Leapmotor B10 gives Australian families more for less

Modern family life rarely fits a single mould. There are school runs and sporting weekends, grocery hauls and long summer road trips, and somewhere in between, the hunt for a car that can do it all without blowing the budget. The Leapmotor B10 has been built with exactly that in mind – a small SUV that delivers the space, safety and technology families would usually expect from a more expensive SUV. The all-electric B10 carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating, and both variants get seven airbags and 17 driver assistance systems, so the value story starts with the things families care about most.

Available as either a fully electric model or a new Hybrid EV, the B10 gives Australian families a genuine choice in how they go electric – choice without compromise, because the room, the technology and the equipment come either way. The only question is which powertrain suits your week, because the space, the technology, the safety kit and the value are the same either way.

Going electric shouldn't mean rearranging family life around a car, which is why Leapmotor lets families pick the electrified path that fits the way they already drive. The all-electric B10 is available in two trims, Style and Design Long Range (Design LR), with the Design LR's larger 67.1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery delivering up to 434km of range (WLTP), against the Style's 56.2kWh unit – enough for a week of school runs and commuting between charges for most families.

For families not quite ready to go fully electric, the newly launched B10 Hybrid EV answers the questions that usually hold buyers back – charging access, regional driving and the long haul to see family over the holidays. Its compact range-extender engine never drives the wheels, working purely to keep the battery topped up. The result is an electric driving experience with up to 900km of combined range (WLTP), giving families the confidence to go electric without changing the way they travel.

Both variants are powered by a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 160kW and 240Nm, so the B10 feels brisk and refined however it's fuelled. Whichever variant families choose, the driving experience stays electric – what changes is how you top it up.

The B10 feels bigger than its compact exterior suggests. At just over 4.5 metres long and under 1.9m wide, it sits at the larger end of the small SUV segment. That extra size shows up where families notice it most: genuine second-row legroom for teenagers on the drive to Saturday morning sport, and enough width across the back seat that nobody negotiates elbow room on the way home from a long weekend, while it's still easy to park at school pick-up and thread through a shopping centre car park.

Behind the rear seats, the all-electric B10 carries a 490-litre boot that expands to 1475L with the second row folded flat, among the roomiest in the small SUV segment. That's enough for the big weekly shop, the muddy footy boots, or a family's luggage for a week up the coast, all in one trip. The Hybrid EV's boot is slightly smaller to make room for its range-extender hardware, while keeping the same square, easy-loading shape.

Sliding into the driver's seat, the B10's 14.6-inch floating centre touchscreen sets the tone, controlled with the same swipes and taps drivers already use on a smartphone or tablet. It's paired with an 8.8-inch digital driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a wireless phone charger, so getting connected on the school run takes no extra thought. A panoramic glass roof floods the cabin in natural light, while a 360-degree camera system, doubling as a built-in dashcam, gives an extra set of eyes in tight car parks and school pick-up zones. Over-the-air software updates mean the technology keeps improving long after it leaves the showroom. A panoramic roof, wireless charging, a 360-degree camera and updates that arrive over the air are the sort of features families would normally shop well further up the price list to find, and that is where a big part of the B10's value sits.

Family transport lives or dies on safety, and the B10 has been engineered accordingly. The all-electric B10 carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating, and both variants are backed by seven airbags including a front-centre airbag, and 17 driver assistance systems monitoring the road, surroundings and driver through a network of cameras and sensors. For a small SUV at this end of the market, it is a safety story that reads like one from a more expensive showroom.

Leapmotor backs the B10 with a six-year, 150,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty, alongside eight years of capped-price servicing and roadside assistance. Combined with 12-month or 20,000km service intervals, it's a package designed to keep running costs predictable long after drive-away day – the ownership half of the value equation, not just the sticker price.

Specs only tell part of the story, which is why the B10 is worth experiencing in person. It comes down to three things. Choice, with all-electric and Hybrid EV versions of the same family SUV. Value, in the space, technology and equipment families would usually pay more to get. And confidence, from the five-star ANCAP rating on the all-electric model to the eight-year battery warranty and eight years of capped-price servicing standing behind both. For families taking their first step into electrification, there really is so much to love. Find out more at the Leapmotor website.

Want to take the Leapmotor B10 Hybrid EV for a (virtual) spin? Strap in for our Virtual Test Drive.