The Leapmotor C10 is a large EV with loads of space but some gaps in the spec sheet.
Last year, Stellantis moved quickly to introduce the Leapmotor brand to Malaysia, making us amongst the first markets outside of China to receive the C10 electric vehicle. It’s an interesting proposition – unfamiliar, new brand with the backing of a familiar legacy player. On paper, the Leapmotor C10 looks like it could be an instant hit.
It’s not just the partnership structure that seems to make sense. What’s also interesting is the product itself. At launch, the Leapmotor C10 was quite unique. It was larger than its price rivals and this put it in a league of its own. It also did many little things differently. We’ll explore this aspect a little more as we share our review of the car with you.
First, let’s talk about some specifications. There’s only one version of the Leapmotor C10 available in Malaysia, so you don’t have to worry too much about which trim level gives you the best value for money. This is a relatively modern electric vehicle featuring 2nd generation cell-to-chassis technology for better packaging and security. The single rear motor is mounted to the rear axle and provides a decent 218PS with suspension turning ‘optimised’ at Maserati’s test track. The battery pack allows for 477km of driving range on a full charge, going by the NEDC.
While DC fast charging speeds aren’t class-leading, getting the battery from 30% to 80% takes just 30 minutes. If you put the figures into an excel sheet with every other EV on sale in Malaysia, you’ll find that the Leapmotor C10 is not in the top 10 in terms of power, torque or range, but it’s not far off the leaders of the pack. Plus, if you factor in the RM10,000 promotional pricing, it slides further in front in terms of value.
There’s more good news when you look at the way the chassis unlocks some premium-level features. The USB-C charging port up front is capable of 60W charging – enough to keep the latest Macbook Pros fully charged WHILE working on the go. The C10’s structure has 42,500Nm/Deg of torsional rigidity and the engineers have paid special attention to keep noise levels low.
This includes using an ultra-quiet motor and 40 acoustic measures. The emphasis on sound doesn’t stop there. Leapmotor has included a 7.1 surround speaker set-up with 12-built-in speakers. The sound-system is completely in-house and not needing to pay a licensing fee for a major audio brand means the savings are passed on to the consumer. The emphasis on doing things in-house and delivering premium results can be observes with the range of ADAS features too. It’s pretty extensive:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Lane Centering Control (LCC)
- Traffic Jam Assist (TJA)
- Front Collision Warning (FCW)
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
- Door Opening Warning (DOW)
- Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
- Rear Collision Warning (RCW)
- Rear Cross-Traffic Alert And Braking (RCTA + RCTB)
- Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA)
- Driver Drowsiness Alert Warning (DDAW)
- Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW)
All that doesn’t really matter. Almost all Chinese EVs deliver objectively great value for money. The question is what are you getting and what are you giving up with this specific EV? In terms of drive, you’re getting just enough power and range to make for a decent mid-field EV. Acceleration is quick but not exciting.
Handling is decent for the size, but not particularly inspiring. Comfort is its biggest selling point despite its weight. It’s a decent driver, and I quite liked the size, shape and material used for the steering wheel (in contrast with the wheel used on the Xpeng G6). Overall, the way the car drives is nothing to write home about but hard to complain about too.
If you find yourself in the rear, you’ll probably be very happy with the C10. Seats are extra wide and you can easily transport 3 full sized adults in the rear and 2 more in front in relative comfort. It’s clear that the C10 put all its eggs in this particular ‘basket’ and perhaps to a number of buyers, this will be a big pull factor.
Consider just how many EVs will much smaller than their footprint suggests due to battery packs that eat up floor space and you’ll realise that the Leapmotor C10 is utterly unique in its packaging.
If you’ve got growing teenagers to transport or maybe are looking to be chauffeured around in quiet comfort, the Leapmotor C10 is a strong contender. Few EVs at this price point offer this much usable space.
Port selection is pretty strong as well. We like when a carmaker gives you a mix of USB type A and type C ports for charging and this is what you get here, both front and back.
It ticks futureproofing and reverse compatibility boxes, plus you have a wireless charging pad too as well as the aforementioned 60W USB-C charging port. Your devices will be well taken care of here.
There are some drawbacks to note. First of all, Leapmotor has completely omitted Apple Carplay and Android Auto from its infotainment system. We do not think that there is an update coming to remedy this, so you’ll have to make do with Bluetooth connectivity or the built-in Spotify app for music. For navigation and other Google-related services though, you’re stuck with native software. It works but it may not be what you prefer to use.
This is also one of those Chinese EVs that have opted to completely do away with physical buttons. Almost all vehicle functionality must be accessed through the touch screen and we don’t find this very intuitive. That being said it’s not a Leapmotor-exclusive issue. Plenty of its rivals have gone this route. What IS a Leapmotor-exclusive issue is the lack of a car key.
By default, the Leapmotor C10 comes with an NFC activity key. This essentially a card that fits in your wallet that must be physically tapped on the wing mirror to unlock the doors and placed on the wireless charging tray to start the vehicle. I believe that the idea is that it should serve as a backup with your smartphone serving as the primary key. Leapmotor showed us that the system works with the app in principle, but did not have it ready for us to test with our loaner unit. So the unit we got was 100% tied to the NFC activity key. It was not the best experience, especially when contrasted against the Xpeng G6 where smartphone connectivity was encouraged on our loaner unit and a regular key fob was supplied as the primary key.
That being said, I appreciated some of the choices made in this cabin. The seat upholstery in particular was the most supple feeling artificial leather I’ve ever come across. They’ve also gone for a subtle purple hue that works quite nicely with the ambient lighting in purple.
In conclusion, the Leapmotor C10 is a pretty competitive electric vehicle with usable range, decent performance and LOADS of space on offer. Many may have reservations due to the unfamiliarity with the brand the slow roll-out of Stellantis Malaysia’s EV strategy. The real concern should be with what the two main rivals have to offer. Spend a bit more and you have the Xpeng G6 that has the Leapmotor C10 beat in terms of charging speed, battery chemistry options, tech and design. On the cheaper side of things there’s the Proton e.MAS 7, which also lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but has a plan to implement those features in future. If saving money or getting a more robust feature set is your priority, the C10 has to really work hard to earn your Ringgit. However if it’s just sheer space for occupants you’re after, the C10 has its niche covered.
2024 Leapmotor C10 Specifications
Motor: Single Motor (RWD)
Range: 424km
Battery: 69.9kWh
Charging Speed: 84kWh DC (30-80% in 30 minutes), 6.6kW AC
Max power: 218PS
Max torque: 320Nm
Top Speed: 170 km/h
0-100 km/h: 7.5 seconds
Selling Price: RM159,000 (promo pricing might apply)
