What is Leapmotor? Complete brand, model and tech guide for UK car buyers

Leapmotor’s own UK boss, Damian Dally, puts it best when talking about this huge influx of Chinese brands. “There are names which no-one had ever heard of three, six, 12 months ago, but we have this unique backing from Stellantis, which gives consumers the ultimate peace of mind.” 

In a landscape where new brands are cropping up everywhere and you’re not quite sure which ones will still be around by the time you’ve even paid off the car’s finance agreement, Leapmotor is playing heavily on its partnership with Stellantis – the parent company of Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot, Vauxhall and many more – as proof that it’s a serious contender. 

And that’s helpful in a whole series of ways, some of which are really dull – until you need them. Early Chinese entrants to the UK market found things like supplying spare parts really difficult, so cars involved in an accident, for example, were off the road for weeks or more. But tapping into the Stellantis mother ship means there is a ready-made funnel that Dally reckons is the envy of western manufacturers, let alone other newcomers. 

Much more interesting than spare parts, though, is the product line-up. Leapmotor kicked off with extremities, via the quirky (to be kind) T03 city car and the C10 family SUV. Next year, it will fill the gaps with a pair of hatchbacks and a couple of SUVs sitting between them, the first of which is the B10, followed by the VW Golf-sized B05 family car revealed at the Munich show in September. 

A smaller hatchback and SUV will follow by the end of 2026. They will be called A05 and A10 in other markets, but there’s a feeling Audi may not be impressed if the name comes to Europe, given that its own A5 has been around for quite some time already. 

Simplicity is Leapmotor’s philosophy – there’s just the one very well specced trim level for each car, and though the warranty is less than other Chinese brands at four years, the brand reckons that works for the first owner likely to be buying on finance of the same length. 

Price-wise, it aims to slightly undercut the likes of BYD or more established European brands, while offering that great level of standard equipment. Like most Chinese makers, Leapmotor has been focused on purely electric cars so far, but the C10 SUV will get a range-extender (REV) hybrid system early next year, making it Leapmotor’s first non-EV. The B10 REV follows by the middle of next year. 

The one thing we haven’t touched on is the name. On the plus side, it’s a lot more European-friendly than many on this countdown, combining two very English words, and the brand likes to say the ‘leap’ is a metaphorical springboard for taking the plunge on a new brand. But then the models slide back into the Chinese brand comfort blanket of letters and numbers rather than actual names, which are never the warmest of ways to make sure your new name sticks in the memory.

Chinese car brands ranked by UK impact

Below is our Chinese power list, with all 17 brands ranked on current and potential UK market impact. Click the links to explore each manufacturer in detail...

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