If you’ve never heard the name Leapmotor, you are not alone. Yes, this is another oddly named Chinese brand that is making its debut in Europe, but it’s taking a somewhat different approach. Rather than going it alone and relying on the might of a huge Chinese parent company - in the way the likes of BYD and Omoda have done - Leapmotor is hanging onto the coattails of the Stellantis group, which includes marques such as Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat. In short, these are brands that know all about selling cars in Europe, so Leapmotor should be well equipped for the task.
Particularly with the car under test here, the T03. Admittedly, it looks like it spells the word ‘toe’, which is a bit odd, but everything else about it makes quite a lot of sense. A small electric hatchback with a budget price tag, it’s supposed to challenge the Dacia Spring at the cheaper end of the EV market.
This is not only our introduction to the T03 itself, but to the Leapmotor brand as a whole. Will it have what it takes to beat the Spring at its own game, and will it be the small and affordable EV we’ve been waiting for?
What does the new Leapmotor T03 look like?
Leapmotor is openly trying to attract young customers with the T03’s compact and cute styling, and it has certainly made the T03 small. With a footprint almost identical to that of the old Volkswagen Up, it fits firmly into the city car market, and though the wheels may be comically narrow, the proportions will be appealing to those darting around urban areas.
Whether the design will appeal to the same extent, however, is yet to be seen. The T03’s rounded bodywork looks like a strange cross between the old Renault Twingo and a shrunken Fiat 500L, with the upright stance and the soft features, including a nose that’s designed to look a little like a smiling face. And yes, that’s almost exactly how the company describes it.
A look inside the Leapmotor T03
When cars are built to be cheap, that often means customers will have to make do with a pretty miserably appointed interior full of tacky materials seemingly held together with safety pins. But while nobody will call the T03 premium, things are a little different in the Leapmotor.
For starters, you get a digital instrument display and a touchscreen as standard, along with steering wheel controls and push-button start. All of which is the sort of thing most city cars would offer either on top-of-the-range models, as options, or (more likely) not at all.
It all results in a cabin that is quite clean and modern. There is no real centre console, and the electric powertrain allows the gear selector to be positioned on the steering column, giving a greater feeling of space for those in the front.
The materials are generally good, too, and though they aren’t exactly soft to the touch, they don’t feel as though they’re made from recycled bottle tops, either. And while switchgear is hardly commonplace in the cabin, the indicator stalks appear to be taken from the last-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class, while the buttons on the steering wheel have quite a pleasant action. It’s all quite robust.
And Leapmotor likes to put a lot of emphasis on the interior space, too, although the reasoning is less than clear. Yes, there’s plenty of room in the front, and yes, the rear seats will just about accommodate adults, but they won’t want to stay there for too long. And though the boot isn’t too titchy on paper (it’s just slightly smaller than that of a Toyota Aygo X) it’s a funny shape, and unless you’re filling it with soft bags, that can be awkward.
The Leapmotor T03’s on-board technology
Leapmotor sees technology as one of the key differences between its products and those of its rivals, so despite the budget positioning, the T03 comes with plenty of gadgets.
Naturally, the focus is on the two screens in the cabin, with the digital instrument display and the central touchscreen working as the main conduits through which the driver can interact with the car. Both screens are relatively sharp and respond quickly, although neither is especially clever in terms of functionality. That said, navigation systems and a reversing camera are both included as standard, so it isn’t exactly spartan.
Similarly, the digital instrument display doesn’t do all that much except for showing you how fast you’re going, how much battery charge you have and when to take the next turn on the right, but it does it all ably, with a clear layout and sharp graphics.
However, while what you see is all well and good, what the car sees is a little more perturbing. There’s a little camera in the windscreen pillar on the driver’s side, and it’s constantly monitoring the driver’s face, looking for signs of inattention or fatigue, then cropping up with a warning if either is detected. Leapmotor says it uses all the data gathered in accordance with privacy rules, but some customers will be ill at ease with the idea the car is always watching.
And some will feel ill at ease with some of the safety technology, too. Some of it is very clever, and finding blind-spot monitoring included as standard on a car of this size is a rare thing indeed, but the implementation of some other systems leaves a little to be desired. Take, for example, the system that warns you every time there’s a bend in the road and urges you to exercise caution. As if it assumes you weren’t driving carefully on the straight bits. Obviously, you can turn it off, but it’s still annoying.
As is the speed limit warning system, which is designed to inform you if you wander over the prescribed limit. But the warning doesn’t just flash up on the instrument display; it’s accompanied by the navigation voice telling you you’re driving too fast. Again, it can be switched off quickly via a touchscreen shortcut, but it comes back on the next time you start the car, and that will get wearing.
How much range does the Leapmotor T03 have?
The T03 comes with a 37.3kWh battery and a 95hp electric motor as standard, meaning it has around 35 per cent more battery capacity and power than the Dacia Spring. As a result, the T03 has a greater official range of 265km on a single charge and it’s faster - although neither car is what you’d call rapid. But both are just about quick enough to cope around town, and their performance is comparable with petrol-powered equivalents.
And the Leapmotor’s performance will depend on which driving mode you use. If you want to get close to the official efficiency figure, we’d suggest using the Eco setting, which blunts the power delivery, but allows the car to maximise its range, particularly around town. Those seeking more power can unlock the motor’s full potential with the Sport mode, which makes the car feel much livelier.
Do that, though, and you won’t manage quite such good range, and charging the T03 might take a little while. Yes, the battery is small, but a maximum DC charge speed of 48kW means the T03’s battery can be recharged from 30 to 80 per cent in 36 minutes. Most owners, however, will charge at home, where the same feat can be achieved in three-and-a-half hours from a ‘wallbox’ home charging point.
Driving the Leapmotor T03
In the (admittedly small) world of cheap electric cars, the T03 compares favourably on paper, and it even manages to perform admirably on the road. When you set off, the noise from the motor is surprisingly loud, but that’s just the safety system designed to alert pedestrians to the car’s presence. Get above 30km/h or so, and that switches itself off, leaving a relatively refined environment for something so small and lightweight.
That compact size and lack of weight stands the T03 in good stead around town, where it proves manoeuvrable and nippy enough, although there’s a sense that it isn’t really built to drive quickly. The body leans a bit in corners, and though the steering is nicely weighted in Sport mode, it feels way too light and vague in any other setting. Even in Sport mode, though, it’s hardly engaging, and while fast cornering isn’t a great problem for the T03, you get the distinct impression the car is happier pootling around town than hurrying down a country lane.
In either scenario, however, the T03 will remain comfortable and composed. With such a short wheelbase, it can’t quite manage the comfort of a big saloon, but it’s more supple than most small cars, and it manages to soak up most bumps pretty well. Admittedly, it’s better at 50-70km/h than on the motorway, but it can cope in either situation, and it majors on comfort.
How safe is the Leapmotor T03?
Leapmotor is adamant that the T03 will be very safe indeed, but the company doesn’t have much evidence to back that up. Euro NCAP, the independent safety organisation in Europe, is yet to put the T03 through its paces, and we’ve no idea how this brand-new marque will fare.
We do, however, know the company has the support of Stellantis, which should give it all the tools it needs to manage a strong rating. Certainly, there’s plenty of standard-fit safety technology, including blind-spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance. It’s a lot of equipment for a small car, and while a lot of it is quite annoying, it’s also relatively easy to switch on or off through the car’s touchscreen.
How many child seats can you fit in a Leapmotor T03?
The T03 has an ISOFIX child seat mounting point in the rear, which sounds a bit feeble, but remember this car is very narrow, and fitting two bulky child seats side-by-side in the back wouldn’t be possible anyway. So, one it is, and for most owners, that’ll be perfectly adequate.
How much does the Leapmotor T03 cost in Ireland?
Leapmotor hasn’t yet confirmed how much the T03 will cost in Ireland or indeed if it will definitely go on sale here, but if prices elsewhere are anything to go by, it won’t be expensive. We’d expect it to command a price tag similar to that of the Dacia Spring, which would put it around the €20,000 mark.
The reasons you’d buy a Leapmotor T03
The T03 won’t work for everyone, but as a well-priced urban runabout, it performs admirably. Acceptable range and performance are merged with a surprisingly upmarket interior and plenty of technology, leaving owners with a great way of getting around town on a budget. Exactly how big that budget will need to be is as yet unconfirmed, but if it’s as cheap as Leapmotor is hoping, it should attract plenty of business if this car makes it to Irish shores.
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