2026 Leapmotor B10 review
This European-tuned machine promises to shake up the small car establishment when it hits showrooms in 2026.
This affordable electric car flips conventional wisdom upside down. Prevailing thought suggests a bargain EV from a new brand might be a bit rubbish, and by that logic the Leapmotor B10 should be complete trash. Except it isn’t.
Instead, it’s proof that the part-Stellantis-owned Chinese brand listens, reacts and learns fast and that its low price of $38,990 drive-away for the base Style is far from being reflective of its talents.
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Slotting into Leapmotor’s line-up below its sole mid-size C10 SUV offering, the first surprising thing about the B10 is the “small” SUV’s generous proportions.
Measuring in at 4.5m long, it’s just 90mm shorter than its big brother, allowing Leapmotor to claim class-best levels of cabin space, with plenty of head- and legroom in the second row and a decent-sized rear boot.
Within, the B10’s cabin design also looks a cut above what you might expect at this price point, with chunky design detailing and liberal use of chrome on the vents and dash that raise the impression of quality.
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Dragging down its smart looks is the liberal use of cheap-feeling plastics, but at least there’s more good news when it comes to what Leapmotor has thrown in for the price tag.
Ignore the puny 18-inch rims and even the base Style gets LED headlights, a fixed panoramic roof with an electric blind, climate control, a wireless phone charger, digital key, 360-degree camera, plus a large 14.6-inch infotainment that’s combined with an 8.8-inch digital dash.
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That sounds a lot of free kit, but we’d still be tempted to spend $3000 for the range-topping Design Long Range. Not least because it adds electric heated seats and steering wheel, plus a more-powerful 12-speaker sound system and swaps out the Style’s 56.2kWh battery (good for a claimed 361km range for a larger 67.1kWh that can cover up to 434km on a charge.
Whichever you choose, both come with the same 160kW/240Nm rear e-motor that sees the small SUV launch from 0-100km/h in a sprightly 8.0 seconds, but the version with the bigger battery can be topped up at up to 168kW with a DC fast-charge (versus 140kW for the smaller battery), equating to a 30 to 80 per cent top up in less than 20 minutes.
Part-owned by Stellantis, Leapmotor claims it remains the most European-centric Chinese brand and, to prove it, the B10 has had a ride and handling tune honed with help from engineers at Alfa Romeo.
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Similar claims were made about the firm’s earlier SUV but the B10 really does feel like it has benefited this time. The ride is smooth and cosseting, the steering precise and the brake pedal response lacking any of the artificial weirdness of the C10.
It’s not all good news. Leapmotor’s lack of experience developing cars for Australian tastes shows with some of the tech.
The large infotainment that will soon be offered with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (something the C10 lacked from launch), is crystal clear, fast and reactive to touch but not as intuitive as it should be.
The digital instrument cluster also fails to impress as it’s too easily obscured when you steer into a bend, while the driver assist tech is so hyperactive on real roads, it verges on the infuriating. Leapmotor says further tuning could bring an over-the-air fix but claims the lane keep assist and driver fatigue monitoring has already undergone significant Euro calibration.
Priced to undercut the likes of the MG S5 EV and Chery E5, it’s only a matter of time in Australia’s crowded marketplace before the new Leapmotor B10 loses its cheapest electric SUV title but, even without it, the new entrant is still worth considering, especially if they fix the driver assist tech.
It’s a likeable, cheap, if not especially cheerful EV that comes loaded with kit and is even decent to drive. In other words it’s far from being the bum note you might have expected at this price.
LEAPMOTOR B10
PRICE: $38,990 plus on-roads
MOTOR: Electric, 160kW/240Nm
WARRANTY/SERVICING: Six years/150,000 km and eight years/160,000km, 12 months/20,000km
RANGE: 434km
CARGO: 430 litres
SPARE: Repair kit
Originally published as 2026 Leapmotor B10 review
