Electric cars are getting free now

Electric cars are still very expensive. But the gap is narrowing, and the vehicles in China have led the charge. One of those Chinese brands is Leapmotor, who arrived in the EU in October 2024. Now it has also begun in the UK, promising to set a new level for affordability and quality. I took the first two models of leapmotor for a test.

Leapmotor: Not all another Chinese brand

Leapmotor is not the same as other Chinese automotive EVs such as Xpeng and Byd, because 51% of the international wing is owned by Stellantis (European Conglomerate owns only 21% of the Chinese local company). While one of the UK launched cars will be sent from China (C10), the cheapest, T03 is made in Tychy, Poland. So, in theory, it should avoid tariffs in Europe, no matter where tax heads in these troubled economic times.

Leapmotor will sit along with the other eight marks of Stellantis in its stores (60 by the end of the first half of 2025), and will benefit from the wide network of company maintenance centers. Stellantis claims there should be 95% of the availability of parts in Europe, where other Chinese manufacturers have problems with their cars quickly when they go wrong. The truth of these assertions will remain to be seen until cars reach the British roads in March. But being immune from nearby tariff wars certainly gives leapmotor an integrated stability.

Both cars launched in the UK so far sit at different edges of the market. One is an ultra -free superminine chapel imaginatively called T03. The other is a SUV of segment D (for which Leapmotor argues is priced at the same level as a vehicle smaller than segment C) called C10. Both have premium features and the possibility of challenging their respective sections of the EV market, but T03 is more important. There are few electric cars available for below £ 20,000 ($ 25,000), and most are just short -range city runs. Now there is a competition in this price bracket.

Leapmotor T03 directed test

T03 is not the cheapest EV for sale in the UK. This is still the spring of Dacia, which starts with £ 14,995 (19,000 dollars). However, out of the three spring versions you can buy, the T03 sits in the middle, with a specification that is higher than any of them. Dacia Spring Electric 65 combines a 65 kF engine and 26.8kwh battery, giving it 140 miles of WLTP interval. Only the extreme version has an infotainment screen, and this costs £ 16,995 ($ 21,500).

In contrast, a specific T03 leapmotor is proud of a 46% more powerful 95 kf and 39% larger 37.3kwh battery. This means it offers a 165 -mile WLTP range. The T03 also comes with alloy wheels, an infotainment screen 10.1in, the sun and automatic air conditioner. The basic pricing is £ 15,995 ($ 20,000), placing it directly against the Dacia Spring Expression Electric 65, who lacks all these beauties. Non -white paint choices for both cars are £ 650 ($ 800), though spring is most likely here (five colorful updates vstet Blue and Silver for T03).

I cannot blame Dacia’s spring for value and usability. I drove one in Germany last year and found it an impressive practical tool for money. But it is clearly a budget machine, with the door cards bending when pressing them. Leapmotor T03, while not exactly a high -level premium, feels a cut on this in terms of construction quality. Views are a matter of taste for both, but T03 has few of the Fiat 500 for it.

T03 is not a big car. There is a lot of space in the front to grow even reasonable long, but the back is more stuck. A long adult will feel a little claustrophobic sitting after another long adult at the front, though the sun will ease it slightly. Dacia’s spring is not the best in this regard. An area where T03 falls after spring, however, is in the capacity of the rear load, with 210 liters compared to 308 liters of spring. This figure is also low in its class. The capacity extends to only 508 liters with the rear places down, but spring offers 1,004 liters.

Spring drives perfectly well for a city car, but the T03 is cut over it with its extra power. It reaches 62 km / h in 12.7 seconds, which is really pedestrian for an EV. However, the Dacia car is still slower, taking 13.7 seconds even with the 65HP version. T03 feels good on roads A and highways, especially if you put it in sport mode.

During my testing, in very cold weather, I reached 3.8 miles per kWh, which would be equated with a real world range of 141 miles. This will not be great for long -distance trips, though they will be ready to be possible. DC charging is only at 48KW, so it takes 36 minutes to move from 30% to 80%, while home charging in a unit of 7kw lasts just over six hours from zero to complete. If you have tried to drive a long road, you will probably have to stop every hour and a half for at least 30 minutes to lift up.

While the T03 does not yet have an EURO NCAP rating, there is a good chance that this will be good when it arrives because the level of security technology is good. The ten ADAS functions include the detection of blind spots, the launch warning and even adaptive navigation control. There is also a good posterior parking camera.

It is excellent that has an involved infotainment screen, and at 10in is not small. However, it sits low on the dashboard, so your hand at the steering wheel obscures some of them. There is a good tied satnav, but Apple Carplay and Android Auto are not supported. Air condition controls are also exclusively functioned by the touch screen, and the interface is bold, making the change of settings complicated while driving.

This brings us back to the price. You will be able to rent T03 for 199 pounds per month with only a £ 199 fee, making this an extremely accessible EV for almost any income level. Spring Dacia already placed electric lids among the free internal combustion alternatives such as Kia Picanto, Hyundai I10 and Toyota Aygo. But Leapmotor T03 sits in the same space, with more features, better performance and better range. Despite little niggles, it gets EV to a new level of affordability.

Leapmotor C10 Test I run

The other car leapmot has started in the UK so far, C10, is less revolutionary. In terms of price, it sits along with an increasingly crowded market for medium-sized SUVs and intersections. However, Leapmotor has again provided a high level of money equipment, with only a decorated level costing £ 36,500 ($ 46,000) and £ 700 ($ 900) for paint updates. This is a little more expensive than Chinese competitor Omeoda E5, but highlights the alternatives of Kia Niro Electric, Byd Atto 3 and Volkswagen Group.

There is a lot of passenger space in front and back, aided by a panoramic sun as standard. The rear load space is not a class leader, simply acceptable, with 435 liters and 1,410 liters with the back seats down. There are some lids that approach these figures, such as the Volkswagen ID.3.

Specification of management is what you would expect at this price. The engine offers 218HP, and the battery has a 69.9kwh capacity, giving a 263 mile WLTP range. C10 Sprint at 62mp in 7.5 seconds, which is also at the same time with a car in this class. In sport mode, it has a lot of quarrel to overcome and travel quality is good. I reached 3.4 miles per kwh while driving to the test, equating 237 miles of real world range. However, charging DC reaches only 84kw. Leapmotor cites 30 minutes for 30% to 80%, but the most common 10% to 80% can approach 45 minutes, which will begin to be torn in longer trips.

There are many premium touches like hidden door gloves, alloy wheels 20in and a heat pump as standard. Alongside that panoramic sun, you extract front and ventilated seats, which are also regulated electrical. There are glass of intimacy and a hand tail that can be opened with a stroke gesture. The 14.6in touch screen has a more rounded interface than T03 and is responsible, but again there is no support for Apple Carplay or Android Auto, which will be a disappointment for many.

Unlike T03, the C10 had its EURO NCAP rating, and it received five insurance stars. Adaptive navigation control involves the aid of traffic blocking, and there is a rear traffic alarm (useful if you are being supported by poor visibility). During my test movement, some of the security options were very interventional and needed disability – an increasingly common problem – but after the experience was done it was calm.

Leapmotor C10 does not make such a bold statement as T03. Still still a promising opportunity, but there are many competitors and MG is ready to start an updating in extremely popular and high -priced ZS. So it faces some strong alternatives, despite providing a comprehensive and premium scale specification for money.

Can Leapmotor be thrown at competition?

Leapmotor has made a bold entry into the UK market. T03 gets ultra affordable up to a bar in quality, and C10 also looks good value. A third car, B10, is set to reach the UK by the end of 2025. It was already on the show at the UK launch. Then Leapmotor plans to release two more vehicles in 2026, and another in 2027, bringing the range to six.

What happens to the mandate of zero broadcasting, second -hand prices for EV, and import fees, displacement in electric vehicles is continuing without regard. In particular, Leapmotor T03 reduces any price differentiation between EV and internal combustion equivalents, while C10 piles on competition in the popular SUV market of the middle range. These are good signs that the adoption of electric vehicles will continue to increase in recent years in 2025 and beyond.