Britain’s cheapest van? Leapmotor T03 Van version on the cards
The T03 could become the cheapest van on sale - beating Dacia and Citroen on price
Thanks to the manufacturer's so-called 'Leap-Grant', the Leapmotor T03 is not only the cheapest electric car you can buy in the UK, it’s the cheapest car altogether. Now we know that the dinky EV may also be about to deliver a van variant, according to Leapmotor.
Speaking to Auto Express, Damien Dally, Managing Director of Leapmotor UK, said the company “is looking into” a T03 Van, which would probably be the cheapest van on sale in the UK. The Leapmotor T03 is priced from £14,495 thanks to Leapmotor’s ‘Leap-Grant’ that is offered in lieu of the Government’s electric car grant for which the little EV is not eligible.
While the T03 Van might sound like an oddity, it wouldn’t have the small electric car-based van market to itself. There’s the new Citroen e-C3 Van and the Dacia Spring Cargo, which start from £17,535 and £16,489 respectively. If you’re after their car versions then leasing deals available on our Buy A Car service have monthly prices starting from just £121 a month.
The changes Leapmotor would need to make to the T03 in order to turn it into a van are likely to be similar to those applied to its Citroen and Dacia rivals. Expect things like a mesh bulkhead, the removal of rear seats, and dark-tinted rear windows. The T03’s 210-litre boot space is way down on the Spring’s 308 litres and while Leapmotor unsurprisingly doesn’t quote a payload capacity for its little EV, we can’t imagine it’ll be used for bulky loads even in van guise. The T03 hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP yet either, which may put prospective business customers off for now.
What will impress businesses looking at the T03 Van is the level of kit. There’s just one trim level for the Leapmotor T03 - something we expect will continue for the van. With that we should see keyless go, air-conditioning, a 10-inch touchscreen and a rear-view camera.
The same battery and electric motor is all but certain to be retained on the van. The lack of rear seats in place of a metal bulkhead isn’t likely to change the T03’s performance or efficiency much over the standard car so expect a range of around 165 miles from its 37.3kWh battery.
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