I Drove Stellantis’ Chinese Electric SUV That Rivals Tesla For Just $30K

Many of the new electric car manufacturers emerging from China are sub-brands of major conglomerates, such as Geely, Chery, GAC, and GWM, among others. Leapmotor is a little different. Just like Nio and Xpeng, it was formed as an independent startup in 2015, eager to crack into the then-emerging electric vehicle space.

That independence shifted somewhat in 2023, when Stellantis acquired a 20 percent stake in the company for $1.8 billion. The following year, the two formed a joint venture, giving the group a 51 percent share and exclusive rights to export, sell, and build Leapmotor EVs outside China.

The brand’s first model, the S01, was unveiled in late 2017, and like so many other Chinese cars launched before 2020, it wasn’t what anyone would consider desirable. However, the EV space has made significant progress since then, as has Leapmotor, which now boasts several interesting models in its lineup. One of them is the C10.

First unveiled in late 2023, the C10 arrived in Europe and Australia in late 2024, serving as a direct rival to the Tesla Model Y, Geely EX5, and Kia EV5. Can it possibly be any good?

QUICK FACTS

Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops

Any new entrant into the EV market has to be priced competitively if it wants buyers to take notice, so it’s a good thing Leapmotor has done just that with the C10. In Australia, it’s sold with a single EV powertrain and a newly-launched range-extender EV option, combining a 28.4 kWh battery and a 1.5-liter petrol engine. We recently lived with the flagship C10 Design with the BEV powertrain.

Prices for the EV start at AU$45,888 (~$30,100) for the entry-level Style and rise to AU$49,888 (~$32,800) for the C10 Design, before on-road costs. Factor those in, and you’re looking at around AU$55,000 (~$36,100). That undercuts the base Kia EV5 by about AU$2,000 (~$1,300) and the Tesla Model Y by nearly AU$10,000 (~$6,600).

All BEV C10 feature the same 69.9 kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a single electric motor. This motor delivers 215 hp (160 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque. It drives the rear wheels, unlike the single-motor Kia EV5, which is front-wheel drive. Leapmotor quotes a driving range of 420 km (261 miles) on a charge, which is okay, but not great. Charging is sub-par, as DC rates max out at 84 kW, meaning you’ll need 30 minutes to charge from 30-80%.

Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops

A Typical EV Cabin

The interior of the Leapmotor C10 is just about as minimalist as you can get. Just like a Tesla, as well as pretty much every other new EV coming out of China, the cabin is dominated by a large central infotainment display that measures 14.6 inches and is joined by a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.

The infotainment system is excellent. While it frustratingly doesn’t support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the software is very quick and offers every function you could ever dream of. You can choose from a variety of backgrounds, access important interior and exterior functions directly from the screen, and use it to adjust features like the wing mirrors. Just like a Tesla, then.

Leapmotor’s designers have also adopted the Tesla approach in not adding any physical buttons, switches, or dials, which is a shame. So, you have to dive into the screen to change things like the HVAC settings, which can be a nuisance on the move. It also leaves the interior feeling very bland and lacking in personality.

Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops

Simple, Yet Plush

With that being said, Leapmotor’s choice of materials at this price point has to be commended. The dashboard, seats, door panels, center console, and floating console are all trimmed in smooth synthetic leather that certainly feels more premium than some of the scratchy plastics found in Kia’s EV5. However, the orange finish of our test vehicle was a little too bright for our taste.

Other welcome touches include a wireless phone charger, some metallic speaker grilles, and a panoramic glass roof, which, unlike in a Tesla, includes a sunshade. Overall, the cabin feels very spacious, and there’s plenty of leg and headroom for adults in the second row. However, I wasn’t a fan of the front seats as they lacked any form of lumbar support. On the other hand, the seats do have heated and ventilated functions, which is a plus.

Elsewhere, all C10 models come with a solid 12-speaker audio system, DAB+ digital radio, a heated steering wheel, configurable ambient lighting, and rear privacy glass. There’s also a voice assistant you can ask to open the windows or the sunshade.

Security Quirks

You can gain access to the C10 in one of two ways. The first option is to use the provided keycard and tap it on the driver’s side wing mirror. The second (and easier) option is to sync the car with the Leapmotor app, meaning it’ll automatically unlock when your phone approaches and lock it when you leave.

Review: Why The Kia EV5 Makes More Sense Than A Model Y

To start the C10, you must either place the keycard on the charging pad or enter a PIN code. This may seems like an unnecessary step. After all, if the keycard is already inside, why does it need to be placed on an NFC reader? It does, however, provide a second level of security, in case a bad actor scans your keycard’s frequency to get access to unlock the car and get access to the cabin.

Once the startup procedure is done, it’s just like pulling away in plenty of other EVs, as there’s no Start/Stop button. Pull the column shifter into Drive or Reverse, and you’re away. It all works very smoothly, but perhaps the only downside is that while you can pull away within seconds, the infotainment screen takes around 10 seconds to load.

Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops

Driving the C10 for the first time, I was impressed with the visibility and the smoothness provided by the throttle and brake pedals. However, I was shocked by how remarkably the light steering is in its Comfort setting. You can literally steer the C10 with a single finger. Some may like that, but others won’t. I quickly switched the weight of the steering into Sport mode and much preferred it. Then the chimes started.

Not-So-Safety Systems

Like so many other vehicles we’ve tested from China, some of the C10’s safety and warning systems can become tiresome. For one, the driver monitoring system will start ringing if you look at the central display for a couple of seconds, or even glance in the mirror. I performed an over-the-air software update during my time with the C10 that should have fixed this, but didn’t.

The warnings don’t stop there. There’s an overbearing speed limit warning known as the ‘Intelligent Speed Assistance.’ Plenty of other cars have these warnings nowadays, but most only start ringing when you exceed the speed limit by a certain margin. In the C10, a woman’s voice blares through the speakers, telling you you’ve just exceeded the posted speed limit by 2 km/h. The lane warning and emergency lane warning assistant features are also prone to mistakes, chiming even if you’re right in the center of the lane.

Fortunately, all of these systems can be disabled in the settings, but you’ll have to do it every time you get behind the wheel, which is not ideal. It’s also wise to disable the live traffic setting in the built-in navigation system because if it detects that there’s traffic merging from the left or the right, the woman’s voice returns, nagging you again each and every time.

The Good

Once these systems are disabled, the C10 actually reveals itself to be a very good all-rounder. It has been well damped for a heavy SUV, ironing out bumps valiantly and remaining surefooted regardless of the road surface. I also liked the rear-wheel drive setup, as it means the C10 doesn’t suffer from any of the torque steer of the Kia EV5.

Leapmotor offers Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Custom drive modes, as well as a one-pedal driving. I found Eco to be far too docile, as you really have to plant your foot on the throttle for it to start moving. Sport was my pick. Frustratingly, the one-pedal mode can only be engaged when you’re stopped and place the C10 into Park, so it’s not something you can enable on the fly like in many other EVs.

Cruising around town in the C10 is a delight. It’s whisper quiet at slow speed and feels smaller than it really is. A slight annoyance is that above 70 km/h (43 mph) or so, a faint whistling sound starts to slightly intrude into the cabin, perhaps from the roof rails. But if you’re listening to music, you won’t notice it at all.

Efficiency is good, but certainly not class-leading. Leapmotor quotes 19.8 kWh/100 km, but I averaged 17 kWh/100 km during my time with it. As mentioned, DC charging is below average, topping out at a peak of just 84 kW. But for those who can charge at home, that won’t be much of an issue.

Verdict

Leapmotor does have quite a mountain to climb. It must produce vehicles to not only rival brands within long-standing, and thus much more experienced, Chinese conglomerates but also several legacy automakers. It has, nevertheless, done a good job with this model.

While the range and the charging leave a little to be desired, the C10 does what an EV should. It’s comfortable, easy to drive, spacious, and feels fresh and modern. However, those shopping for a vehicle with personality will be disappointed, as the C10 lacks it. Then again, the same can be said for most EVs these days, as driver engagement is not exactly a priority for either buyers or manufacturers and cars like Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N are the exception, not the norm.

Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops