Not long ago, the most affordable electric mid-size SUV cost something like $70,000. Then it was the mid-$60K mark, then some time in 2024, the number dropped down to the mid-$50K mark.
The big news with the introduction of the Leapmotor C10, though, is its headline-grabbing drive-away price-tag of $47,500. That’s right, at the time we put this review together, you could get into this electric mid-size SUV for roughly the same money as a Toyota RAV4 GXL Hybrid.
Unlike the BYD Atto 3, which is even more affordable, the C10 is properly a mid-size SUV too. Part of Leapmotor’s promise is you’ll get an impressive amount of kit for the price, for a car which happens to be electric, and by some metrics they’re not wrong.
Highlights on the entry-level C10 Style include 18-inch alloys, LED headlights, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.6-inch central multimedia touchscreen with built-in navigation and over-the-air software capabilities, synthetic leather interior trim, a wireless phone charger, dual-zone climate, 360-degree parking cameras, a 12-speaker audio system, a panoramic sunroof (with closing shade), and a comprehensive active safety suite.
Stepping up to $51,500 (drive-away, $49,888 before on-roads), the top-spec Design adds blended ‘silicone-leather’ seat trim, heating and ventilation for the front two positions, a heated steering wheel, a power tailgate, an air quality monitor, RGB ambient interior lighting, 20-inch alloy wheels, rear window tinting and an animated rear light bar.
Perhaps most interesting are the things you don’t get. The biggest missing item is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, which could be a dealbreaker for some buyers. There’s also no all-wheel-drive option, no option for real leather or cloth interior trims, and no option for some premium touches like a head-up display for example. There’s not even a remote key. Instead, the car comes with a keycard which needs to physically touch the wing mirror to unlock the car, or you can use an app. Only one phone can be paired with the car at a time, though.
Rivals include the aforementioned Atto 3 which is a half-size smaller (but can be had from $39,990), Kia’s EV5 (from $56,770), and the omnipresent Tesla Model Y (from $55,900, at least until the update arrives). Almost every other car takes a significant price-hike from there, with the likes of the Toyota bZ4X (from $66,000), Hyundai Ioniq 5 (from $69,800), Subaru Solterra (from $69,990), Ford Mustang Mach-E (from $64,990), and Kia EV6 (from $72,590) remaining out of reach for many mid-size SUV buyers.
The pressure will be on Geely with its incoming EX5 to bring the fight to Leapmotor in this new late-$40k price-bracket, but for now the C10’s primary competitor is realistically the XPeng G6, which is an equally unknown but more luxurious pitch starting from $54,800 before on-roads.