by saying if you’re a keener driver, you’re going to be far better off looking elsewhere. Everything it does, save for accelerating very fast in a straight line, is not in the least bit memorable or exciting. And while cars of this type don’t typically need to be thrill-a-minute fairground rides on four tyres, when you’re a newcomer trying to elbow your way into the establishment, you need something special to stand out from the crowd. The Xpeng L03 simply doesn’t possess anything like that.
