2025 XPeng G6: A Direct Shot At The Tesla Model Y
Posted in Reviews

2025 XPeng G6: A Direct Shot At The Tesla Model Y

There’s a(nother) new Chinese brand heading to the United Kingdom and Europe with the promise of marvellous technology, toys aplenty, and an approach to electric driving that no other brand can hope to offer.

We’ve heard this sort of thing before. But XPeng promises to be different from the rest. It’s a tech-first carmaker with products that aren’t only affordable but also, crucially in this case, take the fight directly to the Tesla Model Y—a car from a brand that’s not exactly winning right now. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

The contender in question is the XPeng G6. And the question is: is this newcomer worth your cash over a Tesla, or any of the other electric options out there?  

2025 XPeng G6

Base Price

£39,990

As-Tested Price

£39,990

Battery

66kWh (Standard), 87.5kWh (Long Range)

EV Range

270 – 345 miles (Standard – Long Range)

Drive Type

Single motor RWD

Output

258hp/324lb ft (Standard), 286hp/324lb ft (Long Range)

Charge Time

10 – 80% in 20 minutes

Charge Type

Max Speed: 215 kW DC

XPeng G6: What Is It?

It’s an all-new, all-singing, all-dancing electric SUV hailing from China. XPeng was founded in 2014 and bills itself as a tech company over anything else. That means its cars come with plenty of exciting features that promise magical things like an 800V architecture, an AI assistant that says it’ll predict your needs, and wireless phone charging that doesn’t suck. 

The G6 isn’t XPeng’s first car by any means. It’s made sedans, different-sized SUVs, and even an MPV. But this is the model it seems to be pinning its hopes on for a stress-free voluminous launch. Like the rest of the XPeng lineup, it is EV-only, and aims to fill family driveways up and down the nation. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

You can’t accuse it of being exciting to look at, but it’s not ugly either. In fact, if you compare it to the latest take on the Model Y, it fares favorably. It still falls into the “egg shape good” trap that ensnares many modern EVs. What’s good for aerodynamics and range isn’t necessarily good for the eyes. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

Inside, you’ll find a fairly monotone interior. The outside isn’t feast and neither is the inside. Drivers get a small 10.2-inch instrument screen to keep an eye on the important stuff, and everyone else can clap their eyes on a 15-inch infotainment screen. The keen-eyed among you will spot a double wireless chargepad with built-in fans to keep your phones cool as you glide along. That’s a neat touch. 

If you’re after a big SUV—big for Europe anyway, as everything’s relative—with lots of gadgets and smart looks, XPeng has something to show you. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

XPeng G6: Specs And Features

You want numbers? The G6 has LOTS of numbers.

The car I had on test was a RWD Standard Range, and there’s a RWD Long Range car for people who want to go a bit further. Those two are the UK’s standard lineup, though a mega-quick AWD car is available elsewhere.

The base car comes with a 258 hp, 324 lb-ft motor powering the rear wheels, while the long-range car will net you the same torque and 286 hp, also driving the rears. Standard range cars come with a 66kWh LFP battery, while the LR cars come with an 87.5kWh NCM unit. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

There’s not a huge performance difference between the two cars, with the bigger battery car sneaking 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds to the base car’s 6.6. Not slow, but not so fast you’ll rinse the battery in 30 seconds flat.  

The range for the standard car is 270 miles, while the bigger battery will get you 345 miles. When it comes to charging, the entry-level car can take 215 kW chargers, while the top spec can handle 280 kW. Either way, you’ll supposedly charge from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes. 

XPeng G6: How Does It Drive? 

It’s big, it’s quiet, and it’s covered in cameras and sensors to make sure you don’t bend it. All of that’s a huge bonus around town, where the roads are doggedly staying the same width and will continue to do so. The sound deadening in the cockpit is stellar, and means whatever’s going on around you won’t ruin your day. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

There’s enough grunt to get away from the lights clearly, but you don’t feel like you’re entering hyperspace. XPeng, at least on these RWD cars, recognises that you don’t need supercar pace to have a good time. 

Much like its aesthetic, you can’t accuse the G6 of being an exciting car. It’s not a pin-sharp angerbox designed for carving corners. It knows its place, and that’s tooling around posh ‘burbs doing real-life stuff. The steering doesn’t fizz in your fingers, the brakes are easy enough to modulate, and you can see out of the thing (though the rear visibility is, per the norm, not stellar through the rear windshield; there’s a back up camera to take care of reversing) when you’re in tight spots.  

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

What’s Good About The XPeng G6?

While the XPeng has more than its fair share of intrusive safety systems, it’s also got a way to quickly and easily turn them off. Each key cycle turns the whole suite back on, but when you’re on the move when the speed limit bong goes off, or the driver alertness ping fires up, there’ll be an option on the screen to quickly switch it off.

A couple of prods later and the system turns it all off. Competitors make it difficult to turn all that stuff off, but the G6 doesn’t. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

It doesn’t pretend to be a sports car and that’s a good thing. So many manufacturers seem to think that giving their cars a billion horsepower and putting a “HYPERMASC” button somewhere that kicks the motor up the ass and plasters you to a seat is a good idea. It really, really isn’t. Most people just want something nice, comfortable, and pleasingly brisk. 

The G6 doesn’t pretend to be a rocketship. And it’s all the better for it. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

While there are no buttons on the center stack, there are some on the steering wheel. Unless you’ve got other systems activated, you can control the air con through it. A neat solution to a frustrating problem. 

The G6 comes with Active Lane Change tech to keep you driving in lane, and it won’t complain if you have your hands on the wheel while it does the hard work for you. Knock the indicator, and it’ll change lanes (mostly) without any trouble. For the ‘mostly’ bit, see the next section. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

What’s Bad About The XPeng G6? 

Now’s the time for the “mostly” bit per above. Yes, the G6 can use Active Lane Change to move laterally for you on the highway. All you need to do is tell the indicator you want to move and away you go. Though on more than one occasion, it gave up mid-manuever.. On a fast-moving highway that’s distinctly ungood. Still, you get to practise your swearing as you take back control.  

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

On a similar note, it does come with a Lane Centering Control lane keep assist function, which is neat for making sure you don’t stray from your lane if you’re not the sort of driver who pays close attention to such things. But it’s a bit grabby if you know what you’re doing. And that’s annoying. 

Everything, pretty much, is done via a screen. It’s a responsive screen, but digging through menus and swapping screens to get around just isn’t IT in 2025. Bring back buttons. Please. 

And again, it’s not very exciting to look at. An old friend has a theory that all cars are, very slowly, morphing into eggs. The XPeng G6 is another step on the evolutionary chain to Auto Ovumiens. Especially in white. 

XPeng G6: How Is It As An EV?

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

It’s fine at what it needs to do. Removing any pretense of silly speed has done it plenty of favors as even the standard range car managed pretty stellar efficiency in warmish weather, clocking in at 4.2 miles per kWh over mixed driving—a touch more than its quoted WLTP efficiency should be. That was a pleasant surprise. 

It’s quiet, comfy, efficient, and charges fast enough that if you need to splash ‘n dash out in public, you won’t be waiting too long. 

XPeng G6: The Verdict

XPeng is a new brand in the UK, and comparatively new in the wider world. You can see the firm’s keen to make the most of all the tech it has at its disposal—that much is clear from all the stuff going on via the center stack—but as a first car for the UK market, it’s a strong start. 

XPeng G6

Photo by: Alex Goy / InsideEVs

It’s aimed squarely at people who want a sensible family ride that won’t do their back in, threaten to tear away if you press the throttle too hard, and won’t eat its battery at a moment’s notice. It’s not going to break the bank either. In fact, the base car is £10 shy of the UK’s luxury car tax threshold, which saves a heap of cash. 

Chinese EVs aren’t just becoming a common sight on UK roads. Increasingly, they’re the norm. Legacy brands are holding the top spots for now, sure, but as more and more come onto the market, buyers are drawn in by generous standard equipment, standout design (in some cases), and price points that appear too good to be true compared to the old guard. 

We can’t ignore the Tesla issue either. While those cars paved the way for EV acceptance, the lineup is long in the tooth, and the man at the top has (if we put this really politely) courted controversy to the point that sales are tanking all over Europe. Where once only a Californian car would do, China’s efforts are looking more and more appealing. That’s where the XPeng G6 really shines; if you want a Model Y but don’t want the Elon baggage, this has emerged as a very interesting alternative.

Its flaws are annoying, and it’s not the most exciting car to look at, but as a car to simply be A Car… well, it’s pretty good. Legacy manufacturers shouldn’t necessarily be shaking in their boots yet, but they should be keeping an eye open for XPeng. 

Alex Goy is a freelance journalist based in London. He likes British sports cars, tea, and the feeling of the mild peril that only owning a British sports car can bring to your day.

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Slate Vs. Telo: How The EV Truck Startups Stack Up
Posted in Reviews

Slate Vs. Telo: How The EV Truck Startups Stack Up

Slate Auto and Telo Trucks have each announced small electric pickup trucks that are radically different from your run-of-the-mill Ford F-150. 

But the Slate and the Telo MT1 represent very different visions of what an electric truck can be. Here’s how they stack up across key areas like range, price, design and performance. Just remember, neither of these trucks is on sale yet, so we’re going off of targeted, preliminary information. 

Slate Auto vs. Telo Trucks

Slate Auto EV Truck

Slate Auto EV Truck

Photo by: Slate

Slate was founded in 2022 and came out of stealth in April, when it also unveiled its debut model. It’s staffed up by industry veterans from Tesla, Harley-Davidson, Chrysler and more. The idea behind Slate is to create the affordable, bare-bones electric vehicle that the U.S. has been missing. 

Telo Trucks revealed the design of its truck, the MT1, in late 2023. The California-based startup is a scrappier operation, comprising just 11 engineers. It’s all about creating a super-compact, functional truck for people who live in and near cities. 

Both are venture-backed. Slate has raised at least $111 million from investors including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, TechCrunch reported. Telo’s investors include Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning, through his firm Spero Ventures. 

Design & Size

Telo subcompact electric truck

Telo truck

The Slate follows a hyper-traditional, boxy design. Squint and you can barely tell that it’s electric or built after the year 2005. 

The MT1, on the other hand, looks like it’s from the future. It has a squished front end, and you can tell the intention was to leverage the inherent flexibility of an EV platform to create extra space in a compact design. 

The Slate is a spartan two-seater with a five-foot bed. The Telo also has a five-foot bet, but manages to squeeze in five seats. 

Slate Auto EV Truck

Slate Auto EV Truck

Photo by: Slate

The Telo is 152 inches long, about the size of a Mini Cooper. The Slate is 174.6 inches long. That’s still about two feet shorter than a Ford Maverick. 

The Telo boasts a stylish, minimalist interior with interesting textures and a modestly sized touchscreen front and center. The Slate takes the minimalism to a whole different level with a gray interior, manual windows, lots of plastic and no infotainment screen. 

Notable Features

Customization is a big part of how Slate is trying to differentiate itself. Slate buyers get an extremely basic truck as standard, but they can also choose from a vast catalog of cool accessories. 

Slate Auto EV Truck

Slate Auto EV Truck

Photo by: Slate

That includes a bolt-on SUV kit that adds a roof and a second row. Other add-ons include interior finishes, speakers (you don’t get any sound system otherwise) and colorful vinyl wraps (every truck comes in gray from the factory). 

The Telo offers a collapsable midgate, which allows long items like surfboards or full-size sheets of plywood to poke into the cab. It comes with an extra transverse cargo area behind the back seats, much like Rivian’s Gear Tunnel. 

Telo electric truck bed surfboard

Telo truck

And it can be optioned with extra seats in the bed and an enclosed roof. 

Price

Slate says its truck will start at less than $20,000, after factoring in the federal incentive for plug-in car buyers. That means the actual MSRP should be around $27,000. 

Telo says the MT1 will cost $41,520 and up. Factoring in the $7,500 federal rebate theoretically knocks that down to roughly $34,000. 

Range, Batteries & Charging

Here’s how these trucks stack up in terms of their EV specs. 

  Slate Telo MT1
Range (base/max) 150/240 miles 260/350 miles
Battery Size (base/ optional) 52.7/84.3 kWh 77/106 kWh
Charge Port NACS NACS
Charge Time (20-80%) 30 minutes 20 minutes
Max Charge Power 120 kW 250 kW

Truck Stuff & Performance

Neither of these trucks is designed to replace your Ford Super Duty. They’re more for trips to Home Depot or carrying a couple of bikes to the trails, or potentially specialized fleet applications. But the Telo claims better performance numbers across the board. Again, the Slate is more about basic transportation. Telo plans to charge more for more capability. 

  Slate Telo MT1
Drivetrain RWD RWD/AWD
Payload 1,433 lbs 2,000/1,700 lbs
Towing 1,000 lbs Up to 6,600 lbs
Horsepower 201 hp 300 hp/500 hp
0-60 mph 8.0 sec 4.5 sec/3.5 sec

When Can You Buy One?

Both trucks are available to reserve now with a refundable deposit. Telo aims to start production in 2026 through a contract manufacturer, using off-the-shelf components to bring down cost. 

Slate has taken over a Warsaw, Indiana, printing factory, where it will kick off production in Q4 of 2026. 

Got a tip or question about the EV world? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com

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This Off-Road Toyota EV Feels Like It'd Be A Hit In The U.S.
Posted in Design Speed

This Off-Road Toyota EV Feels Like It’d Be A Hit In The U.S.

All-terrain tires and camping gear make everything more interesting. But don’t hold your breath for a U.S. release.

BYD's Five-Minute Fast-Charging EV Also Has An Enormous Frunk
Posted in Design

BYD’s Five-Minute Fast-Charging EV Also Has An Enormous Frunk

  • The BYD Han L sedan and Tang L both have 160-liter front trunks, or “frunks.”
  • Without an engine to account for, electric vehicles can offer novel packaging options like front storage containers. 
  • BYD claims they’re the world’s biggest, but a couple of America’s EVs would like a word. 

Okay, BYD: So you make a car capable of 1,000-kilowatt charging that adds 250 miles of range in five minutes, and it comes in plug-in hybrid form, and it’ll do zero to 60 mph in under three seconds. Great. But how’s the front trunk?

Well, it turns out that’s pretty spectacular too. It seems like this pair of electrified vehicles can do almost anything. 

While in China this past week, I made a point of seeking out BYD’s pair of ultra-fast-charging EVs, the Han L sedan and Tang L crossover. Those are the cars that can use BYD’s new Megawatt charging system to add 250 miles of range in just five minutes, with peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts. (If you need context, that’s four times the max charging speed of a Tesla Model Y and Model 3.)

BYD Han L, Tang L and Megawatt Charging

BYD Han L, Tang L

Photo by: Patrick George

I can tell you that both look rather unassuming in person; the Han L looks a bit Honda Accord-ish to me, and the Tang L has anonymous, Grand Theft Auto-car vibes. 

Under the skin, both are remarkable EVs boasting some of the world’s most cutting-edge tech. The EV versions come with a 83.2 kWh BYD “Blade” battery rated between 373 miles (601 km) and 436 miles (701 km) of range on China’s optimistic CLTC testing cycle.

As is the case with many Chinese cars, the plug-in hybrids don’t skimp on battery size either; they get a 29.4 kWh BYD Blade battery mated to a 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder engine and are rated at 870 miles (1,400 km) of total range. 

Impressive specs all around. So how’s the frunk? Well, reader, I can safely report it’s big. Very big, in fact. 

BYD Han L, Tang L and Megawatt Charging

BYD Han L, Tang L 

Photo by: Patrick George

Both cars share a trunk that comes in at 160 liters, or 5.6 cubic feet, or 42.2 liquid gallons. It’s quite voluminous, especially for a sedan and a fairly midsize crossover. 

BYD Han L, Tang L and Megawatt Charging

BYD Han L, Tang L

Photo by: Patrick George

BYD Han L, Tang L and Megawatt Charging

BYD Han L, Tang L

Photo by: Patrick George

BYD Han L, Tang L and Megawatt Charging

BYD Han L, Tang L

Photo by: Patrick George

The sheer depth of these frunks (they are the same on the crossover and the sedan) is what impressed me most. You could easily fit an entire Costco-grade haul of groceries in this thing. In fact, a person who’s small enough, and maybe does a good amount of yoga, could squeeze in with the lid closed.

Onvo L60 Frunk

Onvo L60 Frunk

Photo by: Nio

Now, BYD claims that this is the world’s largest frunk. Respectfully, I beg to differ. The new Onvo L60 SUV, from Nio’s affordable-minded EV brand, comes in at 8.4 cubic feet (240 liters) of storage space—supposedly the largest in China, according to CnEVPost. 

And here in America, both the Lucid Gravity and the Ford F-150 Lightning have bigger frunks at 8 cubic feet (227 liters) and 14 cubic feet (400 liters), respectively. The Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV both offer 10.7 cubic feet, and the Hummer EV gets up to 11.3 cubes. Sure, America can’t match China at battery technology, but we have them beat on the storage space of our large EVs.

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Frunk

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Frunk

So while a big frunk may not be the signature achievement of BYD’s new L models and E-Platform, it is a nice net benefit to an otherwise extremely advanced vehicle that already does a lot well. I got to drive both the Han L and Tang L while in China, so check back soon for even more updates on these cars. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

BYD Han L, Tang L and Megawatt Charging

BYD Han L, Tang L

Photo by: Patrick George

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Tesla Might Be Tanking, But Its Cars Are Still Fast
Posted in Speed

Tesla Might Be Tanking, But Its Cars Are Still Fast

Tesla has been in the news cycle a lot lately, and not for the best reasons. Yes, sales are down. Profits are way down. And Elon Musk is stirring the political pot faster than a Model S Plaid gets to 60 mph. But let’s forget all that for a moment and remember one thing Teslas are really good at: Going fast.

To help, we turn to Wheels Plus on YouTube. This short video captures a trio of Model 3s and a single Model Y enjoying some speed runs on the drag strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Among the challengers are two C8 Corvettes, a Mustang Shelby GT500 and a hilariously large Ford pickup truck. We don’t have any details regarding the gas burners, nor do we know specific trim levels on the Teslas. We can tell you everything here is pretty darned quick. Two of the Tesla dip into the 11-second range.

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The action begins with a Model 3 facing a black C8 Chevrolet Corvette, and this one doesn’t end well for Team Tesla. Despite a healthy starting line advantage, the ‘Vette charges past to take the win. Still, the Tesla goes 13.84—that’s not slow by any definition.

Vengeance comes with race number two. Another C8 Stingray lines up, only this time the competition in a Model Y. It’s a pretty close race, too, with the drivers separated by just a tenth of a second. However, when you’re turning a low-12-second quarter-mile, a tenth may as well be a mile. Chalk a win for the Model Y.

The third race sees a big ol’ Ford at the starting line, off-road tires and all. The driver still does a burnout, and to be honest, it sounds pretty good. Clearly there’s a V-8 under the hood, and we reckon it has quite a few modifications because it goes 13.62 in the quarter, lifted suspension and all. But its competitor, another Model 3, goes much, much faster.

That brings us to the final race, and it’s the quickest run of the video. We have another Model 3, this time facing down a Mustang Shelby GT500 on drag tires. Both cars turn an 11-second quarter-mile, but only one wins.

We’ll leave that mystery for the video to solve.

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Volkswagen Wants A China Comeback With These New Cars
Posted in Design Speed

Volkswagen Wants A China Comeback With These New Cars

The ID. Evo, ID. Aura and ID. Era concepts are “specifically tailored to the needs of Chinese customers.” But will those customers show up?

Mercedes-Benz Vision V Previews A Very Important People Carrier
Posted in Design Speed

Mercedes-Benz Vision V Previews A Very Important People Carrier

The production-version of this hyper-luxury van will come to the U.S., Mercedes says.

BYD Is Developing An Electric Kei Car For Japan: Report
Posted in Rumors

BYD Is Developing An Electric Kei Car For Japan: Report

  • BYD is reportedly doing what no other non-Japanese automaker has ever done: it’s working on a kei car.
  • The new model will be electric and arrive in Japan in 2026.
  • The BYD kei model targets a lower starting price than Japan’s most popular EV, the Nissan Sakura.

Japan’s electric vehicle market fell 33% in 2024 from an already low baseline. But China’s BYD still saw sales growth in the country. Nissan still dominates the Japanese electric car market, and Tesla leads among imported EVs, but BYD is now reportedly working on a model it hopes will slingshot it to the top of the country’s EV sales charts.

Nikkei reports that BYD is working on an electric kei car to rival Japan’s best-selling EV, the Nissan Sakura. The Sakura is a Kei car with a starting price of around $18,250 USD. The Sakura has a tiny 20 kilowatt-hour battery that’s good for a claimed WLTC range of 112 miles (180 km). It gets a heat pump for efficient cabin climate control and 100 kW fast-charging capability.

In order for BYD to hit it big with its kei car in Japan, it needs to beat the Sakura’s specs and offer the car at a lower price. One of the reasons why Japanese car buyers are avoiding EVs (which accounted for just 2% of all new cars bought in 2024) is their higher price. If BYD can undercut the country’s bestseller, it shouldn’t have a problem dethroning it.

According to Nikkei, BYD is currently targeting a starting price of around $17,700, which would fulfill the all-important affordability criteria that would give it the best chance of success.

For a car to meet Japan’s kei car regulations (which bring low taxes on top of the parking/usability advantages of having such a small car), it must not be longer than 11 feet 2 inches (3.4 meters), wider than 4 ft 10 in (1.48 m) or taller than 6 ft 6 in (2 m). Kei cars are also limited to 64 horsepower.

Because kei cars so specific to Japanese regulations and not sold anywhere else, pretty much no company outside of Japan has ever made one. The sole exception (with an asterisk) is Smart, which made its ForTwo narrower and limited its cubic capacity to 660 cc to meet kei regulations in the Japanese market. The closest thing to a foreign kei car today is probably the Hyundai Inster, but it’s still around 10% too big since it’s not designed to meet the specific regulations.

BYD may therefore be the first non-Japanese automaker working on an actual bespoke kei car. It currently sells four models in Japan: the Dolphin, the Atto 3, the Seal and the Sealion 7. The first of these is a small city car, but it’s too wide for the kei car classification, so it’s not as popular as it could be. Its new electric kei car is reportedly coming sometime in 2026.

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Nissan Wants Its Own City EV For Europe
Posted in Rumors

Nissan Wants Its Own City EV For Europe

  • Nissan wants its own interpretation of the Renault Twingo and Dacia Spring EVs in Europe.
  • Like the Dacia, the new Nissan EV will have a shorter-than-usual development process.
  • It will reportedly be revealed in 2026.

Renault’s revived electric Twingo is one of our most hotly anticipated European EVs and it looks like it’s going to have not one but two sister models. After Dacia revealed that it was fast-tracking a project to develop an all-new Spring city EV based on the same underpinnings as the Twingo, Nissan is reportedly doing the same.

AutoExpress reports that, just like Dacia, which said the new Spring would be the result of a quicker-than-usual development process, Nissan is also looking to bring its new EV to production in just 18 months. That’s much quicker than usual for the creation of a new model, and it’s likely a move prompted by tariffs now imposed on Chinese EVs imported into the European Union.

Dacia would likely have happily continued selling the Spring, which was given a major overhaul last year. But since it’s built in China and is now subject to import duties that will bring up its price, the Romanian automaker apparently quickly scrambled to build something similar in Europe instead.

Nissan could have also chosen to make its small EV for Europe in China. It has a joint venture with China’s Dongfeng, which currently builds the Nammi 01 EV that would have been a perfect fit for a bit of badge engineering to turn into a Nissan. But now it seems that Nissan has chosen to link its small EV with the new Twingo and Spring instead.

Unlike the Twingo, which stays true to the original’s hatchback design, retaining many of its now iconic design cues, the Nissan EV will have a more crossover-like stance. This is what Dacia is doing too. We’ve seen the Romanian automaker’s design sketches for the new model and they show an upright two-box vehicle with a mini-SUV aesthetic.

We should see both the Nissan and Dacia EVs revealed before the end of 2026, likely with identical batteries and motors to the Renault Twingo. All three models will likely be built in the same Renault factory in Slovenia. The Renault will be the most expensive with an estimated starting price of around $22,750 (€20,000), while Dacia is targeting $20,500 (€18,000). The Nissan model could fall somewhere in the middle regarding pricing, and it will likely look like a smaller version of the new Leaf.

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The New Tesla Model Y Gets Its Most Fearsome Competitor Ever
Posted in Reviews

The New Tesla Model Y Gets Its Most Fearsome Competitor Ever

Suppose there’s such a thing as the iPhone of cars. If that exists at all, it’s assuredly the Tesla Model Y. Tesla’s midsize electric crossover has earned its stripes as the world’s best-selling electric vehicle (and best-selling single model of car, period) for its unassailable combination of range, power, tech features, price and practicality.

But right as an updated Model Y makes its debut, a lot of people have their reasons for wanting to move on from Tesla. That also coincides with a new crop of highly competitive EVs from other brands that just weren’t in the same class as Tesla five years ago, but are now catching up and even doing some things better. 

Our friends at Edmunds highlight the state of play in a new video comparison test of highly-rated electric family crossovers: the new Model Y “Juniper,” the Honda Prologue, the Chevrolet Equinox EV and the updated Hyundai Ioniq 5. Independent of anything else, each of these is a good choice—but one emerges as being truly on par with the Tesla, which until recently was hard to pull off. 

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In fourth place is the Honda Prologue, 2024’s surprise EV success story. It’s a General Motors EV underneath the skin until Honda starts to do its own thing. But that’s not a bad thing at all—especially as the Prologue adds some Honda vibes but keeps Apple CarPlay, unlike GM’s own cars.

And it’s extra roomy with lots of room for luggage and the biggest cupholders in the test; Honda sure knows how to sell cars to Americans. The Prologue Elite, as tested here, comes in at $59,295 and offers up to 283 miles of range.

Edmunds EV Test

Edmunds EV Test

Photo by: YouTube

Coming up behind it is the Chevy Equinox EV, our 2024 Breakthrough Award winner and pound-for-pound one of the best electric bargains in America. Edmunds‘ tester comes in at $34,995, and lately it’s been acing the hell out of its range tests with a stunning 356-mile result. (I’ll add that I’ve never experienced anything that good from the Equinox EV, but Edmunds’ local Southern California weather is probably helping a lot.)

Equinox EV

Equinox EV

Photo by: YouTube

But it’s also smaller than the rest and the sole contender that’s single-motor and front-wheel-drive, so it’s no wonder it does better than its all-wheel-drive counterparts. It “almost gets to the top spot on its value proposition,” tester Brian Wong says. 

Model Y vs. Ioniq 5

Model Y vs. Ioniq 5

Photo by: YouTube

Yet what’s really telling about this test is that it ends in a dead heat. Though the Model Y was long the crossover to beat in this space—and indeed, the updated one seems to be very good—it ties with the updated Ioniq 5 here. 

Edmunds‘ Model Y Launch Series (which was recently discontinued) comes in at $61,635 and offers an impressive 327 miles of range. It’s got a nicer, quieter cabin, more range, different looks and finally, better ride quality than the previous Model Y.

Wong calls it one of the most comfortable EVs you can buy today—definitely not something you’d say about the last car. And while Tesla’s tech is always good, its Full Self-Driving system “makes some questionable decisions.” 

Model Y Interior

Model Y Interior

Photo by: YouTube

Wong notes that the Juniper is a “big improvement” for the Model Y, and that the previous generation “would have only gotten third place in this test. But now, it is on equal footing with the Ioniq 5.” That Wong phrased that sentence this way, and not the other way around, says a lot about how Tesla’s competition is getting better and better. 

In the Ioniq 5’s case, that means a standard Tesla-style North American Charging Standard plug and native Tesla Supercharger access without an adapter. Coming in loaded at $60,285 and with a range of 282 miles, it’s simply more user-friendly than the Tesla is: buttons, knobs and physical air vents make operation a lot easier than Tesla’s all-screen approach. It also has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a clever sliding center console, a comfortable cabin and punchy performance. 

Ioniq 5 Highway

Ioniq 5 Highway

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Is the updated Ioniq 5 now Tesla’s most fearsome competition in the U.S. market? I’d say it’s looking that way, now more than ever. Ultimately, Edmunds‘ Wong said your choice comes down to what you prefer: the Tesla’s “uncompromising minimalism” or the Ioniq 5’s “futuristic familiarity.”

But even the tie verdict makes clear that the Model Y isn’t the default top choice in the EV crossover world anymore, and that alone is a huge advancement for the entire field. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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