2025 Leapmotor C10 Model Evaluation: Assessing Its Upgrades and Redesign Features
The Leapmotor C10: A Wicked Standout Electric SUV
Welcome to the gritty, unfiltered rundown of the Leapmotor C10, a brand new, temptingly priced electric SUV that's more impressive than you might suspect.
Leapmotor, a Chinese electric vehicle startup, has made waves by teaming up with the automotive giant Stellantis (Jeep, Peugeot, Fiat, and more). With this strategic partnership, Leapmotor has expanded its reach to Australia, introducing the C10 electric SUV—the first model to hit our shores in a surge of game-changing Chinese EVs.
Costs, Equipment, and Tech
The Leapmotor C10 offers two models: the Style and the Design (prices exclude on-road costs). With an affordable starting price of $45,888 for the Style and $49,888 for the Design, this EV rivals the top-selling Tesla Model Y—which begins around $55,900 plus on-road costs.
Both C10 variants boast the same mechanical package—e-motor, battery size, and charging speed. The main differences between them are their equipment levels, with the Style featuring dual-zone climate control, power-adjustable front seats, and a slew of techy features. Meanwhile, the Design upgrades to silicon faux leather seats, a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, multi-colored ambient lighting, and more.
Additional features include Vehicle to Load (V2L) capability, high-end computing power, Bluetooth, wireless smartphone charging, Wi-Fi, over-the-air updates, Leapmotor's QD Link phone mirroring system, and a generous selection of USB ports. However, you won't find Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or a key in the C10—yet. These features will likely be added in a mid-life upgrade, though it might take a couple of years.
Key Plus: The C10 doesn't require a key; instead, you can use an NFC card or the Leapmotor smartphone app to access the vehicle. Your data will be collected once you sign up for the app.
Exterior Design
From certain angles, the Leapmotor C10 resembles a shrunken, rounded Porsche Cayenne, thanks to its rectangular shape. Approach the front, though, and the similarities fade—leaving you with an anodyne appearance shared by many EV SUVs on the market.
The C10 measures 4739mm long, 1900mm wide, 1680mm tall, and has a 2825mm wheelbase. When compared to the Tesla Model Y, the C10 is slightly smaller in most dimensions, but with a similar wheelbase.
Notable exterior features on the Leapmotor C10 include LED auto headlights, a panoramic sunroof, powered pop-out door handles, and more. The Design variant also gets a power tailgate, an LED rear light bar, and rear privacy glass. The Style complements its wheels with 18-inch alloys, while the Design ups the ante with 20-inch wheels.
Interior
Space for cost-effectiveness is a strong suit of the Leapmotor C10. With the e-motor tucked under the rear floor and driving the rear wheels, the C10 offers a spacious interior and generous cargo area. No surprise, given its mid-size crossover classification.
The C10's second row features plenty of headroom and supportive, comfortable seats. The trunk provides 581 liters of storage space with a wet bin underneath the floor, expandable to 1410 liters when the rear seats are folded down, and even larger with all seats collapsed into a bed. Despite offering extra cargo space, the C10 lacks a front trunk—or frunk.
The interior feels overwhelmingly digital, with minimal physical buttons. Functions such as exterior mirror adjustment, headlight functions, air conditioning, audio settings, drive modes, and regenerative braking are operated through the touchscreen—except for audio volume, which can be adjusted using a thumbwheel.
Word of Warning: The Leapmotor C10 requires a fair bit of swiping and menu diving to access various functions, which can feel complicated and annoying at times. The vehicle's voice control system may also be of limited help.
Driving Experience
Once you switch off its advanced driver-assist systems, the Leapmotor C10 is an easy, unoffensive ride. However, keep them active, and you'll have a plethora of sound effects and steering inputs to contend with. Leapmotor recently updated its driver-assist systems to make them less obtrusive and easier to turn off, but further improvements are needed in behavior and access.
The C10 excels at smothering various Australian road surfaces for a comfortable and smooth ride—ideal for day-to-day commuting. Regarding dynamic performance, the C10's electric-assisted steering lacks feel across all modes, feeling rubbery in sport settings.
The C10's powertrain of 160kW and 320Nm is responsive but lacks the punch of higher-performing single-motor Tesla Model Ys. Its range is also less than impressive, with a consumption rate of approximately 19.8kW/100km from its 69.6kWh battery pack, and a claimed range of 420km (WLTP). The charging speed is similarly underwhelming, with a maximum DC fast-charge speed of 84kW.
Safety
The Leapmotor C10 boasts a solid list of driver-assist systems, aiming to increase safety on the road. These systems include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, traffic jam assist, rear collision warning and cross traffic alert, and brake, as well as multiple camera views, ISOFIX and top tether mounts for child safety seats, and seven airbags, including a center airbag.
Recently, the C10 received a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on the latest 2024 protocols.
Comparing the Leapmotor C10
The Leapmotor C10 competes with a growing number of electric SUVs, mostly from China, such as the Zeekr X, Xpeng G6, Deepal S07, and Kia EV5, as well as the Tesla Model Y. Newcomers to the market include the BYD Sealion 7 and the Geely EX5.
When it comes to pricing, size, and equipment, the C10 holds its own. Performance-wise, the C10 struggles to match its rivals, especially regarding charging speed and range. Leapmotor Australia argues that the C10's pricing makes it relevant to buyers of conventional petrol-powered medium SUVs, such as the Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sportage.
Is the Leapmotor C10 Worth It?
The Leapmotor C10 presents an interesting blend of value, style, and tech, making it appealing to early adopters. Once you disable the tiresome driver-assist monitors, the C10 is a decent drive. However, it could be wise to give it some time before making a purchase, as the brand's reputation and adaptability in Australia remain uncertain.
But if you can't wait to be one of the first to own a Leapmotor C10, you'll find a surprisingly enjoyable ride with impressive value for its price-to-performance ratio, even if it means a bit of screen swiping to operate basic functions.
- The Leapmotor C10, an electric SUV, enters the Australian market through a partnership with Stellantis, offering two models with affordable prices similar to the Tesla Model Y.
- Technology features in the C10 include Vehicle to Load (V2L) capability, high-end computing power, multiple USB ports, Bluetooth, wireless smartphone charging, and Leapmotor's QD Link phone mirroring system.
- The C10's exterior design resembles a shrunken, rounded Porsche Cayenne from some angles, with LED auto headlights, a panoramic sunroof, and powered pop-out door handles among its features.
- Leapmotor's C10 competes with other electric SUVs, including the Zeekr X, Xpeng G6, Deepal S07, Kia EV5, and Tesla Model Y, offering a blend of value, style, and tech that appeals to early adopters. However, performance areas such as charging speed and range might require improvements for a more competitive edge.
