Leapmotor C10: Review

By: Dylan Naidoo

I think it is apparent that the sudden rise of Chinese vehicles hitting the South African market is something that cannot be understated. According to Sean Nurse from Autotrader, Chinese car brands have begun taking a large majority of South Africa’s vehicle market share, rising from a 2.8% market share in 2020 to an estimated 11.8-15% market share in 2024/2025. The most notable Chinese car brands in this market shift is Chery and Haval, capturing the South African market with affordable SUVs and crossovers. Along with these new Chinese car brands, one of the newer brands to enter the South African market is Leapmotor with their C10 ‘range-extender SUV’.

I got the opportunity to be driven in this SUV back in late January. One of the immediate elements that you notice about the Leapmotor is the looks. The SUV has quite a simple design that I think works pretty well for its size. What I notice about SUVs from especially German brands is that, to fit with the design philosophy of the rest of their range, many German brands tend to make their SUVs look similar to their other cars. The results can vary, with many of these SUVs having a lot of sharp or overdesigned looks. This is different for the Leapmotor. I really like the simple yet elegant design of the car, especially the rather subdued design along with those thin daytime running lights. As a whole, the SUV looks more tame, less aggressively designed, and I think it works very well.

One of the aspects that really stands out with the Leapmotor C10 is the engineering of the engine. A spec sheet provided by Leapmotor shows that the C10 features both a 158KW electric motor alongside a naturally aspirated inline four 1.5l motor. The combined inline four engine and electric motor provide a claimed 970km range on the C10. On the surface, the Leapmotor C10 can be identified as a hybrid vehicle, utilising a combination of the petrol engine and electric motor to give the SUV a long range, however, 970km is still quite a lot for a hybrid. The last hybrid I have been in was the Toyota Corolla Cross XR, a crossover vehicle much smaller than the Leapmotor, yet a test from Autotrader shows that the hybrid Corolla Cross achieved only around 640km of range. However, the Leapmotor C10 does not advertise itself as a hybrid vehicle, but rather a ‘range-extender’ SUV, as reported by Car.co.za, whereby the petrol engine is only used for charging the electric motor, as opposed to a hybrid vehicle which uses both motors to power the vehicle. This allows for the SUV to run quietly whilst also achieving the very long range it advertises.

When looking at the interior, it does not disappoint. The futuristic interior topped off with the minimal ambient lighting as well as the fully touchscreen infotainment that controls many of the features of the SUV. The seats of the SUV were also very nice, feeling soft and breathable. I was barely able to feel any bumps on the road at highway speed. The ride was very smooth and topped off with that previously mentioned seat made the drive very enjoyable. I normally commute in a rather small city hatchback, and driving around for a while on these bumpy roads can feel nauseating on long trips. But in the Leapmotor I felt relaxed, and I didn’t even really feel the time go by when I was going around Durban.

Pricing for the Leapmotor C10 starts at R759 900 for the Style model, with higher end trims going to around R800 000. For a Chinese SUV, it is around the price range of other high-end SUVs such as the Toyota RAV 4 or Kia Sportage. However, I do think that the Leapmotor C10 is still a very competitive Chinese SUV that is still capable of competing in the growing SUV market in South Africa.

Leapmotor C10