Leapmotor reveals UK pricing for Dacia Spring and Tesla Model Y rivals
Leapmotor International has launched its first cars in the UK, including the country’s second-cheapest electric car.
The joint partnership between Stellantis and China’s Leapmotor will begin selling the T03 city car and C10 D-segment SUV before the end of the year.
The T03 is priced from £15,995, making it the second-cheapest electric car on sale, behind the Dacia Spring. Like the Spring, the T03 is a compact five-door, four-seat city car – measuring 3.62m by 1.65m, with a 210-litre boot.
Also like the Spring, the T03 offers relatively modest power and range, but the extra £1,000 for the Leapmotor brings improvements over the Dacia.
Its 37.3kWh battery is around 10kWh larger than the Dacia’s and offers an extra 25 miles of range, taking the T03 up to 165 miles between charges. A 94bhp motor also offers 30bhp more than the higher-grade Spring, resulting in a slightly better 0-62mph time of 12 seconds.
Like the Spring, some of the savings are found on the technology front, with DC charging limited to just 48kW, but unlike entry-level Springs, a 10.1-inch connected central touchscreen, panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control and air conditioning are among standard features.
The C10 is a large D-SUV, intended to offer a cheaper alternative to models such as the Tesla Model Y, Ford Explorer and Kia EV6. Priced from £36,500, it uses a 69.9kWh battery and a single 215bhp motor. That offers a range of 261 miles, DC charging of 84kW and 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds.
The C10 comes in just one trim level and standard features include a 10.25-inch instrument panel, a 14.6-inch touchscreen, a panoramic sunroof and 12-speaker sound system.
Leapmotor International is a joint venture, majority owned by Stellantis, which aims to bring boost Leapmotor’s standing in its native China and bring its affordable EV models to the European market.
It plans to launch a new model every year for the next three years, offering a car in every model segment by the end of 2027, and aims to have 350 retailers across Europe, including 50 in the UK, backed by Stellantis’s broad dealer network.
