Leapmotor B03X: how does it perform and how much does this Chinese compact electric SUV cost?

As for the boot, the stated capacity is 510 litres, including the storage compartment under the floor; heavily ‘inspired’ by the design introduced by the Ford Puma, it is lined with plastic and fitted with a drain plug. In other words? You can load it up with plants from the garden centre or sand-covered beach toys, and then wash everything down with a hose. Overall, the load capacity reaches 1,605 litres, with a maximum usable load length of 2,530 mm; a dimension that allows you, for example, to save on transport costs when moving the doors of Ikea’s Pax wardrobes.

Can the cheapest car on the market be the key to a car brand’s success? In Leapmotor’s case, it seems so. Let’s take it step by step: before embarking on the very first test drive of a car, it is standard practice for a motoring journalist not only to study the press kit but also to carry out a thorough, 360-degree inspection; you sit in the back seats to assess the space, feel the plastics and upholstery, examine the exterior in detail and, of course, open the boot.

And here we find a hat box of very poor quality. Never mind the lack of straps attached to the boot lid, but its flimsy construction – as well as failing to match the standard of foldable ones (with the convenience of being easy to store) – meant it took an excessive amount of time to put it back in its place. To put it bluntly, it makes you want to take it off and bin it.

Naturally, the criticism came from colleagues at various publications, not just Italian ones; the issue was discussed during the evening with Leapmotor’s senior management, and a solution was found within 24 hours. The first customers to receive the car with the faulty parcel shelf will be contacted and given a new part free of the defects found.

And this brings us back to the original question: can the cheapest car on the market really be the key to a car manufacturer’s success? It’s less about the boot and more about how the issue is handled, because Leapmotor (and most Chinese manufacturers) has a response time that would be unimaginable for most – if not all – European manufacturers. And let’s not forget that the B03X is built in China.

Developed on the Ctc 2.0 Plus, Cell-to-Chassis architecture, featuring short-cell technology, which integrates the battery directly into the vehicle’s structure, it is available with two Lfp battery configurations. The B03X Life version, with a 39.8 kWh battery, combines a 130 kW (176 cv) electric motor and offers a range of up to 292 km on the WLTP cycle. The B03X Life and B03X Design versions, with a 53 kWh battery, are fitted with a 145 kW (197 cv) motor and offer a range of up to 382 km on the WLTP cycle.

Both configurations deliver 200 Nm of instantly available torque and support fast charging, which allows the battery to be charged from 30 per cent to 80 per cent in just 16 minutes. In terms of performance, the more powerful version is claimed to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds and has a limited top speed of 160 km/h.

As for fuel consumption, the manufacturer states 15.7 kWh/100 km; a figure we did not achieve during our test, where we never fell below 20 kWh/100 km. Without getting into the details of optimising fuel economy, a WLTP range of 382 km with a 53 kWh battery suggests there is room for improvement in the B03X’s efficiency. It performs better in purely urban conditions, where the manufacturer’s figure exceeds 550 km.

Our first test drive of the B03X served as a useful reminder that one should never take anything for granted. After all, one generally expects a Chinese electric SUV to offer high efficiency, a long range, impeccable build quality and driving dynamics that certainly fall short of European standards. Here, however, the opposite proved to be the case, with fuel consumption that was anything but low, and the fiddly process of refitting the parcel shelf still fresh in the memory (though we did appreciate its high overall quality).

Where we were pleasantly surprised, however, was when we tackled a stretch full of bends – initially fast and wide, and later more reminiscent of one of our own hilly routes. Bearing in mind that we were behind the wheel of a family B-SUV used mainly for ferrying children and football bags, the B03X offers pleasant, consistently safe handling with a touch of fun, even when you pick up the pace.

The extensive range of adjustments – including steering weight, regenerative braking level (where you really miss the paddles behind the steering wheel) and power delivery – made us want to extend our route through the bends; something that often isn’t the case with other Chinese-made rivals. Also worth noting is the turning circle of just 10 metres from wall to wall: a figure that can make all the difference when manoeuvring in tight spaces.

Moving on to the range, the Life trim level – available with both the 39.8 kWh and 53.0 kWh battery packs – includes automatic climate control, an eco-leather steering wheel, LED headlights, roof rails, seven airbags, 21 ADAS functions, a rain sensor, a 14.6-inch central display, an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, a six-speaker audio system, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Life version, fitted with a 53.0 kWh battery, also features 18-inch alloy wheels. The Design trim level, available exclusively with the 53.0 kWh battery, rounds off the range with eco-leather seats, a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats and steering wheel, electrically folding wing mirrors, front parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, a 12-speaker audio system and ambient lighting.

How much does the Leapmotor B03X cost? Excluding any special offers, prices start at around 25,000 euros (24,900 euros to be precise) for the Life version fitted with a 39.8 kWh battery, rises to €27,400 for the Life version with a 53.0 kWh battery, and reaches €29,400 for the Design version with a 53.0 kWh battery, which was the focus of our test. These figures include the Easy Wall Box, which is worth around €400 if purchased separately.