VW ID.5 vs XPENG G6

The XPENG G6 costs £2,995 more than the VW ID.5. For that premium it adds 217 kW faster peak rapid charging. The VW ID.5 is not just cheaper - it also offers 60 miles more WLTP range. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the VW ID.5 comes out ahead overall.

The VW ID.5 is £2,995 cheaper to buy. The VW ID.5 is cheaper to charge, roughly £152 a year versus £192 for the XPENG G6, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the VW ID.5 comes out roughly £3,195 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 293 miles for the VW ID.5 and 193 miles for the XPENG G6 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The VW ID.5 goes roughly 101 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 29 minutes in the VW ID.5 and 12 in the XPENG G6, so the XPENG G6 loses less time at each stop. So the VW ID.5 stops less often while the XPENG G6 stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The VW ID.5 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 68 mm narrower than the XPENG G6. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 548 mm of total clearance for the VW ID.5 and about 480 mm of total clearance for the XPENG G6. The VW ID.5 also turns in a 1.4 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the VW ID.5 and 90% for the XPENG G6. That gives the XPENG G6 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The XPENG G6's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the VW ID.5's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.