Lepas L6 vs Mazda 6E

What's the difference?

Chery really doesn’t need any more brands in Australia, but here is Lepas, anyway.

While the L6 EV is rather characterless, it’s arguably the best Chery Group vehicle I’ve experienced to date. You can tell a lot of work has been put into localising it and as an electric mid-size SUV, it’s a pragmatic choice.

Mazda never had high hopes for the MX-30, it was always intended as a niche offering, but that is not the case with the 6e. The company is keeping its expectations in check, with sales of EVs seemingly returning to pre-oil crisis levels, but clearly there is a hope that this new-generation EV can help it catch up in the electric car race.

Certainly there is a lot to like with the 6e, starting with the price. It’s a cheaper alternative to both the BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3, so it starts strongly and then builds on that with the kind of design and driving experience we expect from Mazda.

There are definitely elements that need improvement, primarily the active safety calibration, but overall Mazda’s second electric car has a much better chance of success.

Given the similarities between the two, the cheaper price of the GT makes it the pick of the pair.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

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.

As mentioned earlier, the 6e shares a lot in common with the Deepal L07, but to look at it, it’s unmistakably a Mazda.

It’s a clear evolution from the brand’s conventionally powered models, but still retains a family look. Chief designer Yoshito Iwauchi made the trip to Australia to present his creation to the local media, and he highlighted the historical inspiration for this radically different car for the brand.

It’s the first rear-wheel-drive sedan for Mazda since the 929 disappeared more than 25 years ago, while Iwauchi and his team took elements from the 626 (the active rear spoiler) and RX-7 (rear tail-lights) to complete the design.

Whatever they did worked, because the 6e won the 2026 World Car Design of the Year award.

However, when it comes to the interior, it’s a good thing for Mazda that Deepal doesn’t currently sell the L07 in Australia, because the difference between the two is less stark.

The upper element of the dashboard, along with the two large screens carry over unchanged, while Mazda has tweaked the steering wheel and the lower half of the dashboard fascia.

There are other hints to its Chinese origins, such as the ‘multi-purpose’ buttons on the steering wheel, which are a popular option on Chinese vehicles, but overall it does feel like a Mazda and there is a prominent Mazda logo on the steering wheel.

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.

This is another area where there has been some influence from Changan/Deepal, with the 6e joining the long list of cars to all but abandon physical buttons. Almost every function, including climate control and the sound system, run through the multimedia touchscreen, or Smart Entertainment My Room, as Mazda calls it.

Obviously over time you’ll get used to it if you own one, but it still feels counter-intuative to make people scroll through multiple menus on a touchscreen and then beep at them for not paying attention to the road, as the safety systems in the 6e tend to do.

The other issue with the interior is having the batteries mounted under the floor, combined with the sloping roofline to give it a coupe-like silhouette, means that cabin space is compromised, especially in the back. Knee room is adequate but foot space and head room are both tight for adult backseat passengers.

This is both strange and a bit of a missed opportunity for an EV, which typically offer more cabin space thanks to the lack of a mechanical powertrain.

Perhaps also because of the batteries under the floor, I couldn't quite find my ideal seating position as a driver, which is very unusual for a Mazda. The brand traditionally offers good ergonomics and adjustment.

As for cargo space, the boot measures 337 litres with all seats in use, but can expand to 1074L if you don’t need to carry rear passengers and lower the seats. As a handy bonus, there is a Mazda first ‘frunk’ (aka, under-bonnet storage) that adds a bonus 72L and is an ideal spot to store your charging cable.

Mazda has done a very impressive job positioning the 6e in what is a highly competitive electric mid-size sedan market. While sedans may be unpopular in general, the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal are keeping the segment alive.

The 6e range begins at $49,990, plus on-road costs, for the standard GT grade, while even the fully loaded Atenza starts at just $52,990.

BYD recently reshuffled its Seal line-up, so it starts at $52,990 and stretches to $61,990 for its flagship Performance grade, while Tesla’s range starts at $54,900 and rises all the way to $80,900. Mazda has clearly set its sight in wooing customers away from the established duo.

Mazda hasn’t stripped out all the equipment either to hit that price, it’s still very well equipped. The GT comes standard with 19-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, tri-zone climate control, ambient lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, a 14.6-inch central touchscreen and a 10.2-inch digital driver display plus a 14-speaker Sony audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Stepping up to the flagship Atenza adds leather and synthetic suede seats, a two-tone leather-wrapped steering wheel and more synthetic suede on the dash and doors.

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.

Mazda has kept the powertrain simple, using Changan’s electric motor and battery technology for both the GT and Atenza. Specifically a single, rear-mounted motor which produces 190kW of power and 290Nm of torque.  

A rear-wheel drive sedan with nearly 200kW of performance certainly sounds like something Australian motorists love, at least in the past, so perhaps Mazda can tap into that market again.

There is no all-wheel-drive grade currently available and it's unlikely anytime soon, as even the SUV sibling, the CX-6e, is only available with the same single-motor, rear-wheel-drive powertrain. 

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.

The 6e is powered by a 78kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, which Mazda claims is good for an impressive 560km of range.

Mazda claims that with DC charging the battery can be replenished from 30-80 per cent in as little as 15 minutes.

Energy consumption is rated at 15.9kWh/100km and we saw a return of 17.9 during our mostly open road test drive, which is a good result for the 6e.

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.

Obviously a major part of the appeal of the 6e will be that it is not an SUV. If people are interested in an electric Mazda SUV, they’ll need to wait for the CX-6e in a few months.

But given Australia’s traditional love of sedans, particularly rear-wheel drive ones, there is certainly an opportunity for the brand to try and find those buyers out there looking for an SUV alternative.

Certainly the lower, more aerodynamic body helps with range, as the CX-6 SUV has a much lower claim of just 484km. So for those looking for an EV that can stretch itself between stops at the charger, the 6e has appeal there too.

As for the way it handles itself on-road, the 6e has a lot to live up to based on the reputation of the petrol-powered Mazda6. Obviously it is not a sports sedan, and Mazda doesn’t claim it is, but it is nice to drive on a winding road.

Australian-specification models get a firmer, European-developed, suspension tune (rather than the softer Chinese set-up) and it rides well without being particularly plush and pampering. The car is responsive, but the steering lacks the kind of feel and feedback that made the Mazda6 a benchmark in its class.

The performance from the motor is good, obviously with 190kW it’s not rocket ship fast, but it does the job you expect of a mid-size sedan. If you want an electric sedan that is ‘ludicrously’ quick, then you’ll need to look elsewhere and spend a lot more money. 

Unfortunately, the driving experience is compromised quite significantly by the active safety systems and how they are calibrated.

On the plus side, Mazda has included all the usual safety features, including autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, vehicle exit alert and a 360-degree camera.

But somewhere in the creation of the car between Changan and Mazda, the calibration and integration of the systems hasn’t reached the level we’ve come to expect from the Japanese brand.

Poorly calibrated active safety systems are certainly not unique to Chinese cars, but there are some particular quirks to the 6e that do feel very familiar to the newer Chinese brands.

Perhaps the most obvious of this kind was the ‘sharp curve ahead’ that the car repeatedly, but seemingly randomly, warned us about during our drive. The sharpness and distance of the ‘curve ahead’ seemed to have no logical pattern, but even the presence of such a warning raises serious questions. If this system is useful to you as a driver, it suggests you are not paying enough attention to the road ahead, through the windscreen, and perhaps shouldn’t be driving in the first place.

And it should be difficult for you not to be looking at the road ahead, because the driver attention warning system was borderline hyperactive during at least part of our test drive. Regardless of sunglasses on or off, shade or bright sun on my face, the attention warning kept beeping - despite my eyes being firmly fixed on the road ahead trying to dodge the countless potholes on the roads around Byron Bay.

The adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist is another example. For starters, it uses the incredibly annoying modern trend of counter-intuitive activation, largely unlabelled buttons and then you use the gear selector to start cruise control because it’s cheaper than putting more buttons on the steering wheel.

Once it’s active, the lane keeping assist is incredibly reactive and busy, repeatedly moving you within the lane to the point my co-driver asked if I was ok to drive. 

Mazda assures us these systems can be switched off, but that only serves to make these safety items ineffective. Instead, Mazda needs to fine-tune them to improve both the driving experience and the overall safety of the 6e.

Which is not to suggest the car is unsafe, simply that having all of its safety systems working correctly is better than turning them off so they stop annoying you.

Despite all this, Mazda says a five-star ANCAP score is anticipated, as it scored five stars on a Euro NCAP test. However, it should be noted that was to the soon-to-be-superseded 2025 test protocols and ANCAP has not yet applied its official rating to the 6e at the time of publication.

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.

Having effectively soft launched with the MX-30, Mazda Australia headquarters has undertaken a nationwide program to get their dealers and service centres up to speed for this new generation of EVs.

With over 180 dealers and service centres spread across Australia, and with its experience in the market, Mazda should provide one of the better ownership experiences in the business.

The 6e may be built in China, but it’s covered by the same five-year/unlimited km warranty as the rest of the Mazda range, with the battery getting eight years and 160,000km of extended coverage.

Service intervals for the 6e are every 15,000km/12 months, whichever comes first, and the car is covered by a seven-year/140,000km capped-price servicing plan. However, if you think EVs are cheap to service because they have fewer moving parts, the plan totals $2846 over seven years, which is only slightly less than Mazda’s petrol-powered CX-5, for comparison.