The Leapmotor B10 is a compact electric SUV that could hardly be more important to its Chinese brand. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.
Ten Second Review
The B10 is the model Leapmotor expects to be its strongest seller, a compact electric crossover that delivers everything you'd expect of a Chinese brand contender in this class. So it's well equipped, spacious and quite smart to look at. The battery stuff (like range and charging) is class-competitive. But, as with most Oriental EVs, there are things you'll have to get used to.
Background
In theory, Leapmotor ought to be the most European-feeling of all the Chinese car makers. It is after all part-owned by European giant Stellantis and sells through that conglomerate's dealerships. And Stellantis engineers help tailor Leapmotor's models for our continent's roads and customer tastes on this side of the globe. They've certainly had a hand in the final version of this car, the Leapmotor B10.
Like nearly all Leapmotor models, it's an EV, slotting into the company's line-up just above the T03 city car and just below the C10 lower mid-sized SUV. And gives the brand the volume sales contender it needs in the core part of the compact EV crossover market against cars like the Skoda Elroq, the Renault 4 E-Tech and the Ford Puma GEN-E.
Driving Experience
There was no reason for Leapmotor to do much re-engineering of the larger C10 EV model's drivetrain and it hasn't - though this B10's 67.1kWh battery is slightly smaller. Nevertheless, drive range is a reasonable 270 miles. Europe gets a version with a smaller 56.2kWh battery, but that struggles to reach 200 miles, which Leapmotor rightly thinks 'isn't acceptable' for the UK. The version we do get here has the same 216bhp motor as the C10 which (unlike most of its non-VW Group rivals) the Chinese maker chooses to mount at the rear. 0-62mph takes 8s en route to 108mph. There are no other full-EV drivetrain variants.
Like the C10, this B10 will also get the alternative of an 'REEV' range extender combustion version and we'd be tempted to wait for that. If (as is likely) the same drivetrain is replicated as is used in the C10 REEV, it will see a 1.5-litre petrol generator unit paired with a 28.4kWh battery capable of around 90 miles of EV range - and up to around 600 miles between stops once the combustion element is factored in.
Our focus here though, is on the B10 EV, which despite almost perfect 50:50 weight distribution has unremarkable drive dynamics - but excellent cruising refinement. There are three drive modes - 'Comfort', 'Standard' and 'Sport' - which tweak throttle response and steering feel to small degrees. There are three levels of brake regen, but even the fiercest won't slow the car as abruptly off-throttle as the 'one-pedal' systems used by some obvious rivals.
As with the C10, a greater issue is the over-intrusive nature of the many ADAS systems; it's fortunate that you can disable many of them with a provided shortcut button on the steering wheel. Chinese makers really should be better at this sort of thing by now. Around town, the rear-driven format aids an ultra-tight 10.7-metre turning circle.
Design and Build
If you're after metal for your money, then the B10 is off to a good start because it's significantly bigger than most of the supermini-based EV crossovers it's priced against. You'd probably expect it to be bigger than the compact Ford Puma GEN-E segment sales leader (301mm longer), but it's also bigger than more closely related Chinese rivals like the MG S5 EV. At 4.5-metres long, it's somewhere between a Skoda Elroq and Enyaq in terms of size. And the smooth-surfaced looks are on-trend and modern, with super-narrow LED headlights and the now-usual full-width LED rear light bar. Plus big 18-inch wheels are standard.
It feels big inside too, where for the most part, perceived quality is good and there are lots of luxury touches you probably wouldn't expect to get at this price point, including a huge panoramic glass roof. Less welcome for most will be the typically Chinese de-cluttered cabin design with its over-reliance on the 14.6-inch central touchscreen with its many buried menus. You can count the interior's physical switches on one hand. Also typically Chinese is the over-busy 8.8-inch drivers display.
The pale leatherette-upholstered seats are heated and ventilated, but lack something more important - enough lumbar support. Plus the flip-down cup holders feel cheap. And the electric window switches work counter-intuitively. There's a choice of light grey or darker shadow grey cabin themes.
Something that might really sell this B10 to you is the amount of space it offers in the back. Thanks to a generous wheelbase length of 2,735mm (just 90mm short of the brand's larger C10), leg room feels a segment up on most like-priced rivals - and it's a different world from a Puma GEN-E. Head room is good too, despite the glass roof. The rear seating area doesn't have an overhead light (awkward for strapping child seats in at night). Nor does the bench slide or the backrest recline.
The powered tailgate rises to reveal boot space that isn't quite so notable; the rival Ford and MG models can both beat this Leapmotor's 430-litre figure (only 5-litres less than the larger C10), but it's much like Renault 4 E-Tech and as much as most customers will need. Seats-down, you get 1,415-litres. There's some under-floor storage and you get a small under-bonnet 'frunk' for the charging leads too. You can fully recline the front seats for a 'lay-flat' interior.
Market and Model
Prices started from £31,495 at launch, but from that, you can deduct a £1,500 'Leap Grant' (to compensate for the fact that this car will never qualify for the government's Electric Car Grant), so you'll actually be paying around £30,000 for the single 'Life Pro Max' spec that's available. Other markets get a lesser 'Pro Life' variant, but that won't be offered here. It's not really necessary because this car already represents superb value for what you get.
It comes with a fully-loaded spec, including a large panoramic glass roof, a 360-degree parking camera, ambient interior lighting and keyless entry. Plus a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, leatherette upholstery, an 8.8-inch driver's display, a smartphone charger and automatic air conditioning, along with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) tech that allows you to charge appliances from the drive battery. You get LED headlamps and LED tail lights, 18-inch wheels and a powered tailgate. Media connectivity's taken care of by a 14.6-inch central touchscreen with voice control, online music and in-vehicle WiFi. The only standard paint colour though, is 'Starry Night Blue', a pastel blue apparently inspired by Vincent Van Gough's famous painting.
Safety kit includes a Front Collision Warning with Autonomous Emerging Braking and a Multi-Collision braking system, plus a Side collision monitor, Lane-Keep Assist and Lane Departure Warning. There's also Lane-Centring Control, Traffic Jam Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Rear Cross Traffic Brake, Intelligent Speed Assist and Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning.
Cost of Ownership
We gave you the 67.1kWh battery's 270 mile range figure in our 'Driving' section. For perspective, that's a bit better than the Stellantis brand 250 mile norm (Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Peugeot E-2008 etc); but a bit worse than quite a few other rivals (an MG S5 EV for instance, which manages up to 298 miles). Expect an efficiency figure of around 4.1 miles-per-kWh. And you should be able to maintain that in winter thanks to the standard provision of a heat pump (something you don't always get in this class).
One of the things that Chinese brands initially got wrong when launching affordable EVs in our market was not to properly prioritise DC charging speed. This B10's figure - 168kW - is much better and properly up to segment scratch, allowing a 30 to 80% spell of replenishment in 20 minutes. AC charging from home requires 10 hours 30 minutes with a single-phase 7.4kW wallbox, a time you can improve to around 7 hours with an 11kW three-phase supply. Full replenishment from a domestic plug requires a yawning 33 hours 15 minutes.
Leapmotor claims that the battery has an expected lifespan of more than 372,000 miles. There's a four year warranty (or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first). And the industry-usual eight year battery warranty. Maintenance should be straightforward thanks to the brand's network of UK Stellantis dealerships.
Summary
If you didn't know about Leapmotor's European influence, you wouldn't guess it from experience with this B10. As with the company's other models, it's a Chinese car for people who like Chinese cars. Which means great value, lots of equipment and generous cabin space. But it also means intrusive ADAS safety features, forgettable driving dynamics and an over-reliance on the central touchscreen.
But these drawbacks might be less significant in this more affordable market segment. And no rival in this class can match the technology in the alternative Range Extender version of this car. As for the ordinary EV variant, well the range and charging speed stats are up to scratch and you get the standard heat pump that's absent on a lot of cars in this segment.
Would we be tempted to find the relatively small amount necessary to upgrade to the brand's larger C10? Yes. But if it's a more compact EV crossover you want, then the B10 is worth a look. For the future though, Stellantis needs to step up its it its influence on Leapmotor if the brand is to grow in Europe.
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