Leapmotor C10 review exposes infuriating safety systems

First offering from new Chinese manufacturer Leapmotor shows there is still work to be done.

Early signs were not good for the electric Leapmotor C10.

Most people would already be asking the question: “What’s Leapmotor”. The brand is one of a host of electric newcomers to the Australian market, which was founded as a start-up in China a decade ago but only began selling vehicles in 2019.

Controlling interest in Leapmotor International comes from the Stellantis group, which also owns the likes of Jeep, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Ram and Fiat.

Leapmotor has come to Australia as part of its intentions to become a big player globally.

Yet our first initiation with the new C10 mid-size SUV drew comparisons with some of the worst we’d ever driven. It was rivalling the likes of the GWM Stead, which was more agricultural than a tractor and the Proton Preve, that made sloths appear energetic.

Starting from less than $50,000 drive-away for the Style version, the C10 has a range of about 420km. Our family tested the top-spec Design model, which can be in your driveway for about $52,500.

What do you get?

Just opening the C10 is a different experience. You tap a credit card-size key on a small sensor mounted on top of the side mirror for unlocking and locking. Or you can use an app on your phone.

Modern minimalism is at the fore, with no buttons across the dash – just a massive 14.6-inch high resolution touchscreen which can change home screen images with a swipe of your finger. Among the other feature highlights are a 360-degree camera for easy parking, electric adjustable front seats, 10.25-inch LCD driver instrument display, 12-speaker stereo, concealed door handles and a panoramic sunroof.

The range-topping Design variant adds leather trimmed seats, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, power tailgate, multi-colour ambient lighting, 20-inch alloys (up from 18s) and a tailgate LED lightbar with lighting animation.

It also has vehicle-to-load functionality, so it can add energy to small devices like scooters or e-bikes.

White is the only colour which doesn’t attract an extra fee, with $990 premium options of green, two shades of grey, and black.

Warranty coverage is among the best at seven years, matching the likes of Kia, Skoda and GWM/Haval, but whereas others have unlimited kilometres the Leapmotor offerings are restricted to 160,000km. Five years roadside assist is also included.

Servicing costs are at the lower end of the scale with capped price maintenance available for the first eight, with long intervals of 20,000km or annual. The total cost for five would be $2000, with the lowest price $260 and the highest $495.

There are dealerships in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, with Leapmotor leveraging the Jeep, Alfa and Fiat network.

Modern minimalisation is the theme within the Leapmotor C10, with few very buttons, with the dash dominated by a gigantic touchscreen.

How was the drive?

Frustrating. From the moment you set off the array of beeps and bongs have the driver’s head on a swivel trying to see what’s going wrong.

Shift too close to white line on the road and you’re warned with a beep, travel above the signed speed limit and it goes again, same deal when engaging the cruise control. Yawn, and the driver detection system beeps every second for 15 seconds unless you hit “OK” on the central screen to tell it you’re not fatigued and are continuing without taking a break.

All the safety systems, which helped the C10 achieve a five-star rating from Australia’s safety authority ANCAP, can be turned off. But you have to undertake the task every drive as it resets when turned off.

Remove all the beeping, and the driving experience is quiet and unflustered. It’s not insanely quick like some electric vehicles (it will undertake 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds), and there is some throttle lag off the line, but the rear-wheel drive set up offers some confidence when in twisty terrain.

The steering can be vague on occasions and there is reasonable body roll if pushed too hard in the bends.

While there are several drive modes, the C10 does its best work in “eco” and it’s then perfect for daily driving without fanfare.

Our average consumption on test was a reasonable 16.7kWh/100km.

We use a standard home power point for charging, which would have taken more than 30 hours to get back up beyond 80% from near empty. Use a fast charger and it would do the same job in just under 50 minutes … which is slow compared to some rivals.

Locking and unlocking the Leapmotor C10 is undertaken by tapping a sensor on the side mirror, or via your smartphone.

Ride quality is reasonable, while the Leapmotor C10 is quiet on the road.

Would you buy one?

Kel: Surprisingly, while we were testing the C10 I was picked up by an Uber driver with the same vehicle. He’d had it for a couple of weeks and loved it for the practicality and cost. I can’t say the same … the constant bings and bongs drove me crazy. While the Uber driver turned off all those systems with every drive, I wouldn’t be prepared to make the same sacrifice. Lots of improvements would need to be made before I’d invest in a C10.

Grant: There are green shoots from this first foray into Australia (a hybrid has also just arrived), but there is still a lot of ground to make up. The interior has great space and functionality, but the lack of smartphone mirroring, annoying entry and exit strategy and the even more frustrating driver technology push Leapmotor to the back of the queue – even for the money. It’s well worth the extra investment to get a Tesla Model Y (from $59k) or a Kia EV5 (from $57k).