Leapmotor C10 review: A spacious electric SUV

I’ll provide some background on Leapmotor below, but the first thing you need to know is that the C10 qualifies for a Cat A COE, and at over 4.7m long and 1.9m wide, it’s one of the largest Cat A cars you can buy. Numbers tell just part of the story, but as you’ll see from the photos and videos below, it’s positively roomy, which could make it an attractive proposition if space is your number one priority. 

Play

Who is Leapmotor?

Leapmotor may be one of the newest brands in Singapore, but it has a big following in its homeland of China. It shipped over 50,000 cars in March, and was the best-selling marque in China for the month. Today, it’s firmly one of the best-selling brands in China – a remarkable achievement considering the company only sold its first car in 2019. 

To fuel expansion outside its home country, in 2023, it teamed up with Stellantis – the parent company of brands like Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Peugeot, and more. And the C10 that you see here is the first fruit of that partnership. It’s the first Leapmotor and Stellantis product that was designed for the global market, which is why it’s here in Singapore.

Styling

The first thing you’ll notice about the C10 is its size – particularly its 20-inch wheels. Cat A cars used to be petite little things, but electrification has turned that notion on its head. The C10 is about the same size as the current-generation versions of the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLB. As I said, it’s one of the largest Cat A cars you can find.

The styling, as is the case with most Chinese EVs, is relatively generic – if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Still, I think it looks mostly agreeable, and the colour that you see here, Glazed Green, suits it well. 

The test car came with Carmel Brown interior, which adds much-needed pizzazz to the overall package. It’s a good match for the green exterior. Those who find it too flashy can opt for the more conservative black. The interior is well-trimmed, and crucially, looks and feels more expensive than the C10’s price tag suggests. On the whole, it feels like a cosy place to seat in.

Practicality

But looks are probably not the main reason why anyone would want a C10. Where the C10 excels is in the practicality it offers. As I’ve said, it’s a huge car. At a smidge over 4.7m long and 1.9m wide, it’s comfortably one of the largest Cat A cars you can buy. This means there are loads of space. Along with the soft and well-padded seats, it’s palatial in the back. And in the front, you have ventilated seats.

The only downer is that boot space is probably smaller than you’d expect for a car of this size. Partly it’s because Leapmotor has decided to prioritise space for the passengers over boot space. Also, most EVs have higher boot floors to accommodate batteries. Even so, Leapmotor claims a carrying capacity of 435L, and it looks like it should suffice for most families. And you have the option to fold the rear seats down to increase the boot capacity to around 1,400L. There’s also a 32L frunk at the nose that seems like a good place to put your takeout without worrying about it being flung across the cabin.

Play

If you need a car with a larger boot, you’ll be better off with ICE alternatives because they don’t have to sacrifice boot space for batteries. Even though the C10 is roughly the same size as an X3 or GLB, the latter two cars have a boot space of around 560L – nearly 30% larger. In fact, the C10’s boot is only roughly the same size as a Kia Niro Hybrid’s, which is a physically much smaller car than the C10.

How is it to use?

The driving environment is sparse even by modern-day Chinese EV standards. There’s a steering wheel and two large and sharp displays, and that’s about it – even the aircon vents are hidden. The only buttons I found, apart from those on the steering wheel, are those by the door handle which control the side windows. 

There are two ways to access and control the various features of the C10. The most obvious one is to use the display. Even though the interface is fairly intuitive, tapping away on the screen isn’t the most convenient or safe, especially if you are on the move. The second way is to use the C10’s voice commands, which is one of the most frustrating things I’ve done in the car, because it’s incapable of carrying out even simple commands. It appears you need to say very specific words for it to work.

I suppose most buyers will eventually get over these shortcomings. After all, almost all new cars these days are overly reliant on their touchscreen displays and voice assistants for controls. What’s perhaps the most glaring thing about the C10 is the lack of native support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The test car used a USB dongle to get around this problem, and to be fair, it works well. But I wonder how many customers are ok with that in a new car purchased in 2026.

How does it drive?

To qualify for a Cat A COE, the single motor that powers the rear wheels produces 134hp and 320nm of torque. Unsurprisingly, it’s the latter figure that dominates the driving experience. Despite weighing nearly two tons, it’s sprightly off the line. But don’t be fooled into thinking that it has any sporting credentials. It’s not keen to change directions, and there’s an almost disconcerting amount of body roll if you take a bend too quickly. 

The C10 is more comfortable going straight, and happily, the ride is good. It irons out imperfections in the road capably, and it’s well insulated from both road and wind noises. It’s an extremely pleasant cruiser. What’s also commendable is Leapmotor’s decision to give users the ability to adjust the level of regenerative braking.

How efficient is it?

The official power consumption figure from Leapmotor is 18.8kWh/100km, but I managed better during my time with the C10. In my 24 hours with the car, I travelled nearly 170km doing a mix of highway and city driving and got a return of 13.3kWh/100km. That’s significantly better than the Leapmotor’s claims and also means it’s one of the most efficient EVs I’ve tested so far. This is remarkable considering its size and weight.

Given that it has a battery capacity of about 70kWh, this means most owners should be able to get a range of close to 500km if they fully deplete the batteries. If they use it more conservatively and refrain from fully charging and emptying the batteries, a range of around 380km should be achievable. It has a maximum AC and DC charging rate of 11kW and 84kW, respectively. Leapmotor says that at its maximum charging rate, it can charge from 30% to 80% in 30 minutes. There are cars that charge faster, but this is still a reasonable pace.

Final thoughts

Overall, those who value space will find that there are few cars in this price category that are as capacious. And on the topic of money, the C10 is attractively priced. At the time of writing, it’s S$179,999 (inclusive COE) – that’s about the same or less than cars like the BYD Atto 3 and Dongfeng Vigo, both of which are substantially smaller. Space and price aside, the ride is comfortable, and the range is commendable. This is a very practical family car.

But it’s not without its flaws. You’ll probably get annoyed every time you get in the car and find that you don’t have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And the voice assistant will most likely get on your nerves with its inability to understand simple commands. But at least you’ll be doing it in a large, comfy car with oodles of space, and one that you paid a good price for.

Availability and pricing

The Leapmotor C10 is available now and prices start at S$179,999. For more information, visit Leapmotor.

Note: Prices are correct at the time of publishing and may change depending on the COE.