I have been reading and watching YouTube reviews of electric vehicles for about the last year. It is 5 years since I bought my Hybrid Camry HL.
I upgrade every 5 years, and my kids get the hand me down. I had decided a year ago to get an electric car this time. I have been disappointed by the attitude of Toyota basically forcing their loyal customers to hybrids to protect their service income.
In my research it came down to a choice between the BYD Sealion 7, Tesla Y, and the Xpeng G6. I needed a vehicle that was easy to get in and out of. I have an elderly mother who has difficulty bending her neck, so a low car like the BYD Seal was out of the question.
I test drove a Tesla Y and the BYD Atto 3 as hire vehicles. I was not impressed with the harsh ride of the Tesla and the lack of comforts. The BYD Atto3 was a better drive than the Tesla but again has not been upgraded in a while.
In the reviews I watched it seemed the Xpeng G6 had more tech than the Sealion, which had slower charging, and less driver assist features. I paid a $1,000 deposit online in November and then waited.
I initially put a deposit on the Long-Range model (larger NMC battery and faster charging). I wrote in to the Driven as I was unsure about the difference between the NMC and LFP batteries and Bryce Gaton was very helpful in his detailed answer.
I changed my booking to the standard model. I finally got a call on 4 December while I was in Tasmania on holiday to say my vehicle had arrived.
I did a test drive on 17 December and was very impressed. I drove it home to see how mum could get in and out. She had no trouble. The high roof made it very easy, and the seat height made getting in and out easy also.
She found it much easier to stand from the raised seat with her weak quadriceps. The tech is very intuitive and well designed. The seats are very comfortable and the whole interior fit out is premium. I arranged to pick up my car which I got on 31 December.
Things I have really enjoyed.
The Lane Centring Control (LCC) and radar cruise control works very well on the freeway and at speed. The automatic lane changing also works well. The Auto Park function is easy to use though a bot nerve racking as it seems to overcorrect but still get it right. I have enjoyed using the straight line summon feature in tight car parks.
The sound system (18 speakers including some in driver’s headrest for phone calls and music) is excellent with a full range and wonderful clarity. There is so much space inside. My son-in-law is over 7 foot tall (215 cm), and he had a spare 8 cm above his head with the seat at normal height. He has never experienced that much space in any vehicle. Even with the seat back for his long legs there was plenty of space in the back. The reclining rear seats is a clever addition.

I used the standard power point charger which only provided 1.8 to 2 kw per hour for the first week. That worked fine by charging at night while the car was parked. I have now had a Tesla wall connector fitted which gives me 7Kw per hour which is plenty for my needs.
The Xpeng G6 is capable of charging at up to 280 kW so on any long trips should charge in 20 minutes at the right supercharger. I have not yet tested this out. So far on average it is using 14kW per 100km in everyday driving which I am delighted by.
I expected it to use more Kw for a 2-tonne car. The acceleration is smooth and has plenty of grunt. I can easily believe the 6.2 secs claimed for 0-100km/h which is more than enough to lose plenty of points of you choose.
It handles well and I was very impressed by the wet weather handling (we have had very heavy rain here in Queensland). The LCC even worked in heavy rain though I did hold the steering more tightly.
If I ever yawn the camera watching warns me with a drowsiness alert. Sometimes it alerts unnecessarily but mostly it is vastly better than many of the other vehicles with lane departure warnings (like the ATTO3, Tesla Y and MG which drive me to distraction when I rented them).
There is one pedestrian island I have to swerve around where it reliably beeps at me but otherwise it has been good.
The 20-inch Michelin tyres do a great job. It would be nice to have some customisation possible for the suspension but that is for another day. Driving on X-pedal (one pedal) is easy and efficient.
One downside has been the complete lack of any contact from Xpeng or their representatives. I picked up my car from the local VW dealer acting as their agent. The guys at VW had no idea about the Xpeng G6 and so I had to figure it out myself.
But it is very intuitive so that was not too hard. I am concerned however should there be a problem who I would make contact with. As far as I am aware there is not yet a Brisbane dealer. I understand the showroom in Sydney is open. It will be interesting to see how Xpeng does with the plethora of Chinese and other Ev models arriving.
I am delighted with my decision so far.