Living with a… Leapmotor B10
Chinese cars are taking the UK market by storm so we thought we’d better try living with one – say hello to our Leapmotor B10!
Words by: Dan Trent
Published on 24 June 2026 | 0 min read
The arrival of Chinese brands like Leapmotor is one of the biggest changes to the motoring landscape in living memory, and I can’t believe this will be the first such car I’ve lived with. Sure, I’ve driven plenty. But running one day-to-day on long-term test is different. Before we get to that who is Leapmotor, and where does the B10 fit in? Short version, Stellantis (which owns the likes of Vauxhall, Citroën, Peugeot, Jeep and others) has decided that rather than compete with the Chinese brands it will work with them. Or, at least, add one to its stable.
Enter Leapmotor, already established in China and now sold through Stellantis showrooms alongside its other brands, supported by the existing network of dealers and service centres. The idea being this removes a lot of the worries you might have about going with a new brand with no established infrastructure, reputation or support. As for the B10 it’s your standard mid-size family-friendly crossover available in hybrid and – as tested here – fully electric form.
Like many Chinese cars it goes big on tech, kit and value-for-money but does it deliver, especially given the more familiar brands it sells against are now offering the same? I’ve got six months to find out!
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What is it?
- Model: Leapmotor B10
- Version: Electric
- Spec level: There’s only one!
- Options fitted: Everything comes as standard!
- Price as tested: £31,495 (before £1,500 ‘Leap-Grant’ saving available at time of writing)
Who’s testing it?
We like
- Colourful exterior and airy interior
- Seemingly very efficient
- Packed with kit
We don’t like
- Fiddly screens
- App-powered access
- Vague steering and handling
Month 1 - A Leapmotor into unknown?
Dan says: “I haven’t needed to visit any charging points yet, which is testament to the B10’s efficiency!”
How much has it cost you?
Nearly my marriage after I remotely logged my wife out of the app-based ‘key’ required to unlock and start the car. But more on this in due course.
Where have you been?
Well, I haven’t needed to visit any charging points yet, which is testament to the B10’s efficiency! Which backs up the sense Chinese manufacturers really are leading the way with electric tech. If you consider battery size the equivalent of the fuel tank on a petrol or diesel car the 67.1kWh pack on the B10 is sizeable for a car of this price, and I’m scoring around four miles for each of those kWh. Which is to say the electric equivalent for miles-per-gallon. That’s decent, and means the 270-mile claimed range looks more or less viable, at least in the warm weather we’re enjoying as I write this.
What have you been carrying?
Just the usual family car stuff, which is to say sulky tweenagers, shopping, and endless parcels to and from many and various local cornershops to feed another domestic Vinted frenzy.
Delights?
It’s not the last word in style but the Leapmotor has a clean, modern look, and the jaunty ‘Starry Night Blue’ (the only standard colour, the rest being cost options) stands out among the sea of black and silver cars you see out and about. I’m also impressed how much space there is in the back, given it presents as quite a compact car at first sight. I’ll be talking more about the digital interactions with the car in due course (and likely over the course of the loan) but, in fairness, the Leapmotor’s menus and graphics are slicker than many Chinese rivals and I appreciate the customisation and ability to quickly add shortcuts. Mainly for silencing the many and various ways it wants to bong at you.
Frustrations?
Well. Leapmotor claims unlocking and starting a car through either a phone app or an NFC card is more convenient than a conventional key. I’ve been assured a solution exists and will report back but, at the first attempt, having successfully set up the app and ‘key’ on my phone and my wife’s it seems logging into it logs the other person out. Meaning if they want to drive the car they have to log back into the app first. Which then logs the other out. And sees them doing the same next time they want to go anywhere. Which, given the rhythms of family life, is always a stress because, in the way of things, you’re always running late for wherever you need to be. And having to remember login details for an app just to unlock the car while standing on the kerb next to it is frankly humiliating. The credit card sized NFC alternative is worryingly easy to drop or lose as well, given it can disappear among your other cards in your wallet.
This month in a nutshell
I’ve spent nearly as much time battling the app as I have driving so I’m hoping the promised solution solves the access issues.
Mileage: 3,233 (on delivery)
Fuel consumption: c. 4 miles/kWh
