Review: Leapmotor TO3

Car buyers considering the shift to full electrification may feel they are taking less of a leap of faith by dropping into the drivers’ seat of a Leapmotor T03.

Not only is the compact city car the creation of a partnership between China’s Leapmotor and Stellantis, the carmaker behind brands like Citroen, Peugeot and Jeep, but it delivers zero-emissions transport for less than £15,000.

A £1,500 Leap-Grant, offered to retail customers until March 31, makes the T03 the just £14,495.

So, does it fall short of more expensive rivals like the BYD Dolphin Surf (from 18,650), Hyundai Inster (from £23,755) and Renault 5 (from £23,945)?

At 3.6m long, the Leapmotor T03 is small but its tall, narrow frame will accommodate four six-foot tall adults, albeit at rather close proximity when you glance sideways for a chat.

At six feet, one inches tall, I found the driving position reasonable, despite a lack of steering wheel reach adjustment.

The 210-litre boot is smaller than the T03’s key rivals, though, and its narrow opening compounds the issue.

Hard plastics are the order of the day in the cabin, but the standard specification is far from bargain basement.

There are two colour screens, one an eight-inch instrument binnacle, the other a 10.1-inch infotainment system which proved fairly intuitive to use.

The lack of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone mirroring tech was the only real disappointment.

Elsewhere, a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, a rear parking camera with sensors and a suite of 10 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are standard.

All that kit is a boon, even if the driver awareness monitoring system is a bit intrusive, chiming to tick you off for looking away from the road ahead or yawning.

All Leapmotor T03’s feature a 36kWh battery and a 95bhp motor, providing rather sedate 12.7 second acceleration to 62mph and a driving range of around 165 miles.

The T03’s driving experience is somewhat flawed, however.

Around town, the suspension proves supple and steering very light, making for comfortable progress.

But, below 20mph, it emits a rather unpleasant pedestrian warning whine.

Head out onto faster roads and that supple suspension and light steering has the T03 feeling very floaty, its steering imprecise and vague.

Selecting ‘Sport’ from the three driving mode options – Standard, Comfort and Sport – does weight-up the helm a little, but the Leapmotor T03 remains a car that feels more at home in an urban environment.

Overall, it is hard to be too critical of a car that serves up an impressive specification at such a breakthrough price.

It will open the door to EV motoring for many customers but, nonetheless, its conservative design and lack of driver appeal ensure that Leapmotor’s budget city car lacks allure.

Leapmotor T03

Price: £14,495 (with Leap-Grant)

Engine: 36kWh battery

Power: 95bhp

Torque: 158Nm

Transmission: single-speed electric

Top Speed: 81mph

0-62mph: 12.7 seconds

Range: 165 miles

CO2 emissions: 0g/km