Say hello to…
…the Leapmotor C10, a new family SUV from the latest brand to join the Stellantis stable. Pitched as an all-electric, low cost, brand, Leapmotor is a Chinese new entrant that’s being sold alongside brands such as Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen.
The C10 is a rear-drive 218hp, D-segment SUV with a 70kWh battery offering an official range of 262 miles.
One trim level is available priced at £36,000.
Standard equipment includes a 16.6-inch infotainment screen, powered front seats, panoramic glass roof, wireless phone charger, satnav, split-fold rear seats, dual-zone aircon, heat pump, 4x USB sockets, keyless start, powered boot lid, 20-inch alloys and drive modes.
Is The Leapmotor C10 Suitable For My Fleet
An all-new brand can scare fleets due to the unknow level of aftersales support and parts supply. It’s all very well having a low lease rate, but that’s not much use if the car is off-the-road waiting for parts. Stellantis’s involvement should mean this is less of an issue with Leapmotor. The car is relatively practical and roomy, scoring more points for fleet users. However, the absence of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be an issue for some. Another issue is the charging speed. The C10 maxes out at 84kW, which is poor in today’s market. It means long journeys necessitating public charging will take far longer than in competitor vehicles.
Leasing A Leapmotor C10
Gateway2lease is offering the electric C10 for £320 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 miles per year, an impressively low figure. Maintenance is reasonable too, according to Gensen Reports which forecasts £47 a month. Class 1A NIC comes in at £14 a month.
Driving A Leapmotor C10
The basic driving experience of the Leapmotor C10 is good. The car goes, stops, steers and rides well.
Comfort levels are good both for local runs and longer motorway journeys. It doesn’t owe much to the ‘sports’ part of SUV, but that’s just fine. There are drive modes that impact the responsiveness of the motor as well as other controls such as steering weight and (in the case of eco mode) the way the heating and ventilation system operates.
Impressively, the C10 is nearly as efficient in the real world as the official figures claim. With a large proportion of motorway miles we saw efficiency at 3.4 miles per kWh which equates to a real-world range of 238 miles.
Get beyond this and the usability of the C10 falls away.
Leapmotor has saved costs by banishing physical buttons wherever possible and routing everything through the confusingly set up infotainment screen and software. This issue is amplified because you can’t bypass it by using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – which isn’t even an option.
Examples of how the C10’s system frustrates include the longwinded sequency to turn off the intrusive ADAS systems, changing the drive modes and, possibly worst of all, activating the heated door mirrors. The control for this isn’t automatic and it isn’t linked to the rear screen heater (as it is in most other cars) but instead it’s buried deep in the car’s operating system.
There is voice control, but this isn’t reliable.
The car’s software and connectivity also looks like the translation to English was rushed as we spotted several typos or purely wrong words used. Part of our difficulty finding the door mirror heater control was the fact it was called ‘rearview mirror’ on the screen.
Back on the positives, there’s loads of passenger room in the C10, both front and back. Even the boot’s a decent size. However, oddly there’s a vast wasted space under the bonnet. Where some rivals have a secondary storage area for charge cables or muddy boots, the C10 just has a gaping view of the electrical system and the road below. A moulded plastic tub could easily be fitted in the open area the bonnet reveals.
With so many high value, low cost family SUVs on the market, it’s difficult to recommend the C10, but it wouldn’t take much of a revision to bring it up the rankings.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Leapmotor C10
Impressively low price, but without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto the infotainment system becomes overly troublesome.
Leapmotor C10
- Model: Leapmotor C10
- Power: 218hp
- Torque: 320Nm
- Max speed: 105mph
- 0-62mph: 7.5s
- Official range: 262 miles
- Test range: 238 miles
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2023/24: 3%
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