Leapmotor C10 RE EV

FIRST DRIVE Range-extender powertrain offers useful flexibility, but there's still work to be done

- Ellis Hyde [e-mail]

LEAPMOTOR isn't the first Chinese car maker to come to the UK hoping to make it big, and it won't be the last, but there are some things that set this new arrival apart from the rest. The biggest is that it's backed by Stellantis, which also owns household names such as Vauxhall.

Leapmotor has said it will launch six electrified cars here by 2027, and is plotting to go after the core segments for Europeans such as city cars and family hatchbacks, plus small and mid-size SUVs.

That's where the Leapmotor C10 comes in. We first encountered it as an electric family SUV and found it to be a promising entry in a jam-packed class. But among its shortcomings were a 263-mile range and slow 84kW charging capabilities.

Leapmotor has responded by adding a range-extender powertrain to increase the theoretical distance between top-ups to more than 600 miles. It should considerably broaden the car's appeal.

In place of the pure-electric version's 69.9kWh battery, the C10 REEV has a smaller 28.4kWh pack that offers 90 miles of zero-emissions driving, plus a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Leapmotor says it emits just 10g/km of CO2, and its only job is to generate energy for the electric motor and battery.