Leapmotor T03 review

Not a Fiat Panda, is what. No, despite the T03’s happy and uplifting face bearing an uncanny resemblance to the loveable Fiat, this creation is actually the work of Leapmotor; a Chinese brand that’s made astonishing headway in its home market since its launch in 2015 and is now plotting a move into other territories. Including Europe.

The charge is being fronted by two cars: the C10 D-segment SUV, and this, a tiny electric city car barely more than 3.6 metres long. The former makes complete sense: people buy SUVs in their droves. But an e-runabout? There’s a reason things like the VW e-Up, Skoda Citigo-E (profit, or lack thereof) and the Honda e (massively expensive) have quietly shuffled off to the automotive afterlife.

So what gives?

We put this very question (not in those exact words, mind) to Leapmotor International CEO Tianshu Xin, and the answer is very straightforward: Leapmotor thinks mainstream manufacturers have abandoned the city car segment but that the demand for small, simple and cheap cars is still there.

He might well be onto something. People are always complaining about how expensive electric cars are, so the arrival of an affordable EV is good news for you, the consumer. Leapmotor has teamed up with Stellantis to make its expansion happen, and now that Europe is about to hit Chinese-made cars with tariffs, it can simply start production in one of its European factories to protect that rock-bottom cost.

Why, how much is it?

The T03 is £15,995, putting it second on the list of the cheapest electric cars available in the UK behind the Dacia Spring. Pedants coughing and spluttering about the Citroen Ami are politely reminded that it is not technically a car.

So in price terms the T03 has few rivals, and in body shape terms there aren’t many more. The Fiat 500 is on par for size, and the new Renault 5 and Mini Cooper Electric both dip under four metres. The Jeep Avenger… doesn’t. Stuff like the Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Peugeot e-208 strays into supermini territory. A Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, Suzuki Ignis and Toyota Aygo X can only be had with a combustion engine. Slim pickings.

For your money you get an eight-inch instrument display and 10.1in touchscreen, a multifunction steering wheel, parking sensors and a reversing camera, a sunroof and various other trinkets. There is no options list, you just gotta choose which paint you want: white, silver or blue.

I bet the range is pants…

Don’t be so hasty. The T03 is fitted with a 37.3kWh battery promising 165 miles of range. Let’s be honest, for its intended audience that’s going to be plenty. Hook it up to a single-phase AC charging unit at home and 6.6kW isn’t too shabby, but on a DC charger - the kind you find at service stations - it maxes out at 48kW.

Tellingly, Leapmotor doesn’t suggest a typical 10-80 per cent top-up time, saying only that 30-80 per cent will take 36 minutes. Now that’s a bit pants… until you consider that it’s basically a match for the 500 and the Spring peaks at way less than that. This has been a PSA from the Top Gear Broadcasting Corporation.

The T03 manages 94bhp and 117lb ft from a single speed motor driving the front wheels. 0-62mph is chalked off in 12.7 seconds; even the springiest Spring can’t manage that. Chalk another one up for the Leapmotor.

Regulation and profitability have shafted e-city cars in the last few years, so Leapmotor bringing a new one to us - no doubt leaning into financial production advantages in China - is a commendable way to introduce itself here. In trying to go green, we’ve been going bigger and heavier when we should be going smaller and lighter. So for that alone the T03 deserves to do well.

It’s no trolley with a roof either: it comes across as well built, the interior is roomy, the drive’s more than adequate for pootling to the shops and on first inspection comfort isn’t too bad either. Though we’ll wait until we’ve driven it in the UK to be sure of that.

There’s bags of room for improvement though. Leapmotor is still some way off cracking the kind of dynamics that appeal over here: the Dacia Spring has already shown that even cheap cars like this can have character. Plus the way the tech has been integrated into the car will put a lot of people off. An OTA can’t come soon enough.