XPENG G6 Performance Real-World Efficiency and Fast Charging Test: The Charging Stop Felt Like a Gas Station Visit
An early-morning drive in the XPENG G6 Performance: a there-and-back trip on country roads, efficiency read straight from the trip computer, the lane-keeping assistant put to work and a DC fast-charging session on a 300 kW charger. Here are all the numbers from our test.
Can a dual-motor electric coupe SUV with more than 480 horsepower also be frugal? And how fast does a car that promises some of the highest charging power in its class really charge? Those were my two questions when I took the XPENG G6 Performance out at 4:30 a.m. on the route I use for almost every efficiency test: a national road in eastern Romania out to the town of Târgu Frumos and back, then straight to a DC fast charger. Every number below was read from the car's displays, and you can see it all in the video on our channel, "Mașina Timpului".
The car we tested: what XPENG says
The new G6 (model year 2025) got more than 80 changes, most of them inside the cabin, but the big one is the battery. According to the official "XPENG" press release, the G6 now uses an 80.8 kWh (gross) LFP (lithium iron phosphate) pack on a full 800-volt architecture. XPENG quotes up to 451 kW of DC charging power and 10–80% in 12 minutes.
The version I drove, the AWD Performance, has two motors: 218 kW at the rear and 140 kW at the front, for 358 kW (487 PS) in total and 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 4.1 seconds. Official WLTP range is 510 km (about 317 miles), the trunk holds 571 liters, and the car is just under 4.76 m (187 in) long. One detail I really like: European G6 models are assembled in Graz, Austria, at "Magna Steyr", where production started in the fall of 2025.
On pricing, in the video I mention that our fully loaded Performance test car comes to roughly €55,000–56,000 in Romania, while the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive versions start just under €44,000 with almost the same equipment, minus the Nappa leather and the massage seats. And yes, the massage function is excellent.
The first miles: efficiency that surprised me
I reset the trip computer and set off in the dark. Leaving the city, after 6.4 km (4 miles), the display read 7.1 kWh/100 km. To be fair, that stretch is mostly downhill, but it's the same starting point I've used with every car tested on this route, so the comparison is fair.
After 14.7 km, the average had risen to 9.9 kWh/100 km, and after about 26 km it showed 11.9 kWh/100 km. I drive this road twice a week, and these are very good numbers for an all-wheel-drive SUV that weighs more than two tonnes. The arrival estimate even improved along the way: the car kept raising the battery percentage it expected me to arrive with.
Driver assistance: smooth and easy to override
I wanted to see how long the car would let me drive with my hands resting lightly on the wheel without stepping in. Lane keeping works smoothly, and the steering never feels locked: if I want to nudge the car, I can do it with two fingers. The screen shows "co-driving mode", and as soon as I let go, the system takes over again. A driver-monitoring camera watches your eyes, and when I glanced at my phone, the warning came right away.
Over the whole route I didn't get a single phantom braking event, and the car held its lane calmly, without wandering left and right. Automatic lane changes didn't activate on the national road, where the right "lane" is really a shoulder. The feature is meant for highways and roads with two clearly marked lanes per direction.
Other things I noticed
- Digital rear-view mirror. One button turns the mirror into a screen fed by a dedicated rear camera. In the early-morning light the picture was very clear.
- A quiet cabin. I switched off the fan to listen: at 100 km/h (62 mph) it's quiet.
- Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires fitted from the factory on our test car.
- Reclining rear bench with a 60/40 split that folds flat, plus plenty of rear legroom.
- No front trunk on the dual-motor version, at least on our test car. On the other hand, the power tailgate's opening height can be adjusted from the screen.
At the charger: as quick as filling up
On the way back, after 49.4 km (31 miles), the average was 14.5 kWh/100 km, and at the end of the test the trip computer showed 13.1 kWh/100 km overall. I stopped at an "E.ON Drive" 300 kW charger with the battery at about 31%. Battery voltage started at 627 V, and power climbed quickly as the current ramped up.
The result: about 14 kWh went in within roughly 3 minutes, with the charger reporting an average of 262 kW. I went from 31% to almost 50% in 3 minutes and 50 seconds. After the session, the car estimated 275 km (171 miles) of range again. In practice, the stop took about as long as filling up at a gas station.
What it means for drivers
- Big SUV, compact-car efficiency. On country roads in our test, the G6 Performance averaged around 13 kWh/100 km (roughly 4.7 mi/kWh), well below its WLTP combined figure of 18.4 kWh/100 km.
- Fast charging changes how you plan a trip. On a 300 kW charger, a few minutes add a serious chunk of range, so road-trip stops can be very short.
- Peak power depends on the charger. To see the 451 kW XPENG quotes, you need chargers that can deliver very high current, and those are still rare in Romania. Even so, on a 300 kW unit the G6 charged superbly.
- The driver assistance suits people who like to stay in control. It helps, but lets you correct the car at any moment without fighting the wheel.
To learn more about the brand, read how XPENG MONA L03 deliveries started in Europe, and for a comparison on the same route, see our BMW iX3 50 efficiency test. If you're wondering why charging power drops toward 80%, we also have a guide to the DC charging curve.
