Leapmotor T03 launched as UK’s second-cheapest electric car

Chinese EV brand Leapmotor has arrived in the UK, claiming its C10 family SUV and T03 city car are the best-value propositions in their respective segments.

Priced at £15,995, the T03 is the UK’s second-cheapest electric car, just £1000 above the rival Dacia Spring. Both cars are four-seaters similar in size to the Kia Picanto but higher-riding, due to their underbody batteries.

The T03 offers more standard kit, however. Whereas the entry-level Spring goes without an infotainment display, the T03 gets a 10.1in touchscreen. This is responsible for almost all secondary functions, such as the climate and media controls.

The T03’s battery is larger, too, at 37.3kWh compared with the equivalent Spring’s 26.8kWh. That allows it to eke out an extra 26 miles of range per charge, according to the WLTP test cycle, rating it at 165 miles in total.

It also has the edge over the Spring in outright performance, with its 94bhp motor dispatching the 0-62mph sprint in 12.7sec. The 44bhp Spring takes 19.7sec, while the 64bhp version (priced in line with the T03, at £15,995) takes 13.7sec.

It can be charged at a rate of 48kW on a DC power supply – going from 30-80% in 36 minutes – or at 6.6kW on AC.

The T03 is also fitted with a range of driver assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and blindspot detection.

Like the Spring, its software can be updated over the air, meaning it’s possible for Leapmotor to add extra features and functionality to existing cars as time goes on.

Meanwhile, the C10 is positioned as an alternative to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Tesla Model Y. It will be offered in one specification, priced at £36,500.

It gets a 69.9kWh battery pack and a 215bhp motor, yielding a range of 261 miles and a 0-62mph time of 7.5sec. It can be charged at up to 84kW, meaning a 30-80% recharge takes half an hour.

Inside, it features a 10.25in digital instrument display and a large 14.6in infotainment touchscreen that, like in the T03, hosts the controls for the majority of the car’s main functions. 

Both cars will be sold by Leapmotor International, a new joint venture between Leapmotor and multinational car-making giant Stellantis, with ownership split 49:51. 

Although production of the T03 has already started at the former Fiat 500 plant in Tychy, Poland, all UK-bound Leapmotors will be imported from China.

Order books will open next month, with the first deliveries slated to begin in December.

Leapmotor will reveal a third model, the B10 SUV, at the upcoming Paris motor show.