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Don't dismiss the Xpeng G6 as just another Chinese EV. At its launch in 2025, this electric mid-sized crossover was one of the most sophisticated and best value options in the Tesla Model Y segment. And an outstanding first effort in a class where back in 2025 some rivals were still struggling to hit the sweet spot. In short, it's certainly worth a look. Here, we look at the early pre-facelift versions as a used buy.
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History
Like us, you're probably realising that some emerging Chinese EV auto brands are more serious contenders than others. Xpeng (pronounced 'she-a-peng') is definitely of the more serious sort. It's not been around long, founded as recently as 2014 by Xia Heng and He Tao, two former senior executives of China's state-owned GAC motor corporation. But after just a decade of existence, this tech entrepreneur start-up was already selling across half of Europe and had introduced five models so advanced that the Volkswagen Group had paid half a billion euros for a stake just 5% in the company. The first of these models to reach the UK (in early 2025) was this one, the G6.
It was an electric mid-sized Coupe-SUV that, in the words of its maker, wanted to 'break the mould', aimed directly at the Tesla Model Y and that car's profitable segment, but it charged faster, gave customers more standard kit, offered greater technology and in equivalent guises cost less. Plus it was sold here by an experienced dealer network run by International Motors, importers of Subaru, Isuzu and Great Wall Motors products here.
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What you get
You probably won't choose a G6 just because of how it looks, but there's nothing to repel you here either. The shape is slightly more Coupe-SUV than most of its rivals and broadly replicates the mid-sized crossover dimensions of the Tesla Model Y whose sales it wanted to replicate. But the technology shrouded by the aluminium panels is indeed impressive; an 800V electrical architecture with a silicon-carbide power inverter and a 'full scenario' XPilot network of 29 cameras, radar transceivers and ultrasonic sensors, with collective output overseen by a special Nvidia processor. Since when did family cars get this complicated?
At 4.75-metres long, 1.92-metres wide and 1.65-metres tall, this car fits squarely in the mid-sized EV crossover segment. Xpeng says the styling was influenced by 'the world of sci-fi fantasy', but to us, the influences seem to be far more those of segment rivals - particularly Tesla. Still, it's interesting that there are almost no bodywork creases and it's certainly true that a lot of thought's gone in here. There are hidden door handles, a flat underbody and a streamlined raked-back tail, all of this combining to make the G6 one of the most aerodynamic cars in its class with a drag coefficient of just 0.248Cd.
Once you close the frameless door it's the usual Chinese mid-sized SUV formula which sees almost everything controlled by a huge central touchscreen. At least though, unlike Tesla, Xpeng doesn't make you view the driving instruments on it, these accommodated in the letterbox-shaped 10.2-inch instrument display you view through the weird oval-shaped steering wheel. Thankfully, unlike its American rival, Xpeng also thinks you need stalks for gear selection and activation of wipers and indicators; not so good is the fact that said stalks are ancient plasticky old-model Mercedes cast-off items which feel rather out of kilter with the cabin tech fest. We could do without the rather chintzy sound effects you get on entry too.
You sit quite high but rather hemmed-in, 'bath tub'-style between the high centre console and the even higher window line. But the seats are powered, heated, ventilated and decently comfortable on longer trips, with 4-way powered lumbar support - though they don't hold you in position particularly well at speed through corners. Light grey or dark cabin finishes are available dominated by leatherette finishing that doesn't feel particularly leather-like. Overall, you wouldn't call this interior particularly premium or luxurious, but that never held Tesla back and it's certainly true that all the fixtures and fittings seem to be of decent quality. Door opening's controlled by a button rather than a handle.
In the rear, it feels very roomy indeed, the airy feeling helped by a vast standard-fit panoramic glass roof. Thanks to 820mm of leg space, two six-footers can be seated behind a couple of lanky front seat occupants and the rear seats can be adjusted in 12 positions with a maximum angle of 38.4-degrees. Despite the glassy swept-back roof line, there's plenty of head space too - up to 970mm of it. And because there's no centre tunnel, it'd be straightforward to accommodate a middle-seated adult if you needed to.
The standard powered tailgate (which can also be operated not only from the key but also up and down from the centre screen) rises to reveal a practical space that, though decently-sized at 571-litres (virtually the same as a rival Ford Capri) is quite a lot smaller than the trunk of a Tesla Model Y (a competitor with the added advantage - lacking here - of extra under-bonnet 'frunk' space). Xpeng provides a thick boot floor mat and there's space beneath the floor for (some of) the charging leads, plus there's a light both sides and a 12v socket on the right. With everything flat, up to 1,374-litres of luggage space is freed up.
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What to look for
Very little goes wrong here but there are some things to look out for. Scan the high-voltage system for any stored fault codes, check the battery's state-of-health if the diagnostic tool supports it, look for evidence of accident repair (panel gaps, fresh paint, mismatched trim), and verify that all software updates have been installed. Thoroughly check the functionality of the centre screen. A G6 with a full service history at a franchise workshop is worth a meaningful premium over one with patchy records.
As with any EV, check all aspects of battery replenishment. If the car won't charge, it could be a problem with your home electrics (or those at the public charge point you're using). Check the charge light to make sure that electricity really is going through the charge port. And make sure there really is charge in the socket you're using to power from - plug something else into it to see - say, your 'phone. If that charges OK, it could be that your charging cable is demanding too much power, so try another power source. Another problem could be that the circuit may have tripped due to a circuit overload. Or perhaps there could be a problem with the charge cable: this needs to be cared for properly. Repeatedly driving over it (as previous owners may conceivably have done) will damage it eventually. Make sure you do a charge-up before signing for the car you're looking at. When you do this, make sure that when you plug in to start the charge cycle you hear the charge port and the cable locking and engaging as they should; that's all part of the charger basically confirming with the car's onboard computer that everything's good to go before releasing power. But if the charging cable fails to lock as it should, then that won't happen. If there is a failure to lock, the issue could be actuator failure, caused by a blown fuse.
Otherwise, it's just the usual things; look out for stone chips and alloy wheel scratches. And insist on a fully stamped-up service history.
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Replacement parts
(approx based on a 2025 Xpeng G6 80kWh Long Range ex VAT) A set of front brake pads cost in the £95-£115 bracket. A front brake discs costs in the £180-£260 bracket. A pollen filter's in the £17-£38 bracket. A full set of front/rear mudguards is available in bundles starting around £442.49. Headlight assembly replacements start around £252. Front and rear bumper assemblies range from around £850. Door Exterior Trim Panels cost approximately £81. Boot storage trays are roughly £97, and a full set of front/rear mudguards is available in bundles starting around £329.
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On the road
It isn't only the styling that has a Tesla look. So does the powertrain line-up. With the original version of this G6, things kicked off with the Standard Range rear-driven model that used a 66kWh LFP battery that energised a 262bhp motor with 440Nm of torque, able to propel the car to 62mph in 6.9s; EV range is 270 miles. Most early customers though opted for the mid-level rear-driven Long Range variant, which gives you a larger NCM battery with 87.5kWh that boosts range to 354 miles. To compensate for the extra weight, here the rear axle motor's output is boosted to 290bhp, so the 0-62mph sprint time of 6.7s is hardly any different.
At the top of the line-up, as you might expect, is an AWD dual motor model badged 'AWD Performance'. Here, the bigger 87.5kWh battery powers a motor on both axles that together generate 483bhp with 680Nm of torque, enough to take the G6 to 62mph very rapidly indeed - 4.1s on the way to the 124mph top speed that all versions of this car share. EV range is 340 miles.
All G6s offer a choice of four driving modes - 'Eco', 'Standard', 'Sport' and 'Individual'. 'Eco' is quite sufficient for 90% of normal driving and, particularly given the trouble we had in getting anywhere near the claimed EV range stats in our test, that's the setting we'd certainly advise you to default to whenever possible. Unlike with a rival Tesla Model Y, you get to select varying levels of brake regen, though unfortunately, as with the drive mode settings, you have to fiddle around in touchscreen menus to find them; there are four regen options - low, medium, high and 'X-Pedal', the latter slowing the car quite dramatically when you come off the throttle. The brake regen's quite well integrated into the friction braking system, but there are three 'Brake Pedal Feel' settings to fiddle with if you don't like it.
Xpeng also provides a choice of three 'drive sounds'; 'Traditional Engine' doesn't sound anything like a traditional engine, but it's certainly better than the other-worldly feel you get with the other two options - 'Space Floating' and 'Time Warp'. And you can choose between three Power Steering settings, with the 'Sport' option quite direct but none of them particularly feelsome.
There's quite a firm ride, despite the advanced 5-link rear suspension and supposedly sophisticated multi-valve Sachs multi-valve passive dampers - adaptive damping isn't offered. Despite that, perhaps predictably, the driving dynamics aren't especially involving, though to be fair the G6 is reasonably agile through the bends for a 2.1-tonne EV crossover, helped by the stiff SEPA 2.0 platform. Obviously, it's much more in its element at a cruise, where you'll appreciate the vast number of 'XPilot 2.5' camera drive assist features and the fact that all the binging and bonging that comes with them isn't too intrusive. You'll also appreciate this car's excellent refinement, helped by the double-glazed glass.
What about battery replenishment? The 800V charging set-up means that the car can use ultra-rapid chargers and it means that the G6 can DC-charge at up to 280kW. To be specific, this early version of the G6 can DC charge from 10 to 80% in under 20 minutes. All that is great, but an ex-Tesla owner might miss the lack of access to the American brand's wonderful Supercharger network. With the Standard Range version, a full 7.4kW wallbox charge would need 10 hours 30 minutes - it'd be 7 hours 30 minutes if you can use a three-phase 11kW supply. With the Long Range model, a full 7.4kW wallbox charge would need 14 hours - or 9 hours 30 minutes if you can use a three-phase 11kW supply.
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Overall
At this car's launch, Xpeng said that it wanted to be what it called 'the best smart pure electric brand'. Whatever that might mean, there was real substance here, as you would expect from a car made by a company with an R&D department accounting for over 40% of its 15,000-strong workforce. If you've ever wondered why cars in the Tesla Model Y segment from the 2025-2026 period can't charge faster, be better equipped or be more affordable, this early version of the Xpeng G6 might be for you. Unlike that Tesla, it won't frustrate you with the lack of conventional drive controls or an instrument cluster; there's no mandatory heavy regen braking; and spec is high.
True, you might wish for more involving driving dynamics, easier-to-use screen functions or less derivative styling. But if you can live with all those things, there's really lots to like here.
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