Leapmotor B10 Design Hybrid EV Review: DoneDeal Cars

The B10 is a compact SUV that measures 4,515mm long, 1,885mm wide, and 1,655mm tall, on a 2,735mm wheelbase - dimensions that put it firmly in Qashqai and Kuga territory rather than anything larger. Ground clearance is 170mm, enough for typical Irish rural roads and the odd rough car park without feeling like an off-roader. Full LED headlights and taillights are standard, along with hidden door handles that sit flush with the bodywork to reduce drag and give the car a cleaner profile. Nine exterior colours are offered, with Starry Night Blue as the standard finish and options including Dawn Purple, Light White, Burren Grey, Metallic Black, and Galaxy Silver.

It isn't a bad-looking car as such, but the B10s proportions are a little awkward, compared to the much better-proportioned larger C10.

Design trim adds a few style-specific touches over the entry Style grade, including privacy glass on the rear windows and windscreen. Practical details are scattered throughout: the body panels and bumper corners are designed for section-by-section replacement rather than whole-bumper swaps, which should keep minor car-park knocks cheaper to fix — a detail that matters more in Ireland's tight urban parking than it might elsewhere.

Where the B10 clearly departs from most rivals in this class is the door handle and lighting detailing, both borrowed from a more premium design language than the price tag suggests. Whether that translates into kerb appeal is subjective, and on this front the B10 is a car that will divide opinion at first glance — buyers should see it in person before committing.

The Design trim's cabin makes a strong case on comfort and equipment, even if outright boot space takes a hit compared to the pure-electric version. With the range-extender powertrain fitted, boot space is 330 litres with the rear seats up, rising to 1,600 litres with them folded — a sensible amount for weekly shopping and holiday luggage, if not class-leading.

Design specification brings genuine comfort upgrades over the entry-level Style trim: eco-leather seats, a 6-way electrically adjustable driver's seat, a 4-way electrically adjustable passenger seat, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an electric tailgate, and 64-colour ambient lighting that syncs to music. A 14.6-inch 2.5K floating central touchscreen dominates the dashboard, paired with an 8.8-inch driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 12-speaker sound system (up from 6 speakers on Style trim). The front seats also recline fully flat, turning the cabin into a genuine rest space — a small but useful feature for long journeys or a break on a motorway trip.

In fairness, the quality of the interior is pretty good, with decent plastics and materials used throughout.

Storage is well thought out, with a 25-litre front frunk for charging cables, a multi-purpose central storage bin, and dual foldable cup holders up front. Over-the-air software updates mean the car's infotainment and features can improve without a trip to a dealer.

The B10 is powered by a single electric motor producing 160kW and 240Nm, driving the rear wheels, with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine acting purely as an onboard generator rather than ever driving the wheels directly. That gives the B10 genuinely strong on-paper performance for the class — 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds and a 170km/h top speed — with the smooth, instant response typical of an electric motor.

The ride is pretty comfortable, and the steering is light with decent cameras to make parking easy. Out on the open road, on long journeys it is really comfortable too, but if the roads get twister it isn't really a driver's car but then you wouldn't expect it to be and few owners will care that it isn't that engaging to drive.

Where the B10 draws more criticism is its driver assistance suite. The car comes loaded with ADAS features — adaptive cruise control, lane centring control, emergency lane keeping, hands-off detection, driver drowsiness monitoring, and more — but on test the systems intervened more often than they reassured. Where I live in the country, the lane assist was super annoying and intrusive and was looking for lines on the road that aren't there. For buyers who value a calm, unobtrusive drive, this is worth experiencing firsthand before buying, as ADAS calibration is often one of the first things owners look to adjust in the settings menu.

Three regenerative braking levels and a traffic jam assist mode are included, alongside three selectable steering modes and four driving modes to suit conditions. For most Irish driving — school runs, commuting, the occasional motorway trip — the B10 is composed and easy to live with, even if it won't be mistaken for a driver's car.

The B10 Design Hybrid EV is priced at €37,995 on the road, with no VRT rebate or SEAI grant applied — those incentives are reserved for pure battery-electric vehicles, and Leapmotor's own Irish price list confirms neither applies to this powertrain. That makes the list price the real price, with no grant eligibility to factor into the sums.

Servicing intervals are set at 20,000km or 12 months, and Leapmotor's Irish offer (valid to 31 August 2026) includes a 6-year/unlimited mileage vehicle warranty, an 8-year/160,000km high-voltage battery warranty, and 3 years of roadside assistance — a strong ownership safety net for a manufacturer that's still building its reputation in Ireland. A €1,000 energy credit and free metallic paint are also part of the current offer.

Day-to-day running costs should be low: with an 82km WLTP electric-only range, most Irish commutes and school runs can be done without the petrol engine ever switching on, provided the car is charged regularly. Charging at home via a 3kW single-phase supply takes 3 hours 50 minutes for a 30-80% top-up; a wallbox or public AC charging station with 6.6kW capability cuts that to 1 hour 45 minutes; and DC fast charging at up to 46kW brings the same top-up down to just 20 minutes.

The B10 Hybrid EV posts a WLTP combined fuel consumption figure of 2.4 l/100km, though that figure reflects a test cycle weighted heavily towards electric-only driving. Once the 18.8kWh battery is depleted and the 1.5-litre generator engine is doing the work, expect real-world consumption closer to a conventional efficient hybrid — likely somewhere in the 5.5–6.5 l/100km range on a motorway-heavy run, though this should be treated as an estimate rather than a confirmed test figure.

The key to getting the most from this powertrain is charging discipline: with 82km of WLTP electric-only range, a driver who plugs in every night can realistically cover most weekday driving on electric power alone, only calling on the 50-litre fuel tank and 900km total WLTP range for longer trips — Dublin to Cork and back, for instance, without needing to plan a charging stop the way a full EV owner would.

The most direct rival is the BYD Seal U DM-i, a similarly sized plug-in hybrid SUV using a related electric-first hybrid approach, starting from around €38,995 in Ireland for the entry Boost model. The Kia Niro PHEV is another obvious cross-shop, starting from roughly €38,500 for the K3 grade, and brings Kia's dealer network and reputation for reliability to the comparison. Both rivals are more established brands in the Irish market, which may weigh on resale value comparisons against the newer Leapmotor name — a factor worth considering alongside the spec sheet.

Leapmotor B10 range and pricing (August 2026):

• B10 Style BEV (56.2kWh) — €38,995 RRSP (€32,984 after VRT rebate and SEAI grant*); 361km WLTP range
• B10 Style BEV (67.1kWh) — €40,800 RRSP (€34,672 after VRT rebate and SEAI grant*); 434km WLTP range
• B10 Style Hybrid EV (18.8kWh) — €36,995; 900km WLTP range
• B10 Design BEV (67.1kWh) — €42,215 RRSP (€35,996 after VRT rebate and SEAI grant*); 434km WLTP range
• B10 Design Hybrid EV (18.8kWh, tested) — €37,995; 900km WLTP range

*VRT rebate and SEAI grant apply only to the battery-electric (BEV) versions and are subject to current scheme eligibility; excludes metallic paint and delivery charges.