Leapmotor C10
New from £36,500
How long will it take to charge?
Results based on 69.90kWh Leapmotor C10 battery
0
For a part charge (up to 0 miles)
0
For an 0% charge 0
You can charge this vehicle in 48 minutes at its fastest charging speed of 100 kW
* We have used data from the manufacturer to estimate these charging times, they are only a guide. Charging times for some speeds may not have been provided.
Is the Leapmotor C10 SUV a good car?
Read our expert review
Words by: Dan Trent
"The story of how the Chinese-built Leapmotor C10 has reached the European market is an interesting one but, perhaps, best kept for industry watchers and the business pages. Short version is that it joins the wider family of Stellantis brands like Vauxhall, Peugeot, Jeep and Citroën and benefits from their established infrastructure of dealerships to take some of the fear factor out of buying from an otherwise unknown quantity. If the generic electric SUV styling is nothing to get excited about the price perhaps is, the C10 is a big step up from the T03 city car, a tad more modern looking and polished than some of the other Chinese newcomers and undercuts established players like the VW ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq by a healthy margin."
Read the review by category
Running costs for a Leapmotor C10
5/5
While the savings in running costs for electric cars are well established purchase prices still look chunky when compared with petrol, diesel or hybrid equivalents. Or did, until cars like the Leapmotor C10 arrived. Put simply this is a big, practical and family-friendly electric SUV that won’t cost any more to buy, lease or finance than any combustion-engined equivalent and blessed with modern styling and features that feel a cut above some of its budget equivalents from the likes of MG, BYD or others. You still need to be able to charge from home to really score the benefits, but even without that the C10 could save you a chunk in running costs through cheaper tax, free entry to the London Congestion Zone (until the end of 2025, at least) and other incentives. That starting price also ducks the more expensive VED/’road tax’ penalty for cars costing over £40,000, which comes into force in April 2025 and will hit many of its more mainstream rivals unless calls for an exemption for electric models are heeded.
Reliability of a Leapmotor C10
3/5
Too early to say, given Leapmotor is a very fresh face and hasn’t been selling cars long enough to establish a reputation here. Leapmotor puts great faith in its in-house R&D resources, and if there were any serious concerns it would likely have already shown given the intense competition it faces in its home Chinese market. But we’ll have to see. The support of being sold through the established Stellantis network alongside its other brands does help confidence levels, though a longer warranty than the three-year one currently offered might have helped, especially when MG is confident enough to offer seven years on its unashamedly budget alternatives.
Safety for a Leapmotor C10
3/5
Top marks to Leapmotor for the amount of safety tech and driver assistance systems the C10 includes as standard, favourites like blind spot alerts and rear cross traffic warnings that many charge extra for included. But points deducted for the predictable cost-saving purge of buttons and switches in favour of burying vital controls like lights and mirror adjustment layers deep in a fiddly touch-screen menu. Leapmotor is simply following industry trends here but it’s no less annoying for it, the need to take eyes off the road and fiddle around in the menus to find something as critical as fog lights undoing a lot of the good work that’s been done of late with vehicle safety. We weren’t too impressed with the sometimes erratic interventions from the lane-keeping either, these and the constant bonging from the speed limit alerts and driver distraction monitoring irritations all too familiar in many modern cars. As on the T03 we tested at the same time we also had some worrying rolls backwards when the hill hold released on a gradient, suggesting some fine tuning of the system is required.
How comfortable is the Leapmotor C10
3/5
Interior styling is as bland as the exterior, and there’s little to surprise or delight hard plastics and other materials used in the cabin either. This obviously doesn’t directly impact comfort, but it does have a part to play in general wellbeing and the C10 needs more than multi-coloured ambient lighting to create a feelgood factor. Front seats get ventilation and heating as standard, which is nice. But the soft foam will have your spine sagging into the backrests, and this lack of support would be an issue on longer journeys. In better news there is at least tons of space inside the C10, validating its claims as a family-friendly vehicle. A flat floor in the back helps make all three seats viable, the boot should be big enough for most situations and there’s a small storage compartment up front where you can keep mucky charging cables away from your luggage. Excellent refinement and suspension geared more towards comfort than carving the corners like a hot hatch also feel more appropriate to the C10’s intended use.
Features of the Leapmotor C10
5/5
Screen-based instruments behind the wheel and a larger display in the centre are pretty much the industry standard these days, Leapmotor’s promise of an intuitive smartphone-esque interface falling a little short given the fiddly interface. Nor can you currently run your phone apps through CarPlay or Android Auto, meaning for now you’ll just have to get used to the built-in system. It is at least fully connected and Leapmotor says it can – and is – rolling out regular over the air updates as it learns what customers want, that phone connectivity likely high on the to-do list. If we can log our request on that score we’d also ask for bigger fonts and a less confusing menu structure, please. If it’s possible to correct the ‘back to front’ operation of the power window switches that would be nice, too. A model line-up based around a single, generously equipped trim level simplifies the buying process and includes a thumping 12-speaker stereo, power-adjustable front seats, 20-inch wheels, a panoramic roof, power tailgate, heated steering wheel and 360-degree camera. All you need to do is choose your colour, our vote going for the rather smart looking metallic green.
Power for a Leapmotor C10
4/5
It’s refreshing to hear an electric car manufacturer talking about performance in real-world terms rather than pointless, supercar beating acceleration times that do little more than have passengers reaching for the sick bag. Bravo for that, the 218 horsepower from the rear-mounted motor comparable with many equivalents, entry level versions of the VW ID.4 and related Skoda Enyaq included. While most of our test was on urban roads and we didn’t get a chance to try it on the motorway or elsewhere the C10 would seem to have enough performance to be getting on with and the slick calibration between throttle pedal and motor, the predictable regenerative braking and the efficiency we scored would all back up Leapmotor’s boasts for its electric tech. So, if not the sharpest steer or last word in driving thrills the C10 is smooth, quiet, easy to drive and everything you might hope for from an electric family SUV in that sense. Claimed official range of 261 miles is OK if not spectacular, with many rivals now boasting over 300 miles while charging speeds are middle of the road when plugged into a public fast charger. At this price, though, none of that would be a deal breaker.
Standard equipment
Expect the following equipment on your Leapmotor C10 SUV. This may vary between trim levels.
Related articles and reviews
Leapmotor C10 (2024 - ) review
Another Chinese-built electric SUV joins the party, the Leapmotor C10 making up for unremarkable styling with its affordability and tech
Your questions answered
Monthly rentals ('payments') are not an offer of credit. Payments are based on offers available today which may be withdrawn or varied at any time in the future without notice.
Contract Hire ('Leasing') is subject to status and approval and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. Vehicle must be returned with no more than fair wear and tear to avoid further charges. You will not own the vehicle. Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply.
Auto Trader Limited (Firm Reference Number: 735711) is a credit broker and not a lender. Auto Trader Limited introduces you to Autorama UK Ltd (Trading as Auto Trader leasing), which acts as a credit broker in its own right. Autorama UK Ltd, Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7DE (Firm Reference Number: 630748) may go on to introduce you to one of a limited number of funders. Autorama UK Ltd will typically receive a commission or other benefits from the funder as a result of this introduction.
Autorama UK Ltd is an Auto Trader Group Plc company.
Vehicles are subject to availability and may vary from images shown.