Leapmotor B10 Hybrid EV (2026 - ) Electric review

The hybrid version of the B10 costs the same as the all-electric version and prices are in line with value-focused Chinese rivals like the Geely Starray and BYD Sealion 5. Running costs will vary depending on your lifestyle. If you have the facilities to regularly charge at home, the B10 hybrid’s decent all-electric range could mean you may rarely need to fire up the petrol engine at all. If you do decide to use a public charger topping up from 30 to 80 per cent will take around half an hour. Many buyers won’t plug the car in at all, though, and we’d expect to manage between 45 to 50mpg in the real world. Meanwhile, company drivers will still get some Benefit In Kind advantages for choosing a plug-in hybrid over a petrol alternative.

Leapmotor is new to the UK, so we don’t know much about reliability yet. However, like the other models in Leapmotor’s range the B10 will be distributed via the dealers in the Stellantis network and sold alongside well-known names such as Vauxhall, Jeep, Peugeot and Citroën, which offers some reassurance. For extra peace of mind B10s will come with a four-year/60,000-mile warranty for the car and the battery gets its own eight-year/100,000-mile cover.

Just like its electric sibling the B10 Hybrid has seven airbags and a grand total of 17 driver assistance systems, which all come as standard. These include emergency braking, all around parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, blind spot monitoring, door opening warnings and adaptive cruise control. Some are more useful than others, with systems like the lane keeping assistance and drive attention monitoring being particularly intrusive. You can adjust the sensitivity, or turn these features off completely, but this and the rest of the car’s controls require multiple interactions with the smartphone-like central touch-screen. It is very distracting to use whilst driving with tiny widgets and fiddly menus. The combination of swiping and jabbing takes your attention away from the road for way too long, which is reflected in our safety score.

The B10 Hybrid makes good use of the space available, with plenty of storage in the large door bins and storage cubbies. Up front all cars come with powered, heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel. You do sit high up in the car for a commanding driving position, but the steering wheel doesn’t adjust much for height or reach. In the back the rear space is generous with decent head- and legroom and a flat floor giving middle seat passengers extra room for their feet. The boot is a reasonable size, though you will get more room in the full EV which has additional under-floor storage. Our test car had a dark grey interior with faux-leather upholstery. This sets an austere tone and highlights the very cheap plastics, but the panoramic sunroof does at least brighten things up. Alternatively, there is a lighter interior option which looks marginally plusher. Out on the road the B10 Hybrid has been tweaked compared to its electric sister, although both cars are set up for family life rather than fun. While the Hybrid is better over lumps and bumps than the full EV, the ride is surprisingly fidgety over smooth surfaces, which is even more apparent from the passenger seat where you don’t have the steering wheel to hang on to. Wind and road noise are constant companions, too and, although not the largest car in Leapmotor’s line-up, a disappointing large turning circle makes the B10 Hybrid feel bigger than it is.

There’s just one trim level with everything included so you just need to choose your preferred paint and interior colour. Whichever combination you go for you’ll get a plethora of features, including a large central screen, a digital driver display, climate control, ambient lighting, wireless phone charging and a powered tailgate. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also included so you can bypass the built-in navigation. Everything is controlled through the main touch-screen and while we like some features such as the 360-degree camera view, we don’t like the minuscule icons and a full-screen layout obscuring sat-nav instructions while you adjust the heating. The B10 Hybrid doesn’t come with a traditional key, instead it can be locked and unlocked using a Tesla-like card or the Leapmotor app on your phone. This also allows you to remotely set temperature, monitor charging or remind you where you parked the car.

The B10 Hybrid EV may be rear-wheel drive, but it is set up for family life rather than sporting thrills, so the power is moderate, though still perfectly nippy for joining fast-moving traffic and overtaking. The benefit of the engine working as a generator which never directly turns the wheels is there’s no clunky change in performance when you switch between fuel types. Instead, you get smooth, linear acceleration regardless of what’s going on under the bonnet and, aside from an occasional hum, you’ll barely notice the engine is there at all. Meanwhile, a slightly baffling array of driving modes prioritise keeping the battery topped up to varying degrees, but none of them will let the battery deplete completely. You can also personalise your preferred level of regenerative braking strength and adjust the steering weight, although you’ll still find the brakes are on the grabby side and the steering remains relatively light, so corners are best approached at a leisurely pace.