The Xpeng G6 only arrived in Australia early this year, when we awarded the long-range, single-motor version a ‘Very Good’ rating, but that doesn’t seem to have been enough for Xpeng.
It’s one of the most ambitious of all the recently minted Chinese car brands, so as well as working on its own flying car and a humanoid robot, Xpeng has found the time to update the G6, giving the mid-size electric SUV not only a high-performance, all-wheel drive version but also a battery with an astonishingly fast charging speed.
The G6’s styling has been lightly updated, with a new one-piece light bar at the front and a restyled rear-end that gets a ducktail shape for the tailgate, giving Xpeng’s answer to the top-selling Tesla Model Y a slightly more distinctive appearance.
Does the update radically change the Xpeng G6? Or is this more of a gentle refresh? We drove it in Europe ahead of its Australian release to find out.
How much does the Xpeng G6 cost?
Australian prices haven’t yet been set for this new range-topping G6 model, but the AWD Performance should have a price of around $71,000.
That would make it slightly pricier than Tesla’s long-range, all-wheel drive Model Y but likely a good bit less than the incoming new Model Y Performance.
As before, the Xpeng comes notably well-equipped, with a panoramic heat-absorbing glass roof, Nappa leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, and heated rear seats.
To see how the Xpeng G6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What is the Xpeng G6 like on the inside?
This upgraded G6 initially doesn’t seem to have changed much at all from the Long Range model we drove back in January, but once you start to peer a bit closer, the changes are evident.
The big screens are essentially the same, with a 10.25-inch driver’s instrument cluster and the big 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the centre of the dash.
This big screen has some updated software which not only now includes standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but which also seems a little simpler and less befuddling to use, although the continued insistence on doing away with simple physical controls and adding even safety-critical items such as headlight control and door mirror adjustments to a touchscreen sub-menu remains maddening.
There is one obvious tech improvement, which is the addition of a digital rear-view mirror. At the flick of a switch, this changes from a conventional mirror view to a camera view taken from the top of the tailgate, which gives a much wider field of view than you’d ever get from the G6’s rather shallow rear window. It’s in 1080p high-def too.
The ovoid steering wheel has also been changed, although we didn’t notice much of a difference.
More importantly, there has been a distinct uplift in both the design of the dashboard – which now seems deeper and more structured behind the screens, and which comes with some nice mood lighting – and the materials used.
In fact, while it once seemed fanciful that Xpeng wanted to be taken seriously as a rival to the likes of BMW and Audi, that looks a little more believable today.
The rest is effectively unchanged. There’s generous space front and rear, and excellent comfort to be had from the front seats, which are clad in Nappa leather (which, alas, has a slightly fake, rubbery texture).
Rear legroom and headroom are good, and there’s enough space for a third rear passenger in the centre rear seat, even if it is a little firm and narrow.
The 571-litre boot, with its useful under-floor storage for charging cables, is decent, but there’s a lack of handy items such as bag hooks, and the G6 lacks a ‘frunk’ storage area in the nose.
| Dimensions | Xpeng G6 AWD Performance |
|---|---|
| Length | 4753mm |
| Width | 1920mm |
| Height | 1650mm |
| Wheelbase | 2890mm |
| Cargo capacity | 571L |
To see how the Xpeng G6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
The single-motor version of the G6 will keep its 218kW rear-mounted electric motor, but this has been our first chance to assess the AWD Performance version, which gets two electric motors producing a combined 358kW of power and 660Nm of torque.
| Specifications | Xpeng G6 AWD Performance |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Dual-motor electric |
| Battery | 80kWh lithium-iron-phosphate |
| Power | 358kW |
| Torque | 660Nm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2120kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 4.1 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 17.9kWh/100km |
| Energy consumption (as tested) | 18.4kWh/100km |
| Claimed range | 510km |
| Max AC charge rate | 11kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 451kW |
That gives the G6 AWD Performance impressive speed, as it will sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in just 4.1 seconds (claimed). Admittedly, that’s a touch slower than the new Tesla Model Y Performance, although it does beat the BYD Sealion 7.
At this level of performance, worrying about tenths of a second seems silly, as the Xpeng will firmly press you into the seat upholstery with no lack of vigour, and it’s certainly faster accelerating than any family-friendly SUV really needs to be.
What’s far more impressive than the straight-line speed, though, is the speed at which the battery charges. Xpeng has retired the 87kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery of the existing Long Range model in favour of a smaller 80kWh battery using cheaper, more robust lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, wrapped in a battery case which is claimed to be literally bulletproof.
Is the smaller battery a downgrade? Hardly. Xpeng has given it an absurdly fast 451kW DC charging capability. Right now, the fastest EV chargers in Australia are capable of around 350kW, so clearly the Xpeng’s battery is over-endowed for the moment.
However, assuming you could find a 451kW-capable charger (and they are coming…) then this G6 could do a 10-80 per cent recharge in just 12 minutes. On a 350kW charger that’s likely to be a still-impressive 13 minutes, considerably faster than just about all its opposition, and meaning that you’ll struggle to get in that order for a caramel iced latte before the charging is done.
Impressively, though, this smaller battery still seems able to provide more than decent range. Over a day of mixed driving which included some spells on high-speed German autobahns, the G6 AWD Performance seemed able to match its official 510km range in real-world conditions, and that with the air-conditioning going strong all day.
In range and charging terms, this puts Xpeng at a considerable advantage, not least because many of its rivals that quote longer ranges often struggle to meet those claims in daily driving.
To see how the Xpeng G6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How does the Xpeng G6 drive?
Here’s where the Xpeng G6 falls down a little. For a car with all that power, it’s just not much fun to drive.
It’s not bad – the G6 feels suitably planted and sure-footed through fast corners, and it was rock-steady at very high Autobahn speeds, but the over-light steering feels as if Atari might call and ask for its 1980s video games back.
No matter how you mess with the driving modes or the individual steering settings, it feels more or less the same. The only sensation you get is a faint tug of torque steer under full acceleration.
The G6’s ride comfort could also be improved. It’s fine, and smoother than that of the Model Y, but it does fidget a lot at lower speeds, which is a shame as when you’ve got even a little bit of speed on, the G6 feels wonderfully smooth and refined.
To see how the Xpeng G6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What do you get?
2025 Xpeng G6 AWD Performance equipment highlights:
- 15.6-in touchscreen
- Smartphone mirroring
- LED headlights and tail-lights
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Digital instrument cluster
- Heat pump
- Dual-zone climate control
- Adaptive cruise control
- Automated lane-changing
- AI voice assistant
- 18-speaker stereo
- Heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats
- Nappa leather upholstery
To see how the Xpeng G6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Is the Xpeng G6 safe?
The G6 has already been assessed by ANCAP and given a full five-star rating, with an 88 per cent rating for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupants, 81 per cent for vulnerable road users and 80 per cent for its active safety systems.
| Category | Xpeng G6 |
|---|---|
| Adult occupant protection | 88 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 86 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 81 per cent |
| Safety assist | 80 per cent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Forward collision warning
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Speed limit warning
- Lane centring
- Automated lane change
- Traffic sign recognition
- Rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
- Driver attention monitor
- Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go
The ‘XPilot’ safety setup that come with the G6 includes adaptive cruise control, all-round cameras, lane-keeping and automated lane-changing (which seems fairly useless as you still have to have your hands on the wheel to use it) and autonomous emergency braking as you’d expect.
The lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control seemed to work smoothly, and didn’t work against the driver’s control too much, and it’s easy to set the active safety warnings to how intrusive or otherwise you’d like them to be, although that does involve yet another dive into the screen menus.
The addition of a digital rear-view mirror is certainly a safety boon, as it seriously improves the G6’s rearward visibility.
To see how the Xpeng G6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How much does the Xpeng G6 cost to run?
If you’ve got a decent home charging setup, and preferably one of the better night-rate electricity costs of around 16c per kWh, then the Xpeng – despite its high performance – should be cheap to run.
| Servicing and Warranty | Xpeng G6 AWD Performance |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 5 years or 120,000km |
| Roadside assistance | 12 months, then service-activated |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000km |
A full charge of the 80kWh battery will cost around $12, which for a useable 510km range isn’t half bad, especially considering the car’s performance potential.
Currently, Xpeng still has its remarkable 10-year warranty offer in place, which effectively doubles its standard cover for a cost of just under $1000, and which also extends the normal eight-year battery warranty out that far too. It may not still be available by the time this new AWD Performance model arrives Down Under, though.
To see how the Xpeng G6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
CarExpert’s Take on the Xpeng G6 AWD Performance
We were not expecting the G6 to be updated this early on, but the way Xpeng has carefully massaged its electric SUV is impressive.
That new battery, with its ultra-fast charging and solid real-world range, is good enough reason on its own for this G6 to be highly rated, but the higher-quality cabin and the technology on board don’t do any harm either.
It just needs to be more engaging to drive to truly grab our attention.
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