Is the XPeng G6 a smarter buy than a German SUV?
The XPeng G6 undercuts BMW’s iX3, Audi’s Q6 e-tron and the electric Mercedes GLC by around £20,000, and charges faster than all of them. So what does the German badge actually buy you?
For years, buying a premium SUV meant picking between three German badges. BMW, Audi and Mercedes still own that conversation, but the XPeng G6 is making a decent case that the badge has become the most expensive option on the spec sheet.
XPeng is a Chinese brand that has only been on sale in the UK since 2024, although the UK-spec G6 is assembled in Graz, Austria, by Magna Steyr, the same contract manufacturer that builds the Mercedes G-Class. That’s worth knowing before you file it away under “cheap Chinese EV”.
XPeng G6 price vs BMW iX3, Audi Q6 e-tron and Mercedes GLC
The fair comparison is with the electric versions of the German cars, and the gap there is wide. BMW’s iX3 starts at £58,755, the Audi Q6 e-tron at £60,565 and the electric Mercedes GLC at just over £60,000, which means even the range-topping G6 Performance comes in around £9,000 under the cheapest of them.
There’s a tax angle here too, and it’s one I’d want any buyer to clock. Since April, electric cars only pay the Expensive Car Supplement if their list price tops £50,000, and every G6 sneaks under that line as long as you go easy on the options, while all three German rivals sit above it. That adds up to £440 a year, for five years, that a G6 owner simply doesn’t pay.
XPeng G6 range and charging
Range is where the Germans fight back. The G6 Long Range claims up to 326 miles, against up to 393 miles for the Audi Q6 e-tron, 406 for the electric GLC and 500 for the BMW iX3, so if you regularly cover big motorway distances without stopping, that gap is a real consideration.
Charging is where the G6 wins it back, and then some. The Long Range and Performance models charge at up to 451kW, which XPeng says takes you from 10 to 80 per cent in around 12 minutes on the right charger, quicker than any of its German rivals, the iX3 included.
There aren’t many public chargers that can deliver those speeds yet, so treat 12 minutes as a best case. But if you do most of your charging at home and only top up on longer trips, I’d take faster charging over an extra 70 miles of range every time, because a 12-minute stop fits around a coffee while a 40-minute one starts eating into your afternoon.
XPeng G6 interior and technology
The G6 was updated for 2026 with what XPeng says are more than 20,000 engineering changes, including revisions to the suspension, steering and motors aimed at making it better to drive.
Inside, you get a 15.6-inch central screen, wireless phone charging at up to 50W, a suede-effect headlining, wood-grain dash trim and rear seats that recline. XPeng has kept physical stalks and steering wheel buttons for the essentials, although the rest of the dashboard is almost button-free, and Carwow found navigating the menus for everyday functions irritating even if the software itself is slick.
Practicality is mostly good, with a 571-litre boot that’s bigger on paper than the electric GLC’s 520 litres. It is shallow, though, so taller items can block the rear window, and there’s no front boot for stashing cables.
Is the XPeng G6 as good as BMW, Audi and Mercedes?
The Germans do still earn some of their premium. BMW’s iX3 was named World Car of the Year for 2026 and has far more range, the electric GLC leans hard into comfort and cabin quality, and all three come with established dealer networks and a familiar ownership experience.
That last point is the G6’s biggest weakness, because XPeng’s UK dealer coverage is still very limited and servicing could mean a longer drive than you’d like. There’s also no long-term used market yet to tell you what a three-year-old G6 is worth, and on a car bought on finance, the residual value has a big say in your monthly payment. The styling is fairly anonymous too, which may or may not bother you.
XPeng G6 verdict
On the numbers, the G6 wins by some distance. It’s around £20,000 cheaper to buy, it dodges a tax the Germans all pay and it charges faster than any of them, so if you’re spending your own money and you’re comfortable being early to a brand, the Long Range at £44,990 is the one I’d look at hardest.
Where the Germans still justify the extra is everything around the car, from dealer coverage and a known resale value to a badge your clients will recognise. For some buyers that’s worth £20,000, but I suspect that for a growing number, it won’t be.