Leap Motor C10 Design 2025 Review

Leap Motor C10 leaps in most areas but limps through others.

Leap Motor C10 Design was the car that I test drove this week. To clarify, the C10 comes in two models with the Leap Motor C10 Style and the Leap Motor C10 Design, the Design being the premium model.

This is another Large Electric SUV that we’re seeing coming from Chinese EV manufacturers. While not a Tesla, the C10 has most of the bells and whistles you’d come to expect from an EV at a reasonable price of $49,888 MLP.

The Good	The Not-So-Good
Customisable ride	Lack of android auto & Apple carplay
Large amount of space	Lack of features on the key
Smooth ride	Constant beeping and intrusive safety features

What does the Leap Motor C10 Design look like?

The Leap motor C10 comes with a bland and generic design, trying to please everyone and offend no one. Although the car looks boxy from far away but up close you notice the subtle curves on the body more. In addition to it’s large width and profile, the car takes on stocky look to it, that’s accentuated by it’s simple curves at the front. The width on the car is comparable more to a 4WD than a SUV.

The car comes to life with the lights on. This is evident with sharp headlights at the front, the soft glow of the taillight in the back and a pulsing of LED lights from the interior trim lighting.

Consequently, the Design model that we drove came with 20inch black alloy rims while if you get the Style version, you get 18 inch alloys. Furthermore, it also comes equipped with some roof rails. But, I would only be using those for emergencies because they were plastic and looked like they’d be easily marked. As well as the fact that you would want to make sure whatever load you have is secure and wont smash the moonroof which runs along majority of the car.

Exterior

• 20” Alloy Wheels
• LED automatic headlights
• Concealed door handle
• Rain sensing wipers
• Rear privacy glass
• LED rear light bar (with lighting animation)

How does the Leap Motor C10 look like inside?

The first thing I noticed was the amount of room in the car. Being 6’3, it can be a challenge to get in and out of cars but the C10 had plenty of space. Moreover, the seats would retract backwards upon opening the car, making it easy to hop in. Once in the drivers seat you won’t miss the massive 14.6″ central high-resolution touch screen with navigation and the just as prominent 10.25″ LCD driver instrument cluster.

The all leather interior gives the car premium feel at a great price. Especially considering how the front seats come equipped with heating and ventilating options.The C10 also comes equipped with a large centre console, 4 cup holders and raised to a comfortable height to lean as you drive.

I’ve found with modern cars, the looks of the car is more important than the vision for the driver. The C10 manages to buck with this trend with its small A frame pillars, large windows, a centre view mirror which doesn’t get in the way of line of sight as well as a 360 degree camera system. In a car this large, these features a very welcome and make it easier to get this large car into tight spaces.

There is plenty of boot space in the C10 and you can increase that room by folding down the rear seats. If you really need a bit of extra length, you also put the front passenger seat down and fully utilise the length of the car.

Comfort

• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Electrically adjustable front seats
• Bluetooth® and NFC key
• 12-Speaker surround audio system
• Fixed panoramic glass roof with electric sunshade
• Wireless charging
• Silicone leather seats with OEKO-TEX®
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Power tailgate
• Air quality monitor
• Multi-colour interior ambient lighting

Lastly for entertainment, this car pumps. The speakers produces a great sound from fat bass lines to clear highs. For a bit of a party you can set the in car LED lights to pulse and change to the music.

Infotainment

• 10.25″ LCD driver instrument cluster
• 14.6″ central high-resolution touch screen with navigation
• Qualcomm Snapdragon Chip
• Wi-Fi and 4G
• Over the air updates
• 360° Camera with dynamic guidelines
• Integrated 360° Dashcam Recorder

Engine and drivetrain

The leap motor c10 Design is a Rear wheel single gear EV. The gear ratios seem to be optimised for speeds between 50-100km/h. Which makes sense considering that these will likely be the speed range that you;ll drive most in. As for launching in the car, it feels like the car is suffering from turbo lag up until you hit about 50km/h when the car really picks up.

Plant your foot between 50-100km/h and you’ll feel the car buck into action without a second thought making you feel confident that you can hit the gap when it opens.

The brakes work really well. When putting your foot on the break, you come to a sharp and abrupt halt. These effects can be smoothed out with the “Smooth braking” option. In combination with the EV motors regenerative charging, this car will come to a quick stop even when moving at pace.

What’s the Leap Motor C10 like to drive?

The Leap Motor C10 is a smooth drive when the driving assists aren’t beeping every two seconds. As you drive you barely feel or hear the road beneath you making for a seamless trip. You can customise the ride to your liking by selecting between different ride modes. Eco ups the regenerative breaking and dampens the throttle response, making for a more conservative trip.

Comfort mode makes the car feel closest to a petrol car. With it’s smooth acceleration and coasting when your foot is off the throttle. Sports is exactly what you’d expect from the mode. With tight throttle response and heavy regenerative breaking to hit those corners.

I personally found myself driving around on the Custom setting. With a mix of comfort and sports features to give a snappy throttle response and the coasting of a regular car.

Intrusive safety features

The one part of the car that I found to be the most troublesome is the intrusive safety features. They’re very much in your face as you drive with features such as lane assists, speed assists and collision detections. The most egregious of these feature is the speed assists. Before you think that I’m just driving the car exceeding the limit. And that’s why it’s constantly beeping at me, let me assure you that it’s not the case.

The speed limits shown by the car often are different to the roads that you drive on. And even worse are school zones, which are permanently set to 40km/h outside of school times. You’ll also want to be driving on pothole free roads as well. The lane assist is very particular about you staying exactly in the center of your lane. Otherwise you’ll feel the car fighting against your inputs.

Leap Motor C10 Final thoughts

This car is for a young family with something safe but fun to drive. It may be a little slow off the mark but it has the speed and capability where needed. Unfortunately the safety features are a bit of a nuisance. They need to be turned off every time you start the car for a relaxing ride.

Buyers could also look at:

Buyers of the Leapmotors C10 could also look at the following: Kia EV5, DEEPAL SO7, XPENG G6, Suzuki e-Vitara

Model	Leapmotor C10 Design
Model Price	$49,888 MLP*
Engine	Permanent Magnetic Synchronic
Drivetrain	RWD
Battery Capacity / Type	69.9kWh
Voltage / Capacity	6.6 kW
Power	160 kW
Torque	320 N.m
Range (WLTP) / ADR	424
Fast Charging Time (30%-80%)	30 MIN
Safety	5-Star ANCAP Safety Rating
CO2 Emissions	N/A
Servicing
Vehicle Warranty	6 Yrs or 150,000km.
Battery Warranty	8 Yrs or 160,000km.

*MLP Includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of options. Some features mentioned in the article are options. RDAP means Recommended Drive Away Price (without options but including all other charges)

Dimensions
Overall Length	4739 mm
Wheelbase	2825 mm
Width	1900 mm
Height	1680 mm
Wheels	20 x 8.0 -inch Alloys
Tyres	245/45 R20
Max ground clearance	180 mm
Turning Circle KTK	TBA
Boot Min	581 L
Boot Max	1410 L
Kerb Weight	1995 kg
Battery weight	TBA
Payload (kg)	465 kg
GVM (kg)	2460 kg
GCM	3960 kg
Towing Capacity	1500 kg
Tow Ball rating	100 kg