Leapmotor C10 BEV Actual-Life Tales

It’s eight months for the reason that Leapmotor C10 was launched in Australia. Majella and I took one for a drive and have been impressed by the inexpensive BEV. You possibly can examine our expertise right here. Our article elicited feedback similar to: “You’re so fortunate in Australia to have such a widening alternative of EVs. No tariff bull**it there, maaaate!” and “Rattling it, color me envious of all of the Goodies Oz is getting….” Hopefully this text will provoke some extra justifiable jealousy.

Since then, it has additionally come out as an extended-range electrical car (extra on that later). Since over 300 Leapmotor C10 BEVs have bought into the Australian market, I assumed it time to contact the homeowners and acquire tales of how the C10 was assembly their wants in the actual world. So a lot better than only a 30-minute take a look at drive.

Bear in mind, Leapmotor is a Chinese language model, with Stellantis as a serious shareholder. Stellantis is the fifth largest automaker on the earth and is made up of PSA (Peugeot) and FCA (Fiat Chrysler). Stellantis has 14 well-known manufacturers beneath its company umbrella.

I contacted C10 homeowners by way of the Fb web page and these are the tales they shared with me.

“Hello David Waterworth, right here’s our expertise to this point: We now have travelled a complete of 1,400kms with total common of 17.3kWhs/100kms. We did a visit the opposite weekend, doing 180kms on the open highway and consumed 49% of battery indicating 360kms vary at round 100kph. At 100% cost automotive was indicating 440kms vary based mostly off earlier driving habits (primarily city driving).

“Vary is okay for our use. We dwell in the course of the North Island of NZ and count on vary to be ample to get us wherever we’d usually journey while not having to cease to cost. As such the 84kw max cost price equally doesn’t trouble us both. A ten–15-minute top-up ought to get us to Wellington (we’d must cease for a minimum of that lengthy anyway) and we’d comfortably get to Auckland with out stopping to cost.

“Our present electrical energy plan offers us 3 hours of free energy every night time which is greater than sufficient to cowl our present use (at 7kw). The Leapmotor App is nice, with a very good variety of options and performance, together with telephone as a key for proximity locking/unlocking, state of cost/charging, location and preconditioning. We’d come from a Suzuki Vitara turbo. Love the area and luxury in addition to the worth for cash.

“We’ve discovered the C10’s efficiency good and revel in driving it. The local weather management works properly and supplies loads of cooling, we do admire the seat air flow, we haven’t had chilly sufficient situations to correctly take a look at the heating but, however with heated seats and steering wheel don’t anticipate any difficulty. We hadn’t cross-shopped in opposition to one other mannequin particularly, however had take a look at pushed: Atto3, Omoda E5, bZ4x, EV6, Ioniq5 and had sat in, however didn’t drive the Torres EVX.

“The one points we now have are associated to the driving “aids” and have gotten into the behavior of disabling the lane-keeping/emergency-lane-keeping, clever velocity help and driver monitoring earlier than driving. Curiously the automotive usually warns “driver has left the seat” whereas my spouse drives, presumably a calibration difficulty with the seat sensor (have heard different homeowners have additionally skilled this).”

Thanks for sharing! And one other C10 driver:

“Hello David. I’ve had mine for about 5 weeks and already carried out about 11000km. Completely love the automotive. Very spacious, comfy and quiet. Solely difficulty is the adaptive cruise management may be very jerky. Additionally, the rear-view mirror is handbook -not auto for top beams behind at night time. Fairly shocked as that’s previous know-how. Aside from that, I give it 10/10.”

One responder highlighted the aggressive pricing after cross-shopping in opposition to the BYD Atto 3 and the Tesla Mannequin Y. The Leapmotor C10 with 477 km (296 miles) of vary from a 70 kWh battery might be had for AU$46,000. There are even higher offers now that we now have entered the following monetary yr.

And the latest:

How did you come to purchase the Leapmotor?

“Initially, my dad and I have been ready for extra sub-$70k BEVs (i.e. ‘inexpensive’) to reach in Australia. That occurred this yr and we spent a while collectively take a look at driving and discussing just a few choices, in addition to contemplating just a few fashions proven abroad which could make it to Australia in future. Was nice to do that collectively, we expect related but see completely different particulars. The extra enter the merrier for a big buy choice.

“For me personally, the following automotive can be a BEV somewhat than PHEV or ICE. We are likely to export 60% of items generated from our dwelling PV system, so channelling a few of that to energy transport is sensible. Could-August is leaner on the era so that’s factored into the general charging prices.

“I got here throughout the Leapmotor from an advert on-line round August 2024 and stored a eager eye on it since. I think the advert popped up as I had garaged and pushed a 2020 Tesla Mannequin 3 for a detailed pal of mine for per week earlier that yr. You’d discover me net looking on-line each night for issues like utilizing the wipers, headlights, topping up wiper fluid and so forth, in addition to normal data in regards to the automotive and EVs normally to be a bit extra assured driving a borrowed automotive.

“After a lot of studying, viewing and seeing some fashions in actual life, the C10 ticked the bins for me past the robust intestine feeling of this automotive being essentially the most ‘me’ among the many choices out there. Because it seems, there was a C10 BEV Design out there domestically, and every little thing lined up properly to get it at a very good worth.”

Did you cross-shop different vehicles? Which of them?

“Sure, the opposite fashions have been: BYD Sealion 7, Xpeng G6, and Geely Ex5. We took all these for a take a look at drive. Noticed the Zeekr X however solely sat in it on the showroom; amongst different issues it was too small to make the shortlist.

“For me, the C10 was extra spacious on the within and had sensible design inside and outside. Between the 2 screens, steering wheel controls and stalks, it does every little thing I want as the motive force. A entrance passenger can simply help if the motive force seems like delegating. Concerning options, it permits for an proprietor to pare issues again or go all out on tech. I’ve discovered a contented combine that works for me and revel in each drive.”

Have you ever had any points? Resolved?

“Going from my earlier car to this one had a leap in tech, so it was per week of getting used to how this one operates vs what I used to be used to for a few years.

“It was defined earlier than I took supply that it could take just a few days for the VIN to be transferred in order that I might use the app, which I now see is sort of commonplace amongst vehicles with apps. I received a name when it was able to go, and I connected the app simply. Ended up contacting the vendor a couple of car operation password for the app and car as this didn’t seem within the arrange course of, however I used to be prompted to enter one. Seems it was a case of coming into a default code adopted by organising your individual car operation password; this was simple sufficient to get sorted.

“I haven’t had any points with the automotive. There are packaged options I hadn’t utilized in my earlier automotive (largely because the tech was not current) and I don’t use them within the C10 both. It drives properly, the cameras are nice, the map works, it performs music, it feels protected and comfy.

“I’m ready for the following OTA replace, whereas some might say for MANY fashions in the marketplace at present “how can a automotive be bought with all of the claimed assists and it being not polished and dependable?” I’m extra life like that it takes time for software program to be taught, and enhancements occur alongside the best way. I wouldn’t blame the producers for this, it’s a regulatory company permitting the claims, gross sales, and fixes. An ideal world would have fashionable car security system sensors and software program shared as freely because the three-point seatbelt.”

Have you ever been on any lengthy journeys? Feedback about charging?

“We’re metro dwellers with a mixture of brief suburban journeys, longer journeys to appointments in addition to longer journeys for sports activities and leisure actions. There’s the odd journey to go to associates simply out of city. To date all are inside 200km of a day’s driving and that’s properly inside the vary of the C10.

“For a car’s claimed vary and vary nervousness, re-frame it as a brand new routine somewhat than a direct comparability to a gas tank pushed from full to empty cycle. Beforehand I’d refill on the cheaper finish of the value cycle (a long-standing Western Australia factor) and if further driving would imply filling up on an costly day, then I’d get aggravated on the further price. Translating kms pushed to recharging isn’t arduous, it’s simply completely different to fuelling up.”

“Trickle charging at dwelling works properly for us, and if the PV panels don’t cowl it, the items imported from the grid are nonetheless cheaper than gas.”

Any reactions from colleagues/household?

“Inside area and a cushty trip are an enormous hit with the household! It’s massive with out being large or unmanageable on the skin.

“I used to be the designated driver for a woman’s night time out and all 4 passengers liked the area, lights, look, the trip… and the value.

“Loads hadn’t heard of Leapmotor earlier than, which is honest, it’s a brand new badge right here. So glad it popped up on my radar, it’s a implausible automotive for us and got here in on the proper worth!”

There you might be — three real-life tales from glad prospects. Right here’s to extra Leapmotor C10s on Australian roads as individuals uncover the options and the worth. As soon as once more, the longer term is vibrant and electrical.