Leapmotor B10 review (UK): Stellantis backing, 168 kW charging, and CarPlay at under £30,000 — but the suspension needs work

The Leapmotor B10 is sold in the UK through Leapmotor International — a joint venture in which Stellantis holds 51% and Leapmotor holds 49%. That is the single most important fact about this car for a UK buyer: you are not taking a punt on an unknown Chinese newcomer. Your warranty, your parts supply, and your dealer network run through the same infrastructure as Peugeot, Vauxhall, Fiat, and Citroën.

Leapmotor itself is a Hangzhou-based EV maker founded in 2015 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK: 9863). It shipped 596,555 vehicles in 2025 — up 103% year-on-year — and achieved its first semi-annual profit in H1 2025. In December 2025, Chinese state-owned automaker FAW Group paid approximately $530 million for a 5% stake, bringing another layer of institutional backing. In May 2026, Stellantis and Leapmotor announced an expanded partnership that includes assembling the B10 at Stellantis' Figueruelas plant in Zaragoza, Spain — a material commitment that signals European manufacturing ambitions, not a short-term import experiment.

The counterbalance: Stellantis posted a $26.3 billion loss for full-year 2025 — its first annual loss as a merged group — and its financial health warrants monitoring. However, Leapmotor International is consistently described by analysts as the Stellantis bright spot, with European shipments surging in early 2026. There is no credible signal that Stellantis would exit the JV it majority-controls.

For a UK buyer, the practical implication is this: 60-plus Leapmotor retail points operate within Stellantis dealer premises. Parts logistics go through Stellantis' existing supply chain. If you have a warranty claim, you are dealing with the same infrastructure that supports millions of Peugeot and Vauxhall owners — not an importer operating out of a UK head office alone.

The B10 arrives in the UK as a single top-specification trim — called simply Design — with a 67.1 kWh LFP battery, 160 kW rear motor, and an official WLTP range of 270 miles. It went on sale in December 2025 at £31,495 OTR, or £29,995 with the LEAP-GRANT — Leapmotor's self-funded price reduction. Confirm the grant's current availability with your dealer, as the original terms ran to December 2025.

The charging story is where the B10 makes the most compelling case. It accepts DC power at up to 168 kW, delivering a 30-to-80 per cent top-up in approximately 20 minutes. That puts it ahead of several much more expensive rivals — and dramatically ahead of its sibling the C10, which is limited to 84 kW. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, wireless, and working at launch — again ahead of the C10, which still lacks CarPlay.

Insurance group is 32 — a significant relief compared to the C10's group 40-41. BiK stands at 3% for 2025/26, making it a reasonable salary-sacrifice proposition for company-car drivers who want something at the smaller, more manageable end of the SUV market.

Equipment is genuinely generous for the price: heat pump, V2L (3.3 kW), panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, 360-degree cameras, and a 12-speaker audio system are all standard. The infotainment runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processor with a 14.6-inch 2.5K touchscreen and Leapmotor OS 4.0. OTA updates are live.

What the UK does not get: the LiDAR-equipped, Qualcomm 8295P-chipped variants available in China. The UK receives the non-LiDAR trim, which means no urban navigate-on-autopilot. UK press found the driver-assistance suite (level 2) functional but prone to intrusive false alerts. There is no rear windscreen wiper — an oversight that reviewers called out immediately on UK roads. Window switches operate in reverse to UK convention.

In China the B10 (零跑B10, Língpǎo B10) launched on 10 April 2025 at CNY 9.98-12.98万, roughly £10,700-13,900 at mid-2026 rates. The UK price of £29,995 represents a markup of around 2.2 times the Chinese equivalent trim. That is the cost of RHD conversion, UK homologation, the 21% import tariff on Chinese-built EVs, dealer margins, and VAT.

Chinese buyers have given it 4.53 out of 5 on Autohome — a strong score that places it among the better-regarded compact SUVs in the market. Two claims stand out. First, the B10 won the 2025 China Top Ten Chassis Award — a fact that gives some reassurance against the instinctive concern about cut-price Chinese underpinnings. Second, an independent media test achieved 456 km actual range against a ~469 km expected figure — a 97% achievement rate that is unusually high among Chinese EVs and points well for WLTP-to-real-world performance in the UK.

What Chinese owners praise most: the value proposition (LiDAR plus the flagship chip at this price point is genuinely disruptive), rear-seat space despite the compact footprint, and the OTA update cadence. The February 2026 update unlocked urban navigate-on-autopilot for LiDAR-equipped trims nationwide.

What Chinese owners complain about: poor sound insulation is the top recurring complaint, noted even by broadly satisfied owners. Cheap interior plastics on the lower trims. The memory-parking system is criticised as slow and conservative. There are two June 2026 complaints about door-handle failures locking owners out — an emerging pattern worth monitoring but not yet systemic. More seriously, one June 2026 complaint on 车质网 describes a brake failure causing a collision, with event data recorder evidence of a two-second delay in braking response. That is a single reported incident — not a pattern — but it warrants disclosure.

Manufacturer complaint response rate in China: 41%. That is below the acceptable threshold for a volume brand, though UK buyers are dealing with Leapmotor International and Stellantis infrastructure rather than the Chinese after-sales operation directly.

Both cars are sold through the same Stellantis dealer network and cost within £2,755 of each other. The C10 is 224 mm longer and has a 90 mm longer wheelbase — real, measurable extra space. Yet UK reviewers consistently note that the B10's interior space is surprisingly close, owing to efficient packaging (87.4% interior space efficiency is the Chinese spec claim). RAC Drive went as far as to say "the bigger Leapmotor C10 barely offers any more practicality over the B10".

Where the B10 is decisively better: charging speed (168 kW vs the C10's 84 kW is not a close contest), CarPlay and Android Auto (the C10 still lacks both as of this writing), and insurance group (32 vs 40-41 — potentially hundreds of pounds per year in saved premiums). The B10 also edges the WLTP range (270 vs 263 miles) despite the smaller battery.

Where the C10 wins: it is larger, it rides better according to Car Magazine, it offers the REEV option (602 miles combined), and the interior feels more D-segment than C-segment. Car Magazine's verdict was blunt: the C10 is the better value at just £2,755 more, because you get more space and a better driving experience.

The honest answer depends on the buyer. If you charge mostly at home and rarely need rapid public charging, the C10's slower charge speed may not matter. If you are in a flat or rely on public rapid chargers for your regular charging — and particularly if you worry about insurance costs — the B10 makes a compelling case. The CarPlay argument is real and immediate.

Five publications drove the B10 in December 2025 and the verdicts are consistent enough to be useful. The positives come through clearly: the ride is comfortable and the motorway refinement is notably good for the price. The rear legroom is class-leading at this price point. The 168 kW charging is competitive. The equipment list — heat pump, V2L, dual wireless chargers, panoramic roof, heated front and rear seats — is hard to beat under £30,000.

The criticisms are equally consistent. The suspension is soft to the point of wallowing — Carwow gave it 8/10 overall but specifically called out the suspension composure. What Car? found the steering light and lacking feedback. Top Gear characterised it as generic and bland but acknowledged the value case. RAC Drive was the most positive, calling it "among the better Chinese cars" in the UK, and noted that the rear space comfortably exceeds what the exterior dimensions suggest.

Driver assistance is level 2 and functional, but the lane-keep and drowsiness systems are described as intrusive and difficult to disable. There is no rear windscreen wiper — an omission that multiple reviewers flagged as an oversight for UK conditions. The window switches work in the opposite direction to UK-standard — a minor but daily irritation.

National Franchised Dealers Association rated Leapmotor in their dealer survey's top five — a positive early signal on retailer support quality, albeit based on a short track record.

The B10's strongest cards are the Stellantis dealer network, the 168 kW charging, and the CarPlay that the C10 lacks. At £29,995 with the LEAP-GRANT, you are getting D-segment equipment in a C-segment body, backed by one of the world's largest automakers. The Euro NCAP five-star result (93% adult, 93% child) and the China chassis award both suggest the fundamentals are sound.

The watch-outs are real. The four-year / 60,000-mile vehicle warranty is the shortest among Chinese brands sold in the UK — Kia offers seven years, BYD six, MG seven. The soft suspension and light steering are genuine character traits, not just reviewer preference — Chinese owners praise the ride comfort but the same softness becomes wallowing on the lumpy B-roads that make up a significant part of UK driving. Road noise is the top complaint in both China and the UK. There is no rear wiper.

The single Chinese brake-failure complaint from June 2026 is noted but not systemic. The door-handle pattern is worth monitoring.

Who it is for: buyers who want C-segment size and price with proper fast-charging, CarPlay, and a dealer network they can trust. Particularly suited to those who prioritise public rapid charging and insurance costs — the group-32 rating and 168 kW DC are genuinely differentiating at this price. Salary-sacrifice buyers will find the 3% BiK reasonable.

Lease, do not buy outright — residual values on a relatively new brand with a four-year warranty and an evolving model range are uncertain. Let the leasing company carry that risk.