First drive: Chinese Leapmotor hits the bullseye with T03 electric city car

Here’s a car that wants to push the dinky Dacia Spring out of the limelight, and become the best value electric car on sale. The rather blandly named T03 is an interesting little thing, and you quickly realise that its name is the only bland thing about it.

It’s a five-door city car which costs the same as a petrol-powered Kia Picanto and yet is fully electric and has a level of standard equipment that could make a far larger supermini blush.

Leapmotor is probably the perfect example of the speed at which Chinese electric car makers have come to prominence, as it only began life in 2015 and is now backed by one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world. And that backer is none other than Stellantis – the huge conglomerate that has the likes of Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall under its wing.

And that’s the USP here. While other UK-bound Chinese electric carmakers are scurrying to build dealerships and a brand image to woo Brits to buy their cars, Leapmotors (there’s also a second model available, a mid-sized elect SUV called C10) will be sold in select Stellantis dealerships. In other words, your local Vauxhall dealer could be selling Leapmotors – this will give customers peace of mind, believes the firm.

Lift up the tiny bonnet and you’ll find a similarly small electric motor, which pushes out a pretty punchy 94bhp. It gets its power from a 37.3kWh battery – and before you laugh at its size, it’s actually bigger than not just the Dacia Spring’s pack, but also the far larger (and costlier) Mazda MX-30’s. Leapmotor claims 165 miles on a full charge, which makes the T03 more than a car that’s suitable for just-town driving.

Charging is a little on the slow side as it can only take a 6.6kW charge from a home wallbox rather than the usual 7.2kW, and the maximum DC charging rate is 45kW – which, again, beats the Spring’s 30kW ability. The charging flap is also neatly located behind the front ‘grille’, which will make it easier to top up in cities.

That 94bhp gives the T03 a really urgent feel at low speeds, so much so that if you’re too enthusiastic with the throttle when exiting a tight corner the front wheels will spin. It really does zip along and doesn’t embarrass itself at motorway speeds, either. There’s no regenerative braking, which is unsurprising at this price, but what does surprise is that the T03 has disc brakes all-round. Even the ride is nicely controlled, with the suspension shrugging off lumps and bumps pretty well.

The steering is best in ‘Sport’ mode as if left in either of the two lesser modes the response is just too light, and be prepared for the frankly awful noise the car makes at speeds below 15mph – it sounds like an air raid siren.

If you’ve seen the other car Leapmotor is launching in the UK, the C10, you might wonder if the T03 is from the same company. It’s been on sale in China since 2020 and therefore has an older styling theme compared to the newer C10 (and the forthcoming range of UK-bound Leapmotors).

It has a faintly cutesy old Smart car vibe about it, but the desire to squeeze four people on board has given the T03 an oddly awkward look, particularly in side profile. Design isn’t the name of the game here though, with Leapmotor quite rightly focussing on more important things such as value for money and electric range.

It’s on the inside where you really do realise how good value for money the T03 really is. While Dacia reserves a touchscreen for its top-spec £16,995 version of Spring, here the T03 gets one as standard. And it’s a big unit – 10.1 inches and even comes with a sat nav thrown in.

The quality of the materials really belies the car’s price, and it’s pretty roomy considering the car’s exterior dimensions. There’s plenty of space up front, and even a couple of six-footers won’t feel uncomfortable in the back – although the front seats’ high-backed design does make it feel a little claustrophobic in the back. The only real let-down is the boot – it has an awkward opening, and its 210-litre capacity is trumped quite considerably by the Spring’s 308-litre boot.

You won’t have any trouble choosing your desired T03 as there’s only one specification – and it’s impressively well-equipped, too. The T03 has 15-inch alloy wheels, four electric windows, a panoramic glass roof (remarkably) with an electric sun blind, and electric and heated door mirrors. The only thing you have to choose yourself is one of the three body colours.

Having said that, though, it’s rather odd that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are left off the touchscreen’s list of features, and the lack of an adjustable steering wheel and a rear wiper would grate after a while.

Verdict

The T03 can’t lay claim to being the UK’s cheapest electric car as the Dacia Spring undercuts it by £1,000, but the little Leapmotor is far better value for money. Equipment levels are impressive, as is the range and passenger space – it even drives pretty well, too.

The elephant in the room, however, is that for similar money you can have a used Vauxhall Corsa Electric which feels far more grown up. But for those who would only consider a brand new car and want something efficient and well priced, the T03 is an impressive little car, plus it has the added peace of mind of being sold and looked after by your local Stellantis dealer.

• Model as tested: Leapmotor T03
• Price: £15,995
• Engine: Electric motor
• Power: 94bhp
• Torque: 159Nm
• Max speed: 81mph
• 0-60mph: 12.5 seconds
• Range: 165 miles
• Emissions: 0g/km