Xpeng L03: our discovery of the electric SUV arriving in France at a great price

It’s official! Xpeng complements its French line-up with the L03, a 4.65m electric SUV priced from €34,990. More expressive design, updated interior, LFP batteries, 400V charging and even an Ultra version ready for Level 3 autonomous driving: here’s everything to remember about this new competitor to the Renault Scénic E-Tech, Skoda Elroq and Tesla Model Y.

Xpeng L03: location below G6 and G9

After the G6 and G9, Xpeng is moving into the low-end market. The Chinese manufacturer launches in France the L03, an electric SUV whose role is to “ make Xpeng technologies available to everyone “. We were able to discover it even before it arrived at dealerships, during the world presentation, which took place in Munich. A city with a rich automotive history, which the Guangzhou company chose clearly not by chance.

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With a starting price of €34,990, the L03 is clearly positioned below the brand’s other models. However, this is not a particularly compact model. Its dimensions place it rather in the heart of the C segment, next to the Renault Scénic E-Tech, Peugeot e-3008, Volkswagen ID.4, Tesla Model Y and other Skoda Elroqs. Its role will also be to outshine some hybrid SUVs.

• Length : 4,650 mm
• Width : 1,920 mm
• Height : 1,600 mm
• Wheelbase : 2,850 mm
• Rear trunk : 367 liters
• Front trunk (rear): 89 liters or 44 liters on L03 Performance Ultra.

SUV coupe with more expressive style

The L03 is 4.65 m long, 1.92 m wide and 1.60 m high. Its wheelbase reaches 2.85 m, which is longer than the Volkswagen ID.4, Skoda Elroq and BYD Atto 3. Despite its impressive dimensions, the model maintains a relatively low and slender silhouette. We’re clearly dealing with a crossover coupe, a bit like the Lynk & Co 02, even if the roofline remains high enough to maintain rear spaciousness.

Its drag coefficient is announced at 0.228, which is an interesting value for a car in this category. It features semi-flush handles, frameless mirrors, windowless doors, active grille louvers, and also has multiple air ducts to direct air around the body. There are so many elements that influence the overall aerodynamics of the model.

It will not escape your attention: its style contrasts with that of the G6. The front looks more muscular and less plump. The L03 features vertical headlights consisting of more than 400 LEDs and a more sculpted hood. The light strip at the back forms a continuous line located under the bezel. Here we find the Xpeng signature. The design was led by Juan Ma Lopez, who previously worked as a designer at Ferrari.

In my opinion, the result is more convincing than on the G6. The L03 has a modern, less generic look (and less Chinese). There is more attention to detail here. However, overall it remains quite massive, especially at the level of the rear wings.

New colors

Available in five shades: Arctic White, Silver Frost, Stone Grey, Midnight Black and Spectral Violet. The last four require an additional 950 euros. The Performance Ultra version will receive Black Edition paint and special 20-inch wheels.

Clean but not stripped down interior

On board, Xpeng adopts the main features of its other models, while improving ergonomics. The dashboard is lower and has a very horizontal design. The goal is to clear the view forward and avoid visual interruptions. The driver sees an 8.9-inch digital instrument panel, complemented by a head-up display projected onto the windshield. In this case, information is displayed on a virtual diagonal of 26.8 inches. The 15.6-inch touchscreen concentrates most functions in the center.

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L03 opens XOS 6.0, a new version of the Xpeng operating system. Navigation is based directly on Google Maps data, but retains its own interface. The system also integrates Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Google Play. The steering wheel is carried over from the P7 but has a redesigned design. The interior also features some original details, such as threaded and magnetic mounts that allow you to mount a camera or other accessories on the dashboard. Such attention should be of particular interest to content creators.

I thought it was all well put together and well finished for a model that sold for less than €35,000. We feel good on board, but we’ll have to wait for the road test to assess whether the new OS actually improves day-to-day use.

Equipment and habitability

Equipment includes a panoramic roof, heat pump, heated and ventilated power front seats, and dual-zone automatic air conditioning. The Ultra version adds a massage function and an 18-speaker Xopera audio system, up from nine speakers on the first two variants. They can also take advantage of the unique active noise cancellation system.

With a wheelbase of 2.85m, the L03 offers fairly generous rear legroom. I sat quite well, despite my height of 1.87 meters. The rear trunk, however, has a fairly average volume – 367 liters. Xpeng makes up for this with an 89-litre front boot on rear-wheel drive versions. The all-wheel drive version, which has a second engine installed at the front, has to make do with 44 hp.

Perhaps this is one of the strengths of the model. Its coupe-SUV silhouette might cause some casualties, but rear space has been properly maintained.

The model can also tow up to 1500kg with a braked trailer. The towbar is offered as an option at a price of 990 euros. The V2L function (still no V2G, unfortunately) allows external devices to be powered by a 3.3 kW battery via an adapter supplied for the French market.

400 volts, two batteries and up to 520 km.

The Xpeng L03 comes with two LFP battery options that operate at 400V. The first has a capacity of 58.3kWh and can claim a range of up to 445km on the WLTP cycle. The second increases power to 71.2 kWh and can reach 520 km WLTP, depending on the selected configuration and wheel size. Versions equipped with a 20-inch screen are logically slightly less efficient.

Despite lacking an 800V architecture, Xpeng maintains high charging performance with batteries compatible with 3C charging speeds. The small battery accepts up to 193 kW of direct current (DC), and the large battery accepts up to 236 kW. In both cases, the manufacturer indicates the transition from 10 to 80% recharge in 20 minutes. It’s clearly worse than the G6 and G9, but that’s okay.

Well, 20 minutes at the express terminal isn’t spectacular compared to what’s best today, but it’s still short enough that it doesn’t turn every ride into an obstacle course. First of all, we will have to look at how the actual recharge curve behaves. In AC, the three-phase on-board charger produces 11 kW of power. Then going from 5 to 100% with a 58.3 kWh battery takes about 7 hours and almost 8 hours 18 minutes with a 71.2 kWh battery. L03 also offers V2L function to power electrical devices from the battery.

From 245 to 388 hp

Three of the four versions are rear-wheel drive. They are equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous motor with an output of 180 kW or 245 hp. The standard Autonomy version accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds, compared to 6.6 seconds for variants equipped with the large battery. In the maximum configuration, the Performance Ultra version is equipped with an asynchronous motor on the front axle. The total power reaches 285 kW or 388 hp. with a torque of 431 Nm. 0 to 100 km/h then drops to 4.5 seconds.

The maximum speed on all versions is limited to 180 km/h. The chassis is based on MacPherson struts at the front and a five-link axle at the rear. All four wheels received ventilated discs. No controlled suspension system is announced.

Two Turing chips and 1500 TOPS

The range is clearly divided into classic and ultra versions. The first two have a driving assistance system based on a fairly traditional front camera module. The Ultra adds two Xpeng-designed Turing chips with a combined processing power of 1,500 TOPS. They will receive more cameras and radars, as well as an NGP system (analogous to Tesla’s FSD) based on the VLA 2.0 artificial intelligence model.

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This architecture should provide much more advanced features for the driving assistant, up to level 3 when enabled. But we’ll have to wait! Indeed, we need to wait for the European Union to give the green light… Xpeng is quite confident on this issue and expects NGP to be available by 2027.

Range from 35,000 euros.

The standard version of the L03 Autonomie opens the range with a price of 34,990 euros. With a range of 445 km according to WLTP and a power of 245 hp. The version with long autonomy costs 37,990 euros, in our opinion this is the best version. For comparison, the Tesla Model Y Standard costs 37,390 euros. (less EEC premium) for equivalent services (530 km of autonomy). Therefore, he will play out in character, and in this little game, Speng becomes stronger and stronger.

Stepping up to the Ultra Long Range trim increases the price to €42,990, mainly due to Turing chips, some additional equipment and special 20-inch wheels. Finally, the Performance Ultra Black Edition will cost €46,990. It adds all-wheel drive and increases power to 388 hp.

With a starting price of under €35,000, the L03 competes directly with successful cars in France such as the Skoda Elroq and Renault Scénic E-Tech. Except that, unlike its competitors, the Chinese SUV does not receive the Coup de Pouce (CEE) bonus. For what ? Because made in China. According to the Xpeng team, European production is not on the agenda at the moment.

But we still have to acknowledge the good positioning found by Xpeng. Because even without the bonus, L03 remains in a good position. And it offers very good (better?) benefits in terms of comfort and on-board technology. We can’t wait to hear what you think, tell us in the comments! Orders are open from July 16, 2026. First deliveries are expected in early October for French customers.