Leapmotor T03 review

There are small cars that are small and small cars that are tiny – and the Leapmotor T03 is very much in the tiny camp. It's the same length as a VW Up and (in case the "motor" in the brand's name didn't give it away) is an all-electric car.

As for the brightly named Leapmotor, it's one of a handful of Chinese car companies we've seen launching new models in the UK recently. As well as the T03 we're reviewing here, it also sells the much larger Leapmotor C10 electric SUV.

One characteristic that sets Leapmotor apart from other Chinese brands is that it has the backing of the Stellantis. And that means the T03 has been developed with help from the group behind plenty of other small electric cars, including the Citroën ë-C3, Fiat 500e and Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

So should you take a leap of faith on the Leapmotor T03 or are you better off with one of those other models – or, indeed, a Dacia Spring or Hyundai Inster? Read on to find out how we rate the T03 against the best electric car rivals...

If you decide to buy a Leapmotor 03, you'll have no trouble deciding which version to get because there's no choice. Every 03 comes with a 37.3kWh battery and a 93bhp motor powering the front wheels.

Officially, it can get you from 0-62mph in 12.7 seconds, which is quicker than a Dacia Spring but slower than most electric cars, including the Citroën ë-C3 and Hyundai Inster. It does build speed quickly enough once it gets going though.

What’s more noticeable than the leisurely acceleration is the delay between you planting your right foot and the T03 surging forwards from a standstill. There’s quite a lot of travel in the accelerator pedal before the car moves, which robs you of some of the nippy performance you’d want from a small city car.

Better news is that the T03 rides impressively well, with its well balanced suspension soaking up all but the worst imperfections around town. In fact, even as speeds increase, the T03 is a comfortable thing and, while it starts to feel a little more floaty over undulations at motorway speeds, it’s generally very settled.

Indeed, the only thing that really lets it down is the steering. There are three driving modes to choose from, and we’d suggest leaving it in the default Sport mode. That gives you the most steering feel, and even then it's a bit too light and doesn’t give you much of an idea what the front wheels are up to in a corner. It’s fine around town, but doesn’t do much for your confidence on a country road. 

The T03's other two driving modes – Standard and Comfort – are best left for slow and tight city back roads and car parks. They both feel way too light when driving at any speed above 20mph. Plus, the steering self-centres very slowly on sharper turns (such as on mini-roundabouts), which means you have to apply a bit of lock to get round.

The battery is bigger than the one in the Dacia Spring (26.8kWh) and the T03 will officially travel slightly further between charges, managing 165 miles compared with 140 miles for the Spring. The Hyundai Inster does much better, managing 203 miles officially in Standard Range form and 229 if you go for the Long Range model.

For buyers living in cities, the Leapmotor T03’s range will likely be more than enough, but if you want to do a lot of longer journeys, you'll want to consider an Inster, a Citroën ë-C3 or a Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

At first glance, you might think an inexpensive small car like the T03 would have some issues with refinement, but for the most part that's not the case. Even at motorway speeds there's not much wind or road noise. The main annoyance is the volume of the alert sound that warns pedestrians of your presence – which you hear when you're driving at up to 20mph – and the various bings and bongs from the rather sensitive safety warnings (which you can switch off).

"The T03 doesn’t feel slow around town, but a city car should be able to nip in and out of spaces in traffic. Due to the delay between hitting the accelerator and gaining speed, the T03 loses that a bit." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

If you’re less than 6ft tall, you’ll find it easy enough to get comfortable behind the wheel of the Leapmotor T03, thanks to a seat that can be adjusted up, down, in and out.

However, if you’re taller, you might find your knees perched up quite high because the driver’s seat doesn’t slide very far back. Another issue is that the steering wheel only adjusts up and down, although that's less of a problem – the seat doesn’t slide far enough back that you need to extend it towards you anyway.

Despite its tall, boxy shape, visibility out of the T03 isn’t that good. The windscreen is small and the front bonnet is high so it’s quite difficult to judge where the front of the car is. The front pillars are quite chunky too, which doesn’t help when pulling out of junctions.

While the door mirrors are a good size for such a small car and the side windows are large, there are wide rear pillars and a small rear window (which doesn't have a wiper). On the plus side, the standard rear parking sensors and rear-view camera help when parking.

Every Leapmotor T03 comes with two screens upfront, the first of which is an 8.0in digital driver’s display. The display is pretty impressive when it comes to its definition, making it really easy to read, but it’s a shame it has no functionality beyond showing you your speed and brief navigation details.

The other screen is a 10in touchscreen that gives you access to the infotainment features. Again, its definition is good for the most part and it reacts quickly as you prod around the menus.

On the minus side, almost all the car’s systems are accessed through the touchscreen – a third of which is obscured by the steering wheel because of the screen's low position in the dashboard. As a result you can’t see some menu options and navigation details, which is a pain.

Leapmotor has said that over-the-air updates for the infotainment system will be supported for several years, so hopefully it’ll find a way around the issue. Indeed, at the time of writing, the system has had four quality-of-life updates.

Every T03 comes with DAB radio, Bluetooth, built-in sat-nav and smartphone connectivity. You don't get Android Auto or Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

Prodding around the interior reveals that it’s dominated by hard plastics, but they’re far from offensive because all the materials having some form of colouring or texturing. It’s more appealing on the surface than the Dacia Spring but not as funky as the Citroën ë-C3.

Build quality feels good – the doors close with a reassuring thud, for example, unlike on the Dacia Spring. Plus, the steering wheel-mounted stalks (which look as though they've been sourced from Mercedes car models) feel secure and tough.

"While the interior is filled with hard plastics, you can’t argue with the T03’s build quality. I did lots of prodding around in it and it feels like the T03 should stand the test of time." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

You’re probably thinking that anyone over six feet tall would struggle to fit inside this dinky city car but that's not the case. You see, while a tall driver might struggle for leg room in the Leapmotor T03, there’s a surprising amount of space generally.

Starting in the front, there’s more than enough head room for a pair of six-footers, plus loads of passenger leg room. It’s also wide enough for two broad people to sit in the front without rubbing shoulders.

Front storage is less impressive, but you do get a cupholder and a holder for your phone below the dashboard, a small cubby between the front seats, and small door bins with a cupholder large enough for a big water bottle.

When it comes to rear head room, it’s much the same story as in the front, with even those just over 6ft tall having more than enough space without their hair rubbing on the roof lining. Leg room, meanwhile, is sufficient rather than generous, with those under 6ft having just enough knee space and loads of room under the front seats for their feet.

Shoulder room is decent, with two people sitting in the back, but you only have space for two people. That’s worth bearing in mind if you often use all three rear seats. If you do, you might want to look at the Citroën ë-C3 or MG4 EV instead. At least you have five doors, making it easier to climb into the rear than in the three-door Mini Cooper Electric.

The T03's boot space is nothing to write home about, with just 210 litres of space. That’s less than the Dacia Spring (308 litres) and Hyundai Inster (280 litres), as well as larger rivals including the ë-C3 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

Worse still, the T03’s boot is deep but narrow, so large boxy items simply won't go in unless you fold down the back seats. They drop in one piece – as they do in the Dacia Spring – but still, the T03 is not a great choice for trips to buy furniture, for example.

"Given the overall size of the Leapmotor T03, I'm impressed by how spacious it is inside. We just about managed to fit two six-foot road testers in the back seats with no real issues." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As a cash purchase, the Leapmotor T03 will cost you more than a Dacia Spring but less than its other rivals, including the Citroën ë-C3, Hyundai Inster and Vauxhall Corsa Electric. It's worth bearing in mind, though, that the more expensive rivals will go further on a charge.

Speaking of which, when the T03’s battery is empty and you need to recharge, you can plug into a CCS fast charger and recharge at a rate of up to 48kW – which is quicker than the maximum charging rate of the Spring. In more relatable terms, that means going from 30-80% in around 36 minutes at a public car charger or around 3.5 hours with home EV charger.

The T03 comes with a decent amount of kit, including 15in alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, automatic air-conditioning, and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors. (There are no trim levels to choose from, just one version.)

The experts at Euro NCAP have yet to test any model from Leapmotor so we can't tell you how safe the T03 is. However, it does tick several important boxes in terms of safety equipment, with lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking (AEB), door opening warning and speed-limit recognition as standard.

Leapmotor is too new to have featured in our What Car? Reliability Survey but every T03 comes with a three-year standard warranty. That’s nothing special when compared with its rivals, but thanks to the brand’s partnership with Stellantis there are plenty of service centres and easy access to parts. You don’t get that with all of the newer electric car brands.

"Officials at Leapmotor say the brand is all about value rather than being cheap, and you can see that in the standard equipment list. I find it genuinely quite surprising that you get so much for so little." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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