MarketOctober 22, 2026

First drive in the Xpeng L03: finally a Chinese EV that doesn’t beep

The days when everyone asked how to pronounce ‘Xpeng’ are long gone. The newcomer from Guangzhou has firmly established itself in the mid-size and premium segments, offering a solid line-up from the sleek P7 to the spacious G9/G6 and the family-oriented X9. With the L03, Xpeng now rounds out its range at the lower end. We were able to test the car for two days in the tri-border region around Basel before the first customer deliveries.

Mass-market design

Visually, the 4.65-metre-long car presents a futuristic yet pleasing appearance. It looks modern without being polarising. The rear, with its continuous light strip, follows current trends, as does the rest of the bodywork. The bold purple of our test car (‘Phantom Purple’) stands out from the usual white and grey options, though brighter colours are nowhere to be found. A sporty touch is added by the yellow brake callipers, while the closable air intakes enhance the front. The L03 strikes a better balance than most, looking unmistakably electric without resembling a spaceship.

Interior: a benchmark for the competition

We take a seat and once again note: the Chinese do not skimp on materials. In most European models in this price range (and even above), you see far more hard plastic or sloppier workmanship. Xpeng avoids such mistakes, bringing a premium feel to the mid-size segment. Nine or 18 speakers (the latter only in the Ultra version) deliver high-quality sound. Even navigation announcements and phone calls can be played through speakers in the driver’s seat. Each individual premium feature (more on this below) and the high-quality interior are not groundbreaking in themselves – but for a starting price of €35,600, they are impressive.

Image: Xpeng

Plenty of space for passengers, but less for luggage

The front seats strike the right balance between lateral support and comfort. In the under-€40,000 class, the massage seats are almost unique. This is no gimmick where the lumbar support just moves up and down – here, it really gets to work. From the shoulders to the glutes, driver and passenger are thoroughly kneaded, yet noise levels remain reasonable. Seat ventilation and heating are, of course, also included, though only for the front seats. Rear passengers miss out on such gadgets but are no less comfortable. The backrests are quite reclined, ensuring surprisingly good headroom for tall people despite the sloping roofline. This generous passenger space comes at the cost of a modest boot, which holds just 367 litres. To compensate, there is a split-folding rear bench and practical shopping hooks to keep groceries in place. Storage is supplemented by a frunk that offers 89 litres in rear-wheel-drive models and 44 litres in all-wheel-drive versions.

A solid chassis

Under autumnal conditions, we drove through the Black Forest and Alsace. From German motorways to French country roads and Swiss city traffic, we experienced it all. Our verdict: the L03 handles all of the above very well. On the motorway, it accelerates briskly up to the electronically limited 193 km/h, with the 100 km/h mark reached in just 4.5 seconds. At high speeds, the car could be tuned a little more firmly, but it never feels unstable. Noise levels are higher than in German competitors, but it is by no means unpleasantly loud.

On winding country roads, you notice that the body lags slightly behind the chassis movements, with noticeable body roll, and the steering – even in its firmest setting – remains quite soft. The pedal response also needs some fine-tuning, as the transition into regeneration can be bumpy in places.

But these are minor details; overall, the L03 drives very confidently, especially for a car in this price range.

Maximising 400-volt potential

At the charging station, Xpeng demonstrates what 400 volts can achieve: a peak power of 236 kW (193 kW for the smaller battery) – a figure that, just a few years ago, was reserved for luxury saloons like the i7 and EQS. The 58.2 or 71.1 kWh LFP battery reaches 10 – 80 per cent charge in under 20 minutes. Additionally, an 11 kW AC charger and V2L come as standard. Xpeng specifies the latter at 6 kW – likely the maximum value for China, as other vehicles have only unlocked up to 3.6 kW for the Schuko plug in compliance with standards.

Driver assistance: excellent on the motorway, struggles when parking

On the motorway, the Level 2 system reliably maintains lane and distance, and automatic lane changes via the indicator are executed swiftly and confidently. Up to 150 km/h, you can let the car do the driving almost stress-free, especially since the hand detection works capacitively, so you don’t have to constantly jiggle the steering wheel. While the assistance systems impressed us on the motorway, they were more inconsistent elsewhere.

The system is less suited to country roads – it tries hard but quickly reaches its limits. The same applies to automatic parking: on an empty car park with ample spaces, it works smoothly and leisurely. However, this leisurely pace makes it unsuitable for street-side parking: the car circles into the space far too slowly, and if another car passes by on the opposite lane, the parking process pauses.

Image: Xpeng

Smooth and tidy: Xpeng excels at software

Chinese automakers are often said – sometimes accurately, sometimes not – to have software as their core competence. In Xpeng’s case, this is true. The software simply works without a hitch. Particularly impressive is the navigation map in the head-up display, a feature previously seen mainly in German premium cars. Google Maps is natively integrated, and a variety of apps are available for music streaming. If that’s not enough, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also included. To prevent the smartphone from overheating, the charging pad is actively cooled. Another clever feature is the rear-view camera, which is also projected into the head-up display. It takes some ingenuity to come up with this idea, allowing you to look forward and backward simultaneously when parking with just one glance. It sounds crazy, but it works surprisingly well.

| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Drive | RWD | RWD | AWD | AWD |

| Power | 180 kW | 180 kW | 285 kW | 285 kW |

| Torque | 264 Nm | 264 Nm | 431 Nm | 431 Nm |

| Acceleration | 7.5 s | 6.6 s | 4.5 s | 4.5 s |

| Top Speed | 180 km/h | 180 km/h | 180 km/h | 180 km/h |

| WLTP Range | 445 km | 520 km | 440 km | 440 km |

| Battery Capacity | 58.3 kWh | 71.2 kWh | 71.2 kWh | 71.2 kWh |

| DC Charging Power | 193 kW | 236 kW | 236 kW | 236 kW |

| DC Charging Time 10-80% | 20 min | 20 min | 20 min | 20 min |

| AC Charging Power | 11 kW | 11 kW | 11 kW | 11 kW |

| AC Charging Time 5-100% | 6.8 h | 8.3 h | 8.3 h | 8.3 h |

| Price** | €35,600 | €38,600 | €41,600 | €46,600 |

Pricing: a declaration of war

As mentioned throughout this report, we are particularly impressed by the combination of equipment and price. The rear-wheel-drive base version with the smaller battery starts at €35,600. For an additional €3,000, Xpeng installs the larger battery, and another €3,000 adds all-wheel drive. Even the Performance Ultra version we tested, at €46,600, is not cheap – but compared to the competition, it remains very attractive. The same applies to the options list, which is refreshingly short. A manual tow hitch costs €990, a non-standard colour (other than white) is €950, and the Black Edition is €1,200. That’s it. Some premium features require the Ultra trim, but even the lower versions are very well equipped.

Conclusion

With the L03, Xpeng brings its familiar strengths to a new size and price class. Particularly in the Ultra version, the equipment level is in some respects significantly above that of the competition. A few minor flaws can be forgiven given the attractive price. Looking at the European – and especially the German – market, Xpeng once again demonstrates that it understands Western markets better than many other brands from China. The L03 is set to reach customers in Europe before the end of the year – and with current fuel prices, this price-performance powerhouse is likely to appeal even to EV newcomers.