Leapmotor B10 review: Electric SUV majors on value for money
Leapmotor caused a stir last summer by being the first car company to launch its own EV grant. The announcement came within days of the UK Government announcing the official Electric Car Grant.
Interest in the new Chinese brand duly surged an incredible 2,675 percent, and its C10 large electric SUV quickly sold out.
Now, Leapmotor hopes to do the same with the launch of the smaller B10: a Skoda Elroq rival that, thanks to a £1,500 ‘Leap-Grant’, costs from just £29,995.
More for your money than Skoda
For a roomy EV with loads of equipment and, thanks to its 67.1kWh battery, a range of 270 miles, that price is pretty exceptional. The Elroq, for example, costs from nearly £32,000 for a version with a 37-mile shorter range. To get close to the Leapmotor B10’s range, you’d need to spend more than £33,500 on a Skoda.
So, the B10 is a bargain. But is it any good? Remember, we had our reservations about the C10, awarding it a below-par 2.5-star rating.
However, Leapmotor is a company that learns fast, and it already promises that our chief complaint – the horrible ADAS driving assistance system – is now more UK-friendly, both on the C10 and new-to-market B10. Off to rainy Chippenham to find out, then…
Fully loaded spec as standard
The Leapmotor B10 test cars were lined up outside when I arrived, finished in the modern (and free) Starry Night Blue paint colour pictured above, or the rather pretty Dawn Purple (£575). There are only six colours to choose from, and either a light or dark grey interior, because Leapmotor wants to keep things simple.
Indeed, while in Europe they get a choice of trim levels, the UK only takes the top-spec model – the one with that post-grant £29,995 sticker price.
It gets a huge amount of equipment as standard. Highlights include 18-inch alloy wheels, electric heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, a heat pump, an electric tailgate and a 14.6-inch touchscreen that runs apps such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto plus Amazon, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, YouTube and TikTok. Phew.
The Leapmotor B10 is well built, with tight panel gaps and lustrous paint, and this impression of quality continues on the inside. The plastics inevitably aren’t quite premium-grade, but it still feels welcoming enough, with soft-touch materials where they matter.
Inside the Leapmotor B10
The B10’s seats are fine, but I wish the front of the seat base was height-adjustable; it feels too flat and unsupportive.
A lovely soft faux-leather material partly compensates, as does the chairs’ climate control functionality. Both the driving position and all-round visibility are good, with the latter aided by deep side windows.
Unlike my long-term Volvo EX30, the central touchscreen is backed up by a colour display in front of the driver. This adjusts up and down with the steering column, which is helpful.
The display is clear and easy to read, unlike some of the controls on the touchscreen, which are too small and hard to jab with a finger while on the move.
As you might expect from an electric car, the Leapmotor B10 generally stays nice and hushed. It’s very quiet at city speeds, while road and wind noise remain fairly remote even on the motorway. The interior feels solid, too, with no creaks or rattles.
With 215hp and a 0-62mph time of 8.0 seconds, it’s perfectly fast enough – certainly more than enough for the soft suspension, which can get a bit lively and wallowy on undulating roads.
Your passengers won’t take kindly to such helmsmanship, but they will appreciate the reasonably cushioned ride delivered by the Leapmotor once your inner Lando Norris has calmed down.
Leaning into it
Because the B10 is relatively soft and comfort-oriented, there’s a fair bit of body-roll in corners. Yet while it’s not averse to leaning over, the handling is nicely neutral – and the tyres provide both good grip and a faithful, confident response.
This is an improvement over earlier B10s, which were fitted with cheap, Chinese-made tyres. The UK MD insisted on better rubber for our cars, and the new Nexen tyres are far more sure-footed on greasy roads. Traction (the B10 is rear-wheel drive) is much better as well.
I felt the brakes were a little snatchy at first, but I did get used to them. More frustrating was, yes, the ADAS emergency lane-keep assist system, which was intrusive, and seemed to kick in even when standard lane-keeping is disabled. It turns out the emergency function has to be disabled separately in the ADAS menu – and you’ll have to do this each time you start the car.
You can blame Euro NCAP for default-on safety tech, but Leapmotor could still make disabling it easier. Maybe that’ll come in an over-the-air update. In the meantime, the B10 is leagues ahead of that early C10 I drove in terms of usability. The two feel like completely different cars in this regard.
Switching off the systems
I also noticed there was a configurable shortcut button on the steering wheel. Later, I learned that this could save two shortcuts, one for a single click and another for a double click. Clever.
These shortcuts are an example of Leapmotor EU listening to its customers and making the car work better for them. I’ll look forward to further developments with the ADAS, then. And while you’re at it, Leapmotor, while the swipe-down-from-top shortcuts on the screen are handy, perhaps you could add ADAS shortcuts here too? Thanks.
Back at base, I check out the rest of the car. Rear-seat space is vast. There’s an abundance of legroom and the large panoramic roof makes it feel light and airy, as does the flat floor.
The boot measures 430 litres, which is so-so, and it looks a bit on the small side due to its high floor. There is a 25-litre ‘frunk’ under the bonnet, though, in case you need some overflow space.
And efficiency? A creditable 3.7 miles per kWh, a pretty decent real-world figure on a cold, wet and wintery test route.
Overall, then, it’s a good showing from the Leapmotor B10. The Chinese firm has clearly learned from the C10, and the smaller, cheaper B10 is a more market-friendly car for the UK.
Verdict: Leapmotor B10
It won’t thrill you to drive – how many compact SUVs do? – but the Leapmotor B10 will serve up reassuring EV motoring for those who don’t want to spend a fortune. And the backup package – including a four-year warranty and four years of roadside assistance – should make it a worry-free thing to live with.
The C10 was a 2.5-star car. The B10 deservedly gets 3.5 stars. That’s quite a leap from Leapmotor in less than a year. This is a new value brand to watch with interest.
Richard Aucock writes for Motoring Research