Overview

Should you buy one?

The Leapmotor C10 is an all-electric SUV that’s bursting with equipment and interior space for not much cash – and for that reason alone deserves a closer look. If you want to plug in and go electric, and do so on a tight budget yet retain room for family duties in a crossover EV, you won’t find many cars offering quite so much for so little cash.

You’re taking something of a leap of faith, as we suspect you’ll be forever explaining the Leapmotor badge to your friends, neighbours and colleagues. Yes, you’ll suffer a few rough edges along the way (the slow battery charging rate, an unsophisticated driving experience and annoying driver assistance systems), but there’s no getting away from the fantastic value proposition it offers.

For £36,500, it strikes us as a bit of a bargain. Is it as refined as a Renault Scenic E-Tech or Skoda Enyaq on the road? Certainly not, but it’s comfortable enough and, by virtue of its generous equipment list, some of its shortfalls can be forgiven.

What’s new?

The Leapmotor C10 is a brand-new entrant to the electric family SUV segment. It’s a new Chinese EV manufacturer whose cars are being distributed in the west by Stellantis (the parent company of Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall) after it spent £1.25 billion acquiring a 21% stake. You can see why they’ve done it: to fast-track an electric SUV at aggressive prices to undercut the competition.

The C10 is the flagship of the range – and it’s joined by the T03 electric city car, bookending Leapmotor’s model range. And the brand is planning a pretty brisk expansion strategy, as these two cars will be joined by a Hyundai i20-sized hatchback, a Ford Puma-sized SUV and a Volkswagen Tiguan-rivalling SUV by the end of 2026. It’s a rapid roll-out designed to wrongfoot rivals.

Leapmotor faces some tough competition, though. The C10 is wading into a very competitive and saturated marketplace dominated by the likes of the Ford Explorer, Skoda Enyaq and utterly brilliant Renault Scenic (a former Parkers Car of the Year). So, why would anyone buy a car from an unproven manufacturer when there are already so many great alternatives on sale?

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One word. Value. Prices for the Leapmotor C10 start from £36,500 and there is only one model to choose from. That’s about the same as an entry-level Renault Scenic, but you’re getting far more standard equipment by opting for the newcomer. We’re talking a 14.6-inch touchscreen, a wireless smartphone charger, electric seats, an enormous panoramic sunroof and a heated steering wheel. You’d need to spend upwards of £45,000 to get the same amount of equipment on a Scenic.

Keep reading to find out whether the value-driven C10 has what it takes to topple its established European rivals, or whether it’s just another attractively priced also-ran in the turbulent EV market. We’ve the definitive verdict by our Director of Digital Content Tim Pollard, Parkers’ Deputy Editor Luke Wilkinson and our staff writer Seth Walton.

To find out more about how we formed the opinions in our Leapmotor C10 review, head over to our how we test cars explainer page.