Lepas L6 EV 2026 review: Signature - Australian first drive | BYD Atto 3 rival tested

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

7 / 10

A single, range-topping version of the Lepas L6 EV, called Signature, is being offered at launch. It’s priced from $47,990, before on-road costs.

This sees it positioned slightly higher than the popular BYD Atto 3 Evo and Geely EX5, though it’s considerably cheaper than Chinese-made rivals from legacy brands, including the Hyundai Elexio and Kia EV5.

Like many Chinese brands, there’s a large standard equipment list. Highlights include the following:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Power tailgate
• Rear privacy glass
• 8.9-inch digital instrument cluster
• 13.2-inch touchscreen multimedia system
• Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Eight-speaker Sony sound system
• 50W wireless charger
• Dual-zone climate control
• Interior ambient lighting
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Beige synthetic leather upholstery
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Six-way power-adjustable front seats

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Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

6 / 10

Take away the Lepas badge on this car and you could tell me the L6 is a new model from any new Chinese brand in Australia.

The overall silhouette screams generic mid-size SUV with design elements to make it look modern, tougher and sleeker. There’s nothing revolutionary about it and as a result it blends into mediocrity.

What isn’t bland about the exterior though is the paint colours that are available. There’s a bright orange, as well as a lovely purple. You unfortunately don’t see colours like this on the road as often anymore.

If orange and purple are too lairy, Lepas also offers boring colours like white and grey. There’s also black, though it’s strangely only available to those who pre-order.

Inside the uniformity continues. It’s an ultra-minimal look with the majority of the dashboard focus being on the portrait-oriented 13.2-inch touchscreen multimedia system.

It’s nice to see different types of materials around the cabin as it helps to elevate the premium feel. There’s also barely any glossy piano black, though unfortunately it does feature on the steering wheel buttons which are frequently used and can get grubby quickly.

While the beige synthetic leather upholstery stands out, it’s not particularly family-friendly. It would be nice if there was a black or darker option for those who don’t want a light interior.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

7 / 10

Like many SUVs, the driver’s seating position is high. This gives the driver a commanding view of the road ahead, though it may be a touch too high for taller people.

The front seats are comfortable and soft. The amount of electric adjustment available is enough, though it would be nice if the under-thigh support could be adjusted.

Looking ahead, the steering wheel is a classic, flat-bottomed Chery unit with a Lepas badge on it. It’s nice to hold and while the glossy piano button sections can get grimy quickly, there are physical buttons that press. There’s no awkward touch-sensitive button nonsense.

Behind the steering wheel is a short and wide 8.9-inch digital instrument cluster that, despite its size, displays a lot of content. There are a series of informative pages you can cycle through, which is good for customisation.

Moving across, the portrait-oriented touchscreen multimedia system has a simple layout and user interface that’s hard to get lost in.

There’s a handy swipe-down control centre menu with many key functions, plus you can swipe up from the bottom to change the climate control functions.

It’s great to see a bank of physical buttons under the touchscreen for key functions like the drive modes, air conditioning and the defoggers, among others. These aren’t guaranteed in every Chinese car now.

Around the cabin there’s a 50W wireless charger with a slot on the other side for the passenger to put their phone, two cupholders, a large centre console with an additional open storage area under the touchscreen, as well as a glove box.

In the second row there’s plenty of space on offer, like many Chinese SUVs. There’s oodles of legroom and headroom is good too, even with the panoramic glass sunroof.

The rear bench is reclined back a fair way, creating a lounge-like experience and the seat itself is soft and plush.

In terms of amenities there are air vents on the back of the centre console, a USB-A and USB-C port as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

At the back there’s a power tailgate as standard. When it opens it presents the boot which offers 435L with the rear seats upright. It’s a decent space with a flat load floor.

There’s a surprisingly deep 99L underfloor storage area that’s great for charging cables among other odds and ends.

Lepas has said it’s exploring options of a space-saver spare wheel or an esky accessory to better utilise this cavernous underfloor space. Nothing is confirmed yet, though, so that means the L6 EV only has a tyre repair kit.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its motor?

7 / 10

Power for the L6 EV comes from a front-mounted electric motor sending 160kW and 275Nm to the front wheels.

Lepas claims it can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 7.9 seconds, which historically would have been supercar territory, but it’s now average for EVs.

Efficiency – What is its driving range? What is its charging time?

7 / 10

The electric motor in the L6 EV is fed by a 65kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that allows for up to 440km of claimed range, according to NEDC testing.

That's less than the BYD Atto 3 Evo Premium offers and is roughly equivalent to Geely EX5 Extended Range. Both of these mid-size Chinese electric SUVs are cheaper than the L6 EV.

DC fast-charging is available at rates up to 120kW, which allows for a 30 to 80 per cent charge in as little as 22 minutes.

AC charging, on the other hand, is offered at rates up to 6.6kW. This is much slower than the 11kW benchmark at this price point.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

7 / 10

Behind the wheel, the Lepas L6 EV offers just the right amount of oomph. Goldilocks would approve.

Around town you can accelerate with traffic easily, plus if you boot it a little harder, there’s still enough in the tank. It’s fun watching the power gauge on the instrument cluster go red when you accelerate harder.

It’s worth noting if you gun it from a standstill, there may be some tyre squeal. This is a front-wheel drive car with 300Nm of torque.

There are three drive modes available - Eco, Normal and Sport - which all do what they say on the tin. Normal as a default mode is all you really need in a car like this.

For regenerative braking there are also three modes and you can cycle through them using a configurable button on the steering wheel. None offer one-pedal driving, however, meaning you need to use the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

My favourite of the three regen modes tended to be the weakest. This more closely simulates a combustion or hybrid driving experience, as with the stronger modes the transition to regen can be a little too strong.

With the steering there’s an adequate amount of weight, though there is almost no road feel. It feels like you’re steering the car in a video game as there’s no feedback from the front wheels.

Lepas claims the L6 EV has “European” tuning for the suspension and in practice it is a little more composed and settled than previous Chery Group vehicles I’ve driven.

You wouldn’t call this a sports car by a long shot, though, as the car wallows about when pushed harder. In the everyday this car is agreeable enough, just mediocre and soulless to drive.

For noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), the L6 EV is naturally already a quiet car given it’s an EV. We didn’t do a great deal of high-speed driving at this launch, so we’ll have to wait and see how road and tyre noise is at a later date.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

8 / 10

The Lepas L6 hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP yet and is therefore unrated for now.

However, a full suite of safety kit comes as standard. Highlights include:

• Seven airbags
• Auto Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane centring
• Adaptive cruise control
• Intelligent speed limit assist
• Driver attention monitor
• Automatic parking assist
• Remote parking assist
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Surround-view camera

Lepas claims it has gone to great lengths to calibrate the advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) for Australian conditions and you can tell as all the systems operate as they should, and critically, aren’t annoying.

This has been a gripe of many Chery Group vehicles and it’s great to see a step in the right direction.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

8 / 10

Lepas covers the L6 EV with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery pack is covered for eight years or 200,000km.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km. The first seven services are capped-price and total a pretty sharp $2043, or $291 on average.

There’s also up to seven years of roadside assistance and as part of an introductory offer, L6 EV buyers can get either a complimentary home charger or public fast-charging subscription.

It’s worth noting Lepas has a separate dealer network from Chery and Omoda Jaecoo. At launch there are 23 dealers and the company plans to have a total of 30.

Thanks to the Chery Group, Lepas already has official channels for aftersales and spare parts. A metro dealer is claimed to be able to receive a spare part overnight, for example.

Verdict