Omoda 9 vs XPeng G6: same money, opposite technology

The Omoda 9 is built by Chery Automobile, one of the largest and oldest car manufacturers in China. Chery has been China's biggest passenger-car exporter for more than 20 consecutive years and sells vehicles in over 80 countries. In the UK, Omoda and Jaecoo share a dealer network under OMODA & JAECOO UK Limited. The brand is new here, but the engineering heritage behind it is not — the Omoda 9 platform is shared with the Exeed Yaoguang, sold across Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Chery's scale and export depth make it one of the more financially credible parents in the Chinese EV space.

XPeng is a different kind of company. Founded in 2014, it is a tech-first EV start-up — publicly listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: XPEV) and the Hong Kong Exchange (9868). Volkswagen took a 4.99% stake in 2023 and co-develops the SEPA 2.0 platform alongside XPeng, which is a meaningful endorsement of the technology. XPeng held approximately ¥36 billion in cash at Q1 2026 and is not yet profitable, but it is well-capitalised and has a European track record dating to 2020 in Norway. Its UK dealer network — roughly six to 20 locations — is thinner than Chery's. Neither brand has the market depth of BYD or MG in Britain, so residual-value risk applies to both equally.

No UK journalist has driven either car for 50,000 miles. Chinese owners have. The Omoda 9 is not sold in China under that name — it shares its platform with the Exeed Yaoguang (星途瑶光) and the Tiggo 9. Chinese owner data from related Chery PHEV models shows a pattern of complaints around infotainment UX, occasional low-speed transmission behaviour, and road and tyre noise — themes that mirror precisely what UK reviewers report. The Tiggo 9 scores 4.53 out of 5 on autohome, which is respectable, but its 车质网 satisfaction rating of 2.4 out of 5 flags persistent niggles, particularly in software and trim quality. Manufacturer response rate in 2026 is high at 97%, which is a positive sign for after-sales.

XPeng G6 owner data from China is more troubled. The car scores 4.30 out of 5 on autohome from 525 reviews — a reasonable headline — but its 车质网 satisfaction score is just 1.6 out of 5, the lowest of any car in this comparison group. Complaints cluster around body resonance at speed (described by some owners as pressure on the eardrums), flush door handles that can freeze or fail, AEB false triggers at low speed, and interior odour. Manufacturer response rate in 2026 is only 58.5%, which is below average and worth noting if after-sales ever becomes contentious. None of these are catastrophic faults, but the body resonance complaint is consistent across multiple model years and warrants investigation at test-drive stage.

This is where the two cars part ways completely. The Omoda 9 is a plug-in hybrid. It uses a 34.5 kWh battery alongside a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and twin electric motors producing 449 PS combined. Its official WLTP electric range is 93 miles, which is class-leading for a PHEV — enough for most daily commuters to run on electricity most of the time. Combined range (electric plus petrol) exceeds 700 miles. In Auto Express's testing, real-world electric range came in around 60 miles under mixed use, which is still more than sufficient for typical urban and suburban driving. DC rapid charging is limited to 70 kW, and a 30–80% charge takes around 25 minutes. If the battery is flat, the petrol engine takes over and the car can still achieve around 40 mpg.

The XPeng G6 Long Range is a pure battery electric vehicle. Its 80 kWh LFP battery delivers 326 miles on the WLTP cycle — perfectly usable without daily charging for most people. The headline number, though, is DC charging speed: 451 kW peak, with Autocar verifying 372 kW in real-world conditions. The 10–80% charge takes 12 minutes, making it the fastest-charging car in the UK at this price. On a 350 kW charger (the fastest widely deployed in Britain), expect 15–18 minutes for the same window. For road-trippers who regularly use rapid chargers, this is genuinely transformative. The Standard Range variant at £39,990 manages 292 miles WLTP and 382 kW DC, and crucially comes in under the £40,000 VED expensive-car supplement threshold on base colour.

Both cars hold five-star Euro NCAP ratings. The Omoda 9 was tested in 2025 and scored 90% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child, and 80% for safety assist. XPeng G6 was tested in 2024 with 88% adult, 85% child, and 75% for safety assist. That five-point gap in safety assist scores reflects something important: the UK G6 does not get the ADAS system that makes this car famous in China.

The Chinese XPeng G6 uses XNGP — a full city-to-motorway autonomous driving stack with LiDAR, proprietary Turing AI chips delivering 2,250 TOPS, and city-level Navigation Guided Pilot that handles lane changes, roundabouts, and car-park navigation automatically. The UK G6 uses XPILOT 2.5, a basic Level 2 system with standard ACC and lane-centring. Not only is there no LiDAR, there is no city autonomy at all. Multiple UK reviewers have described the lane-keeping as "inconsistent". This is not a regulatory grey area — the gap is fundamental and affects everyday driving.

The Omoda 9 does not carry the same gap. Its ADAS — lane departure prevention, AEB, ACC, blind-spot detection, and a 540-degree camera system — is essentially what you see advertised. Auto Express rates it as among the better-tuned Chinese car ADAS for European roads, though some reviewers still find warning thresholds intrusive. It is less impressive on paper than XNGP, but you are actually getting what is listed. For UK buyers, that transparency matters.

At identical list prices, the ownership cost split between these two cars is surprisingly clear for company-car drivers. The Omoda 9 PHEV attracts a 5% Benefit-in-Kind rate in 2025/26 (thanks to its 93-mile EV range), whereas the XPeng G6 as a pure BEV is rated at 2%. On a £44,995 P11D, that translates to roughly £450 per year in personal BiK tax for a 20% taxpayer in the Omoda 9, versus approximately £180 for the same driver in the G6. At the 40% tax rate the G6 saves around £540 per year — a meaningful difference over a three-year lease cycle.

Both cars attract the £425 per year VED expensive-car supplement, as both cost over £40,000. The Omoda 9 (CO2: 38 g/km) and the XPeng G6 (zero-emission) face the same supplement for years two to six. The Omoda 9's insurance group of 47 is notably high for the class — the Skoda Kodiaq PHEV starts from group 24 — and worth factoring into running costs, particularly for younger drivers.

On warranty, the Omoda 9 is the cleaner story: a confirmed 7 years / 100,000 miles for the vehicle and 8 years / 100,000 miles for the high-voltage battery, sourced directly from the official UK warranty page. The XPeng G6 carries an unresolved discrepancy — XPeng's UK website states 5 years, while Carwow and Autotrader report 7 years / 100,000 miles for vehicle and 8 years / 100,000 miles for battery. Resolve this in writing with your dealer before signing.

The honest verdict is this: if you regularly drive more than 100 miles at a stretch, depend on a sparse charging network, or are not able to charge at home, the Omoda 9's 700-mile combined range removes all charging anxiety at a stroke. If you charge regularly and road-trip on motorways with access to ultra-rapid chargers, the XPeng G6's 12-minute 10–80% charge genuinely changes the travel experience. The performance paradox — the PHEV is 1.8 seconds quicker to 62 mph — is real but probably less important than the charging question for most buyers. The XPeng's company-car financial advantage is real and meaningful; the Omoda's transparent ADAS story and cleaner warranty terms provide a different kind of peace of mind.