2025 Leapmotor C10 REEV review: Australian first drive

Electric cars are getting cheaper, but that does not mean cheap electric vehicles (EVs) are good.

Take, for example, the Leapmotor C10, a new Chinese-sourced mid-sized SUV that arrived in local showrooms around six months ago.

With an appealing price (from $45,888 before on-road costs) and the right shape and size to make a dent in the local market, it could be a viable option for those wanting to buy their first EV.

However, its overzealous driver safety system, uncommunicative chassis, and vague steering left a lot to be desired for in the driving stakes.

Now, Leapmotor has expanded the C10 line-up with the Range Extender Electric Vehicle (REEV) powertrain that is even more affordable.

Priced from $43,888 for the entry-level Style and $47,888 for the top-spec Design, the REEV variants sit $2000 downstream of their all-electric counterparts.

The Stellantis-backed Chinese brand is also promising to alleviate EV range anxiety with the C10 REEV, as a 1.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine is thrown into the mix.

As a range extender, only the electric motor powers the wheels, with the petrol engine coming into play to charge the battery when needed.

With a 28.4kWh battery size, which is smaller than its 69.9kWh BEV sibling, the C10 REEV will travel up to a claimed 170km (based on less-stringent NEDC figures) on a full charge before dipping into petrol power – but in the real world that number is closer to 110km.

This is still more than enough to cover most daily commutes, and it is reassuring to know you will not be stranded looking for a plug when the battery runs flat.

With that petrol engine coming into play, the C10 REEV boasts a combined driving range of 1150km (again, NEDC figures) – rivalling diesel-powered models for overall cruising distance before needing a bowser.

Find your nearest Leapmotor dealer here to check out the C10 REEV in the metal.

If you're looking for more pricing, specifications, and latest offers on the Leapmotor C10 range, click here.

Before all else, a problem pops up with that petrol engine – more than just the noise and drone it introduces into the cabin.

With the petrol engine charging the battery, it doesn’t exactly feel like an EV to drive. In fact, it drives exactly how you would expect a range extender to operate – that is a lag between the engine spooling up and charging the battery, and then driving the wheels.

On more than one occasion, the throttle pedal – no matter how heavily depressed – would not accelerate the C10 REEV any quicker.

In fact, from a mid-press all the way to being flat foot, the C10 felt power limited, and would only creep up in kilometres when the battery was low on charge.

In inner-city settings, this is more or less fine, but I experienced this on an freeway on ramp, which was annoying at best and dangerous at worst.

It underlines that this is not a hybrid SUV you should buy if you do not have access to a charger, and the driving experience is muted significantly without a high state of charge.

For reference, the C10 REEV is fitted with a 158kW/320Nm electric motor that drives the rear wheels, which is 2kW shy of the all-electric version's power output.

On paper, Leapmotor promises an 8.5-second 0–100km/h acceleration time, but in reality – unless the battery is topped up – performance feels muted.

Unfortunately for the C10 REEV, it is still essentially the same car as the C10 BEV, which means the same lacklustre driving dynamics.

The suspension, while comfortably soft, hardly transmits any feel back to the driver, with cornering akin to turning the wheel and hoping the body follows suit.

Speaking of steering, it is light – too light for my tastes – and while that's handy in inner-city conditions, it doesn't instil much confidence in the driver.

Steering can be firmed up a little in the drive settings, but even in its most aggressive mode, it still feels artificial and vague.

After a few days with the car, I was averaging an electric efficiency figure of 13kWh per 100 kilometres, while the petrol engine was using an average of 6.2L/100km – not the best figures for an EV or a hybrid, but given we did not have the time to test the overall range for the launch review, take these numbers with a grain of salt.

The advanced safety systems are also an issue with the C10, with the over-speed warning and driver attention alert being particularly overzealous.

Look, I get it, it's better that they are there in the first place and annoying, rather than not being there at all.

But still, it's particularly frustrating when the traffic sign recognition doesn't understand school zone signage or when you've passed roadworks and the speed has gone back up to 60km/h.

To be fair, both these problems are not Leapmotor specific, and I’ve experienced them in other brands and models, but the C10’s warning and alert system is very eager to tell drivers where it thinks they’ve made a mistake.

It's not all bad, though, because the price alone will get more than a few families interested.

Our test car was the top-spec Design priced at $47,888 before on-road costs, or currently on special for $49,900 drive-away.

That's the same price you would pay for base – or near entry-level – hybrid versions of the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage, all featuring less-advanced series-parallel hybrid powertrains.

The closest rival to the C10 REEV might be the Nissan X-Trail e-Power, which also only drives its wheels with electric power, and uses a small petrol engine to keep the battery charged.

However, you cannot plug the X-Trail e-Power into an outlet to recharge the battery, and it’s priced from $50,765 before on-road costs.

And for those still catching up with the fast-moving new-car market, Leapmotor is a relatively new Chinese car brand that has partnered with Stellantis (the conglomerate that controls Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, and others) for global sales and distributorship.

You also get a lot of car for your money with the Leapmotor C10 REEV.

While Leapmotor calls its C10 a mid-size SUV, it's larger than the segment designation would suggest.

Measuring 4739mm long, 1900mm wide, 1680mm tall, and with a 2825mm wheelbase, the C10 dwarfs most of its segment-sharing rivals and the result of that is ample interior space for the whole family.

I had two car seats in the back of the C10, leaving plenty of room for front passengers, while a particular standout is the head room offered to second-row passengers.

But the cavernous cabin space means there is a smaller-than-expected boot size for a car with these dimensions.

Pop the rear door and there is 546 litres of storage volume, which expands to 1375L with the rear seats stowed. While the boot space figures do not blow the competition out of the water, it is more than enough room for family paraphernalia and the daily carry.

And while the price of the C10 is relatively low, Leapmotor hasn’t skimped on the equipment list to get to that figure either.

As standard you get dual-zone climate control, a wireless smartphone charger, 12-speaker sound system, power-operated door handles, a 10.25-inch instrument cluster, power-adjustable front seats, and automatic wipers.

Handling multimedia is a 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen with built-in satellite navigation and 4G connectivity, but no support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

In terms of safety, the Leapmotor C10 includes seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, a driver attention monitor, and a surround-view monitor.

Stepping up to the Design grade adds 20-inch alloy wheels (replacing 18-inch wheels), an LED tail-light bar, synthetic leather seats, heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel, power-operated tailgate, rear privacy glass, multi-coloured interior ambient lighting, and an interior air quality monitor.

It has a lot of nice-to-have features for an extra $4000, but none of the additions are what I would call ‘essential’ for a new car in 2025.

The spec list is comparable to flagship versions of mid-sized SUVs from other brands, which are often $10,000 to $20,000 more expensive.

I will call out the special silicone leather on the seats, as they are lusciously soft and feel great to the hand or under thigh. I do wonder how they would wear over time, though, but cabin longevity is not in this review’s remit.

But while you get a lot of equipment for your spend, not all of it is good. It all works and functions as it should, but my displeasure stems from some strange design decisions.

For starters, the indicator stalks (which look ripped straight from a Mercedes-Benz) do not hold in place when indicating.

You also don't get a physical key fob, instead opening and closing the C10 is done with a credit-card-like NFC card that needs to be tapped on the driver's side door mirror. That meant it was annoying to load or unload the kids when I had to circle all the way round to the front of the car, and then back again before opening the rear passenger door.

Yes, owners can overcome this with a smartphone app and set up routines where the car will automatically lock after walking away, but wouldn’t a traditional key fob also achieve the same thing?

Also, when the car is unlocked, it defaults to turning on, but a gear cannot be selected until swiping the key card or phone in the wireless charger. This also means the car isn't off until locked, needing an additional step before walking away from the car.

The side mirror adjustment is also achieved through the infotainment touchscreen, the window switches are reversed so pushing up rolls the window down, the exterior boot release button is hidden in the tail-lights – I could go on, but you get my point.

My gripes with the Leapmotor C10 are not deal-breakers alone, but they do add up and result in an annoying owner experience.

And while a rival like Tesla – to a lesser or greater extent – does this too, at least the more polished driving experience makes up for the extra hurdles you need to overcome.

There are things to like about the C10 REEV, but the more you dig, the more you realise there are compromises.

Whether you can live with them, well, that's ultimately up to you, so go in with both eyes open and don’t think the C10’s affordable price makes it a slam dunk.

The C10 REEV looks great on paper, with impressive specs and an even more impressive price, but that old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ definitely holds true here.